After Journey of Dreams
I’m sad because its like they turned NiGHTS who was awesome into something really rubbishy…
Even those that like the gameplay, it seems like the actual character isn’t the same that we (I) loved before. Before NiGHTS was mysterious and whimsical, and there was so little known about the world and the characters.
I just wanna know what others think so i can see some arguments that may open my mind
Actually, most fans of the original NiD generally weren’t big on JoD. On the NiGHTS forum, it’s typically tolerated by older NiGHTS fans, but younger gamers prefer it to NiD.
There was some controversy a while back as a blog post by an anonymous Sega employee leaked information that pretty much proved that Sega half-assed the project. It was potentially going to be a larger game for 360/PS3. The game was rushed out to get a release before Christmas (not that this helped sales). And the final product is apparently pretty weak, as Sonic Team isn’t a respectful development team anymore. Although the leader of the project was apparently passionate about NiGHTS, for whatever that’s worth.
Even though I’m pretty hardcore about NiGHTS, I haven’t played it. After reading reviews, I decided it wasn’t worth buying a Wii just for that one game. It does have a few good points though. NiGHTS’ JoD design is popular, with good reason. And I do own the OST, which is excellent.
Still, Sega did drop the ball with JoD. Izuka has stated that he would like to make a NiGHTS 3, which could potentially make up for it. I don’t think JoD’s badness harms the original NiD, which I still consider loads of fun. If that’s what you mean by “NiGHTS has lost its magic” then I would argue, otherwise, it’s just the unfortunate state of affairs.
I certainly enjoyed the normal flying sections in NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, and I think any fan of the original should try to look past the parts of the game that were lacking and make the most of what were given. It reminds me of Sonic Adventure in that respect. The Big the Cat stages weren’t particularly fitting, but the excellent Sonic sections made up for it.
The story sections were decremental to the overall experience though. Sonic Team should focus less on creating cut scenes and revert back to the simplistic story telling found in Megadrive games like Sonic 3 & Knuckles. There’s no need for voice acting, simply show what’s happening with a brief section of inactivity (or better yet, let the player control the character while the story is being told, Half-Life 2 style). The developers of the new Rocket Knight game did a great job of reproducing the basic story telling from the Megadrive era. If another NiGHTS game is made, I’d like to see the story telling simplified in this fashion.
Definitely. Not only does it add to the mystery around the NiGHTS character, it also means there’s not a lot of storyline for them to mess up. I haven’t played JoD and don’t plan on doing so, as far as I’ve seen it’s just a rehash of the original that doesn’t add anything new to the game (or at least nothing good). I’ve said this before, but I think fl0wer on the PS3 is a really nice example of how a NiGHTS game could work on the current generation of consoles. Being able to fly around freely in a surreal world, the music, the limited storyline, … Even though the game became repetitive very quickly and was over in a couple of hours, those first few levels reminded me just how awesome a true NiGHTS sequel could be if it’s done right.
I’ve not played the new NiGHTS, and I won’t. Some things are best left untouched.
Hear, hear.
Why let mixed reception stop you from playing? Some non-SEGA outlets were critical of the original game. Not to mention a similar release in this day would have many claiming it should be a $20 downloadable game instead of a retail title. And the on-foot parts of that game were pretty awful, though I guess they’re a far smaller part of the gameplay? You can always replay the original to see the magic again if it’s really lost in the sequel. If Solo calls (some of) it good, it probably is, right? How is the PS2 release of the original?
Yeah, some. Gamerankings has it at an 88% average. The sequel is 20% lower.
The combination of mediocre reviews as well as Youtube videos of terrible cutscenes with stupid voice overs was all it took to tell me not to play Journey of Dreams. I consider my time and money better spent on products that weren’t rushed to release.
There’s only two or three on-foot sections, so the on-foot gameplay isn’t a game killer. Journey of Dreams is split up into seven stages, three for each character, with a final stage that is a merging of the two storylines (similar to Sonic Adventure 1 and 2).
In the two separate storylines, each of the stages is split up into five missions. The first mission is always a “chase mission”, where the gameplay is similar to that in the original NiGHTS into Dreams. These sections are undoubtably the highlight of the game. In total there are seven of these stages throughout game, the same number as in NiGHTS into Dreams.
My favourite level is Crystal Castle. Beautiful.
Missions 2 to 4 are made up of a mixture of on-foot gameplay, link challenge (where you have to guide NiGHTS through as many hoops as possible), chase sections (where NiGHTS turns into a boat and has to move left and right collecting blue chips, the camera following from behind), as well as some other mini games. Other than the on foot sections, most of these missions are fun diversions from the core gameplay, even if they are essentially filler to lengthen the game. Mission 5 is always the boss, with similar gameplay to the boss sections found in the original Saturn game.
But all 5 missions occur consecutively in the storyline, don’t they? I have the game, but have only played it briefly when I had access to a Wii. I seem to recall being baffled by how NiGHTS must fight the boss briefly at the end of mission 1 with no plotline explanation, and properly (again) at the end of mission 5 with a storyline.
My only other feedback after my few short plays are that I was surprised how mediocre the graphics were, really wished NiGHTS hadn’t been given a voice or any personality beyond (his? her? Nah:) its original mystery, and obviously felt that it would never have topped the original in any case. It seems worth revisiting, though, if I ever get a Wii to play it on 
(could happen, for Galaxy 1/2 too).
Also, “Visitor! Visitor! Visitor!”
Yeah, the different types of missions are played one after another, similar to Sonic Adventure 2. The storyline is a bit all over the place. The game could have been much better without the abundance of poor quality cut scenes. If you can look past them, then there’s some decent gameplay to be experienced.
PS: Nights is meant to be genderless, so is voiced by a female actress who sometimes sounds like a young boy.
BTW, if anyone’s curious Takashi Iizuka who was a lead game designer for both NiGHTS games and director/producer of JoD has expressed an interest in a third NiGHTS game. And he has had enough contact with the fans and reviews to know that if he makes another game, it should be less gimmicky and have less voice-acting and such.
I’d like to see another NiGHTS game with no voice acting, keeping the atmosphere mysterious and dreamlike. More emphasis on the traditional NiGHTS into Dreams style gameplay, although I’m not opposed to some variation. Better graphics would be nice too, as Ancient Weapon mentioned. I don’t see why a sequel couldn’t be designed for the PS3/X360 instead of (or as well as) the Wii.
Simply releasing NiGHTS HD on XBLA and PSN seems like the most logical choice to me.
I’m not sure if they realize that. It’s not like they learned that with Sonic (I guess there’s Sonic 4, but even with that game I get the impression that they just don’t understand what made their old games work).
Haha… that’s a genius Sega employee at work right there
Yeah, baisically that’s what everyone wanted… Imagine the same format of gameplay as the original, no voiceacting (from NiGHTS at least), and just beautiful levels and scenery combine with great high score competitiveness… Adding in an innovative Nightopian system for longevity.
I mean that’s all the fans really wanted right? Since it was a game based on the demands from the original fans.
Well, nevertheless, i knew this would happen, which is why I have always been against a sequel.
[quote=“Solo”]Yeah, the different types of missions are played one after another, similar to Sonic Adventure 2. The storyline is a bit all over the place. The game could have been much better without the abundance of poor quality cut scenes. If you can look past them, then there’s some decent gameplay to be experienced.
PS: Nights is meant to be genderless, so is voiced by a female actress who sometimes sounds like a young boy.[/quote]
I was just mildly confused by the way the boss appears with no explanation for a brief fight, then at the end of mission 5 you get a cutscene with “Oh no! It’s Donbalon! Where did he come from?” (or whatever), then a full battle, as if that had never happened.
And yeah, I knew NiGHTS is meant to be genderless. As Scott says, maybe not the best idea to give it a cheesy woman-esque voice, in that case! 
This is the same guy that’s in charge of Sonic 4 . . . I think that says almost everything that needs to be said.
That would be quite good, perhaps even convincing me to get a 360 eventually, but I assume they’d just port the PS2 version, whose graphical upgrades don’t look like they took too long to implement, and which was Japan-only why? 
To me, it would have made more sense to release it on the Wii, which could probably have handled said slightly-upgraded graphics if given a decent engine.
I actually liked Journey of Dreams. NiGHTS should have been mute and the ****ing music-score level shouldn’t exist but the game is quite fun and the last level is the biggest. nostalgia kick. EVER. I’m not afraid to admit I shed a tear.
I share those thoughts, Arcie.
I enjoyed JoD. Well up until my sister took my copy before I could finish it. I wasn’t too keen on the voice acting and the story elements(and chasing the bird in place of speed around for chips), but I felt considering what the Wii has become, JoD was the biggest bone tossed to old Sega fans short of a true remake of Panzer Dragoon Saga. More importantly, I felt it controlled better than Super Mario Galaxy.