The #1 thing I hear about this game is that you should avoid sidequests because they are way too stretched out and there are way too many like that. 
 
With that in mind, what's the average hour count I should expect with Nier? I'm the type of player who goes for more sidequests than the reasonable amount, so keep that in mind.

19 hours for my first playthrough, after Ending B I had played about 23 (Subsequent playthroughs take much less time) while doing an average amount of sidequests (around 10 I think before I got sick of them). I'm guessing if you want to play Ending C and D it'll take you around thirty hours, since you have to collect every weapon in the game. Even if you don't go for Endings C and D, you should definitely at least play Ending B; the game isn't as special if you don't.  

19 hours for my first playthrough, after Ending B I had played about 23 (Subsequent playthroughs take much less time) while doing an average amount of sidequests (around 10 I think before I got sick of them). I'm guessing if you want to play Ending C and D it'll take you around thirty hours, since you have to collect every weapon in the game. Even if you don't go for Endings C and D, you should definitely at least play Ending B; the game isn't as special if you don't.  

@supermike6 said:

19 hours for my first playthrough, after Ending B I had played about 23 (Subsequent playthroughs take much less time) while doing an average amount of sidequests (around 10 I think before I got sick of them). I'm guessing if you want to play Ending C and D it'll take you around thirty hours, since you have to collect every weapon in the game. Even if you don't go for Endings C and D, you should definitely at least play Ending B; the game isn't as special if you don't.  

What deems the ending you get in the end? Do you really need to play the entire game again to get a different one? Also, why do subsequent playthroughs take so much less time?

0 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds, if you're smart

0 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds, if you're smart

I'm on 98% of the side quests, 1st playthrough, just about to hit 50 hours.

Ignore what other people think of the game, give it a shot and see if you like it. I do!

0 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds, if you're smart

@Ventilaator said:

@supermike6 said:

19 hours for my first playthrough, after Ending B I had played about 23 (Subsequent playthroughs take much less time) while doing an average amount of sidequests (around 10 I think before I got sick of them). I'm guessing if you want to play Ending C and D it'll take you around thirty hours, since you have to collect every weapon in the game. Even if you don't go for Endings C and D, you should definitely at least play Ending B; the game isn't as special if you don't.  

What deems the ending you get in the end? Do you really need to play the entire game again to get a different one? Also, why do subsequent playthroughs take so much less time?

When you start another play through you don't start at the beginning of the game.  You start at a sort of midway point.   Been awhile since I've played it, so I can't remember exactly how far in you start, but it is a good amount.

0 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds, if you're smart

@chrissedoff said:

0 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds, if you're smart

I wanted to link to vidiot's blog or write a lengthy piece about the game's storytelling, voice acting, atmosphere and screwing around with what the genre made us accustomed to and how it's all worthy of jumping through the hoops of mediocre gameplay, but then I've realized you're a tool and I would just make myself look like a moron for wasting my time on one.

PLAY THIS GAME. 
 
My first playthrough lasted about 16 hours, 35 minutes and 29 seconds and I only did 3-5 side quests. There's an achievement/trophy for finishing the game within 15 hours, fyi. 
 
Nothing you do during your first playthrough will change the ending you'll get, so don't worry about it. In Nier, Ending A is the default ending for everyone who goes through it once. Ending B is the ending for everyone who goes through it in New Game+. Ending C or D is determined by a final choice the third time you go through the game, or in New Game++. 
 
I was very bored with the game in the beginning. But the story got more and more interesting and, in the end, I very much enjoyed my experience with it.

Somewhere around 30 hours if you choose to get all the endings.

I really liked the game, and spent about 23-25 hours on the first playthrough. As you get to keep onto all of your levels and spells it makes the proceeding 3(Or 2 if you collect all of the weapons, create an additional save at the end of the game and replay it once you redeem the steel pipe at the end of playthrough 3) incredibly short.

It took about 4 hours to finish up Ending B, 2 hours for C and an hour for D, so you're basically looking at a 30 hour total assuming you don't go overboard with the sidequests. For what it's worth you start playthrough B,C and D at the halfway point of the game.

Also, the music is phenomenal.

Now let's all pray that the dude who I'm waiting to get back to me about purchasing the game hasn't sold it already.

Took me around 25 hours to get to ending B. and it was a good 25 hours, Only messed with a few of the side quests.

The game has its charm, but it's janky as fuck. And repetitive. Really repetitive. Probably why I stopped playing it even after I bought it.

Took me a good 20 hours to get the first ending, I just looked up what the other ones were and left it there. Kaine's past was a great read though. I don't care for storylines that go way off the hook (what else do you expect from Cavia) but the characters are great and it has some pretty neat boss fights. Amazing music.

One minor thing that bugged me was Julie Ann Taylor as the voice for Emil, she sounded exactly the same as Karol in Vesperia. The character's tragic but all I could think of was Karol with his dumb/badass sunglasses.

A week or more

The game must have some amazing music in it because after reading the comments about the music I've had a tune I heard in the Quick Look stuck in my head.
 
I watched the Quick Look when it came out I think.
 
How is that even possible?

After doing all four of the endings it took me about 41 hours to get through.

So apparently I'm getting Final Fantasy XIII in the same envelope as Nier as well. Is that still the Final Fantasy length of 50+ hours or am I looking at a 15-25 with that one as well?
 
Assuming of course I'm gonna like it. The whole reason why I'm getting it is that it was cheap enough for it to not matter much if I hate it and won't finish it.

Final Fantasy XIII is a much longer game. It's still a 40-50 hour game (more if you plan on doing sidequests at the end of the game). I just finished my first playthrough of Nier and I finished in under 15 hours. I imagine it will take about another 10 or 15 hours to see all the endings.

@Ghostiet said:

@chrissedoff said:

0 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds, if you're smart

I wanted to link to vidiot's blog or write a lengthy piece about the game's storytelling, voice acting, atmosphere and screwing around with what the genre made us accustomed to and how it's all worthy of jumping through the hoops of mediocre gameplay, but then I've realized you're a tool and I would just make myself look like a moron for wasting my time on one.

Well you already responded to him, making you look like a moron. Great job.

Also TC everyone's responses seem pretty accurate with the time. Enjoy.

The game must have some amazing music in it because after reading the comments about the music I've had a tune I heard in the Quick Look stuck in my head.
 
I watched the Quick Look when it came out I think.
 
How is that even possible?

@Ventilaator: Haha, you won't even be halfway through Final Fantasy XIII after 15-20 hours.

@Ghostiet said:

@chrissedoff said:

0 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds, if you're smart

I wanted to link to vidiot's blog or write a lengthy piece about the game's storytelling, voice acting, atmosphere and screwing around with what the genre made us accustomed to and how it's all worthy of jumping through the hoops of mediocre gameplay, but then I've realized you're a tool and I would just make myself look like a moron for wasting my time on one.

Well you already responded to him, making you look like a moron. Great job.

CURSE YOU, LOGIC

Without that Frusciante cover in your avatar, I'd call you a dickwad. I wanted to do that, but I can't. So, let's make out, I guess?

Having now played a bunch of it, I have to say that Nier seems to be the most underrated anything ever. People like that guy from the first page who said it will last me 0 seconds if I'm smart obviously hasn't played it, or did play it for 15 minutes or so. The game took some time to get going, but right after it did I was fully in to it and found it really hard to put down.  It's a wholly 5 star experience in my book so far. The graphics and the basic gameplay aren't the greatest, but bad graphics are only a problem if they are painfully ugly (But in this game they are just sort of plain) and the gameplay is still perfectly functional and fun, so they aren't really that big of drawbacks. The story and the characters are just so fucking good, that I'm not really noticing any of the faults people say this game has because I'm way too absorbed in it to critique the game on a mechanical level. 
 
If I step aside from it and think about it then yeah, all of the things people say are true, but while playing it, it's by far one of the best games I've played in quite some time.
 
Also a question, I got to the "second half" of the game I guess,  and all of the quests I left unfinished are now in the list of quests that are uncompletable. Considering that the New Game+ of this game starts you from this second half, are those quests gone forever unless I restart?

The timer will say about 20 hours. But in reality, you'll be playing through 3-4 hours of content that they recycle and recycle and recycle. This game is absolute garbage.

With that said, I absolutely adore it, and still recommend that you play through it. But yes, avoid all sidequests.