1) You have way more options in terms of attack types that can be used at will for a variety of effects, offering far more per-second options than you're allowed in the Souls games (which are largely dependent on "What's your build?" and then just doing the best thing you've got when you get the chance).
2) Collision detection is actually really good in Nioh, whereas it is notoriously crap in the Souls games.
Those two things alone put it in an entirely different category, IMO.
Eh collision is about the same as souls. So many deaths from attacks that were nowhere near me, or enemies changing direction in mid attack to track my dodge.
As for the high low mid thing, its cool and all but I find myself using one stance exclusively per weapon anyway.
Its still a step up like how dark souls 2 added in proper dual wield movesets.
But this really does just feel like another souls game. Its TOO much of a copycat, I think.
I only used coop in Dark Souls to knock out bosses quickly when I didn't feel like learning patterns or something. Pure laziness and I never liked the combat system there, whereas I love combat in Nioh. It's just extremely responsive and nuanced. For example, being in High Stance with a katana you can dodge backwards out of range of an attack and then immediately hit Triangle to launch forward in a sort of dodge counterattack. Similar options with side rolls. The parry/counter windows are pretty tight and sort of weird at first but that's how Counter was in the original Ninja Gaiden, too. They made it more of an instant thing in the following games but yeah.
That kind of stuff was in dark souls as well. Back step and attack to lunge with thrust weapons, etc.
I'm literally using spears in the same way I used Richards rapier lol. Bait backsteo and flurry thrust.
I'm not sure I agree totally with either of your points, though it really depends on which souls game you mean. Bloodborne has great hitboxes (ignoring watchdog) and its weapons are really varied especially compared to Dark Souls (less weapons but more variety in usage) though DS2 hitboxes are really awful, and I think they scale with a stat lol DS1 it never really felt like an issue for me but I know Bloodborne improved significantly in terms of hitboxes
I think in the full game it's likely Nioh will win on all aspects though I don't feel it's an extremely important factor as long as both have variety, personally I prefer DS1 than any of the other games in the series combine. Any idea how weapon scaling works at higher levels for Nioh?
Did you ever play Bloodborne? I know a lot of people much preferred the combat in that than Dark Souls since it was a lot quicker. I'm pretty sure there were backwards roll attacks in those games but I imagine Nioh will be more deliberate in a sense. I can't really explain why I like Dark Souls 1 so much more than other similar games, maybe it was just the frame of mind I was in back then.
I realised I use axes mainly so that's why I never ran into parrying. I only really used summoning in Dark Souls for SL1 stuff or pvp and skipped it entirely in the rest of the games pretty much. I would assume Nioh PvP would be really well recieved if they can get a good system going.
Dark souls 1 is easily the best out of everything due to the balance and sheer variety. Couldn't get into the second game as much.
Also I couldn't get into blood borne. All the gear looks the same and with Souls games once you get the hang of the wonky mechanics all challenge is gone so the only thing keeping me going is the gear to unlock.
Like I'm replaying the first stage in the nioh demo to get the rest of the green guys and level up and practice. I'm back at the boss and having trouble with him again. So I'm just practicing and figuring out the mechanics. I have almost no stamina to work with so all I can do is poke once and run before his spin counter so the fight takes SO LONG its tedious not even fun. Also his hit boxes are wonky as hell. Just body slammed me and I died even though I dodged the slam. Also gotten hit by the double overhead despite clearly dodging it.
