Anything I need to know before I dive in?

The gameplay is mediocre, that's all. Expecting Animasta in 3, 2, 1...

The gameplay is mediocre, as MikeGosot said, but the game's story and atmosphere make up for that in spades.

Stay away from sidequests. They're tedious and should only be completed when in desperate need of a quick buck.

Also, if you enjoy your first playthrough, don't hesitate to hit that NG+; shit gets real from then on.

@Barrock: Push through the initial slog. The story makes up for it in the long run.

@MikeGosot said:

The gameplay is mediocre, that's all. Expecting Animasta in 3, 2, 1...

what, am I going to disagree? the gameplay IS mediocre (I had fun with it but eh, it's not slow or anything super bad)

after you beat it, you HAVE to play through it again.

also, if a sidequest sounds like too much to deal with, fuck it, it's probably not worth it. There are some easy sidequests, though, so I'm not saying you should not take them altogether.

@MikeGosot said:

The gameplay is mediocre, that's all. Expecting Animasta in 3, 2, 1...

what, am I going to disagree? the gameplay IS mediocre (I had fun with it but eh, it's not slow or anything super bad)

after you beat it, you HAVE to play through it again.

also, if a sidequest sounds like too much to deal with, fuck it, it's probably not worth it. There are some easy sidequests, though, so I'm not saying you should not take them altogether.

oh well always happy to help

Brace yourself for dat music.

I have literally no idea what it is, just that it's a cult hit. Is it an action RPG? Is there loot/inventory?

@Barrock said:

I have literally no idea what it is, just that it's a cult hit. Is it an action RPG? Is there loot/inventory?

yes

it's the most depressing action RPG in existence

ugh so good

Action RPG with an inventory and drops and stuff, yes. Story's crazy and you won't get it until you essentially "replay" through the game a couple of times after you beat it.

You can mostly ignore the side quests, as I don't remember them offering much except for neat/funny circumstantial dialogue.

Is this game worth $16.05?

Will I ruin the game for myself if I achievement-whore it?

@Barrock said:

I have literally no idea what it is, just that it's a cult hit. Is it an action RPG? Is there loot/inventory?

It is very heavy on the action and the action is very clunky. There is also a lot of backtracking and poorly worded objectives. I made it through 10 hours or so before giving up. I know the story is supposed to be great but the gameplay is just boring. Not bad per say, just very boring. Couple that with the fact that you have to walk for 10 or 15 minutes to get from one quest to the next at times and it just became too much for me. The music is really great though. I hated the art. I think your character looks like crap and the rest of the world is really uninspired. But I didn't see a huge amount of it. Basically like others have said, the story and music are really all the game has going for it, so if you don't play games for either of those things I'd recommend returning the game.

No offense to anyone who loves the gameplay and art of course. Some of the art is good, just some of it is awful. The gameplay, you'll have to make a pretty good argument towards.

@Barrock said:

Will I ruin the game for myself if I achievement-whore it?

yes, because the game HATES achivement whores.

and the player in general.

and happiness.

also @Raven10: the gameplay is not that bad jeeeez, it's just generic.

One of the endings erases your save eh?

Fuckers.

@Barrock said:

One of the endings erases your save eh?

Fuckers.

it asks you like 4-5 times if you're sure, don't worry, you'll know when it happens.

@Barrock said:

One of the endings erases your save eh?

Fuckers.

it's one of the most poignant endings I've ever seen. Nier fucking rocked.

Please tell me I don't have to keep going to that library.

@Jocund said:

Stay away from sidequests. They're tedious and should only be completed when in desperate need of a quick buck.

THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS. Stay far, faaaar away from sidequests.

Also, best use of New Game + in anything ever. You neeeeeeeeed to load your save up again after you're done.

Ending D is dumb. That is all.

@Barrock said:

Please tell me I don't have to keep going to that library.

There is a lot of running back and forth between locations.

One of the endings erases your save eh?

Fuckers.

A quick tip in case you're as dumb as a certain game journalist.

If a guy tells you that you need catch a particular fish at a beach, don't waste time trying to catch it at the harbour.

great game, easily one of my top games from 2010. graphics arent the best and u re-visit areas a lot but i still had a blast. combat wasnt too bad, but the story was great, especially in the NG+ (i got all 4 endings). game also has an amazing soundtrack.

Stick with it for the story

@PixelPrinny said:

Ending D is dumb. That is all.

Have you read the english translation of Grimoire Nier?

Grimoire Nier is a book that gives context to the world of the game, with a lot of detail.

If you didn't , give it a read at https://docs.google.com/document/preview?id=1vEP2iZ52P-DWhQBQ2Is6R8Wjao99AGi0YuWShTvA-tA&pli=1#heading=h.47c245b4bc56

One of the short stories expands on ending D, and makes the ending much better.

It was pretty easy to platinum, backup your save onto a USB if you decide to do the 4th ending first.

I would advise against skipping side quests, Nier has some great side quests because of the interactions Nier and his party have. Some of them are also pretty tragic which helps add to the feel of the world.

I too just bought it, and I'm excited for the hype on the story. 

Make sure you finish it 4 times.

Avoid sidequests.

Don't achievement whore, the sidequests aren't worth the time.

@Bobby_The_Great said:

I too just bought it, and I'm excited for the hype on the story.

Main problem is that the game packs all the best things away about the story in the ending or even in the ending after the 3rd or 4th time you finish the game. So, don't expect massive things to begin with I guess ... although when you've got Kaine and Weiss with you, the over-arching story doesn't seem to matter so much as any scene with either of them in is golden.

I don't care how good the story is. This game is kinda shitty in my book.