Board 8 > About to start Nier (Original). Is Drakengard necessary?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I played Drakengard a long time back but it didn't engage me enough for me to continue playing it. The story and characters were intriguing but the gameplay was repetitive as **** and turned into a chore very soon.

I heard really good things about the original Nier though. Heard it has a great story and is also one of the most underrated games from the last generation. Plus it falls under a genre I love so why not.

I know there is some connection between the universe of Nier and Drakengard but mostly the games are standalone. Is Drakengard worth a shot or should I just go with Nier and then eventually Automata?

I do own all 5 games so accesibility is not the issue. Time however is with Zelda: BotW still in backburner with other games like Tales of Berseria, Horizon and Andromeda as well.
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I've never played Drakkengard, though I wish I kind of had. That said, it is NOT required to play to get the gist of the Nier series. At best, you'll get very minor references through out both which you'd really only understand if you were hardcore into both series and were specifically trying to look for the little tidbits.

A singular ending to Drakkengard is what leads to the Nierverse, and that's pretty much all there is to it.

Now... I have played Nier, and am currently working through my third Nier: Automata playthrough (of which you need to play through, like, 5 times in order to really get the whole story), and between the two, I really like the original ever so slightly better. I love the characters just a bit more, their voice acting, and overall setting, and the music in the original is still my favorite OST for a video game ever. Nier: Automata is absolutely amazing though, and against most other contenders would still be my game of choice.

For the record... You DO NOT have to play Nier in order to play Nier: Automata either. They are related only in the sense that they are of the same world, but the gap in time is huge and there's nothing much that you take away from Nier in the hopes of it being answered or revisited in Nier: Automata.


Think of it this way.

Drakkengard = Final Fantasy 6
Nier = Final Fantasy 7
Nier: Automata = Final Fantasy 8

They are all similar in that they share a lot of things, like common names, chocobos, potions, etc... But that's pretty much where the similarities end. Drakkengard/Nier games are pretty much no different.
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All the drakengard games are shit.

Automata is a vastly superior game to nier. But nier has better story and music.
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Where did you buy it, and for how much?
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thundersheep posted...

Where did you buy it, and for how much?

I have to buy my games from Thailand (but I buy only N.A. releases) since my country has zero video game shops. I have a dealer in Bangkok who usually sells me games so thats where I buy 90% of my games. I don't remember how much I paid for Drakengard 1 and 2 but it was pretty cheap and quite a long time back and so was the original Nier. Paid about 900baht which is like less than 30 dollars for Drakengard 3. Of course I bought Automata at 2100baht which is like 60 dollars full price.

Anyway I usually buy games in bulk most years hence I own a s***load of them. But what the hell it is my no.1 hobby after all.
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You can read the DarkId Drakendard LP for fun, but don't play it. The gameplay is not good.
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KamikazePotato posted...

You can read the DarkId Drakendard LP for fun, but don't play it. The gameplay is not good.

and dont forget to enjoy the soundtrack
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Yuri_LowelI posted...

But nier has better story and music.

As someone who found Nier's story to be thoroughly mediocre, this is kind of a bummer.
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BakusaiTenketsu posted...

Nier: Automata = Final Fantasy 8

No.
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BakusaiTenketsu posted...

Nier: Automata = Final Fantasy 8

you've sold me on this game

going to purchase right now
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SupremeZero posted...

BakusaiTenketsu posted...

Nier: Automata = Final Fantasy 8

No.

It's an analogy, not a comparison.
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Axl_Rose_85 posted...

I played Drakengard a long time back but it didn't engage me enough for me to continue playing it. The story and characters were intriguing but the gameplay was repetitive as **** and turned into a chore very soon.

I heard really good things about the original Nier though. Heard it has a great story and is also one of the most underrated games from the last generation. Plus it falls under a genre I love so why not.

I know there is some connection between the universe of Nier and Drakengard but mostly the games are standalone. Is Drakengard worth a shot or should I just go with Nier and then eventually Automata?

I do own all 5 games so accesibility is not the issue. Time however is with Zelda: BotW still in backburner with other games like Tales of Berseria, Horizon and Andromeda as well.

Play Nier and Automata

Watch Drakengard summaries / cutscenes on Youtube (particularly Drakengard 1 since I think D2 was from someone else I think) or something

Unsure whether Drakengard 3 should fall under the play or just watch scenario
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My suggestion/plan:

Read Drakengard 1 LP
Read Drakengard 2 LP if you feel like it, it's irrelevant to Nier (and not directed by Yoko Taro, so is lacking in his trademark craziness)
Play NieR (I'm still in this phase)
Read Drakengard 3 LP if you feel like it (I don't really know what the game's like, as I'm told the LP spoils Nier. The game itself is probably irrelevant though)
Play NieR Automata
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From what I've heard of Drakengard 3's final boss, you should play it.
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BakusaiTenketsu posted...

I've never played Drakkengard, though I wish I kind of had.

No you don't.
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Played for a while. Just finished the Aerie and I'm loving the story and characters so far although the gameplay is super basic hack n' slash and the world is pretty bare bones.

It is clear that the game was made on a budget but I expected it to look more like an early PS3 game rather than an early PS2 one. Anyway graphics are just a bonus for me in games so it doesn't matter much. At least the gameplay hasn't been tedious like Drakengard so far and the story is good enough for me to want to keep playing.

Also I have heard about a hermaphrodite character in the game way back then but it isn't who I think is it?
Kaine?
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Axl_Rose_85 posted...

Also I have heard about a hermaphrodite character in the game way back then but it isn't who I think is it?
Kaine?

Not...quite.

There are no hermaphrodites in the game. However, there is a character that is "sexually confused," in the very stretch of the description.

Yes, it's Kaine. She's been possessed by a male spirit which is why she is the way she is. It's all explained eventually.
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NFUN posted...

From what I've heard of Drakengard 3's final boss, you should play it.

lmao

Drakengard 3 was fun, IMO. I'd say it's worth a play if you're interested in it. Framerate likes to check out every now and then, but other than that it played fairly well.
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NFUN posted...

From what I've heard of Drakengard 3's final boss, you should play it.

That was the worst thing ever. Decent game not great though but that final boss just annoyed me.

BakusaiTenketsu posted...

Axl_Rose_85 posted...

Also I have heard about a hermaphrodite character in the game way back then but it isn't who I think is it?
Kaine?

Not...quite.

There are no hermaphrodites in the game. However, there is a character that is "sexually confused," in the very stretch of the description.

Yes, it's Kaine. She's been possessed by a male spirit which is why she is the way she is. It's all explained eventually.

Kaine was revealed to be a hermaphrodite in some extra Nier material that only Japan got.
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And has been entirely translated into English. Google search for Grimoire Nier and you can find it. Apparently, Kaine's replicant got mixed together with two different people or something weird like that.
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Axl_Rose_85 posted...

thundersheep posted...

Where did you buy it, and for how much?

I have to buy my games from Thailand (but I buy only N.A. releases) since my country has zero video game shops. I have a dealer in Bangkok who usually sells me games so thats where I buy 90% of my games. I don't remember how much I paid for Drakengard 1 and 2 but it was pretty cheap and quite a long time back and so was the original Nier. Paid about 900baht which is like less than 30 dollars for Drakengard 3. Of course I bought Automata at 2100baht which is like 60 dollars full price.

Anyway I usually buy games in bulk most years hence I own a s***load of them. But what the hell it is my no.1 hobby after all.

Ahh, I've been wanting to play the game for a while now but it's kinda rare and expensive for a PS3 game. Hoping it ends up on PSN one of these days.
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