Review for Never: Automata. Game for PC and PlayStation 4, the video game was released on 23/02/2017 The version for PC came out on 17/03/2017
NieR: Automata was one of the JRPGs that convinced us most in 2017. Originally released only on PlayStation 4 and PC, the Platinum Games game also landed on Xbox One (with optimization for Xbox One X) on June 26 with the Become as Gods Edition. A late port in a certain sense due to Microsoft users, who in the previous generation were able to enjoy NIER (released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, in fact), which over time has become an authentic cult game.
First, this port of NieR: Automata has been released exclusively on the Xbox Store at the launch price of € 49,99, and unfortunately does not benefit from a retail edition, unlike the version for PlayStation 4. On the other hand, in the approximately 45 GB required for the download you will find all the DLCs released so far on Steam and PlayStation Store: The main one is 3C3C1D119440927 (costing € 13,99 on Steam and PS Store), but there are also the contents Machine Mask, Grimoire Weiss, Cardboard Pod, Gray Vintage Pod, Red Vintage Pod (included in the Day One Edition for PC), which will be available by progressing in a certain way in the story.
On a substantial level, 3C3C1D119440927 adds a gladiatorial mode with three clearly differentiated arenas, an optional boss and a short but interesting cutscene, for a total of a couple of hours of well-refined gameplay. This is mostly post game material, as it requires high levels to master.
As far as the technical sector is concerned, we must highlight how the game was not perfect in its primitive version which ran at 60 fps not granite despite the resolution of 900p (while on PlayStation 4 Pro 1080p were reached). On Xbox One, however, the frame rate seems less prone to fluctuations. On Xbox One X it goes up to 4K - upscaledHowever: the native resolution is 1920 × 2160, so the PC version remains superior in this respect, and the improved texture filtering contributes to the good overall performance. The frame rate appears more stable, although not yet flawless.
Net of the DLCs mentioned above, the Become as Gods Edition is content-wise equal to the "smooth" version of Nier: Automata, so we refer you to last year's review for a more detailed examination of PlatinumGames' work.
Here it is enough to remember that the game is both the sequel to Nier and the fifth chapter of the Drakengard / Nier saga considered as a whole. The story is enjoyable stand alone, but there are interesting connections with Nier (which we recap for you prior to the game's debut last year) that reward fans. Is the time ripe for a remastered version of Nier? Last year a rumor had originated, consistent with Yoko Taro's statements about the high possibility of a remaster in the event of exciting sales of Nier: Automata. Now that the sales have turned out to be exciting, it might as well happen.
We conclude this brief "review" on Nier: Automata highlighting the impact that Square Enix's choice to entrust development to PlatinumGames had on the development of the series: while the previous episodes had always sinned on the gameplay side, proving to be fascinating or even exciting for other reasons, Automata uses an excellent combat system, supported by an unthinkable technical sector both for Cavia (historical developers of the series) and for Access Games (authors of Drakengard 3). On the other hand, this is the first title in the series to have a million-seller budget, even though it is in some respects below an authentic “AAA”, as emerges from the open world element.
NieR: Automata Become as Gods Edition is the best available version of the PlatinumGames game, balancing the technical needs (playing on Xbox One X, with a performance lower than only the best PC configurations) and the amount of content, thanks to the inclusion of all the DLC released so far.
► NieR: Automata is an Action-JRPG game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Square Enix for PC and PlayStation 4, the video game was released on 23/02/2017 The version for PC came out on 17/03/2017
