Team Ninja tweet about Nioh 2 closed alpha

[Bullet Club]

Edit: And there's a video.

 

[Shifty]

Nioh 2: Now with Devil Trigger!

Looks pretty cool, though there's some slightly janky lock-on behaviour still present from the first game judging by the trailer. I'm curious to see if they'll be keeping the less-than-satisfying loot system, and whether the level and encounter design will still be as cruel.

 

[12Goblins]

Such an underrated game. The best game of last gen IMO. Can't wait to play this. Hopefully some improvements will be made to the loot system

 

[Hendrick's]

Is this one coming out for Xbox?

 

[GrayFoxPL]

Trailer looks bit too busy. I don't know if it's just my eyes but gfx looked kinda "soft" blurred.

 

[Pejo]

YES this looks amazing, best news all month for me. If I'm being honest, I preferred Nioh over Sekiro for that samurai vs. demons fix. I am beyond hyped for this.

 

[lynux3]

Is this one coming out for Xbox?

Doesn't look like it, but details are sparse.

 

[Manus]

Cannot wait! I never finished Sekiro because every time I play it I can't help but want to play Nioh again.

 

[Hendrick's]

Doesn't look like it, but details are sparse.

I will be pissed if they skip Xbox again.

 

[Ar¢tos]

I will be pissed if they skip Xbox again.

The only platform listed in the end of the trailer is Ps4. Better wear a diaper when they do another announcement, just in case.

 

[robo_qwop]

So because I platinum-ed Nioh 1 I get an invite, right?

 

[mejin]

that's damn good!

 

[cormack12]

Just wanna say youre doing a stellar job with threads Bullet Club .....so yeah, thanks

 

[EviLore]

They incorporated a lot of feedback from the beta last time around, right? Looking forward to seeing how it shapes up on the road to release.

 

[Lanrutcon]

Please be better than the first one.

 

[Vawn]

Man, Nioh was so fun. The combat was so satisfying and the Diablo style loot system was cool in a Souls-like.

 

[Shouta]

I am really excited for this.

 

[STARSBarry]

I asked for any update on the closed beta date but they had Nioh Idea.

 

[Klayzer]

Platinumed the game, looking forward to a possible invite.

 

[RedVIper]

Trailer looks bit too busy. I don't know if it's just my eyes but gfx looked kinda "soft" blurred.

I'm gonna blame it on shitty video quality.

 

[Ar¢tos]

Platinum the game was actually easy, the DLCs trophies were much harder and time consuming.

 

[GAMETA]

I'm not sure if I don't like feudal Japan or if the From formula is being overused, but I kind of abandoned both Nioh 1 and Sekiro...

I see Nioh 2 and all I can think is "nah man, I'm good, thank you"

 

[Lanrutcon]

I still get triggered thinking about that bullshit water blob boss.

 

[GrayFoxPL]

I'm gonna blame it on shitty video quality.

Indeed.

 

[kunonabi]

As much I love the combat I just dont have the time for Nioh. I'm playing the first one and it takes me like a whole day to beat one stage and its sub missions.

 

[comshoplesce]

I just got the code

 

[Kamina]

Nioh 2: Now with Devil Trigger!

Looks pretty cool, though there's some slightly janky lock-on behaviour still present from the first game judging by the trailer. I'm curious to see if they'll be keeping the less-than-satisfying loot system, and whether the level and encounter design will still be as cruel.

Bang Bang Bang, pull my Yokai Trigger

 

[Ar¢tos]

I just got the code

Is it email or psn msg?

 

[Bullet Club]

Here's a 3 hour gameplay video:

 

[comshoplesce]

an email.

 

[cireza]

Looks great, will buy if it gets released on Xbox.

 

[Allnamestakenlol]

It's a shame the environments look like more of the same. They mostly felt pretty uninspired in the first one.

 

[Makariel]

Great news! Played the beta of the first and it was "meh", the release version was much improved. Was quite a shock that a beta was actually what it's supposed to be: a version where the develper was actively looking for feedback and implemented a lot of the suggestions in the final game. Absolutely loved the game even though I never beat the final boss of the DLC. Will definitely give this one a try!

 

[KonradLaw]

God, I can already feel the pain and suffering this will cause me and yet I'm waiting for it impatiently

 

[Stuart360]

I still get triggered thinking about that bullshit water blob boss.

lol DSP's playthrough of that boss is hilarious.
I didnt even know Nioh 2 had been officially announced, and we are already at beta stage?, nice.

 

[Clear]

My notes after watching a stream:


New Stuff:

* Character creation system.

* Multiple kodama type friendlies, kitty-type, greeter type, originals.

* Benevolent graves, these give the ability to use/create npc sidekicks.

* Yokai "curse zones". Areas within which chests are locked until area boss defeated and mist dsissipated.

* Killing large yokai now drops Soul Cores in addition to normal loot. These are abilities can be attached to a guardian spirit and used provided sufficient yokai force available. Yokai force is shown as an red bar beneath the ususal HP/KI displays, and seems seprate to the old living weapon function.

* 2 Soul core abilities can be set per GS and they appear to have levels/buffs based on the mob that drops them.

* Core abilities need to be purified by visiting a shrine, or entering the hub menu at the end of a mission before they can be used/

* There are new special yokai-type weapons as loot, seem to need purification similar to abyss drops but have unique properties.

* New option on shrine menu: kodama bazaar (locked in demo) One of the kodama favor names has changed.

Changes/holdovers:

* Much larger range of yokai types. Bias in demo levels is now heavily towards yokai enemies over humans

* Living weapon system works similarly to before (fill amrita gauge), but lasts much less time, and has some sort of absorb amrita gimmick which I think is how you extend its duration.

* Main difference is it causes full-body transform into yokai for duration, appearance during transform can be preset in char creator, and I assume GS in use will change it also.

* The weaponry used in this mode is not the same as that equipped normally. In the stream a great club was used regardless of regular armament.

* Menus largely unchanged in layout, but a bit more colorful than before.

* Skill growth uses a "sphere grid" menu, with abilities points coming from their own unique growth items.
e.g. hatchet man's locks gives points just for hatchets.

* Base weapons/skill groups are as before. only major change is that axes are now hatchets, not great-axe type and dual-wielded.

Initial skill categories are: Samurai, Ninjutsu, Onmyo, Sword, Spear, Hatchet and Odachi. Presumably Kusarigami and Tonfa will be added later.

* Actual abilities seem to have been carried exactly in from original, skill customization screen is identical.

* Item sorting seems to have more options, general usability tweaks in evidence all over.

Unchanged:

* General structure of game seems the same. hub-map seems prettier though, 3d not 2d.

* Overall general appearance is very familiar. Blood spray and buff effects (burning weapons) are improved, and there are lots of new armour types in addition to those carried in from original.

* Music and SFX are a mix of new and old.

* Feel and combat loop, heavy emphasis on loot are all carried in from the original.

Conclusion:

Looks to me like more of the same, but better, which automatically pushes Nioh2 to the top of my most wanted list!

 

[Aranea]

Looks awesome. Nioh is my favorite game of 2017. Unfortunately i did not receive an invite as for some reason i don't receive emails from PlayStation despite being registered to receive promotional stuff.

 

[Gamernyc78]

I'm not sure if I don't like feudal Japan or if the From formula is being overused, but I kind of abandoned both Nioh 1 and Sekiro...

I see Nioh 2 and all I can think is "nah man, I'm good, thank you"

I had more fun with Nioh but still finished Sekiro. I can see why these games can be polarizing. Some of the boss fights in Sekiro were just downright frustrating and took some of the fun out of me.

Buttttt I still loved them lol Masochist shit, I know.

 

[Shadowstar39]

Nioh 2: Now with Devil Trigger!

Looks pretty cool, though there's some slightly janky lock-on behaviour still present from the first game judging by the trailer. I'm curious to see if they'll be keeping the less-than-satisfying loot system, and whether the level and encounter design will still be as cruel.

Whats wrong with the loot system? I loved it. It was diabloeque. I didn't buy seikero due to its no loot. Part of the fun for me is exploration, secrets, environments, back story, and tons of different armors and weapons that make game play different. A sword handles different than a pike and different than a mace etc.. Add on rarities and its all amazing. I hope you don't mean you want them taking all that out.

I would pass on the game if the loot system is gone.
As if I want to play a hard game with just bosses and no complex loot, Ill just play an old NES game. I love diablo/borderlands/etc style loot systems. As long as they aren't tied to always online or microtransactions/loot boxes. In that case yeah that would piss me off. Thankfully nioh 1 didn't have any of that.

 

[Shadowstar39]

Man, Nioh was so fun. The combat was so satisfying and the Diablo style loot system was cool in a Souls-like.

Yep. I'm excited too. Can't wait. I loved the first game. I was all set to get seikero, I didn't watch any coverage except first e3 vid as I don't want to spoil surprises. Then the guy at gamestop told me there was only one weapon, no classes and I was like what. I figured from would of made it like darsouls style with loot and armors etc. It immediately went off my to buy list and then I said I'll just wait for nioh2 as it is legit souls style with loot and skills system. It's probably a day 1 for me.

Still curious about the ghost of tushima but I don't even know if it will be in a similar style or more like seikero where you just have the same weapon.

 

[Shifty]

Whats wrong with the loot system? I loved it. It was diabloeque. I didn't buy seikero due to its no loot. Part of the fun for me is exploration, secrets, environments, back story, and tons of different armors and weapons that make game play different. A sword handles different than a pike and different than a mace etc.. Add on rarities and its all amazing. I hope you don't mean you want them taking all that out.

I would pass on the game if the loot system is gone.
As if I want to play a hard game with just bosses and no complex loot, Ill just play an old NES game. I love diablo/borderlands/etc style loot systems. As long as they aren't tied to always online or microtransactions/loot boxes. In that case yeah that would piss me off. Thankfully nioh 1 didn't have any of that.

I hated the diablo-esque part of it. The exploration, secrets, multiple environments, backstory in item descriptions and equipment/moveset variety are all great elements borrowed from Souls that should be kept, but RNG loot is my bane. If I pick up a Sword of Badass Yokai Slaying, I want it to be the Sword of Badass Yokai Slaying, not a Sword of Badass Yokai Slaying with slightly randomized stats.

Case in point, the Raikiri. As far as the plot is concerned, that sword is a singular unique thing belonging to Tachibana and eventually gifted to William. That one-of-a-kind nature gives it a sense of prestige- it's a desirable item.
Mechanically, on the other hand, it's one of a potentially infinite number of Raikiri dupes. To me, that totally devalues its importance or interest as an item because you can get a shitload of them - it's just another sword at that point.

Granted, there are various different effects on the weapon variants in Nioh that can be used to augment your build (elements, damage bonuses for certain moves, ki pulse augments, etc), but they're minute enough that they only really become relevant once you hit the deeper NG+ cycles and start equipping around specific functionality- something that all but the most hardcore of players aren't going to do since the game is brutal enough as-is on the base difficulty.

The statless streamlined nature of Sekiro's items and gear is actually what appealed to me about it- I don't like the way RPG stats cause a game's balance to always be tilted in favour of the enemies or the player, because it eventually becomes a numbers game and sucks all the skill-based fun out of the combat. I can't style on a dude if he's dead after the first swing.

(Though that's not to say I dislike Diablo in a general sense. I just think Nioh's action combat is so good that the stats and RNG stuff takes away from it.)

 

[Jigsaah]

I think I might give the first one a try again. I finished Sekiro and going through it a second time just isn't challenging enough. I'll play it to unlock the other endings but NIOH was pretty hard starting out. Plus, you know, multiplayer.

 

[Gamernyc78]

I hated the diablo-esque part of it. The exploration, secrets, multiple environments, backstory in item descriptions and equipment/moveset variety are all great elements borrowed from Souls that should be kept, but RNG loot is my bane. If I pick up a Sword of Badass Yokai Slaying, I want it to be the Sword of Badass Yokai Slaying, not a Sword of Badass Yokai Slaying with slightly randomized stats.

Case in point, the Raikiri. As far as the plot is concerned, that sword is a singular unique thing belonging to Tachibana and eventually gifted to William. That one-of-a-kind nature gives it a sense of prestige- it's a desirable item.
Mechanically, on the other hand, it's one of a potentially infinite number of Raikiri dupes. To me, that totally devalues its importance or interest as an item because you can get a shitload of them - it's just another sword at that point.

Granted, there are various different effects on the weapon variants in Nioh that can be used to augment your build (elements, damage bonuses for certain moves, ki pulse augments, etc), but they're minute enough that they only really become relevant once you hit the deeper NG+ cycles and start equipping around specific functionality- something that all but the most hardcore of players aren't going to do since the game is brutal enough as-is on the base difficulty.

The statless streamlined nature of Sekiro's items and gear is actually what appealed to me about it- I don't like the way RPG stats cause a game's balance to always be tilted in favour of the enemies or the player, because it eventually becomes a numbers game and sucks all the skill-based fun out of the combat. I can't style on a dude if he's dead after the first swing.

(Though that's not to say I dislike Diablo in a general sense. I just think Nioh's action combat is so good that the stats and RNG stuff takes away from it.)

I agree completely. The saturation via the loot system ended up making finding certain weapons a Meh situation, like I have the 100th version of that already. Make the items in the loot more rare and unique.

 

[Clear]

I agree completely. The saturation via the loot system ended up making finding certain weapons a Meh situation, like I have the 100th version of that already. Make the items in the loot more rare and unique.

The game gives you so many tools to manage loot with, it only gets problematic if you allow things to really mount up (4500 storage slots is a lot!).

If you know what you're doing its never an issue, particularly once you get past the point of abusing revenants for quality loot as then you can be quite specific in terms of which pieces you are targetting.

 

[bonk64]

I still get triggered thinking about that bullshit water blob boss.

Only thing in game that legit LEGIT had me raging.

 

[Shifty]

The game gives you so many tools to manage loot with, it only gets problematic if you allow things to really mount up (4500 storage slots is a lot!).

If you know what you're doing its never an issue, particularly once you get past the point of abusing revenants for quality loot as then you can be quite specific in terms of which pieces you are targetting.

I do have to give the first game credit for all the loot management functionality they added after feedback from the alpha and beta tests, it's pretty comprehensive.
Though I'd also say the need for its existence is symptomatic of the loot system being fundamentally flawed.

It seems like a waste of time to have to metagame drops with a wiki page open on the other monitor, when they could put a piece of excellent unique loot behind something that's fun to engage with like a challenging combat area or hard-to-find secret.

 

[DonF]

I got a code, First to quote gets it(NA)

 

[Clear]

It seems like a waste of time to have to metagame drops with a wiki page open on the other monitor, when they could put a piece of excellent unique loot behind something that's fun to engage with like a challenging combat area or hard-to-find secret.

There is actually a lot of stuff like that, if you are trying to make certain builds you really need to know which mobs to kill though.

The "problem" is that the loot system is very deep, and goes through various forms of progression the deeper you get into it. In NG the smart move is always just to farm revenants. but by the time you get to way of the wise that method is useless, and for the true endgame you have to focus on the defilement system in the abyss.

The thing about the revenants is that although they are a boon to weaker players, it can teach bad habits insofar as taking a scatter-gun approach to gearing. Making a hq character build in Nioh takes real work and attention to detail, its far more rpg-ish than any of the Souls games in that regard.

 

[decisions]

Got a code from a friend who hasn't turned on their PS4 in like three years. lol excited to see how this is.

 

[Remembrance of Time Past]

I got a code, First to quote gets it(NA)

Woo?