"赞美之辞" -- 研读"'尼尔机械纪元'测评"
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“告诫之心，许容之心，赞美之心” —— 哲♂学三训
如果你是一个RPG游戏玩家（或者云玩家），那么你很有可能对2017年发售的《尼尔：机械纪元》的轰动有所耳闻。该游戏独特的设计和立意一时间掀起了网络上的热议，而Skill Up的测评视频引起了我的注意，因为他的言辞之恳切，溢美之词之多样，让我感到（如果不是因为收了太多钱的话）作者的毫无保留的热情。我觉得可以从他的文案种学习如何“赞美”的表达，所以我当时transcribe了他整个30分钟的视频。不过当初Youtube还没有提供英文字幕（机翻？），有一些疑问之处我就搁置了。近日重温，发现已经有较完善的字幕更新，而且该文的内容并不过时，所以准备po出来和大家一起学习。
(声明: 本文仅仅分析语言现象，不代表我赞同作者观点）
建议先看原视频： Nier: Automata Review | The Masterpiece You (Probably) Won't Play
youtu.be
第一部分，先Po到 3：41
Let me begin by saying that I worked on this review for 7 full days. I played Nier: Automata over 2 days and I’ve devoted the other 5 to preparing this video. I literally didn’t upload a single video to my channel this week so that I could work on this review, while I typically upload about 5 times per week. I'm putting that amount of time for 2 reasons. Firstly if you are anything like me, you are not gonna play Nier:A. You look at the cover image and it looks like some weird Japanese hack and slash, starring some kinky French maid dominatrix and you say: “No. Thanks.” You see the bullet hell sequences and its weird 8-bit stuff and you think: gimmick, I'm good.
开头先表明自己下了功夫“苦干7天，必属精品”，尚属平凡，但是话锋陡然一转，说自己其实并不是很喜欢这种type: 日式砍杀，女仆嗜好。连续否定进行蓄力，所谓“欲扬先抑”。
I get it. That was me 7 days ago. But the reason I'm making this video is because Nier is so unbelievably worth playing that if I can convince a single person to play this game after this review, it would’ve been 7 days well spent. The second reason I'm making this review is a little more personal. I'll admit that for the past 7 days I felt like a bit of a crazy person and I seriously questioned my own judgement as someone who appreciates video games. I have scoured the Internet for a single, reputable review that (I feel) acknowledges and expresses how much being unmitigated achievement Nier:A is. But I am yet to find one.
果然再次转折，那是以前的我了！起手式一：程度副词“unbelievably” worth playing, "seriously" question. 起手式二：为玩家着想，只有有一个人玩儿我就推的值！起手式三：个人责任，“But I am yet to find one”这么牛X的游戏怎么网评不够牛呢？ 所以我“不得不”伸张正义了。
If you scan Metacritics you will find most of the more respected publications are scoring the game at around 90%, which is obviously an excellent score. But if you actually read and watch their reviews, as I have, you will sense a disconnect between what they are writing, which is typically gushing praise, and how they finally score the game. For me, the scores do not match what they are writing or saying, because these reviewers are describing a 10/10 experience, and yet putting a 9/10 at the end of it. The closest I got to a review that did this game justice was Jim Stirling's, but this is also a perfect example of the phenomenon I am describing. Jim declared Nier one of the most important games ever to be released, and so eloquently dropped the mic at the end of this review by saying: “If history forgets this game, then f*** history.” He then went on to score the game 9/10.
举例论证：网评都打9分。这里读者还有点懵，9不是挺好吗？随后甩出炸弹：不，10分，一分都不能少！！起手式四：俏皮话 “If history forgets this game, then f*** history”.
None of these make any sense to me at all. If these publications are holding back, I can only guess why, because they certainly aren’t explaining it in their reviews. Perhaps I'm crazy and Nier is just a really great game, like a whole bunch of other really great games out at the moment. Or perhaps I'm not crazy, and Nier is the caliber of masterpiece that its true value can be only discerned many years after it arrives. And after its impact has had a chance to permeate other experiences that follow it. For now, I'm gonna bet the house on the latter statement. I'll probably stake what little credibility I might have on the assertion that I think the entire gaming industry, while celebrating Nier:A, is drastically understating how incredible and important it is. Nier:A is a rare breakthrough moment in the history of our medium, and it's for this reason that I poured so much love and care into this review. I want there to be at least one review out there that calls this game for what it is: a masterpiece. That is an absolute must-play for anyone who appreciates video games, or good story telling, or incredible music, or true innovation in any of the elements I've just listed. Ladies and gentlemen, I humbly submit to you my review of Nier:A.
[Time stamp 3:41]
前几段起手式之后，在这里达到高潮。 高潮一 "None ... make any sense", 忍无可忍便无须再忍！这一段从第一段的程度副词，直接转换到顶级的名词（以及形容词），caliber of masterpice, incredible, rare breakthrough, must-play等等。高潮二： 赌上我的名誉： bet the house, stake credibility. 高潮三： 扩大范围，不仅仅是一个game, 任何喜欢story, music, innovation的人都会喜欢。
到此开场词完毕，层层推进，一气呵成，堪称恰饭界的典范！
(后文有机会继续po)
如果你是一个RPG游戏玩家（或者云玩家），那么你很有可能对2017年发售的《尼尔：机械纪元》的轰动有所耳闻。该游戏独特的设计和立意一时间掀起了网络上的热议，而Skill Up的测评视频引起了我的注意，因为他的言辞之恳切，溢美之词之多样，让我感到（如果不是因为收了太多钱的话）作者的毫无保留的热情。我觉得可以从他的文案种学习如何“赞美”的表达，所以我当时transcribe了他整个30分钟的视频。不过当初Youtube还没有提供英文字幕（机翻？），有一些疑问之处我就搁置了。近日重温，发现已经有较完善的字幕更新，而且该文的内容并不过时，所以准备po出来和大家一起学习。
(声明: 本文仅仅分析语言现象，不代表我赞同作者观点）
建议先看原视频： Nier: Automata Review | The Masterpiece You (Probably) Won't Play
youtu.be
第一部分，先Po到 3：41
Let me begin by saying that I worked on this review for 7 full days. I played Nier: Automata over 2 days and I’ve devoted the other 5 to preparing this video. I literally didn’t upload a single video to my channel this week so that I could work on this review, while I typically upload about 5 times per week. I'm putting that amount of time for 2 reasons. Firstly if you are anything like me, you are not gonna play Nier:A. You look at the cover image and it looks like some weird Japanese hack and slash, starring some kinky French maid dominatrix and you say: “No. Thanks.” You see the bullet hell sequences and its weird 8-bit stuff and you think: gimmick, I'm good.
开头先表明自己下了功夫“苦干7天，必属精品”，尚属平凡，但是话锋陡然一转，说自己其实并不是很喜欢这种type: 日式砍杀，女仆嗜好。连续否定进行蓄力，所谓“欲扬先抑”。
I get it. That was me 7 days ago. But the reason I'm making this video is because Nier is so unbelievably worth playing that if I can convince a single person to play this game after this review, it would’ve been 7 days well spent. The second reason I'm making this review is a little more personal. I'll admit that for the past 7 days I felt like a bit of a crazy person and I seriously questioned my own judgement as someone who appreciates video games. I have scoured the Internet for a single, reputable review that (I feel) acknowledges and expresses how much being unmitigated achievement Nier:A is. But I am yet to find one.
果然再次转折，那是以前的我了！起手式一：程度副词“unbelievably” worth playing, "seriously" question. 起手式二：为玩家着想，只有有一个人玩儿我就推的值！起手式三：个人责任，“But I am yet to find one”这么牛X的游戏怎么网评不够牛呢？ 所以我“不得不”伸张正义了。
If you scan Metacritics you will find most of the more respected publications are scoring the game at around 90%, which is obviously an excellent score. But if you actually read and watch their reviews, as I have, you will sense a disconnect between what they are writing, which is typically gushing praise, and how they finally score the game. For me, the scores do not match what they are writing or saying, because these reviewers are describing a 10/10 experience, and yet putting a 9/10 at the end of it. The closest I got to a review that did this game justice was Jim Stirling's, but this is also a perfect example of the phenomenon I am describing. Jim declared Nier one of the most important games ever to be released, and so eloquently dropped the mic at the end of this review by saying: “If history forgets this game, then f*** history.” He then went on to score the game 9/10.
举例论证：网评都打9分。这里读者还有点懵，9不是挺好吗？随后甩出炸弹：不，10分，一分都不能少！！起手式四：俏皮话 “If history forgets this game, then f*** history”.
None of these make any sense to me at all. If these publications are holding back, I can only guess why, because they certainly aren’t explaining it in their reviews. Perhaps I'm crazy and Nier is just a really great game, like a whole bunch of other really great games out at the moment. Or perhaps I'm not crazy, and Nier is the caliber of masterpiece that its true value can be only discerned many years after it arrives. And after its impact has had a chance to permeate other experiences that follow it. For now, I'm gonna bet the house on the latter statement. I'll probably stake what little credibility I might have on the assertion that I think the entire gaming industry, while celebrating Nier:A, is drastically understating how incredible and important it is. Nier:A is a rare breakthrough moment in the history of our medium, and it's for this reason that I poured so much love and care into this review. I want there to be at least one review out there that calls this game for what it is: a masterpiece. That is an absolute must-play for anyone who appreciates video games, or good story telling, or incredible music, or true innovation in any of the elements I've just listed. Ladies and gentlemen, I humbly submit to you my review of Nier:A.
[Time stamp 3:41]
前几段起手式之后，在这里达到高潮。 高潮一 "None ... make any sense", 忍无可忍便无须再忍！这一段从第一段的程度副词，直接转换到顶级的名词（以及形容词），caliber of masterpice, incredible, rare breakthrough, must-play等等。高潮二： 赌上我的名誉： bet the house, stake credibility. 高潮三： 扩大范围，不仅仅是一个game, 任何喜欢story, music, innovation的人都会喜欢。
到此开场词完毕，层层推进，一气呵成，堪称恰饭界的典范！
(后文有机会继续po)
- 2
选段3：
As I reflect back on the epic that is Nier:A story, I'm reminded of feelings evoked in me more than specific plot points: a genuine connection to the characters, a desperation to learn what's coming next, a willing suspension of disbelief and a constant thought process of decoding clues and hints and minor character tales to deduce their meanings in the context of a broader story. Like any great thriller or suspense, Nier knows how to engage the emotional and logical parts of your brain in equal measure, and the convincing characterizations will win over all but the most cynical viewers. You don't need to be a fan of Japanese anime or sci-fi to appreciate Nier's narrative. It stands on its own two feet the way that any great story does.
这一段讲了除了剧情之外打动作者的几点。我觉得这几个具体的评价角度可以学习，比“奈何本人没文化，一句woc行天下”要强多了：character connection, suspension, thought process, monior character tales, emotional and logical. 另外最后一句总结的也到位，有所谓“立得住”之意。
As I reflect back on the epic that is Nier:A story, I'm reminded of feelings evoked in me more than specific plot points: a genuine connection to the characters, a desperation to learn what's coming next, a willing suspension of disbelief and a constant thought process of decoding clues and hints and minor character tales to deduce their meanings in the context of a broader story. Like any great thriller or suspense, Nier knows how to engage the emotional and logical parts of your brain in equal measure, and the convincing characterizations will win over all but the most cynical viewers. You don't need to be a fan of Japanese anime or sci-fi to appreciate Nier's narrative. It stands on its own two feet the way that any great story does.
这一段讲了除了剧情之外打动作者的几点。我觉得这几个具体的评价角度可以学习，比“奈何本人没文化，一句woc行天下”要强多了：character connection, suspension, thought process, monior character tales, emotional and logical. 另外最后一句总结的也到位，有所谓“立得住”之意。
选段2：
前情提要：作者先解释了street performer的艺术会给观众带来的超过预期的体验，以此类比本作：
I bring up this example because as I played through Nier:A, achieving all 5 of its truly worthwhile endings, I couldn’t help but feel that the people who made it, would have also made great street performers. Because every second of Nier:A has at its core, an urgency to delight and surprise, to challenge expectations and reset them just when the players think they found the measure. While other games are willing to drop a great moment or surprise and then rest on the laurels of that moment for hours, Nier is ferociously seeking to deliver you the next great moment as quickly as possible. With an equally ferocious desire to ensure that the new moment is both different and better than the previous one.
这一段是强调作品持续带来的"surprise", 第一个从时间上强调： every second of... 第二是从程度上"ferociously", 第三是递进：challenge & reset, better than previous one，第四是和其它作品对比：不会rest on the laurels for hours, 而是密集的，一刻不停的发展。
…
But Nier is more than its surprises, a lot more. Nier is one of the most technically, thematically, visually, narratively and orally congruent experiences ever delivered by any medium ever, be it in films or televisions or music or theaters or whatever. It joins a rare pantheon, standing alongside Dark Souls, Metal Gear Solid, Ghost in the Shell, Evangelion and any other number of instant nerd culture classic experiences that completely dazzle and force us to rethink things as we attempt to make sense of them. And as with those classics, understanding the greatness of Nier is as much about understanding of the achievement of individual elements as it is about appreciating the greater than the sum of its parts magic that has achieved when they have combined.
[Time Stamp: 7:22]
这一段进一步拓展，脱离suprise范畴。第一是强调全方位的体验，密集的副词使用带来一种滔滔不绝的气势：technically, thematically, visually, narratively and orally.第二是和名作对比，拔高为神作高度： a rare pantheon. 作者对神作的理解："dazzle and force us to rethink". 第三再次递进：不仅全方位的体验好， 而且整体更胜一筹， 所谓 1+1 > 2, "greater than the sum of its parts".
前情提要：作者先解释了street performer的艺术会给观众带来的超过预期的体验，以此类比本作：
I bring up this example because as I played through Nier:A, achieving all 5 of its truly worthwhile endings, I couldn’t help but feel that the people who made it, would have also made great street performers. Because every second of Nier:A has at its core, an urgency to delight and surprise, to challenge expectations and reset them just when the players think they found the measure. While other games are willing to drop a great moment or surprise and then rest on the laurels of that moment for hours, Nier is ferociously seeking to deliver you the next great moment as quickly as possible. With an equally ferocious desire to ensure that the new moment is both different and better than the previous one.
这一段是强调作品持续带来的"surprise", 第一个从时间上强调： every second of... 第二是从程度上"ferociously", 第三是递进：challenge & reset, better than previous one，第四是和其它作品对比：不会rest on the laurels for hours, 而是密集的，一刻不停的发展。
…
But Nier is more than its surprises, a lot more. Nier is one of the most technically, thematically, visually, narratively and orally congruent experiences ever delivered by any medium ever, be it in films or televisions or music or theaters or whatever. It joins a rare pantheon, standing alongside Dark Souls, Metal Gear Solid, Ghost in the Shell, Evangelion and any other number of instant nerd culture classic experiences that completely dazzle and force us to rethink things as we attempt to make sense of them. And as with those classics, understanding the greatness of Nier is as much about understanding of the achievement of individual elements as it is about appreciating the greater than the sum of its parts magic that has achieved when they have combined.
[Time Stamp: 7:22]
这一段进一步拓展，脱离suprise范畴。第一是强调全方位的体验，密集的副词使用带来一种滔滔不绝的气势：technically, thematically, visually, narratively and orally.第二是和名作对比，拔高为神作高度： a rare pantheon. 作者对神作的理解："dazzle and force us to rethink". 第三再次递进：不仅全方位的体验好， 而且整体更胜一筹， 所谓 1+1 > 2, "greater than the sum of its parts".
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