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NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams

flameboy

By flameboy
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Hellfire Newbie

Hellfire

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It's not a remake, it's an enhanced port. I heard something about a PC version, but I didn't confirm it at the time.

 

Also, I'll be playing this game soon, so I'll speak my mind on it.

  • 2 weeks later...
Will Contributor

Will

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It was the 25th, we haven't been told anything about the change though so I've no idea how accurate that is. I certainly hope its out next week, been waiting ages to get my hands on this game.

ShadowV7 Newbie

ShadowV7

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Yea same here. I've seen some retailers listing it as the 18th aswell. Wait a sec, didn't SEGA release a list of their games and this was listed for the 18th?

 

Yea they did. Just checked it.

Owen Newbie

Owen

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Well i did get this for Christmas and have been playing it on and off, and even though it's no-where near as good as galaxy, it certainly has a certain charm.

 

I like it at the mo, it's probably not for everyone though.

 

and i found out that 'Nights' is a boy, which surprised me?

Owen Newbie

Owen

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Nights is a boy? I was sure I read one time that he has no gender, because he represents both boys and girls in their dreams?

 

Well you could be right, but the owl in a certain sentence stated he/his?

 

I like the idea of Nights representing both genders though, very clever.

pedrocasilva Newbie

pedrocasilva

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Siliconera's Impressions:

 

Okay, I'm going to level with you right now, before I get this article started. My experience with the original NiGHTS for the Saturn is limited at best. I know all about it, of course, but I only played it very little several years ago when it came out. I never had a Saturn growing up, so I never really got much of a chance to play it. However, if Journey of Dreams is any indication, I missed out on quite an experience. Many were unsure of how Journey of Dreams would turn out, seeing as it was developed by Sonic Team USA, who don't exactly have the greatest track record (Shadow the Hedgehog, anyone?). However, in my eyes at least, NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams redeems Sonic Team USA for Shadow the Hedgehog, and them some.

 

The story in NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams revolves around two children, Will and Helen, and their visit to Nightopia, which is a world that people can only visit in their sleep. While there they meet NiGHTS, an androgynous jester, and get caught up in a battle to save Nightopia from the Nightmarens and their evil leader Wizeman. The whole thing feels like a Disney movie, with the characters learning important lessons about trust and themselves along the way. The story is told through fully voiced (and sadly, unskippable) cutscenes that somehow manage to look worse than the in-game graphics. The voices all have a British quality to them, especially NiGHTS, who has a VERY feminine voice. There's also a very creepy quality to the characters, like their heads are far too large for their bodies. Or maybe that's all in my imagination, who knows.

 

When I first started up Journey of Dreams, I was greeted with the option to use one of four control schemes. The Wii Remote + Nunchuk, the Wii Remote by itself, the Classic Controller, or the GameCube controller. Initially, I decided to try out using the Wii Remote. However, this didn't feel right for some reason, so I switched to the Classic Controller, which I used for the remainder of the game. Oh, I did try out the Wii Remote and Nunchuk control scheme once, but it just didn't work well at all. Using the Wii Remote's pointer function to guide NiGHTS works horribly, as there seems to be lag between your motions and the game reacting to them. It's really another case of having motion controls just for the sake of having them. Thankfully though, you can use a standard control scheme, which works far better.

 

There's several gameplay elements in Journey of Dreams, but the main attraction here is the flying. Being basically new to NiGHTS, I was confused at first when trying to get the hang of flying. I didn't realize that the flying wasn't really 3D, but 2D masquerading as 3D. You can only move in the 2D plane. Still, even with this, flying just feels great. There's a real sense of freedom to it. Dashing, doing stunts, and looping in the air feels wonderful. The main flying levels consist of chasing down a bird who holds the key to a cage. You'll actually do this three times, each time with a different path through the stage. Aside from these main flying stages, there's several other types of stages as well. Some are fun, such as the levels where you have to fly through as many rings in a row as possible. Others are…not so fun, namely the stages where you don't play as NiGHTS. In particular there's a level in Will's story where you have to help Helen find her way back to her dream. This stage is simply horrible, and can get very frustrating. Other stages fall somewhere inbetween, like the stage where NiGHTS turns into a rollercoaster car, or the stage where you ride a boat-shaped NiGHTS down a rushing river. While not the pure fun of the flying stages, they're not nearly as bad as the stages where you control the kids.

 

The presentation in Journey of Dreams is a mixed bag. The pre-rendered cutscenes look great, but the in-game cutscenes look absolutely awful. Like, early PS2-era awful. The in-game graphics are very nice though, and while they don't push the Wii's capabilities in any way, the art direction makes up for this greatly. The worlds in NiGHTS are a joy to behold. Colorful and bright, the worlds really give off a sense of joy and happiness. While I know this might not be appealing to all gamers, anyone whose heart isn't made of stone will really love the atmosphere the game puts out. And the music…Let's put it this way. I could do a whole article on the music in Journey of Dreams. It's simply wonderful. Ranging from dreamy, ethereal IDM/ambient inspired stuff to sweeping, majestic orchestral pieces, this game's soundtrack is one of the best I've ever experienced. The only minor blemish is the song that plays during the end credits. It's a vocal piece with about three different singers, and well…Ever heard that "I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas" song, sung by Gayla Peevy? Yeah, the prominent singer in the end credits song sounds just like her. Her voice basically makes me want to jam icepicks in my ears so I can never hear her sing ever again. It's got about the same "what the hell is this song doing in this game?" quality as the end credits song in Symphony of the Night. Other than this, though, the soundtrack is absolutely perfect. And I mean that, too. It's on the same level as the Baroque soundtrack in my eyes. It's just that good.

 

The game also features Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support. There's actually two ways the game utilizes this. The first is called "My Dream", kind of a hybrid of Animal Crossing and the Chao raising parts of Sonic Adventure 2. As you rescue Nightopians throughout the game, they'll appear in your My Dream world. Over time, they'll start planting trees, building various things, and all sorts of other interesting stuff. No two My Dream worlds will be alike. Using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, you can visit other My Dream worlds. There's really very little you can do here, aside from look at other people's worlds and communicate through preset emoticon-like symbols, but it's still a neat feature. The other Wi-Fi mode is a two player race, which you can play with random opponents or people on your friends list. This is exactly like it sounds, a race between two players in one of the game's various stages. One player controls NiGHTS, the other his evil counterpart Reala. This mode plays very smoothly, and I experienced no lag at all. Overall the Wi-Fi support in NiGHTS is kinda limited, but still a nice addition.

 

How does NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams stack up to the original? Honestly I can't say. I went into this game with no expectations, not holding it up to any preset standard, and I was surprised with just how much fun I had with it. Hardcore fans of the original game might dislike some of the additions to the NiGHTS formula. And admittedly some of them are unnecessary. But most players who aren't holding this game up to the original won't mind these.

 

Overall, NiGHTS is great fun. It has a very dreamlike, happy feel to it, that gamers of all ages should enjoy. Between unlocking things, trying to break your records, and just going back and replaying stages for fun, there's enough here to keep you coming back long after you've finished the game, and if you're anything like me, you'll enjoy every minute of it.

Source: http://www.siliconera.com/2007/12/27/nights-journey-of-dreams-it-truly-is-a-dream/

 

Sounds good.

flameboy Newbie

flameboy

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Well i did get this for Christmas and have been playing it on and off, and even though it's no-where near as good as galaxy, it certainly has a certain charm.

 

I like it at the mo, it's probably not for everyone though.

 

and i found out that 'Nights' is a boy, which surprised me?

 

So would you recommend this as the next adventure to sink ones teeth into after Mario?

K-project Newbie

K-project

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Posted

If it's anything like the Saturn original, then I say it's completely unfair to compare it on any level to Mario. It's not really an adventure in any sense. You fly around, perform stunts and better your scores. There was a brief period when the original came out where it was referred to as a "Score Attack" game. That's a phrase I've not heard for years, but it's accurate I reckon.

 

The original NiGHTS suffered greatly in 1996 from comparisons with Mario64. It's a completely different experience altogether, and very unique. Anyone who hasn't played the Saturn game really ought to try before you buy I feel. It's a bit like Shenmue in that respect - you either love it or hate it. I love it personally.

Owen Newbie

Owen

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So would you recommend this as the next adventure to sink ones teeth into after Mario?

 

Yes!

 

I'm an adventure game fan, and this is pretty good.

 

Graphically, it looks superb in places and very ropey in others, which is ashame, and using the Wii as a pointer is a big no, no. So you'll lose the 'Wii Controls' so to speak.

 

Other then that, i like it. I would recommend buying it, saying that, if it's Zak and Wiki VS Nights debate, as there out the same-day, then Zak and Wiki is the better pick.

  • 2 weeks later...
Hellfire Newbie

Hellfire

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Posted

THIS GAME IS OUT TOMORROW PEOPLE! ARE YOU ALL SLEEPING?

I suppose it's to be expected, it's a love or hate game and people are swayed by the reviews, but it annoys me to see such a great game being ignored, specially after all the wait -.-

ShadowV7 Newbie

ShadowV7

Posted
Posted
THIS GAME IS OUT TOMORROW PEOPLE! ARE YOU ALL SLEEPING?

I suppose it's to be expected, it's a love or hate game and people are swayed by the reviews, but it annoys me to see such a great game being ignored, specially after all the wait -.-

 

I can't wait for this. Been looking forward to this since it got announced. I tried to get it today but internet failed me, so hopefully it'll arrive tomorrow.

 

I hope the original theme tune is in it...

Hero-of-Time Mentor

Hero-of-Time

Posted
Posted
THIS GAME IS OUT TOMORROW PEOPLE! ARE YOU ALL SLEEPING?

I suppose it's to be expected, it's a love or hate game and people are swayed by the reviews, but it annoys me to see such a great game being ignored, specially after all the wait -.-

 

Mine got shipped this morning from gameplay ( along with Ghost Squad ) so it should arrive tomorrow. Its a great weekend for us Euro Wii owners.

ShadowV7 Newbie

ShadowV7

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Mine got shipped this morning from gameplay ( along with Ghost Squad ) so it should arrive tomorrow. Its a great weekend for us Euro Wii owners.

 

Where i'm getting mine from. Really hope it arrives tomorrow, cause when the post comes i'll literally run down,rip open the envelope and run upstairs as fast as my legs can carry me.

 

I'm really looking forward to this. And agreed, great week for us. Maybe the VC will treat us aswell. Better check what got released.

 

And it did 1080 SnowBoarding.

Will Contributor

Will

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I'm really excited about this, been waiting for 11 years! Hopefully work will give me my copy before I leave today but I have a bad feeling I'm going to be waiting until next week to get it.

darksnowman Enthusiast

darksnowman

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Meh still undecided about this...maybe one day I will pick it up.

 

Same here, after reviews not setting the world alight I've decided to let this slip by. I'll be checking opinion on here though but I think I rightly made Zack and Wiki my priority this weekend.

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