thesis: yoko taro is often listed among the foremost auteurs of the medium but the reality is his strengths lie in a kind of prototypical 'video game' method of work, borne out of necessity, that prioritizes collaboration between a consistent set of screenwriters, an unorthodox style of design targeting emotional resonance, and a plethora of unique flourishes specifically aimed at facilitating the empathy, immersion, and connection of its players (researching drakengard 1s development makes this especially apparent - it's arguably not even a yoko taro game in the usually defined sense of the term). his works, when in production, are thwarted frequently by compromise, limitation, and sacrifice - stumbling blocks, all in service of eventually reflecting a well-trodden title which charms on the virtues of its rustic artistry. wear and tear and a heart of gold. this style of development, marked by haste and experimentation and fueled by pure zeal and love for the craft, perhaps reveals why the pillars of video games, the codified monomythic genres and the primordial archetypes and the frequent allusions to popular work, so often impress themselves upon yoko taro games, and why so often his work succeeds in connecting to people where other talent may struggle. the video game of it all, if you will. incidentally, this collaborative style allows for a large breadth of potential interpretation and analysis afforded towards his work, and ive long maintained that a YT game is at its most interesting when it's not about what he intended for it to be about. did the tragedies in nier gestalt sometimes fall flat for you? me too! thankfully that's not what the game is about, at least not to me. in sum: the work of many, each willing and able to leave a fingerprint on the mosaic of development, enriches the product in the long-run, creating a full-bodied textured work of art and contributing immensely to the humanity at the core of these games. if any given chord strikes you as dull, a separate melody will enchant you - that's the nature of YT's games. they're artisan because of what they value and because of how they achieve their mission statement, and especially because of their passion, always demonstrated by the little details in these games. passion will always reveal itself, but so too will a dearth of passion reveal itself.

proof: nier re[in]carnation
if these games worked because of a certain je ne sais quois shared by the collaborative nature of a team in a trying work environment, i don't think my prospective next project would be a game in an exploitative genre where a new team of writers handled an endless barrage of one-note vignettes while YT sat back, nodded halfheartedly at his desk, and tried to string every vignette together using an overarching plot catering to obsessive drakennier fans. just my two cents

I've been meaning to write a proper review for this for years (and I'm still planning to), but I think Hattori's review is pretty much spot-on, especially as a rebuttal to some of the more low-hanging criticisms I've seen floating around. It is pretty clear that Automata is the kind of game where you either vibe with the (categorically uncool, decidedly no-good) idiosyncrasies of its director Yoko Taro—world-renowned scoundrel and self-professed creator of "weird games for weird people"—or you don't. As for me, I'm not ashamed to admit that the tonal, thematic, and emotional registers explored in both of the mainline NieR games have pretty much conquered my soul. All-encompassing sadness interlaced with the grotesque and the absurd, but also full of heart and empathy where it counts—that's my shit right there. Incidentally, ⁠I was originally drawn to the world of NieR after spontaneously giving the Automata soundtrack a spin and just instantly clicking with it on a fundamental level—in fact, I'd say the music is such an integral and representative part of the experience that you can likely skip this game if listening to a track like "City Ruins" doesn't immediately make you want to fuck off to some forlorn corner of the world and weep for the soul of humanity. And trust me, weep I shall, seeing to what extent lewd fanart of the ostensible protagonist is stealing the public spotlight away from the actual, real star of the game: the Small Stubby Machine.

My sincerest apologies fellow Taro heads, but this is my favorite one. Nier Automata is the inevitable conclusion that the series has been working towards to, with the actors of the stage play set by its predecessors finally rebelling against the 4th wall and breaking past this ever beautiful aging artform we love. Videogame characters being aware that they are inside a videogame is nothing new, but Nier Automata masterfully utilizes ever interactive system, device, mechanic and language at its disposal to bring new life to this concept and create an incredible purposeful metanarrative that could only work within the limitations of the medium and nowhere else.

Utilizing videogame conventions and expectations to frame its story as one of existential crisis and nihilistic despair experienced by what could be the protagonists of any kind of shmup, a genre defined by its disregard for narrative context and its primordial struggle where the player throws themselves to death over and over again oblivious to such purpose, Automata pits its characters against the bleek reality devised for and enforced on them and instills a level of self awareness that brilliantly paints a baroque moving picture that paralels our own communial absurdity on this tiny rock floating in space. That same interactive narrative continues on outside of the 2D ships, where Drakengard 3's intertwining of violence with sexual drive is further expanded and improved upon in Automata through its combat design.

Just as the characters are built to derive pleasure from the killing, so too do we from the now immediate and highly satisfying stylish Platinum combat, and just as purpose and meaning starts to inevitably crumble in front of them, so too does the fighting quickly decline into Drakengard territory, as the non threatening and non hostile enemies fail to ilicit any desire for engagement. No better is this exemplified then by the shift from 2B's two weapon combo fare to 9S's stop and start combat that perfectly reflects his state of mind and increasing frustration that explodes at the tail end of the game. And at the peril of shooting myself in the foot and being sent to the internet gulags, even the much (deservedly so) maligned peek at 2B's undergarments ends up reinforcing through gameplay the protagonist's self awareness and rejection of player control.

Carrying on the post 9/11 sentiment of Nier, Automata from the outset presents "the Other" as the consequence and victim of an eternity of perpetual warfare born from a conflict that none of the current perpetrators remember or fight for, and through an engrossing narrative that constantly delivers devastating revelation after another that repeatedly shatter the character's sense of purpose and resolve, it takes the ethos of a greek tragedy and creates a fascinating dialogue between the player and the screen. Route B and C provide the best use of sequential playthroughs in the series that cleverly switch between numerous point of views and further hammers home the theatricality of the game's construct, with 9S especially being a standout case with his pechant for breaking the boundaries of the game with his 4th wall breaking quips and hacking mechanics that ultimately make him the most vulnerable to the reality of the fiction he lives in. A world screaming out of the edges of the monitor, trapped in a nightmare of their own making and restricted by our very own code.

And that finale. That fuckin finale. What a glorious and exuberant display of love and admiration for the power of videogames and its capability to unite the world with empathy and optimism through a beautiful message of perserverance and struggle that only this artform knows how to deliver. Constantly do I see Automata criticized for being filled with philosophy name drops and references, implying an "emperor has no clothes" sort of deal that aspires to a pretense at depth, an odd critique that I fail to understand when the game consistently mocks said name drops and references and doesn't treat that lack of subtlety in the same manner as something like MGSV did with Moby Dick or 1984. If after witnessing that ending, you still believe that the philosophy musings aren't just the coat of paint through which the world of Automata communicates its message and are instead the focal point of the game, you my friend, have missed the forest for the trees. And I love how Automata's callback to Nier's final sacrifice gains a new whole meaning by its more open optionality.

Could go on about the perfect use of dynamic soundtracking, the cohesive selection of side quests that explore the game's ideas from numerous angles and humorous vignettes, or the clever use of achievements, but I guess I just did so time to wrap it up. I'm sorry the normiecore took this franchise from you, I truly am. But you wanted a new MGS2, right? Well, you got it. This is it.

Resident Evil 4 is a Remake of my favorite video game of all time. I'm not opposed to Remakes in theory, but my one hope always is that a remake of a great game contains something its soul that separates it from the original experience. A perfectly faithful remake of an already perfect video game is a complete waste of time and effort. What this remake needed to be spectacular is to maintain the feeling of an always surprising journey that made the original so immediately impactful, while building a unique core of mechanics and encounters to help give it a different identity. After spending 50 hours and 4 playthroughs with this remake, I'm very happy to conclude that the team at Capcom have succeeded with flying colors.

This remake loses a lot of what makes the original game special, let's be clear. All of the villains have been drained of their personality, and the removal of stop-n-pop for more contemporary action combat means the chunky arcadey feel of the original has been lost. But in its place, RE4 Remake contains elements just as special. While the villains have lost their charm, Luis and Ashley feel much more robust and enjoyable to be around, with Ashley in particular being so charming that it actually feels bad when she and Leon get separated now. And the changes to combat - and critically, the combat encounters - have replaced that original satisfying feeling with a palpable intensity and catharsis all its own. Kicking the ass of a difficult sequence no longer feels like a victory of optimization, but a victory of grit and skill. Boss fights have largely been reworked for the better too, with the new version of Salazar and Saddler being the most obvious improvements.

One of the greatest aspects of the original game was its breakneck white-knuckle pacing, and while Remake definitely stumbles a bit more, it never loses its footing. The middle section of the castle is an absolutely genius rework, with encounters both old and entirely new being stitched together in a sequence so astonishingly fun it blows my mind even now. Chapter 11 in this game might seriously be the best level in video games, it's that good. The reworked economy system in this game also helps the game stand out from its original, while still maintaining the aspects that made it fun.

I think that's a perfect summation. This Remake takes everything that made Resident Evil 4 the GOAT and alters them to suit a newer, sleeker package. Not as a replacement, or even a refinement, but as a companion that can stand shining just alongside it. A masterpiece all its own.

This game came very, very close to being my favorite game of all time, but in the end it didn't hit the mark the way that a lot of my favorites did. This isn't a bad thing; NieR expresses all of its ideas in as coherent and fluid a manner as it can and I think it really hammers home everything that it needs to with the tools that it has. It just didn't tell me anything I didn't already know - and that’s a good thing. I cherish NieR as much as I do for the exact reason that it reminds me so much of what I have, what I know and how I've grown.

NieR is a celebration of video games as a medium; it picks them apart, critiques them, and gets to know them inside-and-out for all their weird quirks and then pieces them back together, the relationship between creator and creation much stronger for all the bizarre intimacy and trust that can only come when you've exhausted every little detail of something you know and love so well. In many ways, NieR is the definitive game of the state of games in 2010: a look back at the achievements of games' past (with countless homages to games such as Resident Evil or the original Legend of Zelda with gameplay mix-ups and perspective changes), while taking a few brave first steps into the increasingly unique and experimental narrative language games had started to develop going into their fourth decade of mainstream prevalence.

There’s also something to be said about NieR’s LGBT themes and the manner in which it explores them and works them into its core narrative; every single member of the main party has some sort of LGBT experience related to their story. Rather than dedicating entire subplots to extrapolating upon these themes, it lets the player identify these characters as gay/intersex/bisexual and then places them in circumstances where one can identify strong parallels with LGBT experiences in a very real way without having to carve out room in the story just for those. It feels natural, and it’s the best way I’ve seen a game tackle LGBT themes - a scene where two “non-human” characters reassure one another over their “flaws” becomes a textual example of LGBT solidarity in the narrative, whereas one character’s discomfort and feeling unsafe being half-shade in a party of shade-hunters becomes a parallel to the fears that intersex and transgender feel in cisgender society. I’ve never seen another narrative handle it so subtly and yet so explicitly as Nier does, and I cherish it endlessly.

The fact that NieR has two protagonists is one of the best possible decisions that could have been made for this game. Perception, perspective and understanding is an important theme in this game, and a lot of the writing is written in a way that will resonate differently depending on whether or not the protagonist is a young man protecting his sister or a middle-aged man protecting his daughter. Brother Nier’s story is one of the best intentions and purest love slowly rotting into the most volatile hate, whereas Papa Nier’s story is one of how even the most innocent and noble of love can draw you to do terrible, awful things. Both protagonists have unique and incredibly impactful effects on the world around them, and are impacted by it in different ways, and have equally meaningful and unique relationships with their party members.

I personally prefer Brother Nier - he resonates with me on a much greater level and I find his more dynamic character arc more compelling, and I’m a sucker for understated, subtle romances such as the one between Brother Nier and Kainé, which is amplified considering the backstory context (and resulting LGBT status) that Brother Nier has whereas Papa Nier does not have it. At the same time, I cannot imagine NieR without Papa Nier. I found myself missing him even when he was right there in the playthrough of NieR: Gestalt I watched while playing through Replicant.

Some criticize the new ending in the remake as unfitting or that it ruins the original game’s point. I understand where they’re coming from in saying so, but I disagree - I think to emphasize NieR as a purely cynical and centering its darkness above all else is to miss the point. NieR is a story about love, and what people are willing to do for the people that they love. Some loyalties are unbreakable and will lead people to do unthinkable things - such as “undo” a poignant and controversial ending that many people consider the highlight of the narrative in which they are held. (Personally, I find Ending D to be a bit overrated - the twist ending comes as a bit shoehorned in and doesn’t have much narrative weight or presence, without ever explaining how Nier can do what he does to achieve that ending).

The only true complaint I have is that I feel that it’s a touch too short and relies too heavily on padding through (ultimately meaningless, if not entertaining) sidequests, and that its truly emotionally impactful moments are more-or-less hastily crammed into a game whose routes you could beat in ten hours or less if you rushed through it (it took me about eighty hours to achieve all five endings, with this in mind). I understand the importance of the game’s replay value and that it’s what makes the game so special, but at the same time I feel like I would have definitely been willing to rack up 100 hours or more in exchange for longer playthroughs so that I could see the party interact more. The four-man ensemble of Nier, Kainé, Emil and Grimoire Weiss is my favorite in any video game, and it feels like we’re made to say goodbye to them just as we’ve truly gotten to know them.

But — and this is a key theme of NieR in and of itself — perhaps it is more important to appreciate the journey itself, for often it won't end the way you expect, or even in the manner that you want it to. Sometimes you're happier on the path to your goals than you are when you achieve them. Love your friends while you still can, cherish every step you take for what it is, and don’t look back.

I've seen a lot of talk, both positive and negative, about how the existence of this new Nier renders the old ones obsolete; some despise it because it represents the mainstreamification of a cult classic with little regard for the westernized protagonist they fell in love with, others adore it because it finally gives non-Japanese audiences the intended narrative while also providing a smoother gameplay experience. Admittedly, I fell hard into the former category during much of the early game, but after some introspection, I realized that the question is not if this updated remakaster replaces the original Replicant/Gestalt, or even what parts of it are better/worse than its predecessors, but rather how it complements them. Upon finishing this one, I believe all three can exist in harmony.

First off, this seems to be a literal update, built on top of the old version instead of remade from scratch, so most of Cavia's work still remains intact. The original game had a lot of idiosyncrasies that helped make it special in my eyes, and most of them are retained here by virtue of it being the exact same game at its core. I have a few nitpicks regarding the old goofy animations being replaced by ones lifted straight from Automata, though I suppose the developers felt that was a necessary alteration to make the combat feel snappier (I disagree, but whatever, it's fine). There are really just two major sticklers for me, which are the only reason I can't give this game a 5/5:

1) None of the original developers appear to be credited at the end unless they also returned to work on this remaster. I didn't even see Yoko Taro's long-time co-writers Sawako Natori and Hana Kikuchi mentioned, which is absolutely criminal considering they were responsible for penning much of the script. The one exception is D.K., who designed the characters for the 2010 release, and I'm glad they included him, but it's disrespectful as hell that Toylogic didn't think the original developers, the people who actually made the game we're playing here, were worthy of crediting. Yes, I am probably the only person in the world who cares about this, and no, I am not going to just accept it. To me, this isn't right. If games are art, then we need to treat the people who make them as artists. Even the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, an actual 1:1 remake using almost nothing directly taken from the PS1 games, saw fit to credit the original developers.

2) The new soundtrack is... I don't want to say "bad," but I don't like it much at all. Most of the rearrangements sound fine, and there's even one I might actually enjoy more than its original counterpart, but I find the majority of it either bland or overproduced by comparison. Obviously this is all subjective, but when I walked into the Northern Plains and heard the new Hills of Radiant Wind for the first time, I actually frowned. This was the moment that made me fall in love with Gestalt back on the PS3, and the new rendition with its muted instruments and subtler vocals couldn't be further from what I adored about it. The fact that there's no option to use the classic OST, but you CAN switch to the Automata OST, is maddening. Easily my biggest disappointment with this re-release, and probably the entire reason I felt so down on it at first.

The rest of my complaints are nitpicks that stem from having way too many brain cells devoted to Nier, so I'll spare you from them. In general, this is probably the version of the game I would recommend people to play nowadays. While I do think certain iconic moments had better voice acting in the original, the vast majority of the new vocal performances are a huge improvement, especially from the actors portraying Emil, Yonah, Devola/Popola, and Grimoire Noir. Everyone is at the top of their game here, and the remaster boasting full voice acting means we get 100% more Grimoire Weiss dubbing, a true delight that is not to be missed. As much as I prefer Papa Nier and a lot of his game's altered party banter, going back to a world where only half of Weiss' lines are voiced simply feels wrong.

The new content is also pretty damn good; maybe not worth paying full price for if you were satisfied by the original game, but I liked it a lot. The "Mermaid" sequence is unnecessary and threatens to harm the pacing, but it gives Seafront more of a purpose and I genuinely felt like something was missing when it wasn't there in my Gestalt playthrough. The last segment of it is very cool, cleverly integrating gameplay and story via Nier's otherwise entirely pointless RPG leveling system. Ending E is fascinating and handled in a really neat way, much better than I expected from reading the short story version years ago. I was always against its inclusion in a potential remake, but I think they made it work. Whereas Ending D was the perfect conclusion for the original release, with it mirroring Cavia's demise and the expectation that Nier would be forgotten in a few years, Ending E functions as a similar parallel in a post-Automata world where people love Yoko Taro's games and can't get enough of them. Some will scoff at its sappiness and appeals to new fans who started with the sequel, but I thought it was quite sweet and just all around exceptional.

In general, I think there's a lot to be gained by playing both OG Nier and Remastered Nier, Replicant Nier and Gestalt Nier. Most of the characterization is only subtly different between versions, but it can't be understated how different they feel from each other through a combination of script alterations, the disparity between animation quality, and the presence (or not) of Ending E. Classic Gestalt Nier is about a dumb old man who regularly falls on his ass bumbling around in a world he's outgrown, tunnel-visioning past harsh truths staring him in the face, and trying to rescue his daughter by thoughtlessly killing anyone who gets in his way. Modern Replicant Nier is about an acrobatic young man who has his innocence repeatedly shattered by events beyond his control, deliberately turns a blind eye to harsh truths, and uses rescuing his sister as an excuse for murder. Both versions of the protagonist are helpful to a fault and repeatedly put themselves in harm's way to ensure the safety of those around them (despite the things they're doing not necessarily being good at all), but while the Father and young Brother do this out of the kindness of their hearts, adult Brother does it more because it's the only life he's ever known. In the end, both characters make the same final decision, but the outcomes are completely different due to their interpersonal relationships causing the same action to be done for entirely different reasons.

Two protagonists, two tragedies, two development studios; this differentiation may not have been intentional, but it's brilliant, and somehow makes playing multiple versions of a game you already have to play three times to finish a rewarding experience.

God, after playing Nier Automata I thought I was ready for another heart wrenching story. But I truly wasn't. This game reminded me again why the DrakeNier franchise is one of my absolute favorites. The storytelling, while slow in this one, is engaging from start to finish. Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed the story and the characters. After finishing all Endings I was a wreck and I loved it.

There are some things I didn't really like in this game though, like the tedious sidequests. Dear god, why are most of them boring fetch and grindy farm quests? No seriously, the sidequests were a chore to go through! But I didn't mind the
running around that much, because of the immaculate soundtrack.

Honestly, the atmospheric soundtrack is another thing I deeply love about Nier. This game shows that even the worst gameplay mechanics can be kind of fun or bearable while listening to a bop after another.

Also, as much as I enjoyed Kainé as a character, her outfit looks not good. So many possibilities and they chose this mess. There is good fanservice and then there is Kainé. You got done dirty. I'm so sorry, my love.

But overall, I'm glad that I finally got the time to play this fantastic game and experience something special.

nier replicant/gestalt is one of my favorite games of all time and despite having played more games since the first time i experienced it, nier still has a special place in my heart for having one of my favorite stories in any piece of media. so it only makes sense that i'd check this remake out and despite being wary initially due to not liking the idea of remakes in general i'm very glad to say that what's presented here is a really solid refresher for returning players and after experiencing everything the game has to offer i'm relieved to say the new content is extremely well integrated.

the first of these changes involves the combat! while still familiar enough for returning fans, a lot of the combat has been retooled and i'm glad to say that the weapons feel unique enough across classes and that the movement during battle feels pretty similar for the most part. there's also a few nice quality of life changes with being able to move while casting spells now and also nerfing the air dash and spear dive (and while i was disappointed initially with its changes, the spear here has been retooled with a lot sleeker of a moveset well that flows well with the pace of the combat here in a way that incentivizes using more of its reworked moves). the original combat in nier was grounded and simplistic and while i don't think a lot of that has changed there's a bit more depth to this new one with letting you spice up your inputs (not that you can't abuse the same few moves like the original which is a welcome sight lol). overall, the combat here doesn't necessarily feel more complex but it feels like an expansion of what the original set out to do for better or worse.

combat, however, isn't the focus here in nier, it's the story but before i get into that i want to address two of the leading forces that drive it forward and create the overall experience: the soundtrack and voice acting!

the original soundtrack of nier is one of my favorites of all time due to how well integrated into the world it was and how it highlighted key story moments. each and every track of the original nier has been embedded into my mind over the years due to multiple replays yearly and it's incredible how much staying power these tracks have had in my life to the point where i've gotten emotional just by hearing it. so needless to say, i had high expectations on how the tracks were handled and the overall musicality of the remaster's soundtrack was under a large amount of scrutiny for me personally. having heard everything by the end of it i'm glad to say that the new original tracks are incredibly solid while the rearrangements range from decent to pretty amazing and on par with the original at times. for the sake of avoiding spoilers, i'm going to say that the entire final area of the game is beautifully reorchestrated with a lot of the rearrangements being on par with the original which should hopefully reassure old fans of the original and hearing it in-game was an absolute pleasure for me. there are a few gripes i have with the treatment of some tracks in particular like "the wretched automatons" and "gods bound by rules" but i think the entire thing is a great effort at putting a new spin on the original's legacy and keiichi okabe's direction on most of the tracks shows with the amount of respect most of them receive.

as for the voice work, i think it's really solid for the most part! as someone whose first experience was with the japanese release of nier replicant for the ps3, i was really glad to hear the japanese voice cast again with their performances rendered pretty faithful to the original and the voice direction in some scenes, in particular, is absolutely a joy to listen to! the overall cast reprises their roles here really well and devola and popola's voice actress shiraishi ryoko absolutely nails the scenes they're in with the main cast doing a perfect job as well. as for the english cast, which i was familiar with due to having also played the original nier gestalt, i'm glad to say that the new voices are great and the returning cast members do really well here despite some performances reflecting their age a bit. i won't name names but to old fans of the original it's pretty obvious and while the delivery of those important lines are great it's a bit of shame to admit it's a bit distracting at times. i'd also like to mention that weiss's voice actor absolutely kills it AGAIN with liam o'brien doing a great job as well with some extremely quote-worthy lines.

now for what we've all been waiting for, the story! the story here is adapted pretty faithful to the original with the slight addition of new content here and there to make it rewarding for returning fans to experience. one change, in particular, i really liked was the addition of a multitude of new scenes to the additional routes as the original felt repetitive to many due to how subsequent routes felt samey. however, the new scenes in this remaster handle this by consistently spoon-feeding the player new scenes that really help to spice up an otherwise repetitive structure while also helping to incentivize exploration and overall game progression. as for the endings, i won't go into detail about them as i wouldn't want to spoil the story for anyone who might be going into it for the first time but fear not original nier fans, these endings still hit like a TRUCK lol and i often found myself eliciting similar emotions to my first playthrough despite knowing exactly what would happen. i probably cried too many times to count throughout my playthrough but i'm glad to say none of those tears were from frustration.

as this review comes to a close i'd like to address that despite a large portion of contention for me with this remaster in general was largely with the addition of new content, i feel like it's been handled tastefully and while the original was a result of a rushed production schedule (which still accomplished what it set out to do, might i add) the new content here definitely feels like remnants of their original plans but fully expanded upon. to put it simply, it's good and i think most returning fans will find a lot of enjoyment in the new stuff. sure some of its fanservice is definitely for those who played it initially, yet i can't imagine some of the same emotions i felt being replicated within those who are making this their first experience with the game. nier replicant remaster for better or worse feels like a love letter to those who loved the original and will continue to do so and as someone that loved nier from the first time i played it, i'm glad to say that this remake served as a great reminder of one of my favorite experiences of all time. while i don't think older fans are missing out much by skipping this remake despite it being a great source of fanservice, i understand there's a great poignancy in the original's final ending and i can respect the choice to leave things as they are. the new stuff is good but the original remains near and dear to my heart and this remaster is merely a reminder of that! so all in all, did i love it? absolutely. is it a good substitute for the original? i'd still recommend playing the original so you can experience how older fans felt back then and how they'd feel now but i'm not your mother lol do what your heart tells you to! nier replicant remaster had a lot riding on it for me personally and i'm glad to say it delivered in full and then a bit more! yoko taro might be one of the most divisive people in terms of output but i'm glad to say he did a great job directing and respecting the older fans while bridging the gap between those who never experienced the original. i never thought that a remake of all things would come to be one of my favorite things this year but i'm really happy it was ! here's to looking forward to more things in the future! i love nier and i liked this remaster! there's really not much more i can say :) kainé / 10 ~!

"You don't have to be insane to kill someone. You just have to think you're right." - Yoko Taro, Creative director of NieR and NieR Replicant Ver.1.22.

NieR (2010) was a very depressing game: It centered around the dusk of humanity, slowly dying out to an incurable disease as monsters roamed the countryside. More often than not, the quests our hero would embark on ended in tragedy, or in one extreme case, with the game itself seemingly mocking you for being the altruistic hero expected of the genre. The party is full of misfits, outcast from society, born into unfair circumstances beyond their control. Halfway through the game, the world itself began to feel bleak. Ugly. Cynical.

NieR (2010) was a game about compassion. The world was bleak, yes, but the people in it found the will to continue because of the people around them. Our hero, who's undying love for his family drives his every action, even when the world has kicked him while he was down, until every scrap of altruism and goodwill is used to justify his violent and self-destructive actions. Our party of misfits, who find true companionship in each other, even if they are all deeply flawed individuals. The people and townsfolk who still find it in them to look out for those closest to them, even in the roughest of times. The Shades you slaughter wholesale, who may be more like the party than any of them would ever like to believe. NieR was unique in that it's condemnation of violence did not start and end with the act itself, but rather the fact that everyone has something to fight for, whether you realize it or not. The horror comes from how easy it is to dehumanize, to dissociate from the slaughter, to kill, when you truly believe you are just in your every action.

Ver.1.22 at its core, is still the same game it was 11 years ago. I felt for the characters like I did with the original, every emotional beat hit just as hard as it hit in the 2010 original, and the new story content slotted into the existing story perfectly. But I worry what Ver.1.22 means for the franchise going forward.

The characters have been dolled up and made more accurate to the original illustrations, and yet the charm of uncanny people in an uncanny world (even if it was unintentional) was lost. The combat has been made silky-smooth like Automata, with fancy lock-on and big sweeping flourishes, and yet the heavy, brutal nature and weight of the original's combat that really sold the impact and viscera has been lost for the sake of flashy extravagance. The soundtrack has been souped up with more instruments, additional passages and a cinematic flair, and yet the original's sense of aggression, quiet and intimacy have been lost (looking at you "Shadowlord"). NieR was admittedly rough around the edges, and not every change was bad necessarily, but NieR has been made to conform to its much more successful younger sibling Automata, and in doing so, has lost some of it's original edge and feel. It's the Yakuza Kiwami to Automata's Yakuza Zero.

Ver.1.22 is no Demon Souls' (PS5), it's no Silent Hill HD Collection, it's no Conker Live & Reloaded. It's still a fantastic game, and a great way to enjoy the story of NieR and its characters. But in our era of re-releases and remasters, we're so blinded by the ideal of progress that we seem to be losing sight of what made our games unique in the first place.

Gorgeous, fun remake of Resident Evil 3 but just too short.

For those unaware this is a remake of the original Resident Evil 3 on the PlayStation 1 back in the late 90's. I don't have a huge amount of Nostalgia for it as I only played it a little bit of the original so don't have a lot to compare, but what I can tell you is it's a gorgeous, fun, action horror title that is worth picking up if you're a fan of the series, but probably not at full price given the amount of content.

The game is set after the original Resident Evil in Raccoon City and roughly at a parallel time of last years Resident Evil 2 remake. While you can play this stand alone no problem without either of those titles I really recommend you do play them as A) they are amazing, and B) there are story beats that you would miss without them.
The game follows Resident Evil's protagonist Jill Valentine, she stayed in Raccoon City investigating the Umbrella Corporation and was planning on escaping the city when a zombie outbreak hit and she started being chased by a giant seemingly indestructible monster intent on killing her. Jill is one of the stand out points of the game. Her character has been updated with a better costume and her tough personality and interactions with the other characters I loved.

As Jill tries to escape the city there will of course be a lot of exploration and combat. The game is pretty linear with only a few basic locks and very rare puzzle to progress. Jill is played in a third person view and will have to scrounge for different weapons and ammo as she explores. The zombies and monsters are tough so ammo shouldn't be wasted where possible, placing accurate shots, choosing the right weapon, using explosive barrels or just running by enemies that you can safely avoid are all valid strategies though there is enough to kill everything should you choose.
The game plays very similarly to the recently released Resident Evil 2 except Jill now has a dodge. If timed right, almost like a parry, at the very last second Jill's dodge will enable a brief slow motion period allowing you to aim and take a shot after rolling. It looks great and at higher difficulties in certain places it's almost necessary.

Presentation wise resident Evil 3 is simply gorgeous. Capcom the developer use a technique called Photogrammetry. This has them scanning and taking photos of people and objects from all angles to get accurate representations in the game resulting in some incredibly detailed visuals. The cutscenes of the characters in particular are really good, as each character is based on a real life model. Sound wise the game knocks it out the park too with some great atmospheric music and the voice acting is perfect. We have come a long way since the B-movie voice acting of the original Playstation games, that's for sure.

Sounds almost perfect right? Why only four stars? It just feels so very short. My first play-through took me 6 hours and even then I was trying to find everything and looking at all the graphical details I could as I like to really look at my game worlds. One of my friends completed it in 4 hours first time. This in itself wouldn't be a problem if it had something else to give it replay value at that price but it just doesn't. You can unlock a store to buy infinite weapons and there are harder difficulties which add a little bit of fun but with these weapons I sped through in 2 hours, and even once at an hour and 15 minutes (I was speed running for an S rank but still).
The original game came with a mercenaries mode where you run through levels rescuing people collecting ammo and weapons as I recall, this version doesn't but comes with a separate online multiplayer with it's own trophy list I suspect was a separate game originally but got bundled in, called Resistance. Not going to lie, I didn't even try it, didn't care, wasn't interested as that's not why I buy Resident Evil games so your mileage may vary there.

All in all I had a great time. I beat it four times in a couple of days and got the platinum trophy. It's definitely a quality experience I recommend, just not at £45 for the amount of content. Grab it when it's more like £20 as that's probably a better estimate.

+ Jill is great.
+ Gameplay and the dodge mechanic are really fun.
+ Stunning visuals and great voice acting.
+ Good pacing, nice tie ins to Resident Evil 2.

- Game is short, lacking replay value or extra modes unless you're into tacked on multiplayer.

I don't have much to say about this game other than that I was surprised at how demonized it is now that I've actually played it. Sure, it doesn't have an ounce of horror to it (aside maybe from the fish boys in the sewer), and it's probably terrible as a remake, but I think the shift to action from REmake 2 was pulled off well, and REmake 3 honestly is a better game that REmake 2 in terms of anything that isn't horror or exploration. I really liked the dodge and the punch, - it feels great to pull them off, and the difficulty with doing so seems fair. I also really liked the story, which does a much better job of being a fun and campy RE plot with a lot of human drama and relatable characters to meet. Jill is a super fun protagonist to play as, and Carlos is da best boy. The bossfights are incredible (especially compared to the single allright-ish bossfight of REmake 2), again, doing a good job of balancing different tones, with Nemesis being both a dumb JRPG monster that does laps around you like a werewolf or grows into a tentacle monster or some shit, and feeling genuinely kinda scary. The balancing in 3 is also super neat: on the harder difficulties you won't be "running out of ammo" nessessarily, but you're still encouraged to stand in place and not waste any shots, especially when you get to the Hunters or when Dogs start swarming you. Also, there are a lot of QOF improvements with things like UI, shot feedback, item pickups, etc.

This game probably is kinda rushed, which is why it's not everything REmake 2 was and more, - which it totally could've been, even if they wanted to make it a nice little 90s blockbuster, but since I've never played the original RE3 and have played way too much of the RE2's remake, I'm happy with this game the way it is. And to mirror my sentiments after replaying that, I feel more and more like if they do plan on doing a RE4 remake, it has a pretty good chance of turning out good, or even great. Capcom, of course, is a chaos-fueled kabal of Jarred Leto's Jokers, so you never know, huh