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NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams

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pedrocasilva Newbie

pedrocasilva

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Poster:

 

gsposter3jx5.jpg

 

1Up Preview: (tidbits)

 

Previews: NiGHTS

NiGHTs heads to the desert in our exclusive new preview.

 

After 11 years, thousands of fan outcries, and three console generations, here we are, getting a sense that an actual Nights sequel is on the way. The Saturn classic -- you know, the one Sega claimed would take down Super Mario 64 back when "next-gen" meant "3D" -- sat lonely for a decade, but now we've finally seen enough that it has settled in: a sequel exists.

 

Granted, we still haven't played Journey of Dreams (you may prefer to call it Nights 2), so questions on just how it feels to fly again will have to wait, but Sega recently provided a look at a new level of the game, named The Dream of Desert, that shows a bit more about how the gameplay works and reveals part of the story behind it all.

 

The idea here is that Will -- one of the new characters in the sequel -- has lost contact with his father, which has led to him having nightmares. So for this level, or "Nightopia" as the game calls it, players will come across objects that tie-in with his past. An amusement park is there to reflect the happy times of his childhood (and his current sadness as the sand all around covers it up). A beanstalk rising out of the ground "serves as a subconscious symbol of Will's inner desire to grow up and escape the desolation he feels," according to an official Sega description.

 

Okay, so that part makes sense, and certainly fits in with the types of levels we saw in the original Nights, but the next part of the level takes things in a more confusing direction. Once you transform into Nights and start flying around ("dualize" as Sega calls it), you come across televisions in the world. Touch them, and a lake in the background grows to the point that the desert becomes a water-filled paradise with free stuff everywhere; miss them, and the desert takes over with enemies thrown your way.

 

It makes sense from a gameplay perspective, and the idea of levels that change as you go seems like it'll work quite well, but if you're confused by the TVs, we can't say we've got an answer for you. Maybe it's a metaphor for teaching kids television is good. Or perhaps more likely, it'll tie-in with other aspects of the game we don't know about just yet.

 

Given how careful Sega has been with what questions it can answer about the game, we wouldn't be surprised to see a number of new elements introduced to the game structure -- how you get from level to level, how you balance your time between controlling Nights and controlling the kids, and how you switch between characters are all things we're waiting to figure out.

 

But The Dream of Desert does a nice job confirming there's more variety to the game than the limited glimpse seen in previous screenshots and at E3. The visuals, as you can see in the latest screens, have sparked a lot of mixed reactions and will likely to continue to do so, but from a gameplay perspective Journey of Dreams seems quite promising. We'll definitely need to see more before we can say much definitively about the game's quality, given how secretive Sega has been, but this latest glimpse is a good sign that there will at least be some variety along the way.

Source: http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3162068
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pedrocasilva Newbie

pedrocasilva

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GameSpy Preview:

 

NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams (Wii)

One of the most beautiful games in Sega's history looks to be in good form on Wii.

 

Pros: The return of a Saturn classic beloved by fans; gameplay still unique and challenging.

 

Cons: Still some little flaws in graphics; motion-based control system may need polish.

 

When asked, not every gamer will know what NiGHTS is, but you can bet that a decent-sized chunk would answer very enthusiastically to the affirmative. NiGHTS was in fact a non-Sonic game created by Sonic Team for the good old Saturn more than ten years ago. Now, Sega is finally bringing back the beloved franchise on Wii, and, from what we could see in the eyes-only presentation at Leipzig today, it could live up to the hopes of all its many fans.

 

NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams is basically an action game which takes place in the dreams of Will and Helen, a young boy and girl who use that strange dream world in order to face and solve the challenges they have to face in their everyday lives. The dream world Nightopia is inhabited by all sort of creatures, both good and malevolent. To help the two children against the threat of the evil Nightmarens there is NiGHTS, a bizarre creature dressed like a jester who flies through the levels collecting orbs and looping around foes.

 

It looks like in some parts of the game the player will take direct control of Will and Helen, but in the level that was played for us NiGHTS was the king of the action. Each level has a time limit, and the end of it should be reached in time and with the right score. In order to do this, you have to fly NiGHTS through rings that boost his speed, and collect orbs that give you points. If you string together flying through rings and collecting orbs, you can form combos that will multiply your score and help you get to the next level. As far as the combat is concerned, NiGTHS can directly attack his enemies with his dash or fly around them in order to create a vortex they'll be sucked into.

 

Apart from the flying level, a boss fight was also shown. In this case, the perspective was vertical and the level looked like a sort of a pinball, where the player had to fight against a floating clown who tended to drop down towards the bottom of the level. The player had to prevent it from happening, pushing the boss up, or grabbing him and launching him towards the top, avoiding or breaking various obstacles. It didn't look so simple to do, and eventually the clown was sent through the roof of the level and disappeared.

 

There are two ways of controlling NiGHTS' movements: one is by the more classical analog stick on the Nunchuk, while the other is moving the Wiimote. According to the impressions the SEGA employee who was playing the game gave us, the first and more classical control system is definitely the best to use. The other looks a bit unruly and less practical. The rep added that, after all, not every Wii game should be played with the Wiimote just because it's on the console. We agree, but we'll hold our own judgment on NiGHTS specifically until we get some real hands-on with it.

 

As far as the graphic compartment is concerned, it's nice and reminiscent of the old Saturn game. The colors are very bright and the levels well resemble the idea of a childish dream. Some of the graphic effects are cool, for example the water transparencies and the underwater effects. Scheduled for a November release, Journey of Dreams could be a great blast from the past for longtime Sega fans.

Source: http://wii.gamespy.com/wii/nights-into-dreams/815641p1.html

 

 

Gamespot Preview:

 

GC '07: NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams Impressions

We watch a short, dreamy level in Sega's upcoming adventure.

 

We recently checked in with Sega at the Leipzig Games Convention and got a second glance at NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams. First, we saw the presenter choose between a sleeping boy and a sleeping girl for his character. Once he chose the boy, the game switched to a cutscene of the lad playing soccer with his dad, and busting all manner of fancy moves. Then, the scene turned grey, Dad got into a car, and our hero was left alone and scared, crying in the center of an entire, evil soccer team with red, glowing eyes. But instead of wetting the bed and hitting the meds, you do the right thing and enter the dreamworld of Nightopia as a fancy-dancy NiGHT in order to battle the Nightmaren forces.

 

Upon entering the world of Nightopia, you're still in your normal, human form, and you're faced with a hub full of dream doors. Our presenter entered one, and found himself in a verdant green zone full of bright rings, hills, waterfalls, and a huge, golden orb floating on a chain like a metal balloon. He climbed the chain, entered the orb, and--TA-DA--, turned into the flamboyant harlequin that NiGHTS fans know and love. From there, he spotted a bird with keys he needed to catch. So off he flew, loop-de-looping in midair and dashing after the troublesome toucan.

 

 

Contrary to normal notions of flight, you can't go just anywhere in NiGHTS; you're actually flying on a 2D plane that bends around the level on a set course. You can move up, down, back and forth, but not to your left or right. It's like if you took a side-scrolling shooter and wrapped it around a big, crazy shape--in this case, a floating mountain racecourse. In his pursuit of the bird, our presenter darted through rings and hit speed boosts to bring himself into range, then leapt on the beast's back and stole its keys. From there, he had to fly to the end of the racecourse and deposit his plunder for a grade.

 

 

But that was not the end of the birds or their keys, because another appeared and had to be caught along a slightly different course that led through crystal-cave waterfalls and rosebushes. Once our presenter caught up to that bird, he had to catch another, at which point he had enough keys to beat the current stage and unlock the next. After dispatching the flock, we were shown the game's first boss fight: a game of topsy-turvy pinball against a fat, evil clown. If you've read our first preview, you already know how this battle unfolds. You must knock the ball-shaped clown upward through an obstacle course and into a crystal at the top, killing him.

 

 

Victorious, our presenter ended his session to great applause. We only got a brief taste of NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, but it was nice and sweet. We can't wait to tell you more about this game when it ships in the fourth quarter of this year.

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/wii/action/nightsjourneyofdreams/news.html?sid=6177427
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pedrocasilva Newbie

pedrocasilva

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Rumor:

 

NiGHTS delayed until Q1 2008

 

According to the admin from NightsIntoDreams.com and his source from Leipzig, NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams will be delayed until Q1 2008. This is a blessing in disguise; now it won’t have to go up against four heavy hitters this holiday season. That, and Sonic Team said the game was about 55% complete. This isn’t good. The last thing we want them to do is rush this.

 

Here is the direct message from Niraven:

 

As for our source of the delay, it’s as high up as it gets. You see, the German magazines said Christmas 2007 was the release date as did Daniel our demo-guy. When we got Nintendo’s publishing dates, it was listed as November. We contacted SEGA this morning and spoke with SEGA’s Product and PR Manager and he told us that it’s been officially pushed to Q1 2008. That’s literally “this morning’s newsâ€, and it’s coming from the most credible source it can come from.
Source: http://www.seganerds.com/2007/08/27/nights-delayed-until-q1-2008-plus-new-videos/
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ShadowV7 Newbie

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I don't believe this much due to the Q3/Q4 list getting shown during Leipzeg so all the dates were finalised shortly before it so it seems weird them announcing a delay at Leipzeg.

 

Just gotta wait and see, though I really am looking forward to this for some reason.

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DCK Newbie

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I hope the game gets delayed. A Q1 delay usually means a further delay and more development time would be the key thing in making this a good game.

 

Also, someone at Sega should go to prison for the music in that trailer.

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pedrocasilva Newbie

pedrocasilva

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I just have got the feeling, an could someone clear this up for me please, that they only show screenshots from the same two levels all the time?

 

If it's the case could it be that the game won't be very long and is still quite unfinished?

NiGHTS shouldn't be very long, for instance the original one was composed of 7 levels, key factor here is replayability, NiGHTS is, at heart... a high-score game that you can always master further; that said... if they did more levels I wouldn't complain... But I prefer 7 good levels to 14 bad ones.
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ShadowV7 Newbie

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I'm having a idea... What if Sega delayed the game but still made a Christmas NiGHTS demo? :heh:

 

Actually that's a great idea.If they are gonna delay it that would certainly ease the pain to wait for the real deal.And being the first demo for the Wii, it will get attention.

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jammy2211 Newbie

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I still can't tell what I think of this game.

 

On one hand it's the sequel to a pretty big franchise, it's exclusive, got a lovely art style and the original was great.

 

On the other, it's being made by Sonic Team and the graphics seem a bit lazy and rushed, which I hope doesn't represent the whole package.

 

So yeah, I guess time shall tell, with such a hectic release schedule well into Q2 2008, I don't think I'll have time for this but if it surprises reviewers and the like then who knows?

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DCK Newbie

DCK

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You know, I really hope it is. The FMVs seems a great (although cheesy) effort, but the graphics are PS2ish (except the great looking casino level for some reason) and although the gameplay may seem good, it's still Sonic Team rushing this into Q4...

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