It’s metal-turning-scrap echoing over the thirteenth WeekEndGame. Be it in, or at, my hands.
Machines’ Wilderness
I promised myself to not utter one more word about NieR: Automata until I’ve witnessed all of its important endings. So, here we are.
NieR: Automata is like nothing I have ever played in my life. A wild mechanics mash-up blasting its way in sparks over a twisty girder track few games so much as dared to ride before it. Emotional and philosophical welds, tried and weathered by the the likes of Deus Ex, Mass Effect, or even Shadow of the Colossus, cry in pain.
No matter how deep I dig into my video game theme park memories spanning almost three decades, I can’t find one that managed to still surprise me as I approached a 40-hour playtime mark. The no-comment gallery that follows is my silent tribute. Also, there may be spoilers ahead.
Wilderness’ Machinery
There is miserably little that the legendary Russian Mil Mi-24 ‘Hind’ has in common with NieR‘s robotic apparatus. No, I don’t mean upskirts, more along the lines of it being low-tech and cumbersome. And yes, since I did in fact originally plan to play Bayonetta for a ‘truly Platinum’ weekend, I had to plug Air Missions: Hind in somehow.
In need of a little breather from all the hacky-slashy 3rd person brawls, I turned to Steam’s Early Access. I found pastures unexpectedly green. Figuratively and literally.
Air Missions: Hind won’t probably run for a GOTY, it won’t be complemented by fireworks of words half the grandeur NieR: Automata inevitably will. But, as a rather sincere throwback to the days of MicroProse combat simulation games or NovaLogic’s voxel bonanza Comanche, it delivers a very pleasant and accomplished fly-’em-up experience. It ain’t no FSX-with-guns by any means, but it knows that and it’s not trying to be. All it does is put a crocodile’s smile on one’s face. It’d be unfair to ask it for anything more.
It’s been a bit of a drought this recent WeekEndGame-ing of ours. We’ll try and fix it. As soon as we’re back from, well, holidays.
