Likes and dislikes abouts Nights 1&2

[Aaronterasu Okami]

What makes Nights an interesting series to you?

What do you like most about both Nights into Dreams and Nights: Journey of Dreams and what are your dislikes if any and or improvments to the series you would like to see or changes to be made?

[Alex Atkin UK]

What I loved about the original was trying to cram in as many loops of the circuits as possible, to get a high score. For the most part I sucked at getting links, but it was fun trying.

It was particularly awesome as it seemed me and my friends all had different tracks we were best at, so we were constantly battling to try and beat each other.

That is why JoD sucked, it didn't actually have that mechanic in the game which I would argue was the whole purpose of the original.

JoD was pretty, but it was lacking the main purpose of NiGHTS. That is even before you factor in the controls which make pulling paraloops near impossible. I'm guessing they just removed the precise control scheme in order to make the analog controls vs motion controls more comparable, which was a poor idea IMO.

That is what worries me about the HD remake though. The PS2 version was fun to play, but they altered something about the timing which meant I couldn't get even get the links I used to get on the original any more. They made it too difficult, so I really hope they tweak the HD remake to be more like the original rather than it be a straight port of the PS2 version.

[Burning Strangers]

I loved the first NiGHTS, awesome game. Besides the gameplay one of the best things about the game was how mysterious the NiGHTs character was. The fact that it never spoke made it an exciting character... I felt the Wii game completely took away any mystery and intrigue the character had...

Not to mention playing as the children took away from the fun of the game...

[ultimate victory]

Haven't played 1 yet, but 2 had those annoying kid levels. Walking at 2 miles a decade, jumping a whole 2 inches, and insta-kill ghost enemies DO NOT mix.

[viperxmns]

I agree with the above statements; it's a shame Sega did not give Sonic Team the proper time and resources to make JoD the way they really wanted to make it.

[Radik]

The original NiGHTS is just such a unique game. I think the closest thing you can compare it to is a racing game, but only in a completely crazy dream setting. The way they designed the tracks and the background and used the technical limitations of the Saturn to their advantage was quite simply genius. And the brilliant evolving music only made it that much better. 16 years later I still consider it the best game I've ever played.

I totally agree with Burning Strangers that the mystery behind the game was essential for the atmosphere. What the Wii game did was similar to what Midi-chlorians did to the Force in Star Wars. Everything the Wii game added to the gameplay or story and everything it took away from the original only made the game worse. They added gameplay and story elements just for the sake of adding them and not because they were genuinely needed to improve upon the original.


I agree with the above statements; it's a shame Sega did not give Sonic Team the proper time and resources to make JoD the way they really wanted to make it.
I don't entirely agree. A lot of design decisions were simply bad and those can't be caused just by a lack of time or resources. The developers just didn't understand what made the original such a great game. And when you make a sequel to a cult classic like NiGHTS then you really need to make sure you understand that.

[Alice Twilight]

The surrealism of it, the simplistic but enjoyable game play and most of all the amazing soundtrack.

[viperxmns]

I don't entirely agree. A lot of design decisions were simply bad and those can't be caused just by a lack of time or resources. The developers just didn't understand what made the original such a great game. And when you make a sequel to a cult classic like NiGHTS then you really need to make sure you understand that.
A valid point, I do wonder about all the choices that still could have been different in the final product, but the game still would have likely been better than it was had it been the 360/PS3 type game with more content that it was originally meant to be.

[FourCartridge]

Never really played the 1st but after Sonic Riders introduced me to NiGHTS I rented out JoD as soon as I saw it. It was actually pretty good and I liked the gameplay, but now that I think about it, the whole thing played out kinda like a kids movie. You had Will and Helen, who had these problems in their live, go into Nightopia and go on an adventure. Now that you guys are talking about this whole NiD:Original trilogy::JoD:Prequel thing, I'm looking forward to see how it's different.

[Clesarie]

Nights is one of those games thats no where near as epic as people make it out to be. When people use to talk about Nights I was thinking it would be some huge open world type thing like Mario 64.

Totally a let down.

Nights is a good game not great not fantastic and defiantly not perfection. It has fun gameplay with pretty graphics for the time and a nice sound track.

[MightytheArmadillo]

Haven't played the first NiGHTS yet, so this remake will be a treat.

I have played Journey of Dreams, and while I loved the game, it felt too short and there wasn't much to do with the ChaoGarden-esque garden. It was cool seeing things grow and add to the place, but other than that, you couldn't do much else.

I also didn't like the voices at all. :/

[thechaostrigger]

I havent heard the voices from the Wii game yet. I dont plan to either because im afraid it will ruin the entire series for me.

[Starlight Rage Zone]

I am intrigued by the original game that I wonder what makes it so great to many players (bar a few).

Also, what the heck is going on with all these Mighty avatars!?! :P

If Nights does well, I hope Chu Chu Rocket is put on XBLA/PSN next.

[Alex Atkin UK]

The reason some of us worship the original game is because it was totally about flying through the levels as quickly as possible, collecting as much as possible, while building up big bonuses by keeping your link chain going from one lap to the next. It was all about local leaderboards and it tracked not just your total score but also you best links on each act and level. So there were many levels to compete on.

The along comes Journey of Dreams and they just chopped that whole aspect of the game out, so not cool. I suspect it was even done to balance the control scheme between motion control and analog stick, which is likely why the original game never had the motion controls that was in the original concept - because it just sucks once you realise its not precise enough to be reliable.

So people who never played the original didn't mind JoD because it still had that fantasy dream world thing going on (but they might thing the game a bit short) and those that played the original but did not compete on it might also like it for the same reasons.

Those of us who did compete are bitter that they cut out the one thing that made the game anything other than a short trip through a fantasy world.

Then there was the whole mythology change. I'm pretty sure Yuji Naka once said that NiGHTS specifically was meant to be genderless and mysterious. Yet in JoD NiGHTS suddenly has a female voice and is far too jolly and carefree. Lets not forget, NiGHTS is a nightmaren after all who is refusing to bow to its masters whim, you totally didn't feel that in JoD.

Another thing that gained a lot of respect, was just how many easter eggs the game had. There was always so many curious little details going on in the background with the A-Life etc. The way if you were careful to hatch nightopian eggs and avoid accidentally killing them in your paralloops, the music would become more happy. If you did the opposite, the music would get darker.

Even if you looped the nightmarens to get rid of them, or if you choose to instead spin into them, made a difference to the environment. If you did the latter then fresh eggs would hatch mixed breed nightopians, a combination between the nightmarens you knocked down there and the nightopians.

There was just a lot more to the game than meets the eye.

[Knuckles Chaotix]

I didn't like playing as the kids. I loved everything else though.

[Starlight Rage Zone]

The reason some of us worship the original game is because it was totally about flying through the levels as quickly as possible, collecting as much as possible, while building up big bonuses by keeping your link chain going from one lap to the next. It was all about local leaderboards and it tracked not just your total score but also you best links on each act and level. So there were many levels to compete on.

The along comes Journey of Dreams and they just chopped that whole aspect of the game out, so not cool. I suspect it was even done to balance the control scheme between motion control and analog stick, which is likely why the original game never had the motion controls that was in the original concept - because it just sucks once you realise its not precise enough to be reliable.

So people who never played the original didn't mind JoD because it still had that fantasy dream world thing going on (but they might thing the game a bit short) and those that played the original but did not compete on it might also like it for the same reasons.

Those of us who did compete are bitter that they cut out the one thing that made the game anything other than a short trip through a fantasy world.

Then there was the whole mythology change. I'm pretty sure Yuji Naka once said that NiGHTS specifically was meant to be genderless and mysterious. Yet in JoD NiGHTS suddenly has a female voice and is far too jolly and carefree. Lets not forget, NiGHTS is a nightmaren after all who is refusing to bow to its masters whim, you totally didn't feel that in JoD.

Another thing that gained a lot of respect, was just how many easter eggs the game had. There was always so many curious little details going on in the background with the A-Life etc. The way if you were careful to hatch nightopian eggs and avoid accidentally killing them in your paralloops, the music would become more happy. If you did the opposite, the music would get darker.

Even if you looped the nightmarens to get rid of them, or if you choose to instead spin into them, made a difference to the environment. If you did the latter then fresh eggs would hatch mixed breed nightopians, a combination between the nightmarens you knocked down there and the nightopians.

There was just a lot more to the game than meets the eye.

I can understand that feeling.

I play SoR 2 annually just to get a better score and harder difficulty.

I also understand when a sequel has been messed with enough to ruin the franchise. Valkyria Chronicles 2 was very poor in terms of what it was supposed to be...but I liked it for being more mission based with challenges over the first game.

This game does seem interesting, but the game is very abstract and is an acquired taste (not played it myself yet, read a review on it), it seems fun but it also seems a little too simple for those who don't really do challenges (I probably will as I like majestic games like this and Pilotwings), but it seems you don't play for the story in the first game.

I am glad it has some variety in its game play though.

I always thought that Nights would be great on the 3DS whilst Panzer Dragoon is more a Vita type of game. Both would suit each console.

[Aaronterasu Okami]

I've heard so many great things and have read great reviews of Nights into Dreams, I can't wait to try it out.

As for Journey of Dreams I love playing this game but even I have to admit that playing as the kids is boring but everything else is fun.

What is it like playing as the kids in the first Nights?

[Alex Atkin UK]

NiGHTS had a story of course, but in keeping with the whole dream world thing it was only told visually, which I think was awesome. It was down to your own interpretation and it made you want to watch the videos several times to fully understand what is supposed to happening.

In JoD they just made it like every other game, explaining far too much. Here is a fantasy game that they have to explain every little detail? Quite frankly, you don't need to know and the game would have been better sticking more closely to the formula of the original. For one thing, the story made it take much longer before you get into the actual game, I was bored before I even started a level.

Likewise there was no reason to kill the scoring aspect of the original at all. They could have still had the annoying kids levels if they wanted, as long as they kept the original formula of the flying stages and made it easy to access them for replay. Its not unusual for games to have a Story mode and separately a list of levels you already completed which you can instantly replay.

Bear in mind, I am one of those people who LOVED Sonic Adventure for adding an exploration element to the game, which is a similar complaint fans of the original 2D Sonic games had. So normally I LOVE adding the sort of things to the game that JoD had, it was just implemented badly and slowed down by horrible dialogue.

That is even compared to Sonic Adventure which had some TERRIBLE voice acting in places, although that is some of its charm to be honest as its so bad its good.

[Aaronterasu Okami]

Is the gameplay good in Nights into Dreams when playing as the kids?

[viperxmns]

Is the gameplay good in Nights into Dreams when playing as the kids?

It's less restrictive than JoD. The kids can do a triple bounce which you can't do in JoD. There's no mandatory play as the kids, but you can wander around and collect chips and stuff before dualizing with NiGHTS to help you score a good time bonus. You have to avoid the Alarm Egg, as opposed to Awakers. It is possible to jump on the Alarm Egg and disable it a bit. You also get an arrow at the top of the screen showing you the way to NiGHTS, unlike JoD. (there's no blue chip throwing in NiD either)

[Aaronterasu Okami]

It's less restrictive than JoD. The kids can do a triple bounce which you can't do in JoD. There's no mandatory play as the kids, but you can wander around and collect chips and stuff before dualizing with NiGHTS to help you score a good time bonus. You have to avoid the Alarm Egg, as opposed to Awakers. It is possible to jump on the Alarm Egg and disable it a bit. You also get an arrow at the top of the screen showing you the way to NiGHTS, unlike JoD. (there's no blue chip throwing in NiD either)Sounds like I might end up liking this game more then it's sequel.

[Starlight Rage Zone]

NiGHTS had a story of course, but in keeping with the whole dream world thing it was only told visually, which I think was awesome. It was down to your own interpretation and it made you want to watch the videos several times to fully understand what is supposed to happening.

I agree that the imagination fostering is a better idea for an original game, but I felt the sequel does its job this way too.



In JoD they just made it like every other game, explaining far too much. Here is a fantasy game that they have to explain every little detail? Quite frankly, you don't need to know and the game would have been better sticking more closely to the formula of the original. For one thing, the story made it take much longer before you get into the actual game, I was bored before I even started a level.

If you compare the cutscenes/tutorials to the latest SEGA games, JoD is actually pretty light on the story, it only gives you what you need to know...Metroid fans complain about Fusion for the exact same reasons...and I really like Fusion for letting me know where to go as well.



Likewise there was no reason to kill the scoring aspect of the original at all. They could have still had the annoying kids levels if they wanted, as long as they kept the original formula of the flying stages and made it easy to access them for replay. Its not unusual for games to have a Story mode and separately a list of levels you already completed which you can instantly replay.

It still has a scoring system, you just have to play the level again in story mode to Score Attack.



Bear in mind, I am one of those people who LOVED Sonic Adventure for adding an exploration element to the game, which is a similar complaint fans of the original 2D Sonic games had. So normally I LOVE adding the sort of things to the game that JoD had, it was just implemented badly and slowed down by horrible dialogue.

I agree that it has unnecessary filler but I don't mind the Boat/Rollercoaster segments at all! In fact, if the original Nights is only about flying, I think I'd get bored of the lack of variety.

I do like the flying segments if it sounded like I didn't, but I wouldn't want the whole game to be about just one way of flying.



That is even compared to Sonic Adventure which had some TERRIBLE voice acting in places, although that is some of its charm to be honest as its so bad its good.

I think so far the voice acting is okay, the VAs do their job and don't sound like they are bored or out of place.

If people played the original and don't like the direction of the second game, that's understandable, but it is an enjoyable game for those who either haven't played the original or they don't care and view it separately.

I am a Valkyria Chronicles fan (a big one at that), and loved the first game, but many fans don't like the second game despite playing it as a portable version. I see that game in a different light and somewhat prefer the sequel in some ways.

So far, I am really enjoying JoD despite the flaws the game has (I don't really see the flaws as anything significant I guess).

[thechaostrigger]

Should I buy the Wii one? I've never played nights before, and I sorta wanna try one out.

[ultimate victory]

Should I buy the Wii one? I've never played nights before, and I sorta wanna try one out.

Go for it.

[thechaostrigger]

Go for it.

I will. Its only $10 (USD) on amazon. Im sure it will be decent for that price.