| Zekkyou said: I don't think it'll cement it, but i do think it's an important part of the process. Just as direct final success shows the viability of an IP, the demands that game creates help shape the specifics of future projects. When a game does something really well, others often follow suit. As it happens the original TLOU makes for a good example. It was ND's first attempt at a serious, character driven experience, and the overwhelmingly positive reception it got helped make Uncharted 4 was it is. It's not perfect, but it was nice having it be able to properly explore Nathan's flaws as a character, and in turn how they fuel his motivations (while still being goofy fun haha). Slightly off topic, but since you mentioned it; How long is Nier? It's been on my to-do list since it launched, and i think i'll be done with Horizon in a couple of days. I'm wondering if i'll have time for Nier before Persona 5 comes out early April |
I think that in some cases (like Naughty Dog's recent past) you're right about that. However, I think you'll find that it's just as often the case that when a major publisher achieves success with a particular story, they respond to that by endlessly repeating more or less the same story on the belief that, hey, this one is safe. (See Japanese RPGs broadly during the first decade of this century, for example.) We're talking about a business here, after all. You'll find that quality art more often than not comes from quarters where there's no realistic possibility of a significant return on investment (like Steam), as this results in different motivations. Or maybe I'm just too skeptical of capitalism to see all the great exceptions that are out there.
Anyway, no worries on getting a little off-topic. I'm enjoying this conversation. :P NieR: Automata's length depends on how you approach it. To simply complete the basic quest takes about 10 hours, but it will take you three playthroughs as different characters (you unlock another more each of your first couple playthroughs) to actually get the crux of the story and the "true ending" of the game and each playthrough will take you about 10 hours. I highly recommend going for the "true ending", which is achieved by completing all three of the endings in the third playthrough. That will pretty much oblige you to do the majority of the side missions. In grand total, it should take you about 30 to 35 hours to finish with the "true ending", which is totally worth it for the unorthodox story and fascinating conclusion. So if you average about two hours a day on the game, you should be able to finish it with the "true ending" before Persona 5 comes out.
