That boss sure loses a lot of impact when you realize it's a total rehash.
One area in which the first Nier had more engaging gameplay: it was weirder. there's no extended visual novel portion in Automata!
I will agree that the games excel in different areas. Nier and Automata stand on their own
Why wouldn't that fight be canon?
The Emil we interact with in Automata is just one of the clones. We already know that at least one other Emil is around well after the events of Automata based on one of the weapon stories so it's not as though it would mean he's written out of future games.
Ending Y probably isn't canon but would be hilarious if somehow it was. >_>
for the record I don't think you can compare the games as a complete work if you haven't completed both games in their entirety
I can't think of any other series where this is true
Story / Characters / Side Quests / Feels: Nier
Original Nier wasn't very good. It had some good elements, but the meh combat held it back enough to prevent it from being really great. Even the experimental gameplay sections weren't refined to the extent that Automata's alternate gameplay sections were. And there were still some visual novel-y sections, likeA2 and Anemone's backstory.
Pirateking2000 posted...
Story / Characters / Side Quests / Feels: Nier
wat
Nier's sidequests were terrible. Most of them were bad fetch quests. The occasional one had some cool story twists, but I feel like side quests and combat are the two areas where Automata really distances itself from the first game.