Nier anyone?

Just wanted to see if we can get a bit of a discussion on this game. I really wasn't interested in this game after the poor review scores it received but hard a lot of people of forums talking about how the reviewers had got it wrong and it was probably the best game of last year. To solidify that the reviews hadn't a clue was the terrible Joystiq coverage of the game where the assigned reviewer didn't review it because he got stuck a few hours in at a part of the game that he would have gotten out of if he just looked in the top right hand corner of the screen at the map and the big flashing light telling him where to go. The game going for 15 euro at the time sealed the deal.

Now I wouldn't go so far as to say the game was one of the best of last year like some people but it is really good and a very interesting game, if it wasn't for Deadly Premonition it would probably be the most interesting game of 2010 for me. It's been compared to Zelda by some but again it's not really like Zelda. It's a typical hack and slash game and for the most part it's kind of derivative. The world of Nier is quite open but the main push of the story is very linear. There are subquests but these are all boring fetch quest but thankfully aren't necessary to beat the game and can be ignored.

I'm not really selling this game but there are some really good points. The Boss battles are absolutely spectacular and heaps of fun. The soundtrack is also the best I have heard in a game in years. Even though the main hack and slash gameplay isn't anything special the game goes out of it's way to change up gameplay styles. The vast majority of the game is hack and slash but sometimes the perspective will change and it becomes more like a diablo clone, or a bullet hell shooter. Sometimes it takes abilities away from you and it becomes a puzzle game. At one point the game even becomes a text based adventure. It's interesting to see what the game will throw at you next.

The stand out however is the narrative. The story is excellently localised and written. The acting for the most part is superb with Weiss and Kaine being absolute standouts. Characterisation is great, again Kaine and Weiss standing out the most and the banter between these two is hilarious. I don't want to spoil anything but it's one of the better stories written for a game in the last few years. Be warned however this game is very depressing. The gmae has 4 endings which are accessed by beating the game 4 times in a row, after the first playthrough you restart at the halfway point. It's well worth playing through the game again the second time because of a very clever piece of narrative which I won't spoil but lets just say it changes your whole preception of the characters and story from what you thought the first time through.

Anyway, are there any other Niers fans that want to talk about it?