As it stands, I feel that Nier 1 is clearly the lesser game compared to Automata. Of course that's an unfair comparison, Automata was developed by Platinum and is arguably one of their best games.
Be warned you are going to read me grasping at straws that do not exist.
I will not stand for such blasphemy. Joking asides. It really depends. Is Nier 1 lesser of a game compared to Nier 2? Nier 2 definitely does improve stuff. Just look at the history of Platinum and their games. You could say they make fun games but their games also have weaknesses. Look at Bayonetta and Vanquish as an example. They are fun, but do you hear people praise the story? Those games do have some good music but is it all amazing music? Astral Chain did seem like a better attempt at something? Despite owning a copy I haven't really gotten around to playing it. But do you hear a lot of people praise that game over all of their others because of the story, gameplay,and music? With MGR didn't Konami and some people from KojiPro (minus Kojima himself) involved with the game, so it was not entirely a Platinum game by itself?
Now with Nier 1 you had a good story and good music but the gameplay just was not anything that great, heck it wasn't until Nier R √2 that I realized that you can actually party in the game. Throwing bombs at this one robot in the original game was very combersome, in another game it would have been an easy fight but because of the controls for the game it sucked and was frustrating. Now combine the two for Nier 2 and you have a game with good story,fun gameplay, and great music.
By the way I didn't realize that Nier Replicant √2 actually added new stuff to connect with Nier Automata. They were showing clips during the Nier Concert and I didn't remember seeing those clips in the original Nier, so I just assume that's added stuff? Maybe even some retconned stuff?
Is Nier 1 lesser of a game? Well no since even the composer himself and others have said Nier 1 has a unique sound to it, when working on Nier 2 he wanted the music to sound different.....and the end result is that the music still sounded like it was from Nier 1 even though he was trying to avoid that.
People still like to talk about Nier 2 quotes and all that stuff and they are not that bad of quotes and stuff but at the same time some of them are not that far from the truth (they just seem like simple stuff that is made to sound very deep).
"Everything that lives is designed to end. We are perpetually trapped in a never ending spiral of life and death. Is this a curse? Or some kind of punishment? I often think about the god who blessed us with this cryptic puzzle… and wonder if we’ll ever get the chance to kill him."
Meanwhile you have other stuff like the circle of life song from the lion king
"
From the day we arrive on the planet
And, blinking, step into the sun
There's more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
There's far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round
It's the circle of life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
'Til we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the circle
The circle of life"
I watched the remake movie a few years ago and I did actually cry a bit after listening to the lyrics a bit more since it's true that there is so much in life that no single individual, be they human, animal, etc that they realistically will never be able to do everything in their life time and even once they are gone life will simply just keep on going without them.
Also don't "perfect organism exist" they are not that impressive visually but those dude may as well practically be immortal. And in which case.
I remember in the Pinocchio movie that yeah you can live forever and technically die and comeback again thing, but if you do that you can't really appreciate life if you know that it will never end. We only really appreciate things when we know that they will be gone at some point and once they are gone we get hit with a bag of bricks,but only because they will never be back again. The same might not be true if nothing ever ended, it would just be mundane and very average.
The more that I think about Nier 1 and 2, aren't they basically just a bunch of rebellious young adults that are saying screw you mom and dad, I won't listen to you and even though it will ultimately screw over everyone else I want to solely think of myself over everyone else (and even though that thing is helping some one else).
Also there is the whole Spy Kids 2 quote of "Do you think God lives in Heaven because He, too, lives in fear of what He's created here on Earth?" I mean maybe it's fear or he creates some imperfect and just refuses to acknowledge that he made a mistake and that in turn would be considered a "curse" in Nier (not so much a punishment) since the creator refuses to acknowledge the mistake he's made and would rather just forget it exist. Maybe this ties back to those stories of where some dude knocks up some maid or something and then refuses to acknowledge the child only for the child to seek out revenge and kill the father.
That being said the best quote from Nier is still Nier 1 with Kaines monologue.
The video does contain spoilers but you can still listen to the audio.
I'm ready for my ban now. I have broken the golden rule of making fun of Nier Automata.
"Cause I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby
Yeah, I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby
Listen to Iron Maiden, baby, with me, ooh"
By the way I'm guessing I have to watch all of OG Evangelion in order to watch the End of Evangelion? If so that does suck since they are going to be playing it in theaters next month.