New NiGHTS

Recent happenings of pertinence to Sonic fans.
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Squirrelknight
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Post by Squirrelknight »

Zeta wrote: Yeah, the original Nights games didn't have a bunch of playable characters besides NiGHTs. Well, except Claris. And Eliot. And Reala. And SONIC . . .
You play as Claris and Eliot for about 3 seconds in each level (well, unless you suck and you run out of time,) and Reala and Sonic were just extras in Christmas Nights, so they don't count. Also, that Sonic bonus in Xmas NiGHTS kind of sucked.

What I meant is, they'll use the new extra characters to introduce new, retarded "styles" of gameplay in a misguided attempt to add false depth and replay value to a game that doesn't really need it. Let's go find Emerald Shards! Or destroy a certain amount of enemies!

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Post by Pepperidge »

I don't think the extra characters thing is going to be as big a deal as you're making it out to be. It's likely just going to be variations on NiGHTS itself, hopefully something similar to the format of Christmas NiGHTS.

I'm not expecting to be blown away. If the game is decent in the end, I'll be happy. I mean, it's not like we have to worry about bottomless pits.

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Post by Opa-Opa »

Maybe it's a FPS.

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Post by gr4yJ4Y »

With bottomless pits.

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OSM
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Post by OSM »

That Nights model looks horrible.

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Post by WW »

So we've heard. Repeatably.

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Post by Dr. SEGA Monkey »

Yeah, y'know that girl who claims she's been getting info from SEGA about this game for months....well she posted this on her site. It's got a couple of new info, but not that much, I'll bold what's new:
'Journey Of Dreams' (Subject to change), otherwise dubbed NiGHTS 2, is the long awaited sequel to the original 1996 Sega Saturn game 'NiGHTS into Dreams'. Due out on the Nintendo Wii for the end of the year 2007.
Development for this game has come fast and hard with so many changes to the game it's hard to keep up with what is still official and what has been zapped.
Originally developed under the secret title of 'Project Bedtime Story' the game has been in development behind very closed doors since around last years E3 when the game was nothing but speculation and whispers.

So It's our job to round up all the information and news to make your life easier.

Here at the .Com we were alerted of it being an actual full motion project in the presence of Sega staff themselves back in November 2006. That's a long time ago, so one can only imagine how much has been added since then. We know how far along the game is now but anything can happen between now and the release date as the original game proved to us. The reason we sent out large information parcels to Sega was to show what the fans want before anything is finalized. We thought it was important that people who have stuck around for 11 years had a voice.

Confirmed for the Nintendo Wii by us and Spong plus recent publishing leaks that were due for April. Fans and half the internet have been scrabbling for any information they can find on this very anticipated new game.

The choice of platform goes hand in hand with what NiGHTS is all about, immersive gameplay. The Wiimote is the perfect tool to experience ingame flight and movement. But fans of other platforms should not despair. Nothing has been solidly confirmed yet but we've personally heard of things that are coming your way later in 2008.

It is indeed true that the game is a whole new sequel with new characters and design elements, but at the same time paying homage to the original. It is not yet known to us how the two games link in terms of story but we know that two new dreamer children were designed called 'Kevin' and 'Helen' in early the development stage. Both of them being very blonde, Sonic 360 in appearance, with connections to Claris and Elliot unknown. It was said that the children were very British in appearance at the time. Kevin's story was the only one we had background details on. We will speak more about this after the Sega official confirmation this month. Even if it does change. I know you guys like production info because we missed out on it back in 1996.

Early screenshots our sources have seen featured Spring Valley with the windmills. The more recent shots of what looks like a redesign of Splash Garden suggest that either Claris and Elliot are indeed in this game or that SonicTeam forgot that in the original game the dreamscapes were unique to each dreamer. Spring Valley was said to be a place made from Claris' love for her father. So it will be interesting to see how SonicTeam will handle this storyline oopsie.
We've been told it's a sequel but at times it seems more like a rewrite with aspects from the original popping up. SonicTeam have been rewriting storylines a lot recently in their games so we hope that this is a true continuation to the original not just a souped up recreation mix for a nextgen system. But the word 'sequel' seems pretty straight forward so we'll stick with it until we know otherwise.

Other brief information we can give you that was in development a while ago was the use of a new power-up item called 'Persona'. Persona took the form of masks which enabled our wonderful NiGHTS to shapeshift into various new forms, some awesome, some frankly bizarre. We won't disclose what these were at this time, but i look forward to seeing if these are still included. In the original game NiGHTS would morph without the use of power-up's so this gives the player new incentive to clear different kinds of areas by different means.

Another main character we know about hugely based on Jung lore was to be included as a main character. The archetype 'The Great Mother'. We won't say much on this just now but just know that the SonicTeam are really pulling their Jung hats on this time.

NiGHTS him/herself has also undergone a lot in design process. Many re-designs were on the table including someone that looked reportedly like my U.V NiGHTS *lol thanks Sega XD;*, a midget NiGHTS and a frilly caped NiGHTS. NiGHTS was to originally have stars on his face and wear blue feathers on his feet. It was only recently that we got to see the finalized character design thanks to a Gamereactor magazine leak which is now half way around the internet. Maybe later we will be able to get a better look at these failed designs.

The patchwork puffy-like boss was also correctly described to us a few months ago by a Sega insider, so we know that our info is legit. It's interesting to see how much of the game changes as time goes on.

We will keep you up to date as more hits the net.
So, possible future releases on other systems, new kids, new main characters, and new power-up thingies....

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Post by Omni Hunter »

So fucking what? Decent models and graphics don't always imply a good game, the same way that crap graphics and models don't always mean a crap game.

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Post by Dr. SEGA Monkey »

Some new info:
'Persona' masks open new possibilities
Three sets of masks give the player new shape-shifting abilities and more ways to explore the world.

• Dragon mask: Transforms NiGHTS into a huge dragon and makes him resistant to wind effects.

• Dolphin mask: NiGHTS can change into a dolphin and explore under water.

• Rocket mask: NiGHTS takes the shape of a rocket and travels at supersonic speeds.

Seven fantastical dream worlds to explore
The seven unique environments of Nightopia introduce an extraordinary, magical world unlike any other.

Wii connect 24
Exchange items with friends via the network and change the scenery according to real-world seasons using the Forecast Channel.
This game keeps getting better and better! Also seasonal changes FTW! I can't wait!

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Post by G.Silver »

I hope you can still go in water to some extent without a powerup, the way you'd swim through the floating bubbles of water in Spash Garden was really cool, it would be weird if they wouldn't let you in for some reason (the quick morph into the dolphin tail as you did it was really interesting too)

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Post by Locit »

The rocket mask also worries me in that it might mess with the balance of the screw attack, totally change the style of gameplay, or be completely inane. One of my favorite parts of the original was using the screw attack to sort of sling out of a loop at just the right moment, and I hope they can capture that feeling of momentum again. The inclusion of seasonal changes could be a nice touch, though.

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Post by Pepperidge »

What I want to know is, if she's had so much exposure to the game so far, does she personally think it's going to be any good?

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Post by spon »

Dr. SEGA Monkey wrote:Yeah, y'know that girl who claims she's been getting info from SEGA
What this girl's saying may or may not be true - but always take anything she says with a grain of salt as this woman proves to be an absolute nutter.

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Post by Zeta »

* I knew there were gonna be new kids. They'll probably rename the stages slightly, like "Aqua Garden" to accomidate.

* I wish there were more than seven levels. That's too short for NiGHTs' gameplay style. It won't be so bad if both kids go through different tracks of the same stage rather than it being split three and three.

* Persona sounds pretty cool.

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Post by Radrappy »

She may be crazy but she's been right on the nose thus far with details.

Also as we discussed earlier, having all these details about the game she is "really excited and also really worried." Interpret that as you will.

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Zeta
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Post by Zeta »

It'd be nice to see the unused radical NiGHTs redesigns as unlockable costumes. They sound hilariously freaky and over the top, even moreso than the current getup.


What did all the stages in NiGHTs 1 represent anyways, if Splash Garden is supposed to be Claris's daddylove?

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Post by spon »

Dr. SEGA Monkey wrote:Some new info:
'Persona' masks open new possibilities
what's the source of this actually, I haven't seen this anywhere apart from that woman and you.

she started saying how she had known about the Nights stuff for days after it was pretty much for sure that it was happening. I'm not exactly sure what she's been 'right on the nose' about just yet (until that Persona thing gets a source anyway)

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Post by spon »

Zeta wrote:What did all the stages in NiGHTs 1 represent anyways, if Splash Garden is supposed to be Claris's daddylove?
Stick canyon is obviously Elliot's love for massive tools

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Post by spon »

Oh cool. Still I'm not convinced about her! This info came out from both of them at pretty much the same time so harumph I say

What if the persona masks work in the same way as they did in the old Nights - if Nights just dons them quickly as he goes into water or whatever. Then again, the only way I could see it working is kind of like an alternate route thing - you pick up a persona mask and then go shooting off on some route which the mask facilitates.

edit: also is anybody else bothered by that awful purple gradient? Looks so cheapy augh

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Post by Pepperidge »

I just hope that the Personas aren't made as a necessity to follow the basic paths of the levels, but rather something to use in order to amplify your score by making the most of different options throughout each pathway. Having them implemented as gimmicky restrictions would definitely be a detractor.

I am disappointed that there are only seven levels, but I think I'd rather see more bonuses, gifts, or customization options that apply to those few levels then a whole bunch of generic stages. Having graphically enhanced versions of the original stages from the first game as an unlockable bonus would be swell, but I'm not going to get my hopes up for something like that.

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Post by Trace »

spon wrote:Oh cool. Still I'm not convinced about her! This info came out from both of them at pretty much the same time so harumph I say
Apparently she's getting it from someone at sonic cult and she really hasn't had much (as in she hasn't seen anything) and there's no way in hell she's known as long as she says, her and whatshisface were making HUGE things out of a hoax a few months back.
Last edited by Trace on Wed Apr 04, 2007 6:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by Esrever »

Someone at Sonic Cult! Gee, I wonder who THAT was. :P

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Post by Zeta »

I just hope that the Personas aren't made as a necessity to follow the basic paths of the levels, but rather something to use in order to amplify your score by making the most of different options throughout each pathway. Having them implemented as gimmicky restrictions would definitely be a detractor.
It'd b nice if they were part of radically branching paths. The ability to "exchange items" online makes it sound as though they might be inventory items that can be used as a powerup or to unlock new routes, like the items were used in New Super Mario Bros.

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Post by Dr. SEGA Monkey »

Found this posted on Sonic CulT. It's a blog where some guy, who claims he knows a lot about the development of this game, is giving some info about the development history. It's pretty negative.

http://bossrush.blogspot.com/2007/03/nights-2.html
Consider this: work didn't even begin on this Wii version until around Sept/Oct 2006 (up to that point it was being developed for X360/PS3 until those platforms were canned against Iizuka-san's wishes) and it's due out this autumn-winter. Take into account the 4-6 week Nintendo submission time and you're basically talking about roughly a year's actual development (i.e. coding; not pre-production) time.
The fact that it's being made at all is not even a good sign, for this only came about due to a combination of Iizuka-san's efforts and Sega's managers finally relenting and giving Sonic Team a brief break from the monotony of Sonic related development (e.g in Sonic Team USA's case Shadow The Hedgehog) - there is no genuine expectation from Sega's bosses that this title will perform well and thus they will spare little development time, thought and marketing spend on it. Furthermore I know Sonic Team, by which I mean I know them in person, in a professional sense. I know how they work, and the (difficult) conditions they work under.
....and a post he made in the comments section, where he claims he played it already:
Also, let me take this chance to clarify a few things that I have been asked by people regarding this post. Firstly, I have actually seen and played the code (both the Wii version and the older X360 version last year). Secondly, and related to that, there is the issue of supported platforms, which is a bit complex so let me start from the beginning.

1) Iizuka-san originally only wanted to make NiGHTS 2 on the X360 and PS3 - his vision for the game, which was a pretty grand one, could only be done on those platforms he argued and development started on them, even though the actual GDD was still being fleshed out and a Wii version was being considered.

2) By the time of TGS last year there were playable ROMS on X360 and the general response to the code was not positive. At this stage the directors questioned the X360/PS3 SKUs and suggested that Wii may be a better choice. Iizuka-san was against this because it would mean reigning in certain aspects of his design, but nonetheless Sega Studio USA (AKA Sonic Team USA) drew up a comparison doc for Wii and X360/PS3 version pros and cons. The summary of this was that they could produce a quick Wii version by FYO8 (2007) and then go onto a different version of NiGHTS 2 on X360/PS3 for FY09 (2008). By different I mean, different like Sonic The Hedgehog on X360/PS3 was a completely different title than Sonic Wii.

3) This was all up in the air for some time, and in the meantime Iizuka-san was convinced to start working on the Wii version primarily, leaving the other SKUs behind. Essentially they were canned, but there was and still is the option to continue as suggested and work on those versions once the Wii version is finished and released. In other words, NiGHTS on X360/PS3 is dependant on the success of NiGHTS on Wii.

So there you go.
Whether or not he's telling the truth is anyone's guess....but what I did feel happy about is that Iizuka seems to still have a lot of passion for his work, as opposed to the popular view that Sonic Team is just in it for the money. SEGA, yes, but Sonic Team themselves, no.

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