So...the NiGHTS rumours

SEGA
1

This would be just interesting if it were any other I.P., but it’s NiGHTS. I’ll be honest, my stomach is in knots over this. It sounds really stupid but NiGHTS was an important influence in my life, so I take the subject fairly seriously.

Ok.

For those who don’t know, the March poll on Sega I.P.s that players would like to see again saw NiGHTS win 55% of the 18,000 votes cast (source: Wikipedia).

Around the same time as this poll, Official Nintendo Magazine ran a feature referring to a new title for the Nintendo Wii stating that a classic franchise would make its long awaited return, with a feature being promised in its May issue. It then ran this image (click for the link).

Nothing too spectacular in itself. People rapidly tried to guess what the implications were, trying out different theories and so forth. Then, well, Someone imposed some NiGHTS artwork onto the image.

The reaction so far as been ballistic. Of course, this is a NiGHTS sequel rumour. To quote Gamecentral in the UK: “A NiGHTS sequel has been rumoured (read: imagined) for years…” Hence, sceptics immediately denied it, pointing to the calendar as proof. Bearing in mind, this is the same time of year that the Sonic & Tails in Super Smash Brothers cheat was printed, and to this day people still believe that to be true. ONM have since issued a statement on the matter:

[quote]
"[we are] very aware how much coverage our Next Month page is getting across the globe right now. I have to admit – I thought it was a cool little teaser when we did it – but I didn’t anticipate it blowing up quite so much! I’ve seen everything from Family Guy to Woody Woodpecker fitting perfectly in that star cluster!

Anyhoo, I’m here to iron a few things out. This is not an April Fool. I remember once I did an April Fool on CUBE with Gannondorf Photoshopped into Soul Calibur II and people got really upset when they found out it wasn’t true so we don’t do those kind of things anymore. I think they’re just a bit of a laugh but obviously other more sensitive people don’t. . .

Also, we do have respect for our readers and we don’t set out to purposely mislead people. The whole point of the Next Month image is to be a teaser and to get people guessing. It’s just A BIT OF FUN. There are no lies in there. Innevitably the situation might change between the time of the mag going to print and the release of the next issue (it is a good six weeks after all). The game may end up being announced online before we hit the shelves. Ocassionally these things happen and it’s completely out of our control. However, the point is that we are not misleading you – there is a new game due to be announced.

In summary then, please take a deep breath and count to ten when you’re thinking about this. There are quite a few images that perfectly fit into that star cluster. We’ve never mentioned any names – it could be anything.""[/quote]

Again, still no confirmation or denial. The only website at present with anything resembling confirmation is Spong: a website with not very much in the way of credibility following some rumours that got out of control. Gamespot, however, are convinced:They say it isn’t bogus. The webmaster of nightsintodreams.com, the unofficial fan site for the game, has backed up the story, claiming that she had knowledge of it for some time:

Game Reactor’s cover this month is a little telling:
http://pici.se/pictures/E2x5Wq.jpg

With the game also appearing (apparently) on this Japanese release list. IGN are being a little cautious on this evidence (if it is evidence) saying that “this is not even close to actual confirmation”.

As for Naka…well, who knows?

Thoughts?

2

D-Unit was the first to show the image and I think it’s more than enough confirmation of this. Naka however will not be involved in the project according to C&VG and mentions nothing of the sort in his interview.

3

Sega doesn’t have another chance at this. If they screw this up, they’ll have Saturn fans foaming at the mouth, demanding their heads. I’m sure the director, whomever it is, is quite aware of this. I’m hoping for a decent game. To be perfectly honest, I don’t think anything they do will be able to blow players away who played the original, because nostalgia is a powerful thing, and everyone’s expectations will be high. It’s almost as if we’re all setting ourselves up for disappointment.

I just hope for the best.

4

QFT. Same reason why I hesitate to wish for a sequel to PDS. Can anything really live up to the original at this point?

We’ll see whether or not the rumors are true within due time. Sega’s not likely to sit around twiddling their thumbs while this new rumor gains more and more steam.

5

Well, the fake trailer that was doing the rounds a while back blew me away. If it’s anything like that, it’s a win.

6

Well for me sequels are never a bad thing unless we are talking about 13-game-long series :wink: ].If they make a bad sequel so what?!

It won’t ruin the original game in anyway and will surely not rob me of the fun I had when I played it.

7

As long as the game is full 3D with some real freedom, and pulls off the control well, I can see it being lots of fun. If they fall into the trap of trying to keep it just as simple as the original, it’s pretty much doomed.

And Abadd, the Panzer Dragoon game that exists in my mind would live up to Saga. Of course it’d need a GTA like production with an equivalent budget and talent pool…

8

Well Sega’s Sonic effort on the Wii was the best thing they’ve done in years (other than Virtua Fighter) so who knows, maybe the system can actually inspire Sonic Team to create something good. Hopefully with higher production values this time.

I don’t think they need to make Nights fully 3D roaming to be good. Maybe it won’t be a hit if it’s still basically a 2D game (with some 3D roaming when playing as Eliot etc) but I think it could still be enjoyable. I wouldn’t say no to more of the same in this case, as long as the levels were as masterfully created as in the original.

That said, free flying could be quite sweet in its own right :slight_smile:

9

I really hate to agree with Abadd on this one - I really do. A PDS sequel would absolutely own IF the correct people and the right resources were allocated for the project; unfortunately, the videogame industry has literally been stagnant for almost a decade (1998 was a very awesome year for videogames, and it hasn’t been matched since) and due to this stagnation, I fear that Sega would take that same approach that they, and every other company, has for almost ten years now: making half-assed games.

Can you people honestly name one good game since 1998 that wasn’t half-assed?

10

You’d like that wouldn’t you?But then agehn aren’t you the guy who plays all the worthwhile games?You should know.

11

Your sarcasm sounds a bit like Alexander’s; in any case, I don’t like it.

12

Cry me a river, some people don’t like you but they don’t out of nowhere start whining about it, mentioning you for no reason while discussing about something else. Instead they turn it into something positive as they quickly come to understand that instead of hopelessly trying to reasonably discuss with you, they can think of you as a good laugh for whenever they feel like getting one :slight_smile:

13

Yesterday i was hit with rumours from a few Chao fans, at fist i was like "yeah… its April… whadda you except"
Now i am becomming seriously scared.
A few of you should know that I fon’t want a sequel to NiGHTS… or even PDS for that matter.

This.
If they release it, of course I will buy the game and whichever system it’s out on on the day of release (maybe thats why its all coming back? cos i know alot of others would too…) BUT if it turns out rubbish, well, not even rubbish - it could be average, heck even good. but if it doesn’t blow you away like the original did, NiGHTS’ name will be tarnished. No Saturn fan will be able to talk about the wonder that is NiGHTS into dreams because mr. ps3 mainstream will be like “oh yeah that game, it’s not bad”

[quote=“Abadd”]

QFT. Same reason why I hesitate to wish for a sequel to PDS. Can anything really live up to the original at this point?[/quote]

This is why I don’t want a PDS sewuel either…
As Kadamose said, i would love a sequel back in the day, when the teams (and Sega) were operating at what you could say their ‘prime’, but not now. everythings been dormant for too long. let it be - don’t dig up old graves. especially if they have settled so nicely

14

Here’s a thought, wait for reviews before deciding if you will buy it or not. A few will probably be out before the release day anyway.

As for PS3 fans, they’d never enjoy that kind of game and probably called the original rubbish back in the day as PS1 fans. Basing the Nights name on them is silly.

The sequel will never be as mind blowing as the original if only because of the fact it will not be an original concept anymore so you probably should tone down your expectations.

Cross your fingers and hope for a great game.

15

Yeah I’m the same which is why I rather see a shooter if we’re ever to get a new Panzer game , becasue I can’t see any RPG really toping Saga or its ending (well Lunar does but thats a diff matter) . Really the ending is best to leave it where it is .

That said you know some of the Team , looking over the point would it sell and what not . Do any of the team still like the idea of maing a new Panzer game , or have most moved on and really don’t want to go back to it (if they talk about Panzer that is) .

As for NiGHTS II if it is to happen , I hope its not another Sonic Style mess up . |Me I rather Burning Rangers to get a sequel its 'could ’ be some good online in Co-op or Teams

16

Even if the game was given 1/10 by every reviewer, I would still buy it. NiGHTS is one of my top games of all times, second only to PDS. However it is my favourite character from a game no doubt, I will buy the game to be able to have it in my collection…

Suprisingly, the majority of PS1 fans (well at least all the ones i’ve come accross - ie not intenet fans, street fans) have never heard of NiGHTS.
And because of all the attention this proposed sequel is likely to get, a lot of heads with turn, and notice this time around.

17

I have been considering buying a Wii, but wasn’t sure whether to wait until the CD/DVD enabled models (not that I can see any good reason why it can’t just be a software update, but still). However, if/when this game comes out, you’ll see a me-shaped hole in several Wii distributors’ warehouses.

Thanks for the topic, Arcie. I’ll be keeping a close eye on the gaming magazines now!

18

So, is it coming to Xbox 360? If not, it’s just gonna pass me by. Sad, but for long have Sega’s offerings not been worth ?40 a time, so buying a new console for the game too would be immensely moronic for me.

As for the “crap sequels ruin franchises” movement we’ve got going on here, who cares? Panzer is already “ruined” if you want to call it that, but does it diminish the love we have for the original trilogy? Nope. No matter what sequels are released they can’t change the greatness of past games, they just expand them. Sometimes in directions we don’t necessarily want them to go (COUGHORTACOUGHCOUGH) but ultimately they’re still continuations - that means another game to play, new characters to meet, and more exposure to the world. That’s all we can realistially expect from Sega sequels at this point.

19

Since you brought up Orta… it’s all personal in the end. The bestest possible sequel to NiGHTS the universe could conceivably deliver, will still be hated by some NiGHTS fan somewhere.

20

I think the only people who like Orta are the ones who never truly understood the Panzer Dragoon universe in the first place. PDO is a slap in the face, imo. It doesn’t even have an intro theme for crying out loud! That, in itself, speaks volumes about the game, mainly because it’s the first inconsistency before the game is even played.