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Godfall for PS5 and PC Shows its Armored Heroes in New 4K Wallpapers

Today Gearbox Publishing had a treat to share for those who want to decorate their PC with the upcoming looting-slashing game Godfall.

To be more precise, the developer released a bunch of 4K wallpapers featuring the game’s armored heroes.

In the gallery below you can see them in 1080p resolution, but if you want the full 3840 x 2160 files, you can grab them of the official site of the game.

Godfall was the first game officially announced for PS5 (and it’s also comintg to PC via Epic Games Store) at The Game Awards in December 2019.

The game itself is developed by Counterplay and it’s coming in Holiday 2020 just in time for the launch of PS4.

At the moment, veryt little is known about the game itself besides the fact that it’s a looter-slasher featuring armored heroes, but we have seen some (likely outdated) gameplay from an internal presentation that was leaked a few weeks ago.

Incidentally, Counterplay defines this “looter-slasher” genre as a mix between action-RPG-style loot progression and third-person melee combat. Basically, it sounds a lot like Borderlands with sword and power armor, but we’ll have to wait for further reveals and see what Godfall truly is all about.

Dreams Review (PS4)

If you’ve been following Push Square over the last year or so, it’s likely you already know how we feel about Dreams. Media Molecule’s latest title has been playable in early access for a number of months, and we, among others, have already laid down our thoughts on this most unusual project. However, after spending about 50 hours playing community levels and tinkering with the tools, the time has come to assess the complete version of this PlayStation 4 exclusive.

Dreams is a thing of wonder. The play, create, share vision pioneered by LittleBigPlanet is at the beating heart of everything this software is, and it excels in all three areas. Describing it as a game almost undersells what’s been achieved here; Dreams is so much more than that.

Effectively, this is an engine for creating almost anything you can think of. It’s very possible to make your own levels, of course, but using the set of tools at your disposal, you can create animations, films, sculptures, paintings, music, and more. It’s cliché to say stuff like this, but the limit really is your own imagination. Think of this: in Sackboy’s original adventure, someone made a functional calculator using hundreds of gadgets and gizmos tethered together. It was, at the time, unbelievably impressive. In Dreams, a calculator is just one of dozens of in-built tools you can plonk into your creation at any moment. This is everything LBP was, but it goes so far beyond that.

Our experience with these tools has been a true learning process. Starting in a completely blank scene, you’ll fire up the streamlined menu to look at your options, and it’s easy to be frozen by the possibilities. Where do you even begin? Fortunately, the game comes with impressively in-depth tutorials covering all the basics. They are extraordinarily thorough lessons, guiding you through how to sculpt simple shapes, make music, build logic, and more. We would highly recommend completing at least some of these before you dive in. The tools are probably about as user friendly as can be, but before you let loose, you’re going to need all the help you can get.

With practice, though, you’ll be flying through Dreams’ creation mode, and it’s supremely gratifying. Spending time learning how to drive this complex machine rewards you with tangible skill. There are few better feelings than overcoming a creative or technical hurdle and feeling proud of what you’ve done. Yes, your first attempt was a blocky mass of shapes and colours, but before long you’ve found your niche, and now you’re composing music, or designing levels, or crafting characters. You’ll likely surprise yourself with what you can make using a DualShock 4 or a pair of PS Move controllers. The toolset isn’t perfect; some menus are dense with options and consequently have very small text, and navigating 3D space can be tricky, especially as your cursor-like Imp is prone to drifting. You can swap to a motion-free control scheme which mitigates this, but it feels a little constrained compared to the fluid nature of the default settings. Despite any small issues, the presentation and usability for something so complex is remarkable.

As impressive as the tools themselves are, part of what makes the title so special is its focus on community and collaboration. When someone publishes something to the Dreamiverse, it becomes available for all to enjoy, but they can also choose to make it available for all to utilise as well. Say you need a lamppost to fill in the town you’re making. You could always make your own, but odds are someone has already made a perfectly good lamppost. Finding and using other people’s stuff is an absolute breeze, and means you can quickly cobble together something that looks good in a few minutes. It’s a self-expanding treasure trove of user-generated assets that’s brilliant for beginners.

Of course, the Dreamiverse is more than a bunch of lampposts. Alongside DreamShaping, where you’ll do all your creating, there’s DreamSurfing, which is where you can play, watch, view, and listen to thousands upon thousands of community creations. With so many things to see and do, Media Molecule has been clever to categorise it all; it’s easy to find the newest stuff, trending dreams, things your friends have liked, or even developer picks. The best feature of all lets you pick one of these categories, randomise it, and put everything in a continual playlist. If you really fancy seeing what’s on the Dreamiverse concerning, say, turtles, you can easily search for that and go through a stream of turtle-related things. It’s addictive and extremely fun going through all the stuff made by other players.

Frankly, the variety — and quality — of what’s been made by the community so far is mind-boggling. Be it highly detailed sculptures or well realised interactive experiences, there’s a near endless sea of creations to explore. While we’ve been surprised at the level people have reached already, not everything will be of such a standard. But this is par for the course with user-generated content, and the quality isn’t really the point; Dreams is a new medium through which people can express themselves. Sure, some stuff probably isn’t worth your time as a player, but everyone has to start somewhere.

What’s so refreshing about the game is how positive its community is. Even on the most basic of sculpts, you can find likes and comments supporting and encouraging the creator, and this warm, welcoming attitude can be seen across the board. We’re not sure if the game has been designed in such a way that people are less inclined to troll and hate on each other, or if it’s just the nature of the type of players Dreams attracts. Either way, the social features are seamlessly integrated and, so far, have made the game a delightfully positive space.

If you’re looking to see what professionals can do with the toolset, Media Molecule has produced a short story named Art’s Dream. It tells the tale of a musician who’s fallen out with his bandmates, and you’re taken on a self-reflective journey as Art comes to terms with his struggles. It’s only a couple of hours long, but rest assured that it has all the hallmarks of the studio. It’s a little darker than their usual material, but the wit and warmth come pouring out of this musical adventure. You’ll go from moody point-and-clicking to cutesy fantasy action to sci-fi platforming, and it all looks and feels great. Obviously, it was all made within Dreams, but some of the things you’ll see and play put many “real” games to shame. As good as it is, though, the real point of Art’s Dream is to inspire and to show the breadth of what’s possible, and with its three distinct styles, we’d call that mission accomplished.

So, here we have a PS4 title featuring extremely powerful tools with which you can make more or less anything; a social network of weird and wonderful creations to get lost in, and a friendly community ready to embrace whatever you throw at it; and a lovely example piece from the developer that tells a great story to boot. What the developer has accomplished is astonishing. There are so many ways a game like this could fall down, but the end result is cohesive, understandable, and exceedingly well put together. Everything in the game, from community jams to Imp Quests, feeds into the act of either playing a variety of content, or making your own. It has its flaws; the Homespace is a nice landing spot but is somewhat pointless. Load times are generally lightning fast, but performance varies from dream to dream, depending on the complexity of whatever you’re playing. And of course, your mileage with the tools will vary wildly — you likely won’t be making masterpieces in minutes.

But to mark the game down for these sorts of limitations would be a mistake, especially as this is something that will evolve over time. Right now, there’s nothing on PS4 — or any platform, for that matter — quite like Dreams. It’s Media Molecule at its absolute best, and the studio has delivered on its promise of giving players the ability to make whatever they want. It’s absolutely one of the console’s best games, as it not only shows the power of the PS4, but the power of community and creativity.

Conclusion

It may have taken the better part of a decade to make, but the arrival of Dreams feels significant. It represents a whole new way for people to make things and share them with the world. Media Molecule has made a suite of tools that feel intuitive to use, but more than that, it’s built a social platform where players can collaborate and explore the imaginations of others. It’s a technical marvel, a creative miracle, and one of the most innovative games in years

Products:

Dreams (PS4)

GTA 4 – How to Get the Game Working on Win 10 (Right Way)

How to Get GTA 4 Working on Windows

I have no idea why people bash on GFWL so much. I’ve never had any issues and even use the same offline profile for years…for all my GFWL games…Yes you can easily copy and share your offline profiles.

Lets start at the beginning:

Before launch this game installs GFWL so you don’t need to download… but if you do go here.

If you have an Xbox and play online you should already have an account, you just need to link it:

Press Home to bring up Games for Windows live and sign in.
Enter your Xbox live account info and wait for your profile to download…that’s it.
You can check the ‘auto sign-in’ and it will sign you in automatically from now on.

If you don’t have an account already, then head over to Xbox.com and create one.

If you don’t have a Rockstar Social Club account, then create one as well by going to Rockstargames.com. You can link your Steam, Xbox Live accounts to your social club.

If you don’t care about online / achievements, then just create an offline GFWL account and play singleplayer.

Press Home to bring up Games for WIndows live and click create new profile.
Scroll to the bottom and click ‘create local profile’.

If you need your game save / config path: C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Rockstar Games.

If you want to play your own music paste shortcuts to the actual music files here: C:\Users\\Documents\Rockstar Games\GTA IV\User Music.

If you want to transfer your saves:

Browse to: C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Microsoft
Copy both the GFWLive and XLive folders
Copy your save game from: C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Rockstar Games

Paste all these in the exact location on your new PC.

Onimusha: Warlords – Secret Achievements Guide

Just a simple little illustrated guide on the proper technique to unlock the 5 secret achievements.

Fall’s Flight

In the very beginning of the game, play up until you get to the cave with the hole in the bottom, but do not jump in. Examine the hole then choose “no” when it asks if you want to jump down, then backtrack to the bridge with the bodies on it. Position yourself as close to the middle-most corpse as possible (as in the screenshot here) and hold the Absorb Souls button – it can take anywhere from 3-30 seconds or so for your geese to pass by. If you go too far and the camera angle changes, simply exit the area through the house the demons were in and re-enter the bridge area.

Undying Summer

As with Fall’s Flight, play until you get to the cave, examine the hole without jumping down, then return to the screen with the three humans. Turn around and go back to the screen and position that you see in the screenshot, and hold the Absorb Souls button. You will shortly see a big beetle climb onto the right tree’s trunk and shortly afterwards will get your achievement. Alternatively, if you’re already doing Fall’s Flight, just go do that one in its entirety, then truck on back to the cave and do Undying Summer on the way to the rest of the game. I’m not the boss of you.

Bamboo-zled!

Later in the game, in the West Area you will encounter a small bamboo forest, with several bamboo shoots that are lower-resolution than the background. You are forced to go through this area as Kaede so as long as you remember to cut down one of those bamboo shoots (either with the dagger or a kunai) you can’t really miss this one. If you did miss it as Kaede, you can go back as Samanosuke.

All Lives Big and Small

In the East Area, you will find yourself in an area with many bridges over water. Continue progressing normally until you reach the area as seen in the screenshot, with several small koi fish swimming around. Stand in a portion of water you’ve seen the fish go through and hold the Absorb Souls button, and eventually when a fish gets close enough you’ll absorb a small yellow soul – and the achievement.

One Chance

This is the only genuinely hard one to get, because it requires a perfect parry on the second-to-last boss. During the fight, he will eventually draw another sword and begin a new attack pattern. You must parry one of his attacks – so perfectly time a block, then immediately do a normal attack afterwards. It can take a few tries but it’s doable. Doing just one of these parry attacks will unlock the final Secret Achievement, and you’ll know you’ve got it if the screen flashes when you strike him (or obviously when the achievement pops up). Good work!

Yakuza 5 Review

The huge Yakuza 5 arrives remastered and closes the trilogy The Yakuza Remastered Collection on PS4, a console that already has all the main saga.

With Yakuza 5 Remastered , Sega brings the entire main series to PlayStation 4, from the prequel Yakuza 0 to the airs of change that Yakuza brings : Like a Dragon , which we will talk more about this year. Fans, new or veteran, can relive the adventures of Kazuma Kiryu with remakes, remasters and native deliveries of PS4, and Yakuza 5 closes The Yakuza Remastered Collection , the physical edition with the Yakuza of PS3 – Yakuza 3, 4 and 5 – . We only miss the spin-offs , but few apologies remain to discover this saga of brawler action and touches of role.

Yakuza 5 arrived in the final stretch of PlayStation 3, in Japan in 2012. Yakuza had not reaped the popularity it has today, still moderate but enough for Sega to trust his success even in the West. Its original launch was delayed for years, even doubting its distribution , until in 2015 it came only in digital distribution . Then we would see the success of Yakuza 0 , the wave of revisions with the Kiwami , the graphic leap with the generation and, most recently, a relief in the protagonist.

The most ambitious Yakuza

The Yakuza saga, not without lack of reason, has been criticized for recycling its main neighborhood, Kamurocho. Although from Yakuza 2 this scenario was alternated with other locations, we came from Yakuza 4 with several protagonists and a Kamurocho that yes, was enlarged with new corners, but without further urbanizations to accompany it. The public demanded more for Yakuza 5 and Sega did not disappoint, as we told you in his original analysis that we recommend you read to delve deeper into the game.

The playable bases remained almost intact : resolution of missions in the Japanese streets, a 3D beat’em up fight for the fight and great freedom to participate in sports activities, mini-games and video games, which included Virtua Fighter 2 and Taiko No Tatsujin . The usual improvements of each sequel were made, with a higher overall speed, load reduction – made the transition to fighting more comfortable – or new heat actions . Territory known for veteran fans.

The protagonists live their adventures in different cities, three of them unique to the saga.

Something that was respected from Yakuza 4 was the idea of presenting a story with multiple protagonists , and from four it went to five. We have the essential Kiryu, now with an honest job as a taxi driver in Fukuoka, Saejima and Shun Akiyama, the new Tatsuo Shinada and the young Haruka, who was a central pillar in the plot of the saga – especially in the first Yakuza – but that It had never been playable.

Already on sale The Yakuza Remastered Collection in physical, and also the three digital games separately

Already on sale The Yakuza Remastered Collection in physical, and also the three digital games separately
Today ‘The Yakuza Remastered Collection’ has been put up for sale in physical format for PS4, a pack containing ‘Yakuza 3’, ‘Yakuza 4’ and ‘Yakuza 5’ remastered, in two discs inside a striking red collector’s box adorned with the dragon tattoo of Kiryu, all for 59.99 euros. In addition, the three games are now available individually in digital format through PlayStation Network, for 24.99 euros each.

The most special thing about this Yakuza 5 is that each story also takes place in a different city , and with mini-games that grew into authentic activities. As we told you at the time, they are stories of fighting ghosts of the past, of self-improvement , whether it is the idol race that Haruka wants to undertake with the hard lessons of interpretation and training, or survival in the icy mountains of Saejima. Far from being another entertainment, we can spend tens of hours with the Another Drama that made Yakuza 5 the game with more content in the series, the most varied, and the most ambitious to date.

Haruka's story includes battles of rhythm, although the tone is less dramatic than usual and that can put some fans back.
Haruka’s story includes battles of rhythm, although the tone is less dramatic than usual and that can put some fans back.

Yakuza 5 recovered Sotenbori –Osaka-, which we knew of Yakuza 2 and then returned to Yakuza 0 , and added to Kamurocho -Kabukicho of Tokyo- the new Tsukimino -Susukino of Sapporo-, Kin’eicho -Sakae of Nagoya-, Nagusugai- Nakasu de Fukuoka-, maps of respectable size and with a completely different setting from each other, also in a matter of weather. Then, for the theme of the characters, we had evidence of illegal races, the hunting of a bear or the battles of dancing with Haruka – a rhythm minigame – so it was not all about distributing thugs to thugs and members of the yakuza.

At the plot level it is less cohesive than other ‘Yakuza’, but as an area for entertainment it is very varied.

Is he the best Yakuza then ? Not at all. Each game has strengths and weaknesses, and if it stands out for the amount of content or polishing of its playability with respect to its predecessors, the type of self-conclusion stories denoted some exhaustion in the main plot . It was inevitable: with so many characters and adventures, the quality was a bit more irregular, it felt like several different games – for the dramatic tone and diversity of the Another Drama – united in the same pack. We could say that for the fan who simply wanted a “more of the same”, Yakuza 5 fully complied; the player who preferred a narrative load full of plots between rival clans, deceits and deaths, found an adventure too light, which would then be compensated with Yakuza 6 .

A remastering similar to the previous games

Yakuza 5 took the opportunity to update the PS3 engine . The saga had used Magical-V Engine from Yakuza Kenzan! until Yakuza 4 , and although the polishing of Yakuza 5 was not a revolution – it could no longer be squeezed out of the console – changes in new visual effects of lighting or water can be seen. In his analysis we commented that the performance was improved in the situations of more graphic load and that the saw teeth, visible on the large current screens – especially if we compared it with the games of the market in 2015, for PS4-.

Yakuza 5 Remastered corrects these defects of the last generation with the improvements we had already seen in the remastering of Yakuza 3 and Yakuza 4: a rise in resolution and 60 images per second. It looks better than ever and, as it happened in the other two titles of the remastered trilogy, its graphics come to surprise more than some AA productions of the current generation without needing to touch up textures or patterns. It is obviously not Yakuza: Like a Dragon, not even Yakuza 0, but it has aged better than Yakuza 3 in appearance and comfort

‘Yakuza 3, 4 and 5’ can now be purchased in physical format with ‘The Yakuza Remastered Collection’, essential to know the evolution of the saga.

Conclusions

Yakuza 5 is one of the episodes that you most want to cover, and that is a double-edged sword. Not all the stories of the game contribute much to the set, let alone the plot of the whole saga, and loses coherence with respect to other more brilliant chapters in the narrative. A toll that was necessary to, in return, solve complaints about the recycling of the city and offer a very wide game -explains the hours of its predecessors-, which will take you tens of hours if you intend to see everything about each character. In this he has no rival.

And if you’re one of the rookies in the series that has enjoyed Yakuza 0 and the two Kiwami , The Yakuza Remastered Collection wo n’t let you down. Three huge action adventures that delve deeper into Kiryu and expand the Yakuza universe, from Yakuza 3 with the complete content that had not reached the West, the freshness of Yakuza 4 with its new protagonists or the variety of Yakuza 5 , there is no better time To become a fan of the saga.

We have performed this analysis in PS4 Pro with a code provided by Cosmocover.

Samsung and Xbox partner for cloud gaming, announce Forza Street for Galaxy devices

Is this the future of Project xCloud?

Samsung on Tuesday finally revealed details of its new flagship phone, the Galaxy S20, and its next folding device, the Galaxy Z Flip, at its Unpacked event. The Korean tech giant also talked up partnerships with companies such as Google, Netflix and, on the gaming front, Microsoft.

David Park, Samsung’s director of strategy, said on stage that the company is working with Xbox on a “premium cloud-based game streaming experience.” Park didn’t offer any other details, just saying more would be revealed in the future.

Microsoft is currently previewing its own game streaming service, Project xCloud. The cloud streaming service is expected to tie-in with Microsoft’s upcoming game console, the Xbox Series X, that comes out later in 2020.

Samsung didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the partnership, but Microsoft said they’re looking forward to sharing more about service later this year.

“We believe players around the world should have access to great, high-quality games on the device of their choice,” a Microsoft spokesperson said via email Tuesday. “Working with partners like Samsung is an important step in our Project xCloud journey and will help make game streaming more accessible for gamers. We look forward to sharing more later this year.”

Along with the announcement of a partnership, Park revealed Microsoft’s Forza Street will come to Galaxy devices. The racing game was originally released last year to Windows 10 computers. Those interested can pre-register for the game on the Galaxy Store or Google Play.

EA will move Need for Speed development back to Criterion

Ghost Games to become an EA engineering hub with 30 staff at risk

EA will return the Need for Speed franchise to UK games studio Criterion.

Current franchise leader Ghost Games in Gothenburg is set to become EA Gothenburg once again (pending Swedish Union approval). The studio will refocus itself as an engineering hub supporting development across EA’s portfolio. EA told GamesIndustry.biz that: “The engineering expertise in our Gothenburg team, some of whom are architects of the Frostbite engine, is vital to a number of our ongoing projects, and they would remain in that location.”

As for the Ghost Games creative team, EA is looking to transfer many of the staff to positions at Criterion and other places within the wider organisation. However, 30 roles remain at risk. “Outside of the engineers and those that we plan to transfer to other positions, there would be 30 additional staff in Gothenburg, and we would hope to place as many of them as possible into other roles in the company,” EA tells us.

Ghost Games has been the franchise home for Need for Speed for the last four games in the series: 2013’s Need for Speed: Rivals, the 2015 reboot, 2017’s Need for Speed: Payback and last year’s Need for Speed: Heat.

However, EA says it has struggled to attract the right talent to Gothenburg to work on the series. By contrast, Criterion is based in Guildford, which is one of the UK’s biggest game development hubs.

Criterion is known for creating the Burnout series of video games, and had previously developed two Need for Speed titles: 2010’s Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit and 2012’s Need for Speed: Most Wanted. However, in 2013 the studio downsized with many employees moving to Ghost Games (a UK Ghost Games team currently exists within Criterion’s offices). At the time, Criterion was to begin working on new projects, including a cancelled extreme sports game.

Following the departure of studio founders Alex Ward and Fiona Sperry in 2014, Criterion has spent the last five years supporting EA DICE on Star Wars: Battlefront (with its VR mission), Battlefront II and Battlefield V. During that time, the studio has also collected three GamesIndustry.biz Best Places To Work Awards wins.

“With a strong history and passion for racing games and vision for what we can create, the Criterion team is going to take Need for Speed into the next-generation,” EA stated.

“Ghost Games have helped to bring some great Need for Speed experiences to our players. Consistently delivering that at AAA levels means we need teams with diverse skills in locations where we can continually support them and bring in new team members to join. Despite our best efforts to establish an independent development group in Gothenburg over several years, it’s become clear that the breadth of talent we need to maintain a full AAA studio is just not available to us there. Criterion can also provide the consistent leadership that we need to continue creating and delivering new Need for Speed experiences for a long time to come.

“Criterion is a fantastic studio, and we’re looking forward to adding to their talented team and building a great future for Need for Speed. The engineering teams in Gothenburg are also vital to our ongoing plans across EA.”

Nioh 2 Embraces Its Darker Side While Improving The Souls-Like Action

Team Ninja’s samurai Souls-like is sharper and more focused than ever.

Team Ninja’s Nioh 2 very much continues iterating upon the methodical Souls-style samurai-influenced combat of the original game. As a prequel set several decades earlier in the Sengoku-era, before the arrival of the foreigner William, you play as a nameless Samurai who can defy death and unleash newfound abilities due to their latent demonic lineage. As a being of both the human and demon worlds, your character will rub shoulders with historical figures of the era as they take on daring missions that have them confront the dark forces running afoul in the land.

Over the last few months, Team Ninja has spent time refining the game with different open beta periods for players to jump into the action. Just before the game’s final release on March 13, we got to spend one final time with the game, where we explored a castle overrun by demons and rogue ninja. From this near-final look at the game, it was clear that the high-stress gameplay from the first Nioh remains intact, which, of course, included all those sudden embarrassing deaths that are entirely your fault because you weren’t paying attention to your surroundings. Anyone who’s played a proper Souls-like knows how it is.

Now Playing: Nioh 2 Gives Fans More Of What They Want

Just like the original, Nioh 2 is firmly rooted in the Souls-style dynamic of facing nerve-wracking challenges and overcoming powerful foes that can easily wipe the floor with you if you’re not careful. However, the sequel lets you channel your dark side with the use of Yokai powers. In addition to using conventional weapons like katanas, spears, and the new transformable switch-glaive, you also have a suite of Yokai powers that let you turn the tables on once-challenging enemies.

After slaying powerful demons throughout the world, you’ll be able to use their abilities in combat to exploit an opponent’s weakness and open them up for several quick and powerful strikes. There’s something uniquely satisfying about slaying a powerful demon and then claiming their soul for yourself. But when things get particularly hairy, you’re also able to enter a full-on Yokai state, which significantly amplifies your strength and agility. One demon form you take on, who wields a set of daggers, grants you a useful dash move that can get you out of trouble in most fights.

While Nioh 2 leans even more into Team Ninja’s action gameplay roots, placing greater emphasis on using the Yokai abilities to upend the flow of battle, the game is still Souls-like to its core. It’s the type of experience that can be an acquired taste, leaving some put off with its stoic adherence to the mechanics at work. Still, Nioh 2 offsets this challenge with the wealth of options you have at your disposal. With the refined combat system, which utilized various stance shifts, evasive dodges, and a robust magic system, there are several different weapons and skills for you to lean into depending on your playstyle. Nioh 2’s combat is a sophisticated combat system that feels unlike any other Souls-style game, which makes it all the more satisfying to master. During our hands-on, we spoke with Team Ninja producer Fumihiko Yasuda about the development of Nioh 2, and what they learned most following the success of the original game.

“When we worked on Nioh 1, we initially struggled with the concept and the world, but we ended up having a good foundation,” said Yasuda. “So after it was finished, it was just a matter of evolving it to the next level. So with Nioh 2, we added more variety in the levels and the character’s story; everything is expanded. Because it’s an action game, it tends to be, especially in the first one, repetitive due to the lack of enemy variety as well. So based on the player feedback, we made sure to have more variety in enemies and interesting gameplay and story in the second one.”

No Caption Provided

With this next game, a lot of attention has been given to refining the core combat, the online co-op gameplay, and how you develop and evolve your character as they explore Sengoku-era Japan. There are a lot more systems at work to ease the burden that many missions can thrust on you, such as the addition of AI-controlled summons known as Benevolent Spirits, an inverse on the returning Revenants that are the hostile ghosts of fallen players. The Benevolent characters can easily hold their own in a fight and are a great asset for those who want help fast or don’t have access to online play.

With that said, Nioh 2 can still be an unforgiving game. If the many unexpected pitfalls don’t get you, then you’ll likely meet your end at the hands of your enemies. When you’re not contending with the prequel’s new Dark Realm mechanic, which are areas imbued with dark energy that amplifies the enemy strength, you’ll also be on the lookout for hidden foes that attack when you least expect it. All this means you’ll need to be attuned to the game’s more advanced mechanics from the outset, such as the Ki-pulse, which restores stamina following attacks. That said, the section of Nioh 2 I played was fair in how it threw challenges your way due to the number of tools and skills you’ve got at your disposal. Yet it still left me on edge, hoping that I wouldn’t fall prey to an attack from one of the castle’s many demons.

Nioh 2 improves upon the original game’s Diablo-style RPG loot system and character building set up, which now has an overhauled skill and abilities system to develop your hero in ways that best reflect your style. Want to stick with your learnings of proper Samurai patience and resolve? You can do that. Or perhaps you want to lean more into the teachings of the ninja and Onmyo, allowing you to buff your weapons with elemental damage. You can undoubtedly follow those paths as well, and based on my time with beta and this new press demo, the sequel seems to do a better job of conveying how your character evolves.

No Caption Provided

I can’t deny that Nioh 2 feels a lot like the original. This isn’t totally a bad thing, but it can somewhat dull the excitement and sense of anticipation when it relies on similar set-pieces of the first game. Still, I was impressed with how much Nioh 2 scratches my itch for a quick Souls-like experience to jump into, and offers something new in terms of character advancement and customization–especially the addition of the Yokai powers.

Following a round of alpha and beta tests, Team Ninja has refined the core gameplay even further. These changes include tweaking boss attacks and amplifying the effectiveness of weapons, which will hopefully make the final game a bit more balanced. While the developers listened to fan feedback regarding the game’s difficulty, they still stuck to their principles with making the game that pushed its difficulty and the players. According to Yasuda, Nioh 2 maintains that focus on presenting a challenge, and the ensuing satisfaction that comes from overcoming it.

“For me, just as an example, it’s easy to make spicy food, but it needs to be addictive to eat as well,” he said. “So when making Nioh, it needs to be fair and responsive, which is one of the most important things that we look at when designing the game. It wasn’t our biggest intention or priority to make a hard game, but it was about creating, providing a sense of achievement, and a sense of satisfaction that can come from finishing the game.”

Nioh 2 has more of what fans of the original would want from the game, and it was interesting seeing just how much of a change Yokai abilities make to the flow of battle. There are far more options for you to take advantage of in the prequel, which helps make overcoming the many harrowing encounters ultimately feel more satisfying.

Nioh 2: Length, Release Date, Impressions, Pre-Order Details, And What We Know So Fa

Being the best of both worlds in Nioh 2.

Nioh proved a fantastic iteration of the massively popular Souls-like genre. At the same time, it marked a return for its developer, Team Ninja, who struggled for years to create an action game experience that rivaled the quality of its work on the original Ninja Gaiden. In 2020, the studio is looking to continue that success by releasing Nioh 2.

The upcoming sequel looks to improve upon the first in a variety of ways, as well as change things up. Below we’ve compiled everything we know about Nioh 2, including its release date, our impressions of the game so far, its length, how its combat is changing, and a lot more.

Story And Characters

Like its predecessor, Nioh 2 is set during the Sengoku period of Japanese history–this time in the year 1555, which is at the height of this era of near-constant military conflict and social upheaval. Thus, Nigh 2 serves as a prequel to the first game, and this time you play as the offspring of a human and a yokai (supernatural creatures in Japanese folklore) who goes on to become a nameless mercenary that battles hostile yokai. But with great power comes great responsibility, so it’s not long before you become embroiled in the more significant conflict sweeping across Japan. Early summaries describing the game’s story indicate that you’ll be encountering several real-life historical figures, including Oda Nobunaga, Maeda Toshiie, Masakatsu Hachisuka, and more.

Though what’s most interesting about Nioh 2’s story is the fact that the protagonist seems to be one half of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a famous historical figure who left an influential and lasting legacy on the country’s history during the Sengoku period–suggesting a fictional explanation that Hideyoshi is actually two different people. Currently, there are more questions than answers, so time will tell what this is all about!

Release Date

Nioh 2 is scheduled to release on March 14, 2020. It’ll be a timed-exclusive for PS4 up until November when it’ll then launch for PC.

Create Your Own Legendary Samurai

Unlike the original, you create and customize your protagonist, so you’re free to choose your own gender and customize a host of other cosmetic characteristics. Based on the recent beta, it seems you can touch up your character’s appearance at any time after starting the game. It’s also possible to generate a shareable code that other players can use to take on your character’s appearance in their game.

New Combat Possibilities

Nioh 2’s combat looks to build upon the original in significant ways by expanding the abilities available. Your character’s unique half-yokai bloodline affords you a host of devastating supernatural powers, such as the ability to summon demons and even transform into one yourself for a limited time. All of these abilities are tied to unlocks on an extensive set of skill trees; Nioh 2 doesn’t feature one branching tree, but several–one for each weapon and playstyle in the game. There are tons of abilities you can invest in to tailor your character to your exact combat specifications.

Currently, we know there are four main playstyle categories: Ninja, Samurai, Onmyo Magic, and a new one called Shiftling. As you can imagine, the Shiftling playstyle focuses on increasing the potency and power of yokai abilities.

In terms of weapon types, everything from the first game is back, which includes: Sword, Dual Swords, Axe, Kusarigama, Spear, Tonfa, and the Odachi. Though, there are two new additions this time: the Dual Hatchets and the Switchglaive. The Dual Hatchets allows for quick combat attacks that can quickly close the distance, while the Switchglaive is essentially a Bloodborne-like weapon that can transform into various configurations, each with different attacks.

How Will Multiplayer Work?
Cooperative play is returning in Nioh 2, and this time you can have two friends join you instead of one. All this has us questioning just how tough the enemies and bosses will get in Nioh 2, but for now, we’ll settle for not thinking about it until the time comes, and we’re being killed hundreds of times, which will undoubtedly leave us with no choice but to call on the help of friends.

How Long Will It Be?
During a recent interview, Nioh 2 producer Fumihiko Yasuda confirmed that Nioh 2 will be similar in length and amount of content as the original. He commented: “So the number of the main missions is about the same. It’s lengthwise about the same as Nioh 1, but when we looked at how long it took for the players to complete Nioh 1, it depended on the player, how good they were, how they played it, etc. So it’s hard to say, but when I played the game this past January, it took me 55 hours.”

Looks like Nioh 2 will be keeping you busy for quite a while. And if we’re counting side-content, it could take even longer to beat.

Other Major Additions

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The original Nioh’s world was a smattering of ravaged shrines and villages, which didn’t offer much in terms of visuals to make your journey through Japan that memorable. The demons you fought also lacked intrigue and were often repetitive in design. Based on early trailers, Team Ninja seems to be addressing these issues in the sequel. There are more intriguing otherworldly locales; your character is capable of traversing the demonic realm this time. And it appears there’s a larger cast of gruesome foes to slay, like a terrifying anthropomorphic horse creature and a fiery cat-lady demon with wagon wheels for legs.

The first game was pretty rough which isn’t bad, but it made for some frustrating moments early on. For less-skilled players, there exists a new feature in Nioh 2 called Benevelot Graves. These are essentially a friendly version of the Bloody Graves from the first game. But instead of summoning a hostile AI version of another player, it brings into your world a friendly one that can tag along with you as a companion.

General Impressions: How Is The Game So Far?
We got the chance to check out Nioh 2 at a recent preview event. According to editor Alessandro Fillari, “Nioh 2 has more of what fans of the original would want from the game, and it was interesting seeing just how much of a change Yokai abilities make to the flow of battle. There are far more options for you to take advantage of in the prequel, which helps make overcoming the many harrowing encounters ultimately feel more satisfying.” For more about how Nioh 2 is shaping up, check out Alessandro’s Nioh 2 preview.

Will My Nioh 1 Save Date Transfer?
Team Ninja has confirmed that you will get a bonus in the final version of Nioh 2 if you have a save from the first game. However, the specific benefits you’ll get from loading your old data are still unknown. But there is one entertaining bonus you may be able to get already…

Can You Play As William?
Despite being a prequel, you can play as Nioh 1 protagonist William in Nioh 2. During the previous beta, if you had a save from the first game, you could gain access to a cosmetic skin that turns your character into William. Whether or not this fun nod the original makes it into the final game remains unclear.

When’s The Next Beta?
The last Nioh 2 beta took place in November 2019. Team Ninja has not announced plans for another beta in the coming future, but if the studio handles things as it did with the first game, there’s a chance there will be a final demo for Nioh 2 a few weeks before launch.

How Do I Pre-order?
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There are two versions of Nioh 2 available for pre-order: standard and the special edition. Priced at $60 USD at major retailers, the standard edition is just the game. However, pre-ordering it will net you bonus DLC, which includes the Hades armor set, a Sudama Netsuke charm, and an exclusive PS4 theme and avatar set.

See Nioh 2 at Amazon

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On the other hand, the special edition costs $80 and nets you the game, the DLC mentioned above, a steelbook case, the season pass, and an artbook. Currently, you can only pre-order it on GameStop and Best Buy.

See Nioh 2 Special Edition at Best Buy

See Nioh 2 (Special Edition) at GameStop

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.

Yakuza 5 Has One Of The Best Opening Chapters; Remaster Is Out Now On PS4

Kiryu didn’t choose the yakuza life, the yakuza life chose him.

A couple years ago, I got drawn into Kazuma Kiryu’s world, the world of Yakuza games, being completely enamored by charismatic characters and the allure of rowdy city streets. The series’ pitch-perfect blend of gripping melodrama and absurdist humor is as consistent as kindhearted tough-guy Kazuma Kiryu getting suckered into his former gang’s illicit business. With Yakuza 5 Remastered out now, alongside the whole Yakuza Remastered Collection, the entire saga is now playable on PlayStation 4. Each entry was memorable in its own right, but Yakuza 5’s opening chapter is the one that will forever be burnt into my memory.

On a calm winter night in Fukuoka, about 700 miles from his home turf of Kamurocho in Tokyo, Kiryu’s chaotic life is shown to have seemingly settled down again. He’s a cab driver assuming a new identity under a different name, appearing to have put decades of his life involved in the yakuza in the past, for real this time. But it’s not just that Kiryu had to move far away to leave the criminal underworld behind, he had to leave everything behind: the kids at his orphanage who relied on him, the people who truly had his back, and even his adoptive daughter Haruka. All of it.

The very first scene shows some familiar yakuza business brewing in Fukuoka with Tojo Clan chairman Daigo Dojima involved, the man Kiryu mentored to take care of the gang. It just so happens that Kiryu picks up Daigo in his cab, followed by cryptic exchanges between the two. In true melodramatic fashion, Daigo acknowledges he knows it’s Kiryu driving, and refers to his undefined drop-off as a metaphor for Daigo having to run the clan himself.

Daigo Dojima is always in need of Kiryu’s help.

This opening also shows the series at its most cinematic, with the opening credits and a bittersweet tune over your introduction to Kiryu’s mundane life behind the wheel. He talks about his past life in vague terms to those around him in Fukuoka, yet they all understand and respect him. Though none of it is explicitly stated, it’s immediately understood where he’s at in his life.

The gameplay in the first chapter also leans heavily into that narrative core. You don’t necessarily need to go around beating the crap out of goons unless they really deserve it. You go out on a night of drinking with your carefree boss, work at a ramen stand, take people around town in your cab, and transfer funds to your orphanage at the corner store ATM. The kids send heartfelt messages after giving back, and as sad as it is, Kiryu is convinced that his presence only puts them in danger, especially with Haruka growing into a successful pop idol.

At least for the opening hours, you experience both the solace of Kiryu living a normal life and the pain that comes from being detached from those he loves. It’s not like he hasn’t tried something like this before–Yakuza 3 also has Kiryu trying to build a life outside of the seedy streets of Kamurocho, running an orphanage near a small beachfront town. However, gang life and the violence and drama attached to it followed him regardless.

After five whole games of him rarely turning a blind eye to injustice in the street, taking care of those in need, raising Haruka and other kids as his own, Kiryu shows the reluctance of cutting himself off. To the surprise of absolutely no one who plays these games, trouble finds Kiryu and ropes him back into the Tojo Clan’s messy drama, but you see that it’s the hardest he’s fought against the idea of coming back.

That’s just scratching the surface of Yakuza 5–it’s the longest entry in the series, spanning five playable characters across five different locations. You’ll play as Haruka who overcomes the struggles of working as a pop idol through rhythm-game mechanics, and continue the trials and tribulations of Taiga Saejima who has his own gripping arc in snow-covered Hokkaido. Yakuza is one of those series where you’ll want to play them all in sequential order to get the full picture, which you can now do, all on the PS4.