This is not about how Nintendo should make an M-rated Zelda. This is about how I HAVE played an M rated Zelda, and all fellow Zelda fans out there should do the same. The game is called Nier, and it is one of the best games I have ever played.
Nier is, believe it or not, an M-rated Zelda game. Though that statement may be misleading. It is no where near as polished or well designed as your average Zelda game - but it excels in many of the areas that most agree Zelda is subpar in. Considering Nier was rushed and had a very low budget, it is still a better game than Twilight Princess and OOT in my opinion. It is simply a fantastic game, and has hands down the best narrative I have played in a video game to date. Period.
So how does the game play? Like an action adventure- the controls are kind of like a mix between fable and Zelda- and all the combat plays out in this bizarre but compelling mix.
Most foes are beaten simply by mashing (like in most Zelda games) until halfway through the game. The bosses however, are consistently awesome and awe inspiring.
Puzzles are admittedly rare, but there is something to say about going to 3 different dungeons to collect something, before massive plot twist and going to 4 dungeons to grab something before end game time. Instead of Zelda's focus on puzzles, this game enjoys changing the gameplay style. One dungeon has several top down sidscrolling shooter esque segments, another is filled with weird and unique rules that you must obey in order to progress, and yet another requires you to use very specific abilities in a 2d sidescrolling section to advance. Yet another has what, in my opinion, is one of the best uses of text in modern gaming. What it loses in puzzles it makes up for in variety. Just wait until you get to the classic survival horror dungeon.
Nier could make a strong argument for voice acting in Zelda- it has voice acting, and it is very Zelda esque. And this very same voice acting makes the game significantly better. Like many a Zelda, you get a sidekick character rather early on who sticks with you throughout the whole game: Grimoire Weiss. If he was a sidekick in a Zelda game, he would be the fan favorite of many. His voice acting is superb and he has tons of character. But most importantly, all that talk Zelda sidekicks normally have is no longer intrusive. He does not stop you with whatever he says, he just says it while you are strolling along doing your own business. This is also used for character development. Whenever you are told to do something, like in a Zelda game, he reaffirms it, but instead of just popping out and reiterating what they said, he waits until you reach the field area, and then he and the main character start chatting about everything that just happened, what they expect to happen next, ect - but in the flow of a normal human conversation, pointing you towards the next objective with sly things such as the sidekick saying "stopping such and such will be difficult, you know", with the Main Character replying "we will worry about that once we reach such and such destination", and these are only small parts of longer conversations, which pleasantly fill the voyage across the big empty field. If TP had voice acting and link and midna (or whoever was with link) talked about things almost the entire time you were traveling from one destination to another, adding character development to both while simultaneously getting rid of the need for half of the times she pops out in the game to tell you where to go or what to do, then half of the complaints against TP would already be gone. The big empty field won't be empty anymore, because you have someone with you to pass the time during your travels. I can see many people opting OUT of using warp points just because they don't want to miss out on the dialogue.
Speaking of the voice acting, Nier has some of the best in the industry. If a low budget rushed game can have quality voice acting, so can Nintendo with their deep pockets and "when its done" mentality. Don't forget that Nintendo was one of the pioneers of full voice acting in console games with Star Fox 64, which to this day still has the most memorable quotes in all of gaming. Also, Nier does not over use voice acting. Many conversations play out Zelda style, with text boxes and grunts. but every once in a while, an important or emotional phrase or sentence will be fully spoken. Important story events, travel between environments, and the big cutscenes are all fully voiced however.
I could go on and on about the story.....but I do not want to spoil anything. Just know that it is phenomenal, and beware of spoilers. The games own instruction manual spoils a MAJOR plot twist (2 actually) and several other small details.
The game is actually very, very under rated, with most reviews saying it is complete crap. I disagree, it was my favorite game of 2010, I loved it and replayed it throughout 2011, and now that it is 2012, I feel an intense urge to spread the awesome.
Sometimes it is better to show than tell.
Magic trailer featuring the sidekick. (instead of gaining new items, you get new magic spells.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db9pRVtXkqc&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLACA1BC19E20ECE03
One of the better trailers of the game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsWZ27odqRQ&feature=related
Also, the game has multiple Zelda references, including two major ones. One involving a mask, and the other is a boss from Wind Waker being a guest boss in Nier. It will make you smile when you see who it is.
If you have a next gen system, I highly recommend Nier. It is basically an M-rated Zelda that has one of the best stories in gaming history. I would love to hear some opinions you guys may have on the game. It should be only around 5$ used now too- more than worth it for a 25 hour long adventure game with multiple endings.
http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/a-m-rated-zelda.207836042/
