Nah, I need to 100% that shit.

I was renting the game and wanted to do more sidequests later, so I kept it at the moment. One day I'll buy it and get my fill and then delete.

I did delete in the first game, though.

I did everything in it except filling up the data-log with every fish and enemy unit (I think I was at 60% fish and 98% enemies) but everything else was at 100% before I went to Ending E. It was so rewarding to go into the ending having accomplished my completionist goals because it allowed me to make my choice purely on the emotion of the ending.

I'd gladly sacrifice my 80 hours to help somebody else. It hurt to watch my data be erased but I was left feeling euphoric.

Ending E was uplifting. I cried during the final fight.

Not like Taro's ending for Drakengard 3. What the Eff... Did anyone else try that ending? After 6 hours of trying and failing, I pretty much wanted to put a gun in my mouth.

Seriously, what the fuck was Taro thinking? LOL.

I was ready to be done with this game about 15 hours before I finished it, so I deleted my data and uninstalled as soon as the opportunity was presented to me.

I also intentionally lost as many helpers as I could before getting bored because I wanted to see if the game would break.

I deleted my save (PC version) then proceeded to purchase a PS4 copy less than 24 hours later to start the whole journey again. I love this game so so much.

I'm toying with the idea of starting over so it's fresh in my mind when the GOTY podcasts go up. It remains my favorite game I've played this year...played on PS4 earlier and deleted the save (after purchasing all the trophies) so I'll be playing the PC version this time. Hopefully it looks nicer! I wanna fight the secret boss too.

I had no idea what was coming as I was able to stay pretty spoiler free about everything. I was completely ready to erase it all until I saw I would lose my ability to chapter select. Everything until then was yes, yes, yes, yes...then the long pause as I thought about it. I must have thought about it for a couple of minutes until I bailed out. I have to see everything first because I'm very close to 100%. Then I'll be ready to give up my save.

I Deleted my save...Everyone needs a helping hand...Also I knew if I ever got around to playing the game again, I would start fresh.

I did my best. One thing is for certain: I'm rooting for you!

Hey I just finished NieR's ending E and was thouroughly touched and impressed at how they managed to move me. I thought for a while about how they did it, and ended up putting all my thoughts down in a video. I think there's a lot to say about this game and I hope it comes up in GotY a lot.

Making a list. All you monsters who didn't delete are going on it. WATCH YOUR BACK

Wow, who knew Santa had his very own Giant Bomb account?

@teddie: Shh don't tell anyone.

I backed up my saves before I said "Yes" to deletion.

That probably makes me worse than Hitler.

It never asked me to delete my save. I made it through the credits and was asked to leave my message to the world and saw an option to say "this game is crap" which I thought was funny and part of me agreed with. After doing some digging around it seems other people who left negative messages weren't asked to delete their save either because maybe the game figured we wouldn't do it anyway? I dunno, I was going to because it was the last trophy I got.

I just finished the game, it's like 4am here and I'm still processing alot, I deleted my save.

So I wasn't expecting a credit shooting bullet hell to be the end, but this game is nuts and I suppose it's all meant to hammer in "the cycle of life" message...

I really enjoyed the game, I just feel like I missed a small detail about the lore somewhere?

I finished endings C & D last week and held off on doing ending E until this weekend as I knew it was the "delete your save" one without knowing much of the specifics beyond that, and I wanted to finish up some side stuff.

While I was disappointed by the game overall, I will say that whole sequence is very moving and uplifting in way that is fairly unique to it being a video game. I mean, yeah it's a just variation of the feeling you get when a community comes together to help a person in a time of need (or when you watch such a thing happen in a sappy movie), but in this case it's for you personally and thankfully without something actually bad needing to happen to you in real life.

I wonder how much the impact of that single moment influenced the overall opinion of the game for people like Jeff and Alex, because I just can't fathom the game's messy plot or light philosophical elements resonating that deeply with anyone.

---

One thing I am curious about, from a purely technical level, is whether the developers created some "fake" sacrifices for the first batch of players. They must of have, right? It would be pretty crappy if you're one of the first few people to get to that point in the game and you can't do it because there are no sacrifices yet.

I just deleted my save! Aghh, I was planning to do weapon upgrades and side quests I missed too! I was cackling with a huge grin on my face knowing that I would lose out BECAUSE I wanted to help others when strangers were there to help me during that last credit section.

I had tears form in my eyes when they had you enter in your own specific message to other players. What an amazing ending. I will play this game again some time in the future.

EDIT: I think the people who were going for 100% and didn't delete their save data missed the majority of the impact that moment has. If you delete your save after getting 100%, there is no loss there. There is no bite to that action. Helping others only after "you got yours" is the antithesis of what that moment represents. You have to sacrifice a part of your life to help others; your money, your time, your mental health. The impact of that moment is felt at its greatest when you wanted to 100% the game, but chose to lose the accomplishment of all your hard work, and your goals, to help a stranger in need. Amazing.

@sweetz: It has to do a lot about the zeitgeist of a certain part of culture people are going through. Avaragebomb dot coms Austin Walker did state this quite eloquently in this Top 10.

https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/ne47nd/austin-walkers-top-10-games-of-the-year

Theres a trillion valid reasons why this game may not impact you, however theres also valid reasons why people seem way more touched in a way than the game was built for but thats just your usual arguments pro-art for ya. Its nice that people have such experiences and it can be quite important.

I didn't backup my save on the ps4 but I've done that for the PC regulary but I've not finish the game there. If you played the first Nier you already knew what you were getting into anyway.

I want to help people but everyone should just fuck the system as laid out by the game so it benefits anyone without any compromise, hehe! So everyone who doesn't back up their saves before sacrificing theirs is doing it wrong in all regards.

@cerberus3dog: At the time it asked me to do it (4am in the morning) I couldn't. But it weighed on me. I had the idea of going back to play more, but then I decided after a few days to re-run route e and delete the save to help someone else.

This thread is full of monsters.

I had not finished the side quests and weapon upgrades (both of which I was totally into) and had not even talked to the lady who sells you the trophies when I hit this moment.

I deleted my save.

I have no regrets.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do until I got to the end, and yet as soon as it asked me I never had any doubt that deleting my save was the right decision. It's almost bizarre to me that you can make it to that point and not want to do the same thing.

I'll probably play it again someday, and next time I'll be sure to buy the remaining achievements before finishing it.

I sort of just went with my immediate, anxiety-tinted instinct. I feel like I never really thought about it much until it was too late. I don't know what that says about me, but its the way I am.

I just last night finished Nier Automata and I can't stop thinking about that incredible ending. In fact incredible doesn't do it justice. It's wholly unlike anything else I've ever experienced. The way those messages pop up on screen every time you fail the final sequence urging you to keep going, the way the music soars into a chorus when you accept the help..... Just fucking unreal.

@frodobaggins: I understand the issues folks have with the game, but those notes it hits right, like Ending E, are so damned good that the complaints, while valid, feel petty in comparison.

@nutter: yes. I was wholly on board with most of the complaints people have about the game, and still am, but after finishing the game they just don't seem to matter at all.

@frodobaggins: Yeah, I was bummed out by invisible walls when I came across them. But by the end of the game, at no point did I think “yeah, but invisible walls...”

It’s a major pet peeve of mine, but when you consider what the game accomplishes, it’s a silly quibble.

It seems they didn't? I just finished the game, and wasn't offered any help (checked a few videos on youtube, and I definitely got far enough into the credits sequence and chose not to give up enough times that the game should have asked).

I assume it's because this long after release, not enough people are playing the game so there did not happen to be any sacrifice available to me.

But then obviously I wasn't able to finish the sequence and wasn't asked to sacrifice my save, because I did not get far enough. So does that mean most people who play it in now will be unable to finish that sequence because no-one is getting help anymore and are therefore unable to offer their help themselves? This game is weird.

@warpr: Oh interesting. I was thinking of going back and 100%ing the game at some point. I guess I just gotta get good for that sequence.