One of my favorite stories in video game history, I have never been impacted so strongly by a story before, this game has characters that you can really bond to and care about unlike many games where you don't really care whether they die or not. The second time you play through the game it gives you such a different look on everything, I have never wanted to just let a boss kill me in a game before because I felt so bad about what I was doing. The sound is amazing in this game, if you take the time to listen to the soundtrack it is one of the best I have ever experienced in a game. In-game the songs can get a little repetitive but when actually listened to in full they are beautifully written. This game may not have the best graphics but I do think they fit the setting well. The gameplay is pretty good, I never really found myself mad about the controls or anything and the boss fights are generally pretty fun. Yes, the fishing part was stupid as hell but if you get past that one part you are good to go the rest of the game. The replayabilty is pretty high I would say, if you want to get the full story at least play it quick a second time, it will change you feeling about the entire game and you only have to play the second half again. Overall this is a great game and deserves a much better score than it has. Don't listen to the bad ratings when a lot of them gave up after an hour at the fishing part, if you give this gem a chance you will be thoroughly glad you did!… Expand

It's one of the best games I have ever played!The atmosphere and story are incredible!The fighting is very addictive.Do yourself a favor and buy this!

Truly the best RPG of 2010, with characters, story and music among the best of the genre and solid zelda-like gameplay with a Bullet Hell twist. It's deep, meaningful, artful, and ballsy. It's Nier.

This game has such a overwhelmingly immersive story I can over look any flaws, It's seriously shocking how different things can be playing through a second time. This game can be picked up dirt cheap go buy it if story is a main draw of video games for you.

wastelander u r just a bad player thats it u know.. dont flame games u cant play because you are to bad for them.. nier is one of the best games Ive played on x360.

The underdog of the decade, Nier does things and goes places that would be considered beyond risky for most developers, and if handed to any publisher in its base form they'd be insane not to shoot it down. And yet, here it is, un-intruded-upon by outside interference and stunningly brilliant in every understanding of the word. Nier is the wonderfully-told tale of a tragedy on a massive scale, and yet it is the individual characters and their humorous interactions which carry the day - and connected to those characters you will doubtlessly become. A must-play for those seeking something breathtakingly original and painfully ignored.… Expand

I finished my first playthrough this weekend. Wow. That soundtrack. The smart save progression. The last dungeon was not a pain in the ass like most other jrpgs. And the story. Very impressed, this is the secret greatest game this generation. -1 point for some weird dialogue sometimes, and limited areas, but the game makes up for everything else.

This game is a true gem. It is made by people who love games, not by people who wanna maximize profit. You feel that each moment you play this game. The characters are true, you really care for them, environments are beautifull,, soundtrack...well it's the best I have ever heard in a game (and I have been playing games for 30 years now). Story is original and encourages you to play on. It has four! different endings. Buy this game. you will not regret it.… Expand

It's when I look at critic reviews for a game such as Nier that I appreciate just what a crock of s**t they all are... A game like Halo 4 can get a superior Metacritic score before it is even released, not because it's a good game (which it arguably isn't) but simply because it is popular and to expose it as rubbish would make the shallow masses question whether the site is mad...

Read the critic reviews of Nier. Then ignore everything they say. This game is one of the truest and purest JRPGs I have played in a long time. If Square-Enix could produce Final Fantasy games like this, then we would have far more FF7s and a lot less FF13s... CHARACTERS:
The characters are not whiny, annoying little pink-haired brats (sorry Vanille)... Nier is typically brooding, Weiss is hilarious (it's like having Stewie Griffin as a constant companion!) and Kainé has language as colourful as the Land of Oz... And then there is Yonah, who is sweet and tragic, and brings the pathos where it counts. They each have personality, which makes them instantly affecting - you care about them, which is more than can be said for most characters these days (Master Chief? Sorry Halo, but you're in my line of sight right now...)

GAMEPLAY
This is a mix of traditional and eclectic. Exploration is reminiscent of FF/Lost Odyssey, while the way you explore environments for quests and interact with NPCs reminds me a bit of Skies of Arcadia (what a game!). Combat is the most surprising element, abandoning turn-based ATB for real-time .... well, it's hard to really explain it. You are best checking out a video on YouTube of the game's combat. Basically, you unlock skills as you progress through the game, and can equip these to any of the trigger/bumper buttons. You then unleash these powers in battle to lower the enemy's health. Nothing particularly revolutionary, and at times, one of the game's weaker elements, but still quite fun...especially with all the blood that goes flying! Chocobo Racing this ain't! And bosses actually require unique strategies to be beaten - something which too many games replace with boring hack and slash! Well done Nier for going back to basics!

One of the main issues with Nier is its over-reliance on fetch quests. However, 99% of these make up the many side quests in the game, so they aren't a concern unless you make them one. If you hate fetch quests, just stick with the awesome main story and be selective about the side quests you take. Simple!

MUSIC
As a soundtrack composer, one of my great loves in a JRPG is the music. In recent years, FF games have veered into cheesy Japanese pop/rock and an over-reliance on vocals at the expense of any real melody. From the very start of Nier, I was gobsmacked at how amazing the score is! Sometimes it has strains of Nobuo Uematsu, while at others, it's like I'm being transported back to Chrono Cross... Basically, the music in this game is ridiculously good. My only niggle is that, with all the travelling back and forth to the same settlements, some of the music is a tad repetitive, which can mean that, by the time you've heard it 100 times, it starts to grate a bit. But that doesn't change the fact that this game has one of the best soundtracks out there.

STORY
I won't go into the story or throw any spoilers in, but to paraphrase the back of the box, you play as a man whose child is infected with a deadly plague. Basically, you are trying to find a way to cure her - yeah, a lot more akin to the earlier FFs than FF13, l'Cie and all! Don't get me wrong, I love the FF games (and actually found the latter stages of FF13 - and also FF13-2 - to be decent games) but they just don't feel like they have any traditional elements left... the pursuit for amazing graphics has cost them dearly...

GRAPHICS
Which brings me neatly to the graphics... They are perfectly functional, but not outstanding. This is why shallow reviewers have given the game such low scores. To them, a game can get a top score if it looks pretty, to hell with the gameplay. If you are a sane gamer, and are not as shallow as a small pond, you will see the gemstone that this game is. Graphically, it looks like FF13's deformed inbred cousin... In terms of gameplay and authentic JRPG-ness (...) it is very much its radiant, sexy sister! CONCLUSION
Nier is not the prettiest of games, and it has a few gameplay and combat choices which leave it exposed and weak in places. But it is fun, authentic and ambitious, without trading graphics for substance. The characters are endearing and refreshing, the soundtrack is on-par with the greater FF games and the story is well-told and keeps you wanting more. If you consider yourself even the most elementary of JRPG fans, or simply enjoy a game that has substance rather than just good looks, you would be a fool to miss out on Nier. Don't believe the anti-hype. Nier is well worth a whole lot of your time.… Expand

Nier is one of those games that will require some time and effort to fully enjoy it. I admit, the gameplay is pretty generic at times, and the graphics, while fine to me, look dated. Nier looks like what a maxed out PS2 game would look like, and I don't think that's a bad thing. The story, music, characters and locations are all absolutely fantastic. Easily the most detailed linear story based game I've ever played. While not spoiling anything, replaying the game's 2nd portion atleast once makes the overall experience much better, which adds a bit of replayability to Nier, as there are 4 endings. The storyline itself may seem dull or confusing at first, but when you reach the many twists and turns, and finally uncover the truth, you'll find that the game's very few low points were worth trudging through.

I highly recommend this game.… Expand

Nier is exactly what 3rd generation consoles needed. A relatively open world game with an awesome story and some awesome gameplay. It's just a shame the graphics (and at times the music) aren't up to scratch. Some will say this is a stylised look but it definitely could have done with a thorough polish. Otherwise, the game is so brilliant that I could only penalise 1 point. Definitely worth checking out. 9/10… Expand