Nioh

A samurai action RPG, on the PS4. Supposed to be very good. Looks like a sort of cross between Dark Souls and Jade Empire.

Don't get confused, Nioh and Nier are both games to be released for PS4, with very similar names.

Originally Posted by Ripper
Looks like a sort of cross between Dark Souls and Jade Empire.

Besides both being RPGs and both having a historical far east setting (albeit an entirely fictional version of, in Jade Empire's case) I can't see any parallels.

Originally Posted by henriquejr
Don't get confused, Nioh and Nier are both games to be released for PS4, with very similar names.

I played the demo for the new Nier game and thought that was pretty fun. Anyway, Nier is not an upcoming game; it was released years ago, and the new game is a sequel to that.

Every review I looked at made the comparison to Dark Souls, in terms of gameplay. I think the Samurai fantasy world appears much closer in style to Jade Empire. Until I've played it, I can't say for sure.

Originally Posted by SMcM
I played the demo for the new Nier game and thought that was pretty fun. Anyway, Nier is not an upcoming game; it was released years ago, and the new game is a sequel to that.

My bad here, indeed Nier was released long ago. I was referring to Nier:Automata.

Not interested in Nioh, but looking forward to playing Nier: Automata.

Originally Posted by Ripper
Every review I looked at made the comparison to Dark Souls, in terms of gameplay. I think the Samurai fantasy world appears much closer in style to Jade Empire. Until I've played it, I can't say for sure.

Jade Empire was set in a region clearly based on Imperial China though; so having this game being set in Feudal Japan and having Samurai should not really remind you of that game. Also Jade Empire mostly had very bright, vibrant graphics (though there were darker segments), compared with this game having a fairly dim lighting and atmosphere throughout. I really don't think the games have much in common at all setting wise.

I'll be picking this up for PS4, first chance or maybe second. When it comes to mechanics, it is far superior to janky-ness of Souls series, but aestethics feel a bit of turn off.
Kinda wish they used Dead or Alive models for this one.

Originally Posted by SMcM
Jade Empire was set in a region clearly based on Imperial China though; so having this game being set in Feudal Japan and having Samurai should not really remind you of that game. Also Jade Empire mostly had very bright, vibrant graphics (though there were darker segments), compared with this game having a fairly dim lighting and atmosphere throughout. I really don't think the games have much in common at all setting wise.

As I said, the comparison to Dark Souls comes from the reviews I've read. With regard to Jade Empire, I simply found it reminiscent as a fantasy action-rpg in an historical far eastern setting, with lots of magic and traditional Asian demons and spirits and so forth. Not really a need for debate.

Originally Posted by Ripper
As I said, the comparison to Dark Souls comes from the reviews I've read. With regard to Jade Empire, I simply found it reminiscent as a fantasy action-rpg in an historical far eastern setting, with lots of magic and traditional Asian demons and spirits and so forth. Not really a need for debate.

I wasn't disputing similarities to Dark Souls, that definitely makes sense. It's just that in terms of setting, 'fantasy action-rpg in an historical far eastern setting' could apply to any number of games, and I personally cannot see any particularity parallels with Jade Empire. But, you're right, there is no need for a debate .

The reviews for Nioh have almost entirely been very positive. I definitely plan on getting around to this at some point, although currently I have a backlog of games so not for a while!

I played the first beta test for this quite a while back. At the time it felt pretty rough And didn't feel anything like dark souls combat wise.

I heard there's been a lot of changes since then though and as someone who's spent thousands of hours with dark souls I hope the comparisons ring true. I'll be checking it out when its release for sure.

I haven't seen any details of the stats system; but to me at least superficially, the game does look much more straight action oriented than Dark Souls. The influence can't be denied however in the overall presentation, health bar localities etc.

Personally, I wish Tenchu would get a new title in its series. It's one of the early forerunners of this particular combat style with a fantastic stealth system to boot.

So I picked this up yesterday and have played a few hours. It definitely has some dark souls feel in setting and certain aspects of leveling.

I'd say the combat is closer to bloodborne than dark souls it even has they dash instead of a roll.

There's plenty here though to separate it from souls and souls like games. You start with a premade character which is a bit of a bummer but not a huge deal. Instead of just leveling up stats you pick skills as well. Things like parry, backstab, poison, bombs etc. are now skills.

Loot is diablo style in frequency but not in variety. There's only swords, battle axe, dual wield swords and a sickle on a chain (forget what it's called) there's also a magic and ninjutsu trees. Armor is standard fair with Japanese influence. It may sound limiting but there's plenty of skills that give special moves and 3 different combat stances that offer good variety. Will it still feel that way in 50 hours though? Not sure.

In the early going theres decent monster variety and a lot to learn. You have shrines instead of bonfires and if you find these cute little green guys you can send them to the shires for extra selectable bonuses. Cool little feature but the cute little. Guys seem out of place in the otherwise dark and gritty setting.

It's not as difficult as the souls games but I'm fine with that. There's more to learn and master in the combat system ( at least it seems that way) than souls games and I'm having blast with the combat. Also the game isn't as open world as souls games but if all the areas are as big as the first one that shouldn't be a problem and the areas do have shortcuts to loop around like the souls games.

Overall I think it's similar enough to give that souls feeling but different enough to feel fresh and new.

@Joxer- it has endless respawns if you rest at shrines so steer clear.

Originally Posted by sakichop

@Joxer- it has endless respawns if you rest at shrines so steer clear.

It also appears to be a PS4 exclusive (and since it is published by Sony I doubt it will ever be released on PC), so that's already reason enough for Joxer to stay away. And me for that matter. Not buying another box of overpriced hardware to collect dust.

It's not console exclusive, IIRC the PC release is in two days or something like that.

But respawns and checkpoints… Not my pair of shoes so won't buy it sorry.

Originally Posted by joxer
It's not console exclusive, IIRC the PC release is in two days or something like that.

But respawns and checkpoints… Not my pair of shoes so won't buy it sorry.

Nier: Automata is coming to PC in two days. Nioh (completely different game) is PS4 only, as far as I can tell.

Someone finished it? I heard that it is quite challenging. I bought it yesterday and the first boss on the ship is giving me trouble. Any ideas? The rest of the level was quite easy and I was surprised even… I am using dual swords and axe.

Originally Posted by henriquejr
Don't get confused, Nioh and Nier are both games to be released for PS4, with very similar names.

What about Ni ?

Originally Posted by Meg472
Someone finished it? I heard that it is quite challenging. I bought it yesterday and the first boss on the ship is giving me trouble. Any ideas? The rest of the level was quite easy and I was surprised even… I am using dual swords and axe.

I played it on release, but only the first area. I quit after killing the boss in the boat. I'm waiting for any DLC before I do a complete play through.

Unfortunately I don't remember doing anything special but it did take me 4-5 tries to beat him. He's fast and it's a cramped area which makes it hard but with a little trial and error you should be able to beat him. I was using dual weapons as well.

Everyone compares it with dark souls but the combat is fast and furious, much more like bloodborne imo.

My brother has beaten the game and is now on NG+. He said he thought it was harder than dark souls and that NG+ actually adds new monster, weapons and areas which sound great compared to most games where you just play the same exact game over.

It's an excellent game if you like the souls type experience. It's brutally difficult, has great weapons and monsters, good character progression, exploration and combat.