Nier: Automata saved the Nier franchise from obscurity, introduced the greater gaming community to Yoko Taro, and bailed Platinum Games out of a tight spot. Some say this is due to Yoko Taro’s storytelling, which is on a different level than we’re used to in video games, while others say it was Platinum’s amazingly implemented gameplay and Teflon slick UI that turned an obscure niche title into a million plus seller. However, Taro’s stories never saved any of his previous games from obscurity, and Platinum’s masterful game design had yet to deliver them a mega-hit, so I must attribute this newfound success to Yoko Taro’s genius move to focus on creating a virally appealing character. Continue reading From Nier: Automata to ARMS, developers are enticing fandoms
Tag Archives: Platinum Games
Vanquish, Platinum’s underappreciated stylish action shooter, is coming to PC
“What if?” It’s a question we all hear too often. Usually it leads to bad hypotheticals, but sometimes it leads to something worse: A cool idea that will never happen. Like “What if Platinum Games made a stylish action shooter?” Wait…that happened? Continue reading Vanquish, Platinum’s underappreciated stylish action shooter, is coming to PC
Nier: Automata review: Nier perfection
Yoko Taro has a well earned cult following. While the quality of gameplay for the Drakengard and Nier games of the past could be described as mediocre at very best, the quality of his stories is beyond reproach. That’s why Nier: Automata’s pairing of Yoko Taro, genius story writer and director, and Platinum Games, the king of action games, is so beautiful. Peanut butter and jelly could only dream of being half as good a pairing. Continue reading Nier: Automata review: Nier perfection
Gravity Rush 2: A forgotten gem, and what it could learn from Nier: Automata
The first four months of 2017 have been one continuous beating to gamers’ wallets. Resident Evil 7, Yakuza 0, Nioh, Horizon Zero Dawn, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Nier: Automata, Persona 5, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are roughly half a grand worth of video games I’d consider must play titles. While this has been the start of gaming’s new 1998, widely regarded as the best year in gaming history, it’s easy for deserving games to fall between the cracks.
That’s exactly the case for Gravity Rush 2. Continue reading Gravity Rush 2: A forgotten gem, and what it could learn from Nier: Automata
Common Sense Gaming 