Topic: Nier Automata Worth Getting?

@HistoricKombat Why? It runs well and looks good on the Switch.

@Polvasti I think if you have any other platform available, it will likely run and look better on it than Switch. Obviously if Switch is your only viable option, it's fine. If we get a Switch 2 update then the equation changes, but it does look and run pretty rough with the current Switch 1 version.

I have to disagree with this. I also have the game on PC, where I've played it with 60 FPS and a 4K resolution, and the difference between the two versions is not that big. It's a previous-generation game that doesn't really benefit that much from a super high resolution, so the Switch running it at native 1080p (docked) / 720p (handheld) looks quite nice and not rough at all. The difference in the level of detail between the two versions is also not dramatic and usually it's not noticeable at all, even though there are some minor cutbacks.

As for the FPS, if you're the sort of person who absolutely needs to have it at 60, then obviously you should play this one on some other platform. But the frame rate and frame pacing in the Switch version are mostly solid as hell (and completely solid when playing on the Switch 2), so it being 30 FPS doesn't really affect the gameplay.

I've played through Nier: Automata twice on the Switch, and even though I have the PC version too, at no point have I felt that I should rather be playing it on PC with higher specs. The Switch port is just that good.

Yeah, it's technically inferior port for sure, but it's far from a rough one. Given the limitations of the Switch, they did a great job.

I think a game has to have a pretty notably poor port for me to actively recommend not getting it on Nintendo on the Nintendo forum tbh. I grew up on N64 so I'm just...never gonna be as harsh about those flaws, but I think most times most people would already know if they don't want it on weaker hardware ahead of time.

If that wasn't true, we'd be seeing notable declines in Pokemon sales already.

Also while I'm undecided if/when I'll feel the same about it, it is the closest to a "life changing" type of game I've played in a good long while, probably since Celeste (or Xenoblade 2, even if that one was for the wrong reasons lol) so I'd like to not understate that this one's really worth giving a shot if it interests you.

@Polvasti For a handheld console, it's absolutely a good port. But come on, let's lot beat around the bush here: If you can play it on any decently stronger hardware, you should.

The extremely reduced textures, vastly reduced environmental detail, and overall much much lower image quality on its own is not recommendable unless it's your only choice. The performance isn't that bad but again, this is a high-octane action game; if you have a platform capable of running it at 60, it will be a lot more comfortable and objectively easier to play.

I've played it on multiple platforms, including Switch, because I love the game. And I would absolutely recommend the game. Switch just shouldn't be the platform you experience it on unless it's your only choice.

I don't think anyone is disputing the lower frame rate and visual fidelity of the Switch port. I'd just think that it's going a bit far to call it "rough."

I'd save that for the likes of Pokemon S/V and The Outer Worlds, before it got patched.

Why should I, if I prefer to play games on hybrid system where I can switch between TV and handheld play, and the port is good? I originally started playing the game on PC, but I finished it for the first time only after I go the Switch version, 'cos for me it's just a more convenient way to play.

See, this is just exaggeration. Yeah, the game has some reduction in environmental details and background textures, but they are not "extreme" or "vast". And the image quality is definitely not "much much lower". Even the Digital Foundry video you posted disagrees with you on this point, and it mostly commends the quality of the Switch port.

Again, I've played Nier: Automata on PC with 60 FPS, and it wasn't "a lot more comfortable", the difference between the gameplay in the two versions was pretty minimal to me. So clearly it isn't "objectively easier to play", the experience is very much subjective. For some people 60 FPS is a must, for others 30 FPS is fine enough and doesn't hinder gameplay, if the frame rate and frame pacing is steady with no significant drops, as is the case here.

Thanks for all the thoughts and input guys. I might pick this up now. Also, am debating between getting Onimusha 1 and 2 Pack, or Dave the Diver S2 Version. Right now, can only afford to get 1 of them... Thoughts appreciated

@Polvasti https://youtu.be/-EgqUmzq004?t=128 It's fine that you don't mind, but don't claim it's not "much much lower"; it's significantly lower. Again I'm not saying it's not a decent port. But if you have the choice, don't buy the Switch version unless you absolutely must have it portable and your alternative isn't a Steam Deck or another more powerful handheld.

The bit in the video you linked to points to a couple of fairly insignificant background textures whose quality has been significantly lowered, but is not like that with the majority of the assets and textures in the game. The Digital Foundry guy even says so in the exact part of the video you timestamped:

"In some areas the textures look kinda soupy with no fine detail to speak of, but most of the time it's not quite as severe."

So yeah, you can say that with a few background assets (to which you're probably not gonna pay much attention in a fast-paced action game like this one) the image quality is much lower, but it's not the case with the game as a whole. Judging by my experience of playing the PC and the Switch versions, I think it's exactly like the DF guy says later in the video:

"While there are a litany of cuts, most don't particularly stand out while actually playing, and the game still looks and feels as it should."

Platinum's games tend to be fine at 30fps. They don't tend to require really fast twitch reflexes. It is best to be more methodical and be good at telegraphing. 60fps will help a little, but is not a deal-breaker.

I'm just going to roll my eyes at this level of pedantry. Whatever.

You can roll your eyes, but I don't think it's pedantry to dispute the claim that the Switch port as a whole has a "much much lower image quality", since that's obviously not the case.

@Polvasti The OmnipresentVariant seems to be here once again to just stir up a racket or boost someone else's critical comments. Going by their ever surface level posts ("this is a high-octane action game" 😆 Copied from which marketing blurb!?) they have probably never even played the game, just quickly googled some critical voices and regurgitated them here … The Nier Automata port is widely considerd one of the best porting feats on the underpowered Switch 1 and a more than viable way to play the game.