What's the opinion on Nights?

aso · Post by **aso** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 8:25 pm

I see a negative opinion of it every now and then. Was wondering what the forumgoers thought of it, given that it was Sonic Team's biggest 'non-Sonic' project.

plasticwingsband · Post by **plasticwingsband** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 8:30 pm

I've never really heard any negative opinions about NiGHTS. I'm also pretty sure it's my favorite game.

Segata · Post by **Segata** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 8:40 pm

It's my absolute favorite game of all time. I love the dreamy atmosphere and the addictive gameplay. I could go on and on about it. Anyone who speaks badly of NiGHTS should be shot.

aso · Post by **aso** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 8:53 pm

I dig Nights, as well.

Negative opinions... let's see.

As an example,

Gamespot had a review for Nights, ranking it at 6.0 once. The funny thing is, that review no longer seems to exist. Really makes one wonder, especially since all of their other Saturn reviews seem to be up.

Post by **Delphine** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 8:56 pm

NiGHTS is one of my favorite games, and the fandom was fun, too.

BlazeHedgehog · Post by **BlazeHedgehog** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 9:17 pm

I had heard that when it was released, over 50% of people who purchased NiGHTS returned the game the next day citing things like it was too short, too japanese or they just couldn't figure out how to play it.

Looking at it from a shallow perspective, I guess you could say they were right. Eight levels total, each completable in about two minutes each, does not make a long game of NiGHTS. I can blow through the whole thing with straight A's now in about 30 minutes or less. To the untrained eye, this is perhaps a bad game.

But, as they say, games take on a whole different light when you start to understand things behind them.

It is strange that no matter how much I play NiGHTS, I never seem to get bored of it. Generally when I play it, I play each stage once through, turn off my Saturn, and let it sit for 6 months, then I do it all over again. I remember when I first got NiGHTS, I played it every day - I would go through the entire thing, watch the final cinema. I did this for over a month. I still don't know why, outside of the obvious answer - it was fun.

So much of this game conveys a sense of fantasy and wonder like no other game before or after it, a sense of loving care given to every inch of it's design. Every point of NiGHTS - even down to Reala himself, in essence, what Shadow is to Sonic, seems to be designed to such a fine point... it's difficult to think that a game like NiGHTS came from the union of the Sonicteam we know today and the Artoon that gave us games like Blinx and Pinobee.

Looking at it in a certain light, you can almost see Naka's pride in NiGHTS; why he refuses to do a sequel or even a remake: nothing bearing the NiGHTS name will ever impress us like the original Saturn game did. Any sequel, any remake -- it will cheapen the NiGHTS name. If Sonicteam ever formally announced and then released another NiGHTS game, it would never meet our extraordinary expectations - and this sort of "situation" worsens with each year. Tales of the game NiGHTS become less stories of a really good game - and more "legends" of the perfect game.

NiGHTS isn't perfect. A perfect game would enchant and capture the attention of any and all gamers - and NiGHTS failed to do that at launch. Only through it's own legendary infamy as "the perfect game" has it won the attention of perhaps even the casual gamer. But it's one of the tightest, most well-designed games of the Saturn era, and perhaps one of the tightest, most well-designed games in the last 10 years.

On the flip side of the coin, while Naka may worry about cheapening the NiGHTS "legend" with a sequel or remake, he is inadvertantly doing it by whoring out the character in cameos of every Sonicteam game ever made - for those who don't know, NiGHTS newest cameo will be in Sega Superstars; he apparently is getting his own minigame. I say, if Naka is willing to tease us, to reduce NiGHTS to "cameo status only", he should at least buckle and give us at least a remake.

But he can't do that. Every time someone asks about a new NiGHTS game, it gives his ego a hard-on. To be in such a position of power and to willingly deny people something they so very desperately want... it's like stealing your little brother's basketball and playing a clever, nasty game of "keep away" while you giggle gleefully. You can almost picturing him saying, "Who's my bitch? The world's my bitch, that's who! Sorry, no NiGHTS for you!"

Zeta · Post by **Zeta** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 9:26 pm

*cries* Why must they whore out Sonic like a 2-dollar prostitute and fuck up all of the basic concepts while NiGHTs just sits around like a ripe, untapped goldmine?!

Sometimes I have wet dreams about a NiGHTs remake worked on by a combination Sonic Team and Treasure featuring Sil as an unlockable character for completing all Dreams on A rank. *sighs*

Then I wake up and remember Sonic Heroes.

Spazz · Post by **Spazz** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 9:29 pm

Believe it or not, Yuji Naka once said in an interview that he'd love to do a sequel to NiGHTS eventually. I forgot the reason why they haven't done one yet though.

Light Speed · Post by **Light Speed** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 9:30 pm

Yeah, I'm going to go with not. Naka is the reason there never was a sequel.

Post by **Green Gibbon!** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 10:01 pm

I don't think there's anyone left who still doesn't like NiGHTS. There were certain factions when the game was new who liked to slap it around (usually immediately followed by overblown glorification of Mario 64 or occasionally Crash Bandicoot), but over the years they've been forced to admit they were wrong or go into hiding like Nazis. Very similar things happened with Ico and Rez.

Blaze makes a good point, though. The game has become a legend, probably a bit more than what it deserves, as good a game as it was. There is absolutely no conceivable way a sequel or even a remake could live up to the outrageous expectations.

Zeta · Post by **Zeta** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 10:03 pm

Well, if he dies an untimely death, perhaps NiGHTs II will be dedicated in his memory.

At the very fucking least, they could port it over to a new system, seriously. I just want a chance to play it again without having to go back and buy a Saturn.

And while I'm dreaming, how about a Panzer Dragon compilation with the first three games and the GameGear game in it?

Post by **Delphine** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 10:05 pm

NiGHTS with updated graphics? Would rock. Like a rocking thing. Seriously. And maybe new music. And new levels. And give Reala another mini-game or something. And make the A-Life system more in depth, but not like the Chao.

Post by **Pepperidge** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 11:54 pm

Not to mention implement some Christmas NiGHTS calender-based goodness into the entire game. A new level or two would be nice, but they'd probably stick out like dental surgery gone horribly wrong.

I'm not ashamed to admit that NiGHTS into Dreams is my favourite game. But that's probably because I've had so few chances to play it, having never actually owned a Saturn and all...

Post by **Segaholic2** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 11:57 pm

Pepperidge wrote:But that's probably because I've had so few chances to play it, having never actually owned a Saturn and all...

You are a lesser human than I.

Zeta · Post by **Zeta** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 12:02 am

Like many others, I too never had a Saturn, although I constantly played one that a friend owned.

Like many other fans, I was waiting till an actual Sonic the Hedgehog game came out on it in 3-D before I went out and bought one.

And we all know how that turned out.

Post by **Pepperidge** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 12:25 am

I chose to spend the money I could've used for a Saturn on Sonic comics.

Whose ass do I have to lick to repent my sins? I think I'm finally ready.

Zeta · Post by **Zeta** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 12:39 am

It wasn't your fault. You needed a Sonic fix. The comics were the only alternative at the time.

Anon · Post by **Anon** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 12:43 am

Any game that has me playing the demo day in and day out like a crack addict looking for a fix for nearly two weeks has gotta be good.

Or maybe I'm just obsessive.

At any rate, NiGHTS is one of the greatest games ever, despite all of its "imperfections". I can't think of the last time I played a game to see if I could beat my high score.

Btw, did anyone happen to find an opponent for the 2P versus mode?

Post by **G.Silver** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 3:54 am

Once I got my brother to pick up the non-analog pad for a couple rounds. That was over quickly....

Post by **Delphine** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 11:30 am

I got my sister to play me a couple of times. That was really about it.

Spazz · Post by **Spazz** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 11:34 am

I wrote:Believe it or not, Yuji Naka once said in an interview that he'd love to do a sequel to NiGHTS eventually. I forgot the reason why they haven't done one yet though.

I just watched the video. Naka said that it's not that they'll never make another NiGHTS game again, there's just so many other products that they have to work on. He said that they've been consulting about a new game, but no final decisions have been made yet.
Just thought you'd like to know.

Zeta · Post by **Zeta** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 12:33 pm

It's like what Matt Damon said in "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back".

You do a lot of crappy work that's massively appealing, then once you have enough money, you can do a work of art that doesn't have a chance of selling much.

The only question is, what does Sega consider "enough money" made from whoring out Sonic - before they have enough resources free to put effort into a new NiGHTs?

Ngangbius · Post by **Ngangbius** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 12:37 pm

To tell you the truth, I never really got into NiGHTS due to

a.) It was a 3 day rental and I never got into the controls due to the uncomfortable-ness of the U.S. Saturn controller for this game. (this was made for analog, not a measley d-pad)

b.) I was already amoured with Mario 64 so 3D effects on a flying 2D game didn't impress me at first. Yes, I know I was a fool, but a reinvention of a familar franchise stole my heart first. ;_;

However, my brother was able to abtain Christmas NiGHTS through Blockbusters and I loved it despite still playing with that shoddy controller. I really enjoyed the soundtrack to NiGHTS and I really wish there was some easy to obtain it...like d/l via torrent or some other webpage.

And I would like to see a remake of NiGHTS if it has...

~~Next-Gen quality graphics and special effect whenever that may be.

~~Christmas NiGHTS included in the game

~~The NiGHTS and Christmas NiGHTS OST bundled in

~~Extra features that includes creator commentary, concept sketches, and other offical artwork. Shoot, maybe even add in some programs like wallpaper and screen savers for your computer

~~Have it all packaged in a limited edition tin or some other special packaging

Am I missing anything else above?

Spazz · Post by **Spazz** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 12:41 pm

Ngangbius wrote: I really enjoyed the soundtrack to NiGHTS and I really wish there was some easy to obtain it...like d/l via torrent or some other webpage.

<a href="http://www.sonicstrike.net/users/sonicroms/">Here ya go.</a> Click on music at the top.

Ngangbius · Post by **Ngangbius** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 12:50 pm

Sorry, Charlie. But the site doesn't contain the OST to the game. Nice try, though.