Ryyudo

That "I Fucked Up!" guy

  • He/They

That Twitch dot tv dot com streamer. That once FGC commentator and memer with some bangers.

On the front cover of The Lara-Su Chronicles Beginnings by Ken Penders (top-right)

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One thing I was surprised about before and during the NieR Concert in Chicago was the number of folks who had not played NieR Gestalt/Replicant. Notably, the number of folks who played through ending A, sometimes ending B, and sometimes not at all, and YouTube'd the endings. Even the group I was with fell into these camps!


Now, that's legitimately fine. Time is a limited resource and how you intake your media is of one's own choice (I haven't played any of the Drakengards; I likely never will). It just really drove home how much NieR got popularized via its second game: Automata.

I didn't feel as strong as Automata. It lacks that unapologetic edge that I got from Gestalt. In that same realm: I understand why folks can't go back and feel strongly about G/R, even though the entire message comes into play through it not exactly respecting your time imo.

These thoughts come about, how video games explore and express painful emotions comes about with the removal of Spec Ops: The Line. How important it is to place the player front and center in the experience... even if you have to strap them in against their will like it's a Saw movie (I keep making these jokes but I've never seen a Saw movie). So there's an understandable but mildly sad nod to folks who don't have that opportunity to go beyond Ending B firsthand, even with a guide. There's just something about being forced to spend more time with the game, to work to see it through to the end, that screams "tortured artist." Your work, your time, your sacrifice as a player are creating the closure you wish to see. That can only be felt, not watched.

Despite my desire for these folks, I also wish I had more time to play these unapologetic games. I think it's a part of why I fuck with bad games. I want a glimpse into what that potential vision was.


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in reply to @Ryyudo's post:

Makes me think of how I have a hard time recommending Bravely Default to people because despite it having an amazing story, characters, and the best job system I have ever seen in a Final Fantasy game (counting it as a FF game because SE made it and it is a spritiual successor to Final Fantasy: The Four Heroes of Light and has content from it), it is very unapologetic and demands patience from the player as it unfolds.

Also, I still need to play Replicant. It has been sitting on my shelf for over a year now, and I am someone who is willing to play games that have friction if the story, vibes, or gameplay are good.

The way you talk about Bravely Default is so honest though! It's more than "oh the game is just perfect," it's a lot more of you understanding what the game is at its core, what you enjoy, and acknowledging the warts and still saying it's all worth it. Honestly, your gushing over it the night after dinner has made me the most interested in it since I first made an attempt on it (it was barely an attempt tbh).

Do it! The sequel, Bravely Second is also really worth it and thankfully not as egregious. Braveky Default II is just bad.

And absolutely the same with the way you talk about NieR! I have heard so many people who bounced off of it not knowing about some of the more warty parts of it, but the way you talk about it makes me want to dive into it regardless because I know it's going to have unapologetic parts but the experience is worth it. I'm going to dedicate some time to it in the near future.

Absolutely same! I really wanted to relive Papa NieR but I understand all the reasons why we couldn't in the re-release.

And I will say (without giving spoilers) if you have gotten every ending IMO it does stick with pretty notably. So might be worth another looksee :-)

Oh my days yes. I know there's a lot of noteworthy games out there I need to embrace (and ones that are also good gameplay too wowo) but hoo boy I need to sit down with them soon before I get back on a job again lmao.

yeah...i noticed the same thing a few years back, lol. i'm a little surprised it's still the case now that the remake's been out for so long, although i haven't played the remake either (i did buy it recently though), so, lol

to the broader point, that's kind of in line with my feelings and something i've been thinking and ranting about for a long time now. certainly some of my favorite games are things that have never been regarded as good by a lot of people, and in some cases i was really surprised by that...others not so much. but as the ideas of what's "good" converge onto certain things that i don't particularly like i find myself comforted a lot playing games from yesteryear that i never have before. they often bring the things that appeal to me, and in some cases i feel that they really just wouldn't have even hit for me the way they do now if i'd played them 10-20 years ago instead.

i think nier and spec ops (which, honestly, i wasn't that into, and looking back feel like i wasn't the target audience for, which probably has something to do with that) kind of stand out as examples for me because they're games with a strong story focus, which definitely drew a lot of people over the rough patches. (i had a similar experience with the original version of odin sphere, too.) but i think those highs and lows are something that stick with me and a lot of people even if the game's appeal comes from a different angle. the competing senses of struggle and triumph, isolation and community in souls games, for example. things that evoke strong feelings like that are not going to land for everyone, so even though a lot of people are going to end up not liking things like that (whether or not they "ruin" a whole game) some people are drawn to those things for the same reason. because it's raw, real, interesting, or unusual. that's why i love games. and art.

I can really feel that finding new comforts in yesteryear. Personally, I believe that we're fluent in that "language" of the time, especially in retrospect. We kinda know what gaming looks like and what was trying to be accomplished, so finding the "unusual" between that now is really fun/pleasurable.

And like you're saying, being able to intake the entire spectrum of emotions really evoke strong feelings that are for a specific folk. Kinda like how some folks are really good at understanding (crafted) art, fine foods, etc.. Being able to see the whole experience for what it is instead of at a surface level. I'm with you in those emotions of raw, real, and love for the art of games.

I also wanna play Odin Sphere too .