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Maybe Nier comics will help us understand Nier
Want to understand what Nier's all about, you know, besides yelling at books? Square Enix is giving us all a chance to study the backstory of Cavia's action RPG, with a Nier comic series produced by DC's Wildstorm Studios. The three-part series will tell three separate, but overlapping, stories in the Nier universe before the game's April 27 release date. In addition to introducing the main characters -- including Nier himself, his "disease-stricken" daughter, Yonah, a "conflicted" companion in Kaine, and the talking book "with an attitude," Grimoire Weiss -- the comics will reveal what caused the "Black Scrawl" disease and the cataclysmic event that led to the condition of the world (as it is in the game). The Nier comics will be available on the Nier website, and through the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store. See the cover of the first issue after the break.
Nier approaches North America in April
Did you read the news of Japan's Nier release date with abject jealousy, wishing you had such a clear idea when you'd get to play Cavia's cursing-at-a-book simulation? Seethe no more -- Square Enix announced the North American release date, and it's April 27, only five days after the game arrives in Japan! Of course, real Nier fans are going to have to import Nier Replicant to get the full story, and that means learning Japanese is also a requirement. But it's a small price to pay to learn more about some shirtless guy who fights giant sinewy oil-monsters to rescue his daughter.
Nier nears release in April (if you're near Japan)
Square Enix's angriest game ever, Nier, recently received a firm Japanese release date: Both iterations of the game (Nier Gestalt and Nier Replicant) will be landing on Japan's store shelves on April 22. Considering the current U.S. release window of Spring 2010, we wouldn't be surprised if we got our hands on the game soon after. However, we've been wrong before! Like that time we saw Nier at E3 last year, and were all like "man, there's no way they're actually going to finish and release this."
Latest Nier trailer takes a page out of Bayonetta's book
And here we thought Bayonetta had cornered the giant black cannibalistic things summoned from the ether market, but the tail-end of this Nier trailer suggests there's some incoming competition in that department. There are other parts of the trailer worth pointing out (or, perhaps, worth pointing at ... and laughing about), too, like how Square Enix proclaims Nier to be "THE NEXT GREAT STORY FROM SQUARE ENIX" or how it begins with another one of those rants. Is every character in Nier going to be so darn self-absorbed?
Nier gets close in spring 2010
Frankly, we don't get Nier. In Japan there are two different Nier games with different names and slightly different plots coming exclusively to the 360 and PS3, but in the US, we're just getting one of those, but it's coming to both the 360 and PS3! And if it wasn't bad enough we're expelling all this energy keeping Nier straight, we already sort of hate it. At least one thing -- the release window -- is now clear: Square emailed this morning to let us know that the game would arrive in spring this year. Square also haughtily informed us that the game is an action RPG rather than a pure action game, and should be classified as such. Hey, isn't it enough if we remember how many of them exist?
Nier video is Nier-ly video-free
We were really hoping this Nier trailer would help answer some of the questions we had about the title. For example, what's up with the two different games? We're getting just one game on PS3 and 360 -- but that game is a 360 exclusive in Japan, with a different Nier game being released on PS3. Why not release both games in the larger North American market? And how will the gameplay be evolved since the E3 demo? Because if there's not some improvement, the number of Nier games may not matter. It does not answer any of those questions. In fact, we have several more questions after this trailer, which features the voice (but not much else) of the AI partner, Kaine. Questions like "what?"
Nier Replicant is sort of different from Nier Gestalt
Square has not one, but two Nier games in the works: one for Xbox, and one for PS3. Nier Replicant is being developed exclusively for PS3, and looks somewhat different from its Gestalt counterpart. Both games feature a white-haired protagonist named Nier, but Replicant's lead is a younger, slimmer and a bit more effeminate than the 360's lead character. Both stories have our hero(es) on a journey to save a family member: in Replicant, it's a sister, while in Gestalt, it's a daughter.We're not entirely sure why Square Enix deemed it necessary to create two vaguely different versions of Nier for the two consoles. This new trailer does state that "peering into the mirror reveals yet another tale," so perhaps Square Enix fans will have to buy both versions of the game to get the whole story. We can't wait!%Gallery-64593%
Rumor: Star Ocean: The Last Hope, Nier Replicant bound for PS3
Square Enix frequently releases "International" versions of its Final Fantasy games in Japan -- they're basically the Western versions of the games with some extra cutscenes and whatnot to encourage double-dipping among the rapt Japanese audience. According to this Famitsu scan, the publisher is going to try the same thing with Star Ocean: The Last Hope, turning the once 360-exclusive game into a multiplatform release in the process. The scan states that Star Ocean: The Last Hope International will be released on PS3 on February 4 of next year. Siliconera says that it will include both English and Japanese voice acting.Another scan reveals that Nier Replicant, the mysterious other Nier game revealed next week, will also be a PS3 release. We're awaiting confirmation from Square Enix.
Square Enix near to announcing another Nier game
It might not be the game we were most excited by at E3 2009, but upcoming action game Nier is apparently already getting the franchise treatment. According to a two-page ad spotted by 1UP in the most recent Famitsu, "Nier Replicant" is set to be detailed in next week's issue of the Japanese magazine. The spread features a scantily clad white-haired lady with a single line of text that reads, "Beyond revenge lies crazed desperation." Given the absolute dearth of information we have on the Nier franchise, we're sorry to say we can offer little more than our furrowed brow to assuage your confusion over Replicant's tagline. We do know that the name could very well change before it's formally announced on Western shores, as Nier was recently announced in the same edition of Famitsu as "Nier Gestalt" -- known as to us as just Nier. It appears as though at least some of our questions will be answered in next week's issue.%Gallery-64593% [Image credit]
Square Enix and Eidos announce joint lineup for Gamescom 2009
Though it's been quite some time since Square Enix and Eidos shacked up, the first time the two share booth space will be at the upcoming European trade show, Gamescom 2009. Aside from bringing the first publicly playable Supreme Commander 2, some highlights include Dissidia Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and ... Nier. Alright, maybe not Nier. The event announcement says that both Final Fantasy XIII (as a franchise unto itself, not just the eponymous iteration) and Final Fantasy XIV will be at the show, though it doesn't detail if hands-on time with either will be available, or how much new info to expect, unfortunately. Finally, Batman: Arkham Asylum and Mini Ninjas will be descending from Eidos' camp. Gamescom 2009 kicks off on August 19 - 23 in Cologne, Germany. (Also, Pony Friends 2 ... finally!)
E3 2009 highlights: The Xbox roundup
E3 was brütal! If you blinked, for a split/second, you missed something. Even if you were trine to keep up, it was a blur -- staying a.wake like that, you only pushed yourself to the brink of your own dark void. That's where Joystiq comes in; to crackdown on the madness; to reach out ... with conviction -- phew! Crysis averted. We've scoured the dark corners and survived the inferno to piece together this roundup of all things Xbox at E3. Why? Just 'cause we love you. So, draw nier and shift your eyes past the break.
E3 2009: Nier trailer hits the web, official website launches
Square Enix has seemingly jumped the gun on at least some of its E3 news, with the trailer for Nier finding its way online, not to mention the game getting an official website. Hey, there's even gameplay!The art style looks like a pretty dramatic departure from the Japanese company's usual androgynix, not to mention the vast swathes of blood. Maybe that has something to do with Square's recent fascination with the Western market? That remains to be seen. We'll assuredly see more as the week progresses, though feel free to peruse our gallery of screens below in the meantime.%Gallery-64593%
Square Enix announces Front Mission Evolved, NIER
Square Enix's E3 lineup features two surprises, in addition to the expected Final Fantasy stuff: Front Mission Evolved and NIER. While we may have suspected that some kind of Front Mission game was coming, we wouldn't have guessed that it would be a third-person shooter instead of a strategy game, nor that it would be developed by a Western company (Silent Hill: Homecoming's Double Helix Games, specifically). The E3 lineup press release highlights SE's efforts to become a more "global" company, and it hardly gets more "global" than handing one of its existing IPs over to a Western developer to be made into a PS3/Xbox/PC shooter. NIER is a new PS3/360 action game developed by Bullet Witch/Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles maker cavia. Players control NIER, who fights in a "crumbling world" to find a cure for his daughter, who is infected with the "Black Scrawl virus." The announcement also provided a firm release date for DISSIDIA Final Fantasy and its PSP bundle: August 25. The first episode of the WiiWare Final Fantasy IV: The After Years was also dated -- for this Monday! See the whole announced lineup in our gallery. %Gallery-64503%
