Game #20 – Nier

Publisher: Square-Enix

Developer: Cavia

Platforms: PS3/360

To best sum up 2010, it'd be the year of surprises. There were plenty of games released with little to no hype, and proved to be some of the best games of the year. Nier is the perfect example of this – it's a game where all you've heard about is hearsay, but the end result is something quite amazing.

Nier sets you playing as “The Father”, a grizzled old warrior whose only goal left in life is to defend his daughter Yonah. Shortly after the game begins, Yonah falls victim to the Black Scrawl – a disease said to be uncurable, and it's up to the Father to travel the world and risk life and limb to find a cure for the Black Scrawl. I shan't say much more than that, because it's a story worth going through, and not one to be spoiled (recommended that all you skip the intro sequence on boot – since it spoils the game completely).

For the most part, Nier is an action RPG, but it also branches into a number of different genres – such as farming, bullet hell shooter and much more. What makes Nier work is that it's a game that surprises, and does that exceptionally well. It also has easily the best soundtrack for a video game released this year – it begs listening.

If you're willing to take a chance on one of the more unique games out there, then Nier is your best bet. There's nothing else quite like it on the market. Oh, and don't worry about the fishing – it's not as bad as you've heard it is.

These topics are golden. I have a couple games on my radar now that I wouldn't have considered without some favorable word of mouth from a trusted source.