NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

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Locit
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NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by Locit »

A thread for general discussion about NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams.

I've been playing it for roughly 20 minutes, and I've been actively playing a level for about ten of those. Add in the terrible voice acting, really bad character models, and unskippable tutorials and you've got a serious recipe for LAAAAAAAAME. Oh, and there are 'missions' in each stage to complete (liek stars omg!). Also, you now get graded on how fast you complete a course, rather than your point total. And... well, the list goes on.

Oh, and shleep are still mostly made out of sprites, which is hilarious.

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Re: NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by DackAttac »

I can't say I'm surprised, but I'm kind of more interested in the actual control scheme since that's really been the hotspot Sega's for faux pas as of late.

As in, for the past five godforsaken years.

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Re: NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by Locit »

It's iffy. The controls feel kind of loose- I spent last night playing the original to get a feel for it, and while nothing can exactly simulate a Saturn 3D control pad, JoD does a ok job. I've played with the following:

Gamecube pad: best option, feels 'right' compared with the other control schemes, but still sort of loose.

Wiimote/nunchuck combo: About the same as the GC pad, but sort of awkward and even more loose. Looser? Whatever.

Classic controller: Has the same loose feel as the nunchuck, and the position of the analog stick makes holding right for an extended period of time a pain in the ass.

Wiimote: actually the most comfortable setup if you don't want to try for a high score, but incredibly inaccurate when it comes to finer movements required to really enjoy the game. The levels seem to have been designed with this scheme in mind. Small paraloops are impossible.

The whole thing suffers because of an awkward camera angle that tilts slightly behind NiGHTS to give a view of what's coming- there's a slight disconnect that takes some time to get used to. I'm getting slightly better, but it's still off-putting. Also, there's only 3 real routes through any standard 'level' as far as I can tell.

Oh, while I was writing this I was also letting the time run out while playing as NiGHTS in the game's Spring Valley-esque level. As it turns out, you don't turn into a kid anymore when the timer hits zero- it's game over.

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Re: NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by Oompa Star »

Sounds painfully similar to Starfox Assualt. They get aspect of flying (which it's legacy was built off of) right for the most part, but then ruin it with on-foot missions and bad voice acting. I have heard good things about the soundtrack and the visuals. Are they actually any good?

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Re: NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by Locit »

The visuals are pretty crappy- especially the character models. To help gauge, the collars of NiGHTS' sleeves in the original were made of three polygons. In Journey of Dreams, from what I have seen, they are made of about six. Ten years and we've managed to graduate to hexagonal sleeves.

Fun note: I'm home for the holidays, and when my dad walked by as I was playing he asked if this was the sequel. When I responded in the affirmative he remarked "Looks like you got screwed. It looks exactly the same."

EDIT: Oh, good, the cutscenes are unskippable, and unless you choose to immediately restart a failed mission. Yay.

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Re: NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by Kogen »

Maybe play it for more than 20 minutes before freaking out about every little detail. And why would you want to skip the cutscenes? Unless you mean it does that even when you die or restart.

And can you even notice there being 6 polygons instead of 3 when the model is so small on screen? I know I didn't in any videos.

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Re: NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by Zeta »

BUUUT IT'S NOT EXACTLY LIKE THE ORRRIGGIIIINAL WHICH WAS THE WORK OF JESUS AND BUDDHA PUT TOGETHER AND THE MOST PERFECT GAME EVER MADE EVAR! LAAAAME! ;_;

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Re: NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by DackAttac »

Kogen wrote:And can you even notice there being 6 polygons instead of 3 when the model is so small on screen? I know I didn't in any videos.
The cuff of his shirt being a hexagon instead of a triangle? Yeah, uh, that sounds like exactly the kind of thing someone could notice after playing awhile. However, if you bought the Wii in the first place, you've probably just come to grips with the fact that the third-party developers aren't really overexerting themselves in the 'slick' department.

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Re: NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by Locit »

Zeta wrote:BUUUT IT'S NOT EXACTLY LIKE THE ORRRIGGIIIINAL WHICH WAS THE WORK OF JESUS AND BUDDHA PUT TOGETHER AND THE MOST PERFECT GAME EVER MADE EVAR! LAAAAME! ;_;
Dude, it's lame. Not lame for a NiGHTS sequel. Just lame.

I do love the original- and it's not perfect, but this is definitely a step back.

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Re: NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by Kogen »

This is a step above Shadow the Hedgehog though, isn't it? It's not like anyone expected the perfect experience - just a good one.

Also when you mention it basing your rank on time instead of score, is there even any point in score gathering now? That seems very awkward since all their previous games involed points for rank, not just time.

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Re: NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by Locit »

As far as I can tell you're supposed to get as many points as you can before catching the bird or whatever it is. You can go through the a course multiple times, but you have to actively avoid grabbing the bird, which can be really annoying. Eventually it just becomes really, really easy to catch- I actually caught it during the over-the-shoulder segment in the Spring Valley-alike area, which is fully automated as far as velocity is concerned.

Actually, that's one part where JoD is actually better than the original! The sequences where you control NiGHTS from behind are much, much smoother.

I'm not sure what point blue chips serve anymore. Maybe they're what make the bird easy to catch, but I can't really tell.

As for it being better than Shadow the Hedgehog, I can't honestly say! I've never played it. In a nutshell, JoD is pretty much a less polished version of the original NiGHTS with a bunch (a bunch) of unnecessary irksome stuff in-between all the fun parts, which sort of misses the point of a sequel. And that's not good, it's, well, lame. Which is a shame!
Last edited by Locit on Wed Dec 19, 2007 8:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by Isuka »

But... can you still tell Reala's bat print? That's what really matters.

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Re: NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by Mep »

Locit wrote:The visuals are pretty crappy- especially the character models. To help gauge, the collars of NiGHTS' sleeves in the original were made of three polygons. In Journey of Dreams, from what I have seen, they are made of about six. Ten years and we've managed to graduate to hexagonal sleeves.
Not only that, but cutscenes run at a horrible framerate. Everything looks choppy and annoying. The background visuals are quite nice though. Lots of sparkly lighting effects and vibrant colors. There is some slowdown when you open a cage, and it sucks bad. Its usually over fairly quick, but its very noticeable and I wonder why they didn't fix it.

From what I've heard of the soundtrack, the remixed songs are great. The new music is also fairly decent at times, but isn't that amazing. Lots of synthesized flutes and slightly catchy melodies. Its generally a lot calmer and less varied, nothing impressive. The cutscene music feels like it was ripped straight out of a fantasy movie. Couple that with the accent of all the characters, and it makes the whole game feel "Chronicles of Narnia"-like or something.

I don't like the overall direction of the game in general actually. While the levels were beautiful, all of the levels I played were just giant amusement parks added into random natural environments. Much prefer the original Nights were the levels felt like miniaturized playgrounds, that represented the character's sanctuary or emotion towards their family. Also, the story is just so corny that it makes you miss the simplicity of the original. It might not be epic to see Elliot make that winning dunk, but at least it was charming.

As far as gameplay goes, Locit pretty much sums up what I don't like about it. The time-based scores speeds up the pace a little, but its just not satisfying. The game is also incredibly easy, and I've consistently been getting A-ranks in 1-2 tries. You have to go through about 4-5 other useless missions before unlocking the next level, and the actual flying parts are too short.

I heard NiD has a representative at SEGA now. Who knows, if they take another try at Nights they could get it right.

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Re: NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by Zeta »

I'm not sure what point blue chips serve anymore. Maybe they're what make the bird easy to catch, but I can't really tell.
They're for the Pian garden. Hit the Pians with them to feed them and hit the Marens with them to kill them.

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Re: NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by Esrever »

So, they took the simple formula of the original game and then tried to pad it out with a bunch of poorly implemented segments of alternate gameplay styles? Wow, that kind of sounds like... nearly every game Sonic Team has made since 1999.

It's a shame Sonic Team isn't handling the new Samba de Amigo... that game really could have used some platform stages and kart racing.

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Re: NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by Locit »

Basically what it comes down to is this: don't pay money for this game. If you really do need to have it ask for it as a Christmas present or something. The more I play it the more I regret spending actual money on it.

Bonus: the children have dead eyes situated deep in the uncanny valley, and it would appear you have to replay every boss at least once, but in a much lengthier and more annoying form. I say 'at least' because I'm not ruling out a boss rush of some sort at the end of the game. Also, you will absolutely, positively be unable to ignore the focus placed on NiGHTS' ass during certain cutscenes. It is ridiculous.

Edit: Dammit, while writing the above paragraph I had entered into the Stick Canyon-alike stage of the game, and was waiting for the level to start. Well, it didn't. It actually went through a lengthy cutscene, then booted me back out to the hub world before letting me begin the basic, original game styled first mission.

So awesome.
Last edited by Locit on Thu Dec 20, 2007 8:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by Rolken »

Kogen wrote:This is a step above Shadow the Hedgehog though, isn't it?
The reduced expectations of SEGA fans these days would be funny if not so sad.

If anyone still doubts what a mockery they made of the original, let doubt be removed.

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Re: NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by Zeta »

Haha. That's hilarious. And not necessarily in a bad away.

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Re: NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by Locit »

Zeta wrote:And not necessarily in a bad away.
Denial is fun to watch.

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Re: NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by aso »

So the basic gameplay of JoD is lame compared to the original? I can dig it.

Any thoughts on the "My Dream" mode?

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Post by Isuka »

"It looks like a 3DO piece of shit" counts as a thought?

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Re: NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by Locit »

So far it seems like a shoddy version of the Chao garden from Sonic Adventure. And the Nightopians look even more like cancer babies up close.

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Re: NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by Zeta »

Denial is fun to watch.
Actually I just give less of a fuck than NiGHTS fanboys since I didn't even like the first game that much and still don't see what people find so amazing about it, aside from the interesting character designs. *shrugs* It was fun, and worth the money, I guess if you have it. But it's not a game I would put above pretty much any other standard platformer with a few creative twists. Pretty much the same regard I give the Metroid series - it's decent, I guess, and I find the setting interesting and I'll play it if someone gives me one or if I'm bored, but I don't see what makes it TEH BEST THING EVAR. Similarly, I don't see why people are bitching about this game because it looks to be about the same relative quality NiGHTs was.

Frankly, back in the day, I thought NiGHTS was a steaming piece of shit next to Mario 64's flying sequences alone. Going back and playing it, I see it's not crap like I thought it was. But it's not the second-coming the cult fandom built it up to.

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Re: NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by Parn »

No wonder Naka retreated every time people asked him for a NiGHTS sequel. I had considered possibly picking the game up despite some initial hesitation, but after watching videos and reading various impressions, it seems I must give it a pass. The presentation and delivery with the cutscenes scream "this is a game for 8-year-olds", and so I can't help but wonder if that's their real target audience. I could overlook the horrid cutscenes if it weren't for the fact that they've thrown in a bunch of unnecessary content for the sake of having it, and making it an obstacle in the way of getting to the gameplay that made people love NiGHTS in the first place.

Oh well, back to PSU.

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Re: NiGHTS: JoD is LAAAAME

Post by Pepperidge »

Guess I'll take my friend up on his offer to harddrive mod my old PS2. Looks like a ripped ISO of the new re-release in February will be the only way to satisfy my NiGHTS craving

Oh well, at least we all knew it was going to be a piece of crap.

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