COGconnected checked out the Complete Edition of Nioh 2:

Nioh 2: Complete Edition Review

After just under a year of waiting, Nioh 2  is finally out on PC, and a complete edition to boot! This souls-like action RPG is definitely a worthy predecessor, improving on almost every aspect of the already excellent original. If you are not familiar with the franchise, the game’s system is complex in a drastically different way from the From Software classics, so don’t expect just another souls-like clone!

Even More Complex Combat

Nioh already felt among the most complex souls-likes out there, and Nioh 2 only adds more. I don’t also mean to say the word “complex” as an objective positive, but something that I think comes down to individual tastes. The Dark Souls franchise feels like an exercise in minimalism, where they push its deceptively simple controls to its beautiful limits. Nioh, on the other hand, is a show of extremism where they stack systems over systems while somehow maintaining its impressive balance.

The combat is more than just managing stamina and health bars. One of the seemingly minor changes that impact the game’s flow in a drastic manner is how you recover your stamina. After every combo, a well-timed ki pulse will regain you a huge chunk of the stamina you used to either keep on the offensive, or to switch to the defensive more safely. This system teaches the player to stray away from button-mashing and to play the game in a more methodical, rhythmic way, where knowing your combos by muscle memory will increase your potential by tenfold.

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Nioh 2 is an excellent game on PC and if you were a fan of the first one, this is a must-buy. If you haven’t played the original, I hope the review gave you a sense of what the game is like. Are myriad of complexities in action games something that gets you excited or do they sound like needless distractions? I personally lean more to the minimalist side, but when a game pulls off its mechanics as well as Nioh 2, I don’t mind diving in once in head-first.

Score: 85/100

Rock Paper Shotgun reviewed Nioh 2: The Complete Edition:

Nioh 2: The Complete Edition review

Ready for it all over again? 

If the PS4 version of punishing action-RPG Nioh 2 is a baby-faced samurai with one or two chest hairs, Nioh 2: The Complete Edition is the same warrior, but after a few years in the dojo. They sport 5 o'clock shadow now, they've mastered three swords, they're nimbler. And, of course, it's still very difficult to beat them.

Nioh 2: CE isn't a new game, it's just a buffer Nioh 2. This means it contains all three DLCs, runs faster than its PS4 counterpart, and has plenty of PC features. But its core still remains the same. Don't expect any new regions to explore, or exclusive nunchucks to swing. For those who've already had their demon-slaying fill on PS4, it's a difficult sell. But for budding yokai-bashers, you can't go wrong with what's on offer here.

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I'd hesitate to renew that Nioh 2 prescription if you're someone who's already invested many hours into the PS4 version. Apart from the DLC and the swanky performance upgrades, you aren't really getting anything actually new (apart from an RGB Valve helmet, I suppose). Having said that, I think Nioh 2: CE is absolutely worth it if you're fresh to Nioh and like crunchy, combo-laden combat. Even moreso if you love stats and skill-trees on top of that.

The action-RPG Nioh 2: Complete Edition has been released today:

UNLEASH YOUR DARKNESS

Experience the thrill of taking on hordes of fearsome yokai in a battle to the death in this brutal masocore Action RPG. Create your own original protagonist and embark on an adventure that will take you through devastated locales across Japan during the Sengoku period.

Much like the previous title which garnered much praise from fans and critics alike, Nioh 2 contains an original profound story surrounding military commanders from the Sengoku period. However, Nioh 2 goes above and beyond its predecessor by including the new Yokai Shift ability which allows the protagonist to utilize new powerful forms to defeat even the most formidable yokai in battle. New to Nioh 2, your enemies can now create a Dark Realm which raises the stakes of battle and creates new challenges for your protagonist to overcome. We hope you enjoy conquering fearsome monsters as you unleash your darkness in the world of Nioh 2.

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Included Content
Nioh 2: Complete Edition includes all of the content from Nioh 2 along with all 3 DLC expansions, The Tengu’s Disciple, Darkness in the Capital, and The First Samurai.

The Tengu’s Disciple
The Tengu’s Disciple takes the protagonist to the end of the Heian period, where the Genji and Heike clans were competing ruthlessly with one another. Experience the battle that acts as a prologue which reveals how the story of Nioh 2 came to be.

Darkness in the Capital
Darkness in the Capital takes place during the middle of the Heian period, a point in history where evil spirits and yokai ran rampant throughout Japan. The protagonist is brought back to this period and ventures to the capital where they will uncover the connections between an even more distant past and the present time period from which they came.

The First Samurai
The First Samurai brings the protagonist to the Suzuka Pass during the beginning of the Heian period. In the climactic 3rd expansion of the Nioh 2 saga, the protagonist will once again confront their arch-nemesis, Otakemaru.

PC Features:

• Full Mouse & Keyboard customisation
• Gamepad compatibility
• 4K Ultra-HD support
• Ultra Wide-Screen compatibility
• HDR & 144Hz monitor support
• Consistent 60/120 FPS

Some gameplay from Nioh 2 Complete Edition.

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Here is a look at the Nioh 2 Complete Edition running on PC at max settings and in 4K using an RTX 3090. The game looks great in 4K although not too different to its predecessor. This is basically the PS4 version with added resolutions and new features. This edition also includes all of the DLC.

Thanks Farflame!

Nioh 2 Complete Edition will be available on February 5:

Nioh 2 Complete Edition - Official PC Overview Trailer

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Take a look at the technical features in the PC version of Nioh 2 Complete Edition, including 4K, HDR, 144hz support, and more! Nioh 2 Complete Edition will be released on February 5, and includes all of the original game content plus all three DLC expansions and multiplayer modes.

DSOGaming reports on Nioh 2 - Complete Edition. Screenshots at the link.

KOEI Tecmo has shared some new details and screenshots for Nioh 2 – Complete Edition. Nioh 2 – Complete Edition will feature the base game, as well as its three DLCs. Also note that since I haven’t played the game, I don’t really know whether the following screenshots contain any spoilers.

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Once players finish the base campaign they will be able to continue their adventure in the DLC expansion packs. These packs are “The Tengu’s Disciple”, “Darkness in the Capital”, and “The First Samurai”. These expansions will also include a wealth of new weaponry, armour, and challenging new foes.

Gamingbolt interviewed the devs of Nioh 2 about the game.

Difficulty and accessibility in games is something that’s become a pertinent topic over the last year, especially in games like Nioh that seem like they’re designed around challenging the player. What’s Nioh 2’s approach to difficulty in light of that?

Because Nioh is an action RPG franchise, our top priority was pursuing the response time of the actions. Next, to ensure the exhilaration from victories, we set out to find the perfect balance between game difficulty and options of various solutions for single play, including RPG elements that help strengthen the characters.

On top of that, if RPG elements are still not enough to overcome game difficulty, or one cannot invest too much time and effort into character development, there are online features that allow players to enlist help from others in order to progress in the game.

It seems like greater enemy variety is something that Nioh 2 is putting a great deal of emphasis on. How does that play into things like combat and progression?

As a game of battles, enemy variety is indispensable in delivering a rich gaming experience.  Learning about your enemies is the biggest part of understanding the game. Once you know about an enemy inside and out, defeating it should become easier. And in an effort to keep the game engaging, we created a variety of maps and situations, as well as enemy combinations for players to take on. This is not only for keeping up the challenge, but also to ensure that the game is visually interesting, bringing depth to the world of Nioh.

Nioh’s focus on Japanese history was one of the most interesting things about its setting, but with Nioh 2, it looks like things are going to be a lot more fantastical- what sort of a balance does the game strike between those two aspects?

The period in which the story takes place is the most interesting time of the Japanese history. Having such a background, we cannot ignore the actual historical events nor not take advantage of them. That said, it was important to interpret the time from Nioh’s perspective with its own fantastical touch. The defining factor for that would be the setting of “two individuals, one Hideyoshi.” The identity of Hideyoshi that people are familiar with is only one of them, and the success of Hideyoshi was also built on our protagonist’s contribution, bringing about a fresh tale without conflicting with the well-known historical facts.

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Thanks Farflame!

@Twinfinite Some new gameplay videos for Nioh 2 showing character customisation and fighting.

First of all, we get to take a look at the potential of the character creator, showcasing heroes created to look very close to the hosts of the stream, then one of them took a stab at making a character live. 

Then we get to see the same character played live, culminating with a fight against Imagawa Yoshimoto.

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Thanks Farflame!

Wccftech shows some new screenshots of Nioh 2 and a story trailer.

A new batch of Nioh 2 screenshots has been released today, showing more of the upcoming game characters and mechanics.

The new screenshots showcase Akechi Mistuhide, Toshizo Saito, Oichi, Nagamasa Asai and Hide Matsunaga as well as new Yokai, new locations, and the new Skill Tree, which should make it easier to keep track of learned skills. You can find the screenshots below.

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Thanks Farflame!

A new "closed alpha" gameplay trailer for Nioh 2.

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