The Backlog Check-in Vol. 26: 6/30/18: Independence Day Edition

[Phaseknox]

Played: Nier: Automata, Tales of Zestiria

Finished (playing): Tales of Zestiria

Playing: Nier: Automata

I had a pretty big scare tonight. I decided to watch Pacific Rim which I haven't seen before, so I put the disc in my PS4 and the inside of it instantly started making grinding, scraping and rattling noises. I started panicking because it sounded like it was being damaged, and I had no idea what was going on. So I quickly pressed the disc eject button on the console to get the disc out, and two discs ejected out of my PS4. The movie disc and special features disc were stuck together, and I put them in my PS4 thinking that it was just the movie disc. I didn't even know that there was a special features disc. I thought that my disc drive was going to be broken after that, but it's fine. What a relief.

I stopped playing Tales of Zestiria because I was finding it a little dull overall. It just seems like an old (it's a PS3 port), and somewhat low budget JRPG. I was liking the story and characters, but the game itself is pretty basic consisting of talking to NPCs in towns and fighting enemies in mazelike dungeons. It's fairly standard JRPG fare without anything that really elevates from so many similar ones before it. I was enjoying it enough to want to play it again in the future, but not right now when I have so many other better games to play.

Speaking of which, I started playing Nier: Automata and it ROCKS!!!! It impressed me immediately starting off as a flying shooter, and then becoming a third person character action hack-and-slasher and seamlessly turning into a side scrolling action platformer in different parts of the environments. The character controls are quick, the combat is slick, the graphics are really good running at 60fps and the music is awesome. Based on what I've played of it so far I would say that it should appeal to fans of games like Bayonetta, Devil May Cry, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and the original Nier.

[isthatallyougot]

Based on what I've played of it so far I would say that it should appeal to fans of games like Bayonetta, Devil May Cry

ya sold me!

And dude, get some glasses.

[Phaseknox]

dude, get some glasses.

I already have glasses. The two discs were stuck together, so I didn't know that there was another disc underneath. It surprisingly only felt like one disc. But from now on I will definitely check to make sure that there's only one disc instead of two.

[jfissel]

The movie disc and special features disc were stuck together

Someone was really excited to see the Jaegers and Kaijus!

Finished: Nothing

Now Playing: Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

Added to Backlog: Nothing

Current Backlog: 30 games

Nearing the end of Y6, looking to beat it this week! Having Wednesday off work will help.

[canedaddy]

Fantavision week!



Played last week: Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask

Finished last week: Curse of the Moon

Added to backlog: nothing

Current backlog: 37 (12 PS4, 10 Vita, 7 PS2, 5 3DS, 2 PS3)

Curse of the Moon is short (a couple of hours to finish) but I loved it. CANNOT WAIT for the real game.

Just fired up Layton on 3DS, seems like another good one.

Not sure what I'll play next on console. I do have Nier Automata sitting here...

[Phaseknox]

Not sure what I'll play next on console. I do have Nier Automata sitting here...

It's an open world mission driven action RPG with fishing, need I say more?

[canedaddy]

Fishing? SOLD

[Phaseknox]

ya sold me!

I wanted to let you know that Nier: Automata changes after its beginning prologue which is a combination of linear flying shooting, and action platforming. It becomes a semi open world mission based action adventure RPG hybrid, so its original similarities to games like Bayonetta and Devil May Cry aren't as prominent. I didn't want you going into it expecting a pure linear action hack-and-slash shooter when it's actually more of an open-ish action RPG.

[isthatallyougot]

ya sold me!

I wanted to let you know that Nier: Automata changes after its beginning prologue which is a combination of linear flying shooting, and action platforming. It becomes a semi open world mission based action adventure RPG hybrid, so its original similarities to games like Bayonetta and Devil May Cry aren't as prominent. I didn't want you going into it expecting a pure linear action hack-and-slash shooter when it's actually more of an open-ish action RPG.

Thanks for clarifying, but I didn't expect it to be Bayonetta or Devil May Cry. I was just acknowledging my love for those games. I'm sure it's great fun though in its own way.

[Phaseknox]

I finished Nier: Automata, and I found it to be a little disappointing. It's primarily an action game disguised as an open world action RPG, the open world is tiny compared to other open world games and the RPG elements are barebones. You go to just about every location on the map fairly early in the game, and then the remainder of the game is basically retreading the same few areas over and over again.

Most of the side missions are throwaway IMO consisting of a lot of delivery, fetch and escort missions that just have you running back and forth across the same areas a lot. I stopped doing them after a while since they weren't adding anything to the experience, and the rewards for doing them weren't great enough to bother with them.

Just following the story makes it a better paced experience and a lot of cool stuff happens, but it's over too quickly. It took me 15 hours to finish the game, and that was doing a lot of side missions. Part of the reason why it's a little on the short side is because it's meant to be played again after finishing it with other characters from their perspective, but the second character that you play as is your partner that's with you the entire time the first time that you play it so I don't see how the experience would be much different. I started playing it again as him, and he just doesn't make for a good lead character so I had no interest in playing the game again as him.

I enjoyed my time with the game for the most part since there's some cool locations and the combat is really good, but it's somewhat repetitive and is over a little too quickly.