Why NieR: Automata over Final Fantasy XV?
Make no mistake, I have no doubt that Final Fantasy XV will end up being another epic adventure that allows you to get to know Noctis and his friends, and get attached to them as they go on their anime boy road trip. Final Fantasy XV is checking off all of the things that you need in a modern RPG these days: it’s open world, it’s got side quests, it’s got cooking, it’s got collectibles… I could go on. It’s obvious that Square Enix is putting a lot of effort into making the best Final Fantasy game we’ve seen in years, but I can’t help but shake the feeling that it’s going to be another average action RPG that doesn’t do anything new or interesting.
Heck, even the original ‘star-crossed lovers’ story that was advertised in Final Fantasy Versus XIII got axed by the time the game was rebranded as FFXV. Given the amount of time this game has been in development, as well as the change in directors, story, and characters, Final Fantasy XV looks every bit as unwieldy as its combat controls and camera.
NieR: Automata, on the other hand, looks like it’s primed to be one of the freshest JRPGs we’ve seen in a while. Not only is it a follow-up to one of the wildest and most unique JRPG stories in the past decade, it looks completely uninterested in reviving any of the old characters we loved in the previous game, and instead chooses to serve up a setting and cast that’s entirely new. This means that even if you missed out on NiER for the PS3 and Xbox 360, you can jump into this one for a fresh experience. From what little we’ve seen of it so far, NieR: Automata isn’t afraid of taking risks and being different, and that’s precisely why this game deserves more attention than it’s getting.
