Recent reviews by HackFraudWizard

They got Spike Spiegel to be a cringe and it was still funny. incredibly solid speedrunning game that is fun but not overly difficult. Aesthetic goes kinda hard too.

GOAT level OST/character design
The best entry point for new players the series has ever had. (Although tbh it's still very rough)
The best netcode a fighting game has had outside of straight GGPO support

TL;DR It's responsive and tight, it's fair, it's brutally hard, it's very satisfying in every respect to play.
BUT. the menus are so bad it makes it hard to play for any amount of time.

The issue lies in the fact that the UX is the worst of any modern multiplayer shooter. The menus are slow and sluggish, the loading takes forever, there are unnecessary menus on top of unnecessary progress meters. You get kicked back to menu after every match despite the fact all you want to do is play uninterrupted for a few hours.

It's such a shame since the duels are super fun and really intense, but the queue times, combined with the fact you cant hop around an empty server while searching, and the slow matching make it a true test of patience to play any amount of duels. And once you finally get a match there is a large change that you are going to get demolished by someone way higher or crush someone way lower than you.

Maybe it will be changed in the future. They have made some great (and some not so great) balance changes so maybe that effort will be extended to a UI rework

TL;DR A little pretentious at times, yet still a gripping emotional ride.
If you like your androids sassy yet emotionless and in a french maid outfit hack n' slashing giant robots yet having a great character arc, then you have very specific taste. You're also in the right place. The middle of the game is a bit dry but it picks back up in the final act without question. Just keep playing, Nier always has more in store for you.

*edit: you need a controller, the m+kb controls are pretty awful and the port locks cut-scenes to 30fps. Which is a bit jarring at times.

The definitive fantasy RPG. This game is hard, and it does not get any easier as the game goes on. You just get better with time. Brutal bosses in beautiful locaitons and a tight combat system makes this game engrossing and just a joy to playthough. It has a dark twisted world that is mysterious and interesting to uncover. GOTY 10/10