Ktargo

It sounds like your mind is already made up. I don't think anyone would be able to convince you otherwise if they tried. It simply isn't for you, playing any more very likely won't change that.

Beaver. Bother.

Yikes

Can you imagine Ryan and Dan in the same office?

2018 seems too soon for it to not be a port. The reveals for Smash 4 took place over the course of a year and a half or so. New characters being added would be the easiest way to sell the same game to previous owners so I wouldn't rule it out just because of that.

I would never be able to recall which video or podcast it was, but at some point around the launch of modern VR headsets, Jeff had mentioned that if Valve were to release Half Life 3, it would make sense for it to be developed as the game that sells people on VR as a gaming technology. I still really like that theory since the previous two proper Half Life games were used to tout some new engine technology. At this point, if Half Life 3 is even still in development, it would never live up to the hype built up around its 10 year absence unless it was in some unexpected format such as VR where we do not have as much of a basis of comparison.

Valve would be the ones to break new ground rather than trying to compete with all the games that have iterated on the FPS formula in the past decade. Going back to Half Life 2, it is easy to see areas where it hasn't aged gracefully, and the same would be absolutely true of Half Life 3 being a pioneer. BUT at the time of release, it could be incredibly impactful, just as Half Life 2 was. Most of us would agree that VR is still mostly unproven for "real" games, but all it would take is the right hardware release with the right pricing alongside the right game to prove it is something worthy of interest.

I don't think I would want a different developer to take the reigns on the franchise though. I have no doubt that 4A or MachineGames (or Arkane!) could make a great single player FPS in the Half Life universe, as you mention, but it would simply be... off. Valve has (or at least, had) a unique style that wouldn't be easy to replicate. Though that could also be attributed to the Source engine itself and its shared aspects between their games.

Yea that part kind of sucks, especially since it gates you off of the rest of the dlc. I don't have many tips besides some that may seem obvious, as far as I know there isn't any way to really cheese it. The challenge doesn't limit your use of your bows and arrows, so try using stealth as much as possible with the Sheikah Armor or food. Also you can use the Bokoblin/Lizalfos/Moblin Masks or Majora's Mask to lure and isolate enemies, or trick the enemies into not attacking you until you attack them. You can also use Statis+ to lock someone down who engages with you or to identify threats since the yellow filter makes it easier to see enemies in the darkness I find. Abuse manual saves too - as soon as you take someone out, make a hard save and just save scum it if you make a mistake. Good luck.

The third playthrough is the best part and does feature many cool story bits. That being said however, I'm on team 'no' since the best part of your game shouldn't be locked behind so many hours of filler. The best part of the game did not "make up for" the previous dozen hours of fluff for me.

If you aren't on board with the game up to that point, I would say it simply is not for you and it may be best to move on. Like you, I was also pretty lukewarm on the combat and other gameplay elements so if you're expecting some payoff for slogging through more of it, you may end up unsatisfied with what you're given. Just my two cents, from someone who respects many parts of Nier's narrative and style, but did not enjoy the game proper; take my opinion with a grain of salt.

Felt the same way. I adore the style but pretty much every aspect of the gameplay was tedious to engage with. I ended up not finishing the game, though I believe I got quite close.

Too many good songs in Nier to list them all, but the amusement park music has really stuck with me.

Persona 5 is another one with way too many songs that get stuck in my head but this one is a personal favorite. One of the themes in Futaba's desert dungeon.