#yoko taro games always hurt

[fictionstuff]

Voice of Cards

Status: used guide to collect all weapons, completed/platinumed in about 20 hours

Points: 4/5 [4,078125]

I almost felt sad when I finished the game after 20 hours after receiving all the collectibles. It was such a good game, albeit a bit short. What made me pick up the game? Merely the fact that Yoko Taro was once again Creative Director and after playing NieR Replicant I became an even bigger fan of his games, his concepts and ideas. While playing the game, I got multiple NieR Replicant flashbacks because of the music (thank you so much, Keiichi Okabe) and a few story plots just remind you of Yoko Taro, giving you a chance to choose although story wise none of it matters, it’ll just hurt. Like all NieR games Voice of Cards has this certain feeling of mystery, of upcoming doom, it tells a fantasy tale about humanity’s issues in card game form and I for once had a blast playing it through.

Artwork/Design - 3.75/5

I honestly wanted to give it 5/5 points, because I liked the whole card design. I liked the map designs in card format, the fields, the woods, the paths, the towns, everything. It is simplistic of course! The character models reminded me of NieR Reincarnation and DLC wise you can have your Replicant team with you, since you can put the NieR outfits onto the main trio. The characters look really cool and unique, anime stylish. The NPCs are more generic, but even they have special designs as well as your new team members. The monsters look fantastic as well, everything just fits but… in comparison to what modern JRPGs can look like, taking Tales of Arise, Final Fantasy VII Remake or upcoming Forspoken into consideration, it could simply be more.

It could have animated cutscenes, it could have moving characters, an interactive environment… but it decided not to. Despite that it just looks amazing in card format. In my humble opinion it would have deserved 5 points, but putting it into comparison with other games… I simply cannot give it 5 points.

Story/Combat System - 4/5 & 3/5

Voice of Cards has a very traditional way of storytelling, through a narrator voiced by Todd Haberkorn. The English voice acting is superb, even the simplest bit of emotions can be found in perhaps a word wrongly pronounced or a small comment added here and there. It’s pure entertainment. Mad respect to Todd Haberkorn, I enjoyed listening to his voice while watching the story unfold. Even the dialogue is voiced by Todd in different tones, hence the game needed no more voice actors.

The overall story, atmosphere and music are very soothing, almost relaxing as you set out in a remote village, tasked to kill a dragon that has been wreaking havoc. Rather than saying it is about the end, the story is perhaps more about companionship, about forging bonds in a fantasy setting. On your way to the dragon you make multiple stops in all sorts of dungeons and towns. The distinctive Yoko Taro tone is always apparent, since the towns all have certain… traits. For example there is a town that is said to get along with monsters and you visit it, people keep monsters as pets and you’re like “damn, cool”. Then one of the monsters vanishes and you set out to retrieve it, of course you do, you’re good people, you bring it back and mere moments later the mayor serves you a tasty dinner. A tasty dinner you just rescued. It’s just something Yoko Taro would do, to get you thinking, to shock you.

Even your party is pretty distinctive, like… almost a bunch of weirdos, about people with a dark twisty background, about people that do not exactly fit into anywhere. Perhaps they’re idiots, too, but they’re lovely. It’s just so easy to grow attached to a boy that keeps a monster around him as cares for it as if it’s a family member, a young girl that is consumed by revenge and much of a tsundere, a muscled dude and a girl that runs into money traps like it’s her hobby.

The story is great, the ending was definitely twisty and I could not foresee why we chased that dragon and if chasing it was actually a good or bad thing, if we were a good group of heroes or bringing doom upon the lands. So I definitely have to mention that the story is worth experiencing.

The combat system on the other hand is alright, but… definitely a little boring. It’s a traditional turn-based combat system in card format, where cards of your team and your enemies lie on a table board. Skill cards can be acquired at certain levels, which can be certain special physical attacks against a single enemy or a mob of enemies, you can use magic spells of different elements (weaknesses can be easily perceived) or even heal and boost or debuff enemies. There is just one single trick: these skills cost gems. Gems you gain by taking action, each round. So in case you have 3 gems and use 3 for a big physical attack, you will not be able to use a healing spell for 2 gems in the next round. That is the only strategic mechanism and I can tell you, it’s not difficult. I didn’t have to grind much and the level cap is at 35 anyhow.

Aside from the story and combat, you can explore the map, turn the cards to get an overview and of course, gather all collectibles: items, weapons/armour, NPC/MC cards with background stories and monster cards with their own stories as well. That kept me occupied for a good 20 hours, where I played the game through twice and watched all 4 different endings.

I mentioned it above already, but the music is top notch again. Keiichi Okabe just knows how to make bone chilling music. Thank you so much!

I enjoyed this game, definitely putting it in my top 5 in 2021.

Enjoyment - 4/5

#game review #review

[sevi007]

First impression of - wait, lemme check my notes - one and a half hour of Drakengard 3:

* The jokes and overall tone of it are WAY more vulgar and brutal than Nier

* In stark contrast, the main dragon is a baby. A literal, pure, naive baby.

* DON’T THROW HIM INTO THIS BRUTAL WORLD IT’S NOT GOOD FOR THE BABY 

Anyway it’s really fun to watch though a bit weird. XD

#snort #sevi watches drakengard #this is gonna hurt isn't it #yoko taro games always hurt

[kokomiin]

The main reason I think Automata sold well is that there's always been som much world of mouth over the years about how unique and cool Yoko Taro's games were, that when a brand new shiny title showed up even people who wouldn't be interested normally went to try it. The Squenix money and Platinum polish didn't hurt either.

yeah i think that is why, especially because it had a showing at E3 to make people hyped about it

#dess

[faithandwhateverthefuck]

No matter how old NieR/Automata becomes, it will ALWAYS hurt me inside.

This game KNOWS how to hit you right where it hurts the most, and it just keeps on going. The voice acting is incredible, and Yoko Taro is a madman.

#nier #nier automata

[vergess]

The new dungeon/raid hurts my little tank soul.... tankbusters eating half my health even with defensive cooldowns on.. its always like this

I loved the new dungeon, it was nice to get some end game content that made me flinch over my MP from time to time, and the fire mechanics were rad as hell. But, I play healer, so I’m in like the lowest stress position tbh. It’s just excogitation all the way down. Tankbuster whomst?

The new raid was fucking cool, and I have no idea what was happening like 80% of the time. I’ve never done an alliance raid blind before and it was BRUTAL AND GLORIOUS.

Buuut now I have to pick between the woman in white and the boy in black and that’s a choice I’m not emotionally prepared to make. Mr Yoko Taro, pls, why must you force me to do Permanent Decisions, it’s very cruel, this is a deed of cruelty Mr Yoko Taro

#5.1 spoilers #I mean technically? #hi-skitty

[nintendocafe]

The Strange Works of Taro Yoko: From Drakengard to NieR: Automata

Use code NOVBOOK18 (200 pages)

Throughout his entire career, Taro Yoko has always felt disheartened by the image of humanity reflected in most big-budget video games, which propose the use of firearms as the principal means of action. Through his own work, from Drakengard to NieR: Automata, this artist attempts to explore the reasons behind our strange fascination with conflict. Is man so vicious that he must triumph, discriminate, hurt and kill even for entertainment? Within the great fields of ruin resulting from wars in which mankind battled against mankind, Taro Yoko perceives this “entertainment” as a way for hope, a horizon, a shield against evil. In this book we explore the contours of his games, the behind-the-scenes of their development, the complexity of their tales and their thematic depth. Discover this multifaceted and altruistic creator, who is convinced that video gaming is a diverse and unique medium.

#The Strange Works of Taro Yoko: From Drakengard to NieR: Automata #Book #Art #Taro Yoko

[skirak]

The Ultimate Introduction to Hosoya Yoshimasa Part 1 [Everything you should know about Hosoya Yoshimasa #3]

37th Birthday Special

10 February, the ultimate day as a certain baby turns 37. Time really flies... I still remember creating posts for his 36th bday last year in my main account @akaskira

This is taken from a Chinese source: PukiWiki 

Translated by me!

Introduction

Source: 新R25 Interview (Japanese)

Hosoya Yoshimasa [細谷佳正]

Born 10 February, 1982 in Onomichi, Hiroshima.

Height of 175 cm (5 feet 7), Blood Type B

Left hander.

Was a member of Mausu Promotion till 1 July 2014 and has been Freelance since.

Nicknames include Yosshi (used by Ono Yuuki), Posoya-kun (used by Sugita Tomokazu)

Called Hosoyan by fans and Hikasa Yoko

According to himself, has rarely been given nicknames.

Favourite food includes sea urchin. Likes to drink but doesn’t smoke.

Likes ghost story and horror movies but gets scared as hell in haunted houses (click for link!)

Probably can see ghosts - many colleagues have heard real ghost experiences from him.

Okamoto Nobuhiko once said he wanted to go to haunted house most with Hosoya as his reaction is interesting

In the world of Male seiyuu Singers, he is considered to be of mid-high ranking.

Used to do busking and released his own songs.

Sang albums for character Shiraishi Kuranosuke in “Prince of Tennis”

The first album “Medicine or...?” got 7th in Most Daily Played and 10th in Most Weekly Played. The second album “Poision” achieved 3rd in Daily and 6th in Weekly [Oricon Style]

CD or LIVE, his performance is worth a praise. His condition has been good since his first performance, “Prince of Tennis Hundred Song Marathon”. He then received praise for his singing plus dancing in FESTA 2009, and also is the first from Prince of Tennis to have his very own solo concert and album in 2010.

Doesn’t really sing as his characters, so the songs you hear are all his own style.

Seiyuu with the same experiences as him include Tsubasa Yonaga, Kaji Yuuki, Okamoto Nobuhiko etc.

One of Mima Masafumi (Director of audiography)’s favourite seiyuu. It’s like wherever there’s Mima there’s Hosoya

Experiences

High School 

Used to be in fencing and acting clubs, and quit fencing for acting.

Was in a leader position in acting, but didn’t know whether to pursue it.

After that, watched “Martian Succesor Nadesico: The Motion Picture - Prince of Darkness” recommenced by a friend and decided to be a seiyuu as he was inspired by Yamadera Koichi’s character.

Voiced in the remake Space Battleship Yamato 2199 as Katou Saburou, fulfilling his dream of voicing with Yamadera.

Achieved Best Supporting Character Awards in 2014 and 2016 tho he has no luck in MC

Characteristics

Has a natural mid-range voice, therefore often gets cool / calm Sports Captain roles. To other people, Hosoya can also be seen as a man who’s calm with few words.

Because he started as acting in Western works, he’s better at “natural calmness” performances rather than exaggerated.

Mostly voices young characters from straightforward to cold ones. Also can voice as some bad “Uncle” (Ixion Saga DT as Pet)

Basically after Takamatsu Shinji’s (animator) favourtism, his image has disappeared (this is a compliment)

Maybe because Hosoya’s tone is a little plain (Hey!!) he rarely voices as MC but as supporting roles (MC’s friends etc)

For some reason, always voice some “big Brother” characters and recently, 80% of his roles are muscular guys

Accepted more roles as he grew popular.

Voiced as an insane character in a game “Princess Arthur” and received praise for it.

Before that, also voiced incanely in “Edel Blume” but the game wasn’t good so it wasn’t popular

Common traits of his characters: glasses, prideful, disses, dialect.

Real person is a helpless dork which is totally different from his characters, so may surprise people who don’t know him well.

Started by dubbing in Western shows / movies, so isn’t known in ACG (Animation, Comic, Game) community until his role as Shiraishi.

One of the few who dubs a lot in both ACG and Western films, where he voices in almost every season.

Often receives dialect roles (Osaka, Fukui, Hiroshima etc). Says that his voice is like a plain Ochazuke (rice with tea).

Has very few R18 works.

In BLCD, only appeared for a passerby and never a seme/uke role.

With the exception of Miyano Mamoru and Irino Miyu who both have acting backgrounds, Hosoya being famous even without a R18 character is considered as really special.

People may mistake Hosoya as voicing in more shoujo themed anime due to his popularity with women and large variety, but he actually focuses more on dub and shonen works.

Hosoya EVERYWHERE

In 2016 October, he accepted roles from 12 more works out of his normal ones, and with different varieties as well.

Probably because of overperformance, he hurt his throat and took a break from 23 April 2017 to August 2017.

Personality

Speciality: plays guitar and likes shooting

Is bad at technology so doesn’t have Twitter or personal blog (except link)

Known as the most woman-like male seiyuu.

Ogata Megumi: “Among male and female seiyuu, the one with most girl powers is Hosoya Yoshimasa.”

Actually also wants to be popular so often asks tips from other male seiyuu

A member of Mizuki Nana’s female team

Proved by a lot of people that he loves to talk about love.

Self-claimed masochist. Is actually also very masochistic

Gets nervous easily and sweats a lot. When he’s nervous, he always speak incoherently / stammers so he’s often teased by others.

Always at the bottom of the food pyramid.

In Free, was bullied by “predators” Miyano Mamoru and Suzuki Tatsuhisa.

Nobunaga Shimazaki: “Sorry—”

Hosoya: “We’re not gonna lose like this!!”

Masafumi Mima: “In Knb, 50% of seiyuu were new and perhaps to calm their berves they decided to tease someone. That someone is Hosoya. Even though he’s the captain, his reaction when bullied is priceless.”

Known as the natural dork, which often comes into topic when he’s not around.

Has a weird way of thinking sometimes.

Often leaves audience and cast speechless (and is usually made fun of later), but can tell he means what he says, and usually still has a good relationship with others.

Likes to not look at the camera in pictures, affecting people around him. Fans have also started to imitate it.

Easy to go along with and humble.

Often calls person with “san” behind and uses respectful language (formal)

Depending on atmosphere, he does call people by their first name and vice versa.

People he calls first names include Ono Kenshou, Osaka Ryota, Ishikawa Kaito etc.

“Will go crazy in unreasonable situations” - Hikasa Yoko

Too many sports roles. Fans often say he can “hold an Olympic on his own” and those roles are still renewing.

Some include tennis, Basketball, baseball, soccer, Volleyball, piano, drums, judo, karuta, Swimming, rugby, ice skating.

Fans often check if he’s voicing in new sports anime - and it’s a common habit.

Seems to also notice himself and talks about doing them sometimes.

Relationships

Male Magnet.

Attracts both senpai and junior’s appreciation.

Accidentally stepped into a gay bar and was almost harassed.

Even Fukuyama Jun, who doesn’t work with him much, would mention him from time to time.

Kamiya Hiroshi: “He’s a good kid who’s too serious.”

Has many hidden fans in the industry. Ishikawa Kaito has played his songs directly from his phone before.

Others

Likes girls who’s younger but mature big Sister type omg that’s me

Seems to like... boobs, D-cup in particular.

Had a defect where he was born with six fingers on his right hand but had the extra surgically removed.

Was a fan of the manga “Ushio and Taro” so was very happy when he voiced Akiba Nagare in it.

To be continued

I’ve kind of run out of space so I’m going to do a separate post later. For now, I’m so glad I decided to rewatch anime or I wouldn’t have found out about this adorable dork who made me who I am. I just came back from Japan after studying there for about 4 months, and it had just been the best knowing we were in the same country, breathing the same air, almost living in the same city. 

While I didn’t manage to go to a Hosoyan event, I would definitely go at least once just to “meet” and see him live. 

I love him with all my heart and wish him the best in everything.

#hosoya yoshimasa #hosoyan #facts #everything you should know #happy birthday!!!! #hbd to my baby #yes thats my baby right there #i love him so much u cant imagine #february 10 #37 years old #pls get married #translation #my translation #skira translate

[nameless-articles]

The Regional Differences of Nier (And Why the Western Version is Better)

Nier (2010) is one of countless games to change based on the region its released in. While the localization process is nothing interesting in the realm of video games, the extent to which Nier changes is quite immense. The significant difference between Nier Replicant, the Japanese Playstation 3 version, and Nier Gestalt, the Japanese Xbox and worldwide version, is the age of the main character (canonically and for the sake of this essay titular) and his relationship to Yonah. In the former, Nier is Yonah’s older brother, while in the latter he is Yonah’s father. There appears to be a twenty or so year difference between the two Niers, and in general this does little to affect the gameplay. Yoko Taro is on record as saying Replicant was the original premise, while Gestalt was an attempt to appeal to a wider audience, as they feared the younger protagonist would not mesh well with western players. While their fears weren’t misguided, this change has wider thematic implications that overall service the narrative better than if Nier had remained a brother.

While Gestalt is available in Japan, it’s important to note that it is the Xbox version. Japanese support was weak for the console, hence any user being hard-pressed to name several noteworthy Japanese made games that did not cater to the west in some fashion (at least overseas, because there were a surprising number of japanese only shoot-em-ups and rpgs exclusive to the Xbox). All to say, that even if this version was available in Japan, the developers didn’t make it with Japanese players in mind.

Yoko Taro is no stranger to challenging tropes in video games, and this is one of the surface reasons Nier’s age difference works between versions. Tropes vary depending on regional culture, so it is not too far-fetched to suggest a game challenging conventional game design and its tropes would change important/visible aspects of its game to challenge them. While a caring big brother is a common trope in the West, there are more instances of it in Japanese media (particularly games and other contemporary media). On the other hand, the caring father figure is a trope that, though it would not be amazingly popular in video games for another two years after Nier (thank you The Last of Us), is familiar to the average consumer. On a basic level, the big brother and father roles are functioning the same outside of a few script changes and different voice acting. Gameplay wise, brother Nier has a better excuse for not having the ability to wield greatswords and spears than father Nier, but this doesn’t amount to much beyond a jarring absence of those weapons in the first half of the western version. As the game goes on, there is a different importance placed on the character depending on their age and relationship, and the implications for the story are greater for father than they are brother.

Our expectations for these characters’ knowledge varies depending on how old they are; we would expect father Nier to be wiser, to know more about this world than we would for brother Nier. What we would chalk up to naivety for brother Nier is then considered willful ignorance if not outright manipulation for the older one. Brother Nier is a simpler character in this regard, because he’s young, and we can only despise what he does so much before realizing he didn’t know any better. Father Nier, on the other hand, is old enough that his lack of empathy provides stronger commentary for his character.

At the root of Nier (game) is the matter of perspective: what looks good for one character is disastrous and hostile for another. The game reveals this information towards the end of the first playthrough and all throughout the second. This information then informs the player’s perspective on both Nier’s behavior and what we presumed to be hostile acts. Let’s take a look at the cutscene after Emil destroys the Aerie. 

Emil is overcome with grief and sorrow because of the destruction his actions have caused. He seems genuinely concerned and remorseful after having destroyed the town, realizing all the innocent people that were surely killed in the process. Despite actions having consequences throughout the whole game, none of them up until that point have had that great of a change. From this point on, this area becomes more or less useless (and for those interested in grinding out upgrade materials, a sour sight as you wait until the next play through to grind for eggs). People to talk to, quests to complete, whatever you needed in that place is completely locked away for the rest of the play through. All that remains is a huge and empty pit.

How does Nier respond to Emil? He tells Emil, “But you saved our lives,” and goes on to explain how it was a case of them or the shades, that there was no other choice to take, and ends, almost like an order, by telling Emil, “Don’t look back.” Nier does not want Emil to think about the negative consequences of his actions, a running theme present throughout the story, usually used with regards to killing shades, where no matter how innocuous their behavior might seem, Nier will posit that there is no other choice but to exterminate each and every shade they encounter. Nier tells Emil this to keep him on his side, to influence the way Emil should see his monstrous actions. Nier needs him to believe in his cause, and there’s no room to question who’ve you hurt, or whether you are wrong.

Nier’s stubbornness persists throughout the whole game, culminating in the end where, despite knowing that the Shadowlord has just a noble a cause - in fact, probably a nobler cause considering he is the original Nier and his daughter is the original Yonah - Nier refuses to sympathize or stop himself from taking what he deserves. This isn’t to say that the Nier we play as the whole game is necessarily “the bad guy,” but that our entire notion of what it means to play “the bad guy” is entirely dependent on the perspective and player agency of that character.

It is much easier to view these enemies in simple terms as we are forced to do in the first play through, before we understand Kaine’s backstory and see how shades behave when they aren’t being murdered by the replicants. These are enemies, plain and simple. Though there are side quests and moments where this comes into question, for the majority of the main plot, up until the very end, we are meant to believe that our fight is the right thing to do. However, the second playthrough complicates this situation, and it starts to become less clear whether we should keep on going. However, Nier’s own persistent despite our own knowledge is what differentiates him from most other playable protagonists. While the player is able to make choices throughout the game, it is never during the most critical scenes (despite arguably the ending (though even then the Shadowlord must always be defeated)). Nier is stubborn and committed to the purpose he has set for himself until the very end.

Again, as a brother these actions come across just as stubborn, however this stubbornness is different from father Nier. We can look at Nier’s actions more critically when we accept that he’s consciously exerting himself and manipulating others to get the result he wants.

This becomes most clear during the battle with Devola and Popola. The sisters make the game’s point clear: Everyone has their own motives and desires driving them, and conflict happens when different characters with opposing purposes meet. It really is that simple. However, after Nier kills Devola, he tells Popola to stop. Popola responds with what might be the most powerful statement in the entire game. Her line, “Do you think I have the luxury to stop?” is particularly poignant because it invites the player to consider how important her role is and whether she could call it quits even if she wanted to. But most importantly, it makes the player question why we ourselves haven’t stopped. Why have we continued to play this game and kill these characters? Even if we separate ourselves from the characters and believe we only play to get to the end, what does this say about our behaviors and why we continue to play games at all. Why don’t we just stop? Before her phase in the battle begins, she exclaims, “No one ever stops!” She’s just as assured in what she’s about to do as Nier. While this article focuses on how Nier (the character) is changed between regions, it would be foolish not to include that this line, as it’s expressed in the English dub, does not exist in the original Japanese. In Japanese, Popola just exclaims that she’s going to kill you… Besides removing many of the implications that her English exclamation has, it really limits how deeply we can think about Devola and Popola. The English version gives a better sense of thematic ideas that have been present throughout.

The credit song for ending A works to this goal as well. Though the song is interesting for the way it explains how the world of Nier (the game) relates to Drakengard by giving the events shortly following that game’s ending, there are several lines that speak to the thematic points that I argue are made clearer in the English version. The chorus of the song goes, “Hidden so deep in veils of deceit, / Imprisoned in twisting spells - / Are we the plaything of fiends, or merely the dreams / That we're telling ourselves, telling ourselves?” While Devola acknowledges the reality of everyone having motives, she neglects to note how difficult it is to discover those motives; even Nier doesn’t find out until they tell him explicitly, and up until then everyone is certain the sisters are on the side of the replicants. These lines also acknowledge the unfounded nature of everyone’s motives and purpose. Do our duties come from a manipulative figure (as we see Nier doing to Emil) or do they come from something we hope is achievable (as we see in the side quest where the boy wants to escape his family of thieves). Are either of these better than the other?

The lines directly following the first chorus, “Strive till the phantoms are broken, / Fight till the battle is done,” refer to the end goal of these motives, which is to say, not necessarily to achieve those motives at all. If phantoms are taken to be haunting visages of the past, then we continue on until we forget about them. If we set out for war, all we can do is fight until there is nothing left to fight. Fighting until the battle is done is not the same as fighting until its won. The one referenced in the lyrics only wants the fight to be done, regardless of the results. Neither of these existences are spoken of with much reverence, more so with an acceptance that this is one framework through which we view actions in our lives. Further playthroughs build our understanding of everyone’s actions, but the game’s final ending being locked behind deleting the player’s save data asks us to question what these goals are worth (or they would, if consoles didn’t have cloud-saving and backup features).

While the song lyrics and final-ending mechanic are present in the Japanese version as well, that version of the game, primarily by having Nier portrayed as a younger character, doesn’t reinforce these larger thematic ideas as well as the English version, despite arguably having better voice acting. The English version feels like it has a more concentrated focus on these interactions because of the little things changed to appeal to a western audience. While most games don’t/wouldn’t benefit from a western localization, it’s interesting to encounter a game where such a release feels like a more tightly constructed work of art.

#nier #video games #translations #regional differences #gestalt #replicant #ps3

[samantha-is-blogging]

AGGHH NIER AUTOMATA COMES OUT TODAY sorry I know you said you weren't getting t because you were focusing on building a gaming PC but I've always loved Yoko Taro's games and this is looking to be his magnum opus and I CANT WAIT FOR THE MAIL TO COME TODAY

I’m probably gonna get Nier Automata at some point this year, once my bank account hurts less

#Anonymous