Nioh 2 - Easy Allies Review

[@dng2usb]

Some people forgot about this game. Meanwhile, I'm playing it like it's my second job, lol.

[@Gonçalo--M]

me too its a great game

[@mwmrhdm]

Game unfortunately got overlooked releasing next to Doom Eternal, RE3, Persona 5 Royal and FF7 Remake. It didn't do too hot on the NPDs either.

[@ubersoldat91]

I just beat Nioh 1 a couple weeks ago. Started it since I got it for free on PSN, but I liked it enough, I think I'll pick up Nioh 2. Currently working on The Surge... Just injecting all the Souls-like into my veins lol

[@dng2usb]

@@ubersoldat91 Never played the original Surge, but The Surge 2 was a fun timesink.

[@retrohero2762]

I didn't even realise Nioh got a sequel until I saw reviews a few weeks back

[@alexzuniga7942]

I'm always amazed by how well written your reviews are Ben. Having played a huge amount of the game myself you reflected all the strengths and weaknesses of the game in a masterful way. Amazing job 👍

[@calmingwaves3134]

I really like the review, analysis, and editing of these easy allies reviews.

[@mwmrhdm]

Ben is among the best in the biz when it comes to writing reviews.

[@acuity1980]

@@mwmrhdm "it's possible." 😄

[@Augur_RAzul]

Elite, only. They’re the best in the biz imo

[@sugarray1345]

Me too. They’re the best reviews out there. Easily!

[@Answerofduty1]

I beat this game, and didn't even realize it had an option for English VO until seeing this video. Man, that Tokichiro voice is jarring after hearing him speak in Japanese for so long.

[@297fihsy]

I don’t know if anyone had a similar experience, but my game started with English VO before automatically switching to Japanese VO after a couple of missions. It’s like it read my mind

[@kschmeed]

297fihsy yep same here ...

[@dakotabarrett8]

His young voice sucks but his older voice is decent

[@LymusIll]

Imo the game is such a great improvement over the first, the flow combat feels better, the enemy ai feels more fun to fight against. The human bosses are less broken. In general i had way more fun with Nioh 2 than 1.

[@orugnet]

Yea agreed. The hours just melted away whenever i was playing this game.

[@aleee2010]

2 is better than 1 overall I agree.

[@zubiecup]

Yeah, I was convinced I wouldn’t enjoy it as much since I knew I wouldn’t be playing as a ‘real’ historical figure. Regardless, I found that the game is a step-up in pretty much every imaginable way.

[@pissant42]

It's an incremental improvement

[@platonicdescartes]

I wasn't that into the first Nioh, but Nioh 2 ended up being my favorite non-FromSoft Soulslike. The game is significantly better than the first.

[@vVAstrAVv]

I like it more that froms games just cus from still does fucking bullshit like not letting you respec or straight up LYING about weapon damage. Looking at you logarius wheel and KP

[@goncaloferreira6429]

@@vVAstrAVv dark souls 2 , best souls confirmed?

[@vVAstrAVv]

@@goncaloferreira6429 idk im never gonna play that one lol

[@asimb0mb]

You should replay Nioh 1. I find it hard to believe someone who wasn't into Nioh 1 does enjoy Nioh 2 that much. They're very similar.

[@dtanobo]

Easily one of the absolute best games of the year which is saying a lot. I'm hooked on this game and it's amazing.

[@aleee2010]

Fair Review but to me it’s an easy 9

[@leonkennedy7831]

The game improved in everyt single way compared to the first game, if you play this and then you try to play the first one.....you will notice all the good things improved in the 2nd game.

[@sebastianvonp1467]

If you know japanese history in the slidest you might enjoy the story more. You can also read the lore to get more out of it.

[@recht_voor_zijn_raap5506]

Finally.. I have been waiting for weeks for your guys review. I allrwady finished a long time ago.. And love it. But your videos are always a treat.

[@DARKDEATHKILLER]

I really loved Nioh 1 and I thought the sequel would feel too different or too similar, but it surprisingly struck a nice balance between old and new mechanics and improved upon pretty much everything they did in Nioh 1. I couldn't stop playing this game and ended up getting the platinum trophy because I was so addicted. Overall a 9.5/10 for me, and likely my GOTY this year.

[@ZeroHayabusa]

I think the biggest thing that hurt Nioh's perception amongst many Souls fans was being promoted as strictly a Souls like. They way it was sold to me was as a mix of Nina Gaiden, Souls, and Diablo which is the reason I think all the gameplay systems worked so well for me and didn't work AS well for Souls veterans who expected Souls or Bloodborne with a feudal japan coat of paint. The combat system and customization of Nioh 2 was incredible in my opinion so I naturally think Ben's score was lower than I personally would have had it but I understand Ben is entitled to have his own opinion on the game. My biggest advice to anybody who wants to try out the series that happens to come across this video is to not to come at this game strictly as a Souls like and play it like an action game. It is a much more enjoyable experience that way. Search for Nioh 2 combo videos on youtube to see examples of how the game can be played when approaching it that way.

[@benjiskitts]

Nioh 2 is one of the best games I’ve ever played . 9.5

[@SubTonic]

This game is by far superior to the first in every single way. It does lack the first game's initial "magic" since it was the first of the series, but they iterated perfectly on everything. Also, I don't think Nioh 2 gets enough credit for how utterly perfectly your custom character is implemented in cutscenes. They look like they actually belong and are animated insanely well. Huge props to Team Ninja across the board. Nioh 2 is the freaking Terminator 2 of game sequels; it's that good, imo.

[@gyro6181]

Man don't get me more hyped for the pc release!

[@OwlCapone8630]

Not... the first is better.

[@HaruVibes_]

Recently finished Nioh 2 after clocking in around 90 hours through the main game. I'm a bit biased since I loved the first game but everything about Nioh 2 felt like a step up. The combat shines above all else with how much depth it has. Almost akin to something like Monster Hunter where you can stick to using a single weapon and never get bored of it. I used the Switchglaive throughout my playthrough because it was so damn fun. Nioh 2 is still not without flaw like Ben perfectly articulated in this review tho. But thats why I love it because there's still so much room for improvement and ideas. I really hope Team Ninja goes onto making a 3rd game because it has the potential to be incredible.

[@dng2usb]

I agree completely. Also, the character creator was so well done, that it puts it over the top in my book, especially after making barely passable "humans" in the SoulsBorne games (is that your Nioh 2 character in your profile picture?). I love that most, if not all, of the weapons are perfectly viable choices, something that's borne out when trying to plat this game and having to achieve mastery in each weapon category; great and apt comparison to the Monster Hunter series. Here's to Nioh 3! But what Japanese history could they plumb for the next game?

[@henrymoreno5170]

Man this game is amazing. I’m a huge darksouls/From software/Ninja Gaiden fan and I gota say this game is all of that goodness blended in a smooth with a shot of Diablo loot Great game!

[@caesarsilva3580]

I met this channel for the Brazilian Channel CAPSLOCK, thks Araújo

[@_Ten_]

Just picked up this game last week. Having a blast

[@GetTheFunkOut46]

Got the platinum 2 days ago, now im just patiently waiting for the DLC. Personally it is so much better than the first and i friggin loved the first.

[@pissant42]

How did you grind out weapon proficiencies?

[@GetTheFunkOut46]

@@pissant42 The final onmyo dojo mission is good for it. Still takes a while but the wooden weapons increase proficiency quite a bit faster. I did that on ng+ a bunch of times with each weapon until they were about lvl 19/20 then did their mastery missions on regular difficulty. It's a bit tedious but it's pretty low effort.

[@ChichiNaka]

Did you end up enjoying the dlc?

[@297fihsy]

Excellent review, while Nioh 2 is certainly iterative and plays it safe in many areas, some of the improvements made over the first (like the burst counters, enemy variety and yokai abilities) are so significant to me that they lifted the rest of the game. Where I was left feeling hollow after Nioh 1’s bland areas and nonsensical story, I was completely content with the game by its completion; even the oddball story had its hooks in me (mostly because of the gorgeous animated Guardian Spirit intros). I think the routine the game settles into was very welcome to me too, mostly because of the extra time afforded by the pandemic. I think this is my GOTY so far

[@dng2usb]

"I think this is my GOTY so far" YAS

[@Mr_Creasy_]

You gotta love that Otakemaru spam when you summon visitors! 😂 Also I have about 200 hrs in this game so far and I absolutely love it!

[@SirGrindgore]

My GOTY alongside Animal Crossing so far. Feels nice to play these two games in parallel and get completely different things out of them. Overall I'm enjoying Nioh 2 a bit more than its predecessor (and also Sekiro), which already was one of my favorite games of this generation. Slightly bummed that it seems to be a flying under the radar a bit this year.

[@TotemoGaijin]

I did the same thing, haha. Animal Crossing during the day, Nioh 2 at night. Peanut butter and jelly.

[@isinganddootherthings4616]

I'd love it if Team Ninja made a Blade game with Marvel Games they've already done the marvel ultimate alliance games

[@alish4498]

Easy allies is by far best review channel on youtube

[@TheLastDaysOfSorrow]

While I agree on the adressed flaws in this review, 8.0 feels pretty harsh. Personally I had an absolute blast playing this game - even more so than with Sekiro. It's on par with FFVII Remake for GOTY for me.

[@Ruko]

An 8 is never harsh, it's a Very Good rating i think, the press needs to use the 1 to 10 scale better by giving more 5's so people don't think a 7 is bad.

[@pissant42]

An 8 is considered harsh now? Yeesh, what is even the point of reviewing games if you can't critique

[@TheLastDaysOfSorrow]

An 8 is obviously a good score. It's just harsh in relation to the first one getting a 9 (4,5/5) considering this one builds and expands upon it. I'm not saying it deserves more or Ben did a bad job (on the contrary, this review is great).

[@JuliusCaesar103]

While I guess the lack of innovation may prove to be a detractor for some, I enjoy the combat so much that I was craving for the playthrough not to end, and the 70 hours for my first playthrough proved to be only a taste of what was to come, the other playthroughs being just as fun.

[@JimsGameRoom]

You're a beast Ben, thank you for the review :)

[@Killerboyh]

An easy 9/10 for me

[@Xeogred]

After 92 hours I just got the platinum the other day. I liked Nioh 1, but this game surprised me and is probably my favorite game next to FF7R this year so far.

[@dng2usb]

Haven't played FF7R yet, but heartily agree with your "favorite game this year so far" statement

[@RAZORREVOLUTION1]

FFVII R is utter shit, though.

[@karkashan]

I will say this about multiplayer: it only "trivializes" the difficulty if you get someone that knows what they're doing lol.

[@cdchai]

I enjoyed watching FBIMichaelScarn playthrough this on his Twitch stream. Looking forward to his eventual speed runs.

[@AntiNihilist]

When I finished the first game years ago, I remember thinking, this could be amazing if the leveled opened up considerably...they didn't care about that I guess

[@dmann05]

Incredible game, certainly in my top 5 so far this year. Improved on the original in every way

[@MakoMusicYT]

I'm finishing Dark Souls 1 today. If I'd be interested in playing Nioh in the future, should I skip the first one or would I miss out on story beats and or context?

[@sgwcyingko]

There is a cameo of the first Nioh MC in Nioh 2 so i suggest you play the first one, I also urge you to do it just to familiarize yourself with its combat mechanics.

[@EBCX]

I got nioh thru ps plus and thank god I’m playing that one first, there is just so much depth to the combat and the game has shit loads of mechanics. Imagining myself getting into nioh 2 blind that even has more mechanics ! I would never get past the first missions lol

[@MikeydactylGaming]

I didn't even know the game had English VA. lol

[@AFriendlyRobot]

Well, this came out of nowhere

[@FreeDoM_nl]

damn this was a good review. I like the game, but after beating it, feel no desire to go back. The combat is great and I LOVE the create a character. Had a good time playing it, but it started to drag a bit in the end when the challenge just wasnt there anymore.

[@ClassicKrusty]

The snake soul core was nerfed a couple weeks ago

[@HughJNess-ly6er]

I know it was team ninja who developed this but a Dynasty Warriors game with the same combat system would be great

[@TotemoGaijin]

Do we gotta take away Ben's weeb card for playing with English voices? :p

[@TotemoGaijin]

Ignore this. Ian is to blame for making Ben look like a casual. :p

[@EasyAllies]

Yeah it's pretty funny, I had actually forgotten I played any of the game in English until I saw the review. It's fine that it was included though. - Ben

[@ovoon7]

I typically like subs, but I think the English dub is fantastic. I'm more into the story with it than the first game.

[@glass12]

I need this game :( I loved the first one.

[@ericsaari2901]

Such an amazing game, however, once it plateaus it's into a waiting period for the DLC, which is something of course you don't experience if you played Nioh as the Complete Edition. Nioh is a game that requires all difficulty levels available, end game (The Abyss) and any other modes available all at once, otherwise you'll hit a flat spot and just be waiting.

[@Anthony19byrne]

Loved the music in this game

[@Micah__]

$9.99? Don’t mind if I do!

[@IAmDaDumb1]

Would I enjoy this if I got kind of tired of the first game? It didn’t have anything to do with difficulty. In fact about halfway through I found that I had established a strategy that made it almost trivia at times. Rather, I got about two thirds in and it just became too repetitive and I didn’t feel like the story, environments, enemy variety, or gameplay was changing in any meaningful way and I just got bored of it. Does this game fix that?

[@dng2usb]

I can see what you're saying about the first game, but I feel the ability to create your character made me more invested in what happened to them. I didn't really care for William, but that's on me. As far as the environments, enemy variety, and gameplay go, it's pretty much the same with some of the stages and most of the enemies from Nioh 1 making a reappearance.

[@Schizm1]

Goddamn, I hope it's gonna be avilable on PC one day.

[@AquamentusLives]

Wow, well written Ben 💪

[@solarknight217]

I wish these games had really good narratives. To me most video games I play which is single player. I feel like the narratives and cut scenes are your reward for getting to that point in the games. I blame final fantasy for that but IMO from software does not care about story and neither does the people who play their games. They do world building but for me that is not enough for me to want to play through their combat systems which is the opposite way most people feel lol. I know this game is not by from software but that is the model this developer used so its hard not to mention that or them. Either way I feel these games are missing out on what could make them shine beyond any other souls-like series.

[@ZekeAxel]

Kept us waiting~ But well worth it. Ben, best in the biz.

[@lSeKToRl]

I love Ben's reviews he always makes hot characters like me.

[@randomphil8666]

Couldn’t get into the first one for some reason. I enjoy the Demon/Dark/BloodB series but not Nioh for some reason. It feels more like Sekiro and I’m not a fan of that one either. I think they are both too quick for me and my old man brain!

[@dng2usb]

As an old man myself, I love this game. I die a lot, but nothing beats seeing a difficult enemy explode in a bunch of pretty colors and possibly valuable items and equipment. Loot forever!

[@pissant42]

As much as I loved this game I have to admit it did feel very samey. It just didn't grab me like the original did. If they ever get around to making a Nioh 3 I hope Koei Tecmo take some bigger risks and address some of the actual issues like the poor inventory management and all the reused/recycled content

[@Intelligenz_Bestie]

really whish they'd give a release date for the pc version already

[@lastbriteSon]

I believe it goes by a year later release. Nioh 1 was released on ps4(2017) then on steam on 2018 So if nioh 2 is 2020 on ps4 maybe it will be on steam 2021??

[@ByondAShadow]

lol that mask reveal at the end

[@IskandarTheWack]

Oh fuck, they just gilgamesh'd that boss in co op.

[@sikevillain]

Such an amazing freaking game.. definitely one of the best of 2020.

[@danielguerrero1438]

Looks great on the Pro compared to my original PS4

[@joeyisabsb1]

I guess I dont have the same issue with this game as Ben did since I never played Nioh 1. The downside of reviewing many games and having to put the game under a lens I suppose.

[@BinaryPLUR]

Best reviews in the business.

[@xlyesterdaylx]

i want to get this game, but im just so terrible at soul style games.

[@slimcalhoun6759]

One of the best games ever!!The combat is amazing it’s on the level of a fighting game !!

[@bitterbatterdog]

Just like Nioh 1, the games real problem is that it is slightly too long. Two false finishes for souls-likes is mentally exhausting

[@Solh0und]

I'm surprised that they didn't talk about the Demonic or Blessed versions of the weapons.

[@philipferragamo9885]

Completely forgot about this game.

[@blackmanwithcomputer]

Nioh 3 needs to be a bit more drastic in change. Wouldn't mind seeing this game take a more Sekiro or Ninja Gaiden approach to the pace of combat and level traversal. That includes larger arenas and bosses that facilitate movement like running, swinging, grappling and stealth at times. Also, give us more options in the vain of crowd control in the vain of Ninja Gaiden ninpo. Less cramped level design, too.

[@TotemoGaijin]

There's like, a million different options for crowd control, most in ninjutsu.

[@pocketbacon9636]

I've played through DS 1, 2, and 3, platinumed Bloodborne, finished the Surge 1 and 2. And finished Sekiro. This game though has enemies that feel so cheap, fights that feel so unfair. It is galling in a way that none of the others are. I hate this game.

[@angrytacos5497]

must be your first time playing a character action game lol

[@josephincarnate]

One of few games you HAVE to experience in Japanese. The English sucks. And I'm a dub person.

[@mikeymaiku]

My body is ready

[@keenzbeanz6706]

Is there coop this time around?

[@joeyisabsb1]

Yes, yes there is and its great!

[@MrInuhanyou123]

Ew...hearing english accents coming out of nioh is just weird after the first game especially with the nice dual language approach of that game

[@gtabro1337]

Do publishers not give Easy Allies early copies? Looks like they don't and that's a shame, Easy Allies are quite competent

[@TotemoGaijin]

They did, but Ben was slammed with a family emergency, ezx streaming, and the reviews for Doom and Half Life Alyx as well.

[@gtabro1337]

@@TotemoGaijin I see, hope the things around him are more normal now.

[@justanotherotakuwhoonlydri2694]

If i loved bloodborne would i like this Game ?

[@mwmrhdm]

Ben is a lean mean reviewing MACHINE!

[@ryanbarry34]

Great review Hit my thoughts near exactly Emjoyed the game as a whole, very fun and challenging But the sameness did cause it to drag, and that story.....I found it absolutely horrendous personally

[@Pewpewpew182]

Jeez! I totally forgot this came out! Please review Predator :). Love you guys!

[@TharusPSN]

Nioh 2 is a great game. It also clearly falls short of every souls game. At least it's nice to have such a competent competitor.

[@نونيم-ي4ح]

Ben is on fucking fire!

[@dtanobo]

Next year: Persona 5 Royal - Easily Allies Review

[@1boshow]

This and re3 are in my Goty choice so far. The game adds so much to the first. I really liked the soul cores. I changed up a lot but I did have my favourites.

[@quanticprophecy]

Ben made a perfect blend of Fem-Shepard and Aloy for his character.

[@VGJunky]

Really fun game. Odachi gang Switch glaive bois

[@ProbyWaN1337]

Sucks waiting for PC version, definitely not buying it twice like I had to with the first one

[@ComicsLamar]

I wasn't the biggest fan of Nioh. It got boring the more I played. Not sure why, but I think it has a lot to do with inventory and weapon system. Story was interesting, but the world was a bit boring.

[@dng2usb]

6:50 - 7:07 Whose gameplay is this?! The absolute CARRY, lol! I'm not sure the character was even close enough to contribute any damage to the boss. Also, using a fire-based yokai ability against a fire-type boss? Does that work?

[@dannybski9620]

Nioh 2, I'm sorry, you look great, I just don't have time for you right now. I really enjoyed Nioh and I'm sure I'd enjoy you too, but first I've got to play some other titles (eg, Sekiro)

[@KingKien95]

lol I did not know there's an English dub

[@tiredtape9666]

I love the goofily bad English voice acting.

[@teapotmc6072]

I am sad to see the Japanese men speaking English with a terrible English accent. One of my favorite things about Nioh was people from the west speaking English and people in Japan speaking Japanese with magic bridging the language barrier between the two.

[@acadiansm]

I enjoyed nioh 2 but it became very loot grindy after a while and i got bored.

[@staceejaxx3071]

It's a beautiful, fun game but it's so Easy. I did most bosses on my first or second try. You only need switchblade high stance to defeat every boss. Story was too long specially after you think you defeated the game and certain blonde appears.

[@vVAstrAVv]

Switchglave is like the highest tier weapon type in the game Like high stances BASIC heavy attack is busted. Trivializing even the tengus Tldr Of course the games too easy. You cheated without knowing it Im not judging tho. I used the odachi which is almost as good lol

[@FrostRare]

The attack of the waifu

[@ZappBranniglenn]

Knock knock, Nioh

[@danielxclbr3556]

Its a 8

[@jroaduri]

Nioh > Dark Souls Go debate your Dog if you disagree

[@benjroy9556]

Play this.

[@Komona]

This was released almost 2 months ago. How come the review comes just now? Don't get me wrong, it's a great game and one of my contenders for GotY, but hasn't the ship sailed when a review is relevant?

[@EasyAllies]

It had to go on the backburner while Ben worked on more urgent projects, but he did publish substantial coverage for it before launch. Now that those projects are done, we felt it was still worth publishing a review. As past reviews have shown, while a review that comes later won't do as well, it can get more views than much of our other content even several weeks after launch. It's still relevant to quite a few people, whether they haven't picked up the game yet or just want a more definitive expression of our opinion. -Bloodworth

[@Jovenza2]

I have no idea what these games are, but why do Japanese guys have English accents?

[@dng2usb]

When you add an English accent, it "classes" it up in some people's eyes... Maybe not the British... or the Scots... or the Irish... Ok, maybe it's just Americans that feel an English accent adds class.

[@sufamidan1006]

Why do the characters have ridiculous british accents?

[@MrFacepunch33]

I’m always on the Allies’ team but come on, why did this take so long?

[@EasyAllies]

Because Ben initially had to attend to a family emergency, and then we intentionally put Nioh 2 on the backburner for him to focus on newer releases and other projects. He made sure to give impressions near launch. We could have skipped the review just to avoid such a complaint, but there was an opportunity to publish and we still felt that it was worth doing. There has been a lot of stuff on his plate in the interim, and it's a very long game. No project lives in a vacuum. -Bloodworth

[@MrFacepunch33]

Easy Allies I appreciate the response. Obviously you don’t owe us anything, but maybe next time a post on Patreon or somewhere saying the review is delayed would help? Either way I’d rather you post the review than not so thanks for finishing it eventually, Ben.

[@EasyAllies]

It was made clear in the impressions video. Reviews are always a moving target. It's better to just do what we can than try to make additional promises. -Bloodworth

[@mwmrhdm]

Ben reviewed both Doom Eternal and Half Life Alyx back to back not to mention the FF7 Remake zeitgeist he had to be ready for. Cut the guy some slack.