Square Enix: NIER (PS3/XBOX360)

Nier is another action title, developed by Cavia, whose resume includes a number of anime games and the somewhat forgettable Bullet Witch, and puts players in the role of an "unyielding protagonist" named Nier, who is attempting to find a cure for a disease that has infected his daughter. He fights with "powerful allies and a mysterious book." Fighting with books? See - knowledge is power!

Square Enix confirmed that its upcoming Action-RPG, NIER, is scheduled for release this Spring. Developed by Cavia, NIER blends an action-focused single-player RPG experience with a complex plotline that Square Enix says will “keep players guessing.” Players jump into the role of title character Nier, and unravel the tale of a desperate man’s quest to discover a cure for his ailing daughter.

Key features, according to Square Enix, include a story with plenty of plot twists and shocking moments; RPG elements including action-based swordplay and combat, magic, character development, faithful allies, with action-focused explosive swordplay and combat; powerful spells to augment NIER’s combat moves; brutal combat moves and combo attacks combined with a myriad of weapons; and a 3D world filled with dynamic landscapes featuring the remains of modern society.

NIER is being developed for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and is rated “M” for “Mature” by the ESRB.

Nier Gestalt (known as just Nier in North America)(formerly known as Nier) is an upcoming action-adventure video game developed by Cavia and published by Square Enix. It is scheduled to be released in 2010 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. A separate game is also in-production exclusively for the PlayStation 3, known as Nier Replicant, the game will be based in the same world but will have differing storylines as well as game length. Nier Gestalt will be released as just Nier in North America as it will be the only version released there. It will also be for both Xbox 360 and PS3.

Nier - main character of the game, he is described as being an "unyielding protagonist" who is trying his best to find a cure for the Black Scrawl virus which has infected his daughter.

The game was first teased in the Official PlayStation 3 Magazine and Official Xbox 360 Magazine, before being officially unveiled in June 2009 at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009 as simply Nier for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. On September 9, 2009 Japanese gaming magazine, Famitsu , said that the version of Nier shown at E3 2009 was known as Nier Gestalt and would be released exclusively for the Xbox 360 version fueling speculation that the PlayStation 3 version of the game was cancelled. However on September 15, 2009 Famitsu unveiled Nier Replicant which would be a PlayStation 3 exclusive version of the game and that it would be different from Nier Gestalt. Gestalt will be the only version of Nier to be released in North America and will be released on both the PS3 and Xbox 360. Square Enix announced that this was because they believe the younger Nier will appeal more to the Japanese audience, while they believe the older Nier will appeal more to Western audiences. In North America Gestalt will simply go by the title Nier.