NieR: an East-West Experiment

[isfet]

so Square-Enix, a name that has become synonymous with crap in recent years, is putting out a 3D action/brawler type game called NieR.

it's being developed by Cavia, which is a company that makes almost-really-cool games that are generally hurt by a lack of budget and time.  yet, i still like the stuff they've made a lot (Bullet Witch and GitS:SAC were a lot of fun so WHATEVER MAN).

now, the interesting thing with NieR is how S-E is handling its localization.  in the East, the main character is one of those femme-looking males who's really pretty but TOUGH (read: distant) and he is searching for his little sister or something.  in the WEST though, he's been redesigned into something of a leather-wearing badass type in search of his daughter.  some interesting subtleties are at play here in regard to differentiating tastes, says i.

US



Japan


Japan will be getting both versions of the game (Gestalt and Replicant), while the US will only be getting one.

from some random google-searched article i found that dates back from last June

Saito said that he views Nier's "mature protagonist" as a feature he thinks will attract a Western audience, since players in Japan tend to favor younger starring characters.

so it kind of sounds like the game started off with the whole dad-looking-for-his-daughter storyline, but then when they realized that anyone over the age of 20 can't be a video game hero in Japan, they must have gone back and done some redesigns.  interesting!





anyway, up until now, the game had an interesting look, but didn't appear to actually do anything interesting in terms of mechanics.  but then i saw this trailer!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtS2GS14VWw


bullet hell attacks in a 3D action game?  that's kind of neat!  neat looking, at the very least.  anyway, in my mind, the game has gone up a few notches in terms of my interest towards it.


oh, and on a final note, the leggy-white-haired chick might be transgender?

[isfet]

man, no one seems to care about this game.

i'm not trying to guilt trip anyone here, but i find it really interesting that no one seems to be discussing this game at all anywhere i've gone on the internet.

i'm beginnng to wonder why i think the game might be worth paying attention to (answer: i'm probably wrong).

regardless, the fact that the majority of the web is pretty silent re: NieR can't be a good sign for how it will do, considering it comes out in like a week and a half. 

[FortNinety]

Sorry for chiming in late; was away all weekend, doing the Attract Mode thing at MoCCA. But anyway...

I've actually had my eye on this game for a good while now. And I find the idea of the main character being tailored for the region's taste to be interesting since its such a throwback to the golden age, when many titles had entire character sprites swapped and the such.

Personally I could care less about the dude, so long as the girls remain scantily clad. Though the one I'm thinking of is a side character or a main enemy, and not the daughter/sister.

And yeah, the shmup bullet pattern thing is cool and far more developed than I had initially thought; I figured I was looking far too into one lone screenshot this whole time. Plus the big bosses and even the overall aesthetic (primarily the use of color) looks super neat to me. So you're not alone Joe!

[Chairman Meow]

I want to like it, but something about Japanese games this generation doesn't click with me, they all seem so . . awkward.

Also, the bullets look straight out of the Sonic 3 bonus stage.

[isfet]

ok, well that's kind of reassuring.  maybe i'll take the plunge and preorder this game with SSFIV then.  i mean, i like Cavia games and this one looks like it plays better than Bullet Witch (technically), so i doubt i have much to lose!

Fort:  yea, you're right.  it kind of hearkens back to the days when sprites would be slightly altered to make it more appealing.  or how Kirby is always smiling in Japan but looking angry and tough in America.  anyway, i suppose it's nothing "new," but it's definitely not as common these days as it was then, so it's kind of a cool throwback.

CM:  what seems awkward, in particular?  is it that they're in some weird space between Western and Japanese at this point?


lastly, i kind of see Cavia working with Square (or being funded by, perhaps) as going one of two ways.  either Square is going to insist on a lot of inane bullshit and ultimately get in the way of an otherwise enjoyable experience OR Square has given Cavia the time and money they've always needed to take their games from C-List quality to somewhere approaching "next gen."  but i wonder if something will be lost in terms of charm?  Bullet Witch was so absolutely ridiculous and was basically allowed to be on account of the fact that the company didn't really have a lot to lose.  if NieR is so crucial to Square's plan to reinvigorate itself, then...who knows?

[dmauro]

I've only been playing Japanese games lately (except for Just Cause 2, but even that is published by Squeenix), but Cave and Cavia are quite different despite the bullets. Looks interesting, but I think I'll just check it out at your place, Joe.