Metal Gear RAY – Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Armstrong’s death is constantly brought up as one of the more epic boss deaths in video games. Don’t get us wrong – it’s a great choice – but there’s also the massacre of Metal Gear RAY at the start of the game. Essentially, Raiden goes one-on-one against it, systematically taking it apart. As the music builds and he dodges lasers and gunfire.

He then proceeds to toss it into the sky before dicing it apart and splitting it right down the centre before it explodes all around him. If any sequence could leave such a huge first impression, it’s this one.

Yami – Okami

The battle with Amaterasu’s archenemy Yami plays out over five different phases. Yami’s first form is akin to a sphere with an intricate glowing red design that can lash out with tendrils and launch missiles. Its second form takes on a greenish appearance which segregates into platforms and can use fire to attack. Hilariously, it becomes a kind of slot machine for its third phase while its fourth form is a yellow sphere that has legs and arms. All of this culminates in a giant claw extending from the sphere while the arena is covered in darkness, missiles and lasers.

Nioh 2 saw the release of its final paid DLC last month with The First Samurai but Team Ninja is still releasing updates. The latest, update 1.22, introduces balance changes for all of the different weapon types, targeted specifically at their martial arts. There’s plenty of good changes regardless of one’s preferred weapon type.

Swords, for instance, have adjusted the damage when “Yaksha Ichimonji” is at its maximum while the attack operation has been slightly sped up. For dual swords, the damage inflicted by “Heavy Jumonji” upward and “Raijin” upward has been adjusted. For the spear, the power damage of “Naruyama” upward has been adjusted while the attack movement of “Kayaburi” has been slightly sped up.

Check out the full update notes here, though they’re currently in Japanese. Nioh 2 is currently available for PS4 but will be releasing on February 5th for PC and PS5 as Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition. This includes all of the DLC and updates thus far, along with 4K and 120 FPS support. PS5 players will also receive a remaster of the first game when The Nioh Collection launches next month.

PATCH NOTES:

Changes to martial arts

[Sword]

• Adjusted the damage when the sword martial art “Yaksha Ichimonji” is accumulated to the maximum, and speeds up the attack operation slightly.
• Adjusted so that it will not be attacked by the time the attack of the sword martial art “Somaki” occurs, and speed up the attack operation slightly

[Two swords]

• Adjusted the damage of the dual wield martial art “Heavy Jumonji” upward
• Adjusted the damage of the dual wield martial art “Raijin” upward
• Adjusted to reduce the amount of drop when hitting an enemy with the dual wield martial art “Water Sword”

Team Ninja’s final DLC for Nioh 2, The First Samurai, received its first trailer and gameplay footage in a recent stream. While you can watch the standalone trailer below, numerous other details were revealed ahead of the DLC’s launch today. Along with new enemies and bosses, players can expect new Soul Cores, Yokai Abilities, weapons and armor.

There were also be new Secret Arts Text skills, Guardian Spirits and a higher difficulty level. But perhaps the most interesting bit is the addition of new endgame content with The Underworld. The first game had The Abyss, which offered 999 floors of different challenges. Judging by the boatman in The First Samurai’s trailer, it’s possible that The Underworld is something similar.

Nioh 2 is currently available for PS4. Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition, which includes the base game and all DLC, will be coming to the console and PC on February 5th 2021. A remastered version of this will also be coming to PS5 with 4K resolution, “up to” 120 FPS support and save game transfers. Nioh 2 Remastered – The Complete Edition will also be included with The Nioh Collection on PS5, which also features a remaster of the first game and its DLC.

It’s been a busy day for Koei Tecmo with the announcement of Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition coming to PC and The Nioh Collection announced for PS5. Current players on PS4 should also take note though – the third and final DLC, The First Samurai, is out on December 17th. It will offer new missions and a new difficulty which Team Ninja promises will “give even the most seasoned veterans a run for their money.”

While details on new weapons, Guardian Spirits and so on have yet to be revealed, a few story details were provided. The protagonist goes back to the past yet again, visiting “the land of the fabled youth that defeated an oni.” We’ll learn more about Otakemaru, who the first samurai really was and Sohayamaru’s secret.

More importantly, the protagonist’s story will finally come to an end. It’s been a bittersweet journey but it should be interesting to see how things pan out. Nioh 2 currently has two other DLC available – The Tengu’s Disciple and Darkness in the Capital – and is available for PS4. Stay tuned for more details on The First Samurai in the coming months.

Along with announcing that Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition would be coming to PS4 and PC, Koei Tecmo also unveiled Nioh 2 Remastered – The Complete Edition, Nioh Remastered – The Complete Edition and The Nioh Collection for PS5. Nioh 1 and 2 Remastered include the base games with improved visuals and 4K support along with all DLC while The Nioh Collection comprises of both remasters. All of these titles are also out on February 5th 2021.

The remasters will support 4K resolution on the PS5 with “up to” 120 FPS gameplay, fast loading times and the ability to transfer one’s saves from the PS4. Current Nioh 2 owners on PS4 can upgrade to the PS5 version at no additional cost (which also applies to The Complete Edition). Standalone purchases for Nioh 2 Remastered and its DLC on PS5 is not an option.

Pre-orders for all of the above will go live on November 20th. Koei Tecmo also revealed that the final DLC for Nioh 2, The First Samurai, would be releasing on December 17th. Stay tuned for more details on the same, along with gameplay footage, in the coming months.

Like the first game, Koei Tecmo’s Nioh 2 will be receiving a Complete Edition which includes the base game and all of its DLC. PC owners can also avail of a Valve helm that’s even more garish looking than the previous game’s. Check out the announcement trailer below.

Along with support for 4K resolution and ultra wide-screen displays, PC players can also enable HDR. Monitors with 144 Hz refresh rates are also supported along with 120 frames per second performance. Of course, in addition to the base game and DLC, players will also receive access to all of the updates thus far, making for a more robust end-game.

Nioh 2 is currently available for PS4 along with its first two DLC packs, The Tengu’s Disciple and Darkness in the Capital. The third and final DLC is called The First Samurai – expect more details on that in the coming months. Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition releases on February 5th 2021 for PC and PS4.