NiGHTS Journey of Dreams is a disappointing, yet fun sequel.
Published Friday, February 8, 2008 by T-Man | E-mail this post
NOTE: I have decided to name my rating system "Words" because I'm using words instead of ratings.
If you haven’t played NiGHTS into Dreams… for the SEGA Saturn, then you are missing out on a truly great gaming experience. But here’s the rundown, anyway. You play as two kids--Claris and Elliot--and fight off their fears in a set of eight dreams with the help of a flying jester-thing named NiGHTS. Sound good enough? Not unless you’ve played it. So, if you don’t already have it, go to eBay or Game Haven and buy it, along with a SEGA Saturn, of course (if you don’t have one). Once you beat it (which shouldn’t take long, since I can usually beat it in about an hour and fifteen minutes), look back at this review to see my opinion on its sequel, NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams.
Yep, you heard me. A sequel to NiGHTS. Actually, you probably already knew about it, but who cares? But still, take a look at Sonic Next-Gen for a minute. Yeah, I know I like it, but I’m a super-ultra-hardcore, and even then, I’ll admit that it’s not as good as the older ones. Could SEGA have done the same thing to NiGHTS? Surely not…
Or could they have? Time to find out!
Let’s begin with one of the game’s high points for a sec: the story. Now, those of you who have played the original are probably thinking: “The story being the high point?” Yet, take note that it has been twelve years since the original came out (eleven when the game ACTUALLY came out). Certainly the story could have evolved. And it did. While it has the same basic setup (a boy and girl try to save the Ideya from Wizeman and NiGHTS’ evil counterpart Reala), it’s got much more development than the last game.
This new essence of plot development is started by the voice acting, giving personality to the characters. And the voice acting is actually pretty good! The characters are also fully developed, from NiGHTS himself to Reala, his evil counterpart. You actually grow to hate Reala and Wizeman! But for some reason, everyone is British. Whatever. Thing is...NiGHTS kind of…sounds like…a girl? And he’s referred to as a boy. Just wrong. But that has no bearing on anything else. Another good point is that it explains some elements in the first game that were not mentioned, such as Dualizing (when the kids fused with NiGHTS).
The story is this: two children, named Will and Helen, respectively, are having problems in their lives that are reflecting in their dreams. They both stumble upon Nightopia, the land of dreams, and must stop the evil Wizeman with the help of NiGHTS and the Ideya, which make up Nightopia. While I find Will a bit whiny and unlikable, I managed to actually have some feelings for Helen. Still, it’s just the story, right? You came for the gameplay, right?
Probably, and that’s just what we’re about to get into. Well, it’s just like the last game: go through several parts of a level collecting items and then beat the boss…except with a twist. Not a twist like the Wii Remote functionality (more on that later), but with a twist of variety. Not to say the original NiGHTS was monotonous and repetitive, but a little variety couldn’t hurt to improve its sequel! And it didn’t. You’ll be returning to a level until all missions are complete. All first missions are normal missions like in the original game, except you’ll be chasing birds that have swallowed keys (…yes) and ends with a boss. The others are randomized in how you play them, but the third mission of all levels but one involves chasing a blue octopus dubbed “Octopaw” and flying through the Rings it leaves behind in an attempt to get a bunch of Links (a sequence of collecting items and going through Rings), which ultimately leads to some of the most fun missions in the game. Otherwise, there’s way too much to cover--rafting across a river, riding on a roller coaster, collecting gems from a volcano--heck, sometimes, you even get to play as the children in platforming missions! Of course, while I DO like the variety, returning to a level many times before moving on to the next is a bit annoying. Maybe they should have just added more levels and made the other missions subgames…
OK, now I bet you’re asking: “How does the Wii Remote work?” Well, rather than motion, it uses IR. Using a colored pointer called “Mindsight,” you move NiGHTS around. The closer it is to NiGHTS, the better it receives. But, there’s a BIG problem. NiGHTS just jerks around and often goes the exact opposite way you point the Wii Remote. This ultimately means the game was rushed. I tried to deal with it, but…I just had to switch to the Wii Remote + Nunchuk setup.
And thank GOSH that you can use different control styles. In fact, that’s the only thing separating the game from crap! There are several different ways to control the game. You can use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, the Classic Controller, or a GameCube controller. I don’t have a Classic Controller, so I don’t have anything to say about it. But I can talk about the Nunchuk and GameCube controller setups. While the Nunckuk setup is good, nothing beats the good ol’ GameCube controller! Yet even then, it isn’t as fun as the original game…
Well, to close my review, I will overview the graphics and sound. The artstyle of the game is just as effective and beautiful as the last, while the low polygon count and resolution are a bit of a problem. In fact, the game could have been on Dreamcast without any major differences. And yet they made us wait many more years just for some crappy IR controls. Sheesh! The music is great, though. At least ten versions of the original game’s theme appear, each sounding better than the original version.
And thus, I have reviewed the long-awaited sequel to NiGHTS into Dreams… It may be a disappointment, but it’s still a great game in its own right, provided you don’t play it with the IR, and should be bought by any fan of the first game. While the “Pretty Good” Word (my new name for my rating system) may seem a little harsh, the new “Ehhh” Word I’m going to start using (for the stuff that’s merely OK) gives this game a little boost.
So What’s Good?
+ It’s the NiGHTS sequel!!! W00T!!!!!!
+ A fully developed story
+ Surprisingly good voice acting
+ The variety in missions is a good addition to the gameplay
+ Multiple control styles are a definite plus
+ The artstyle is just as effective and beautiful as its predecessor
+ The music is just as great
…But Then What’s Bad?
- NiGHTS’s voice?
- Returning to a level repeatedly is a little annoying…
- The IR controls are just terrible
- Just not as fun as the original…
- The game could have been made for Dreamcast without any major differences…
So What Are the Words?
Story: Pretty Good. It’s not the story itself; it’s the vast amounts of plot development.
Gameplay: Pretty Good. It’s got variety and great Nunchuk and GameCube controls, so what could be missing? Decent IR controls.
Graphics: Ehhh. Great artstyle, but this really could’ve been a Dreamcast game.
Music: Awesome! The game’s high point, by far!
Final Word: Pretty Good. It’s a disappointment, but a fun disappointment.
If you haven’t played NiGHTS into Dreams… for the SEGA Saturn, then you are missing out on a truly great gaming experience. But here’s the rundown, anyway. You play as two kids--Claris and Elliot--and fight off their fears in a set of eight dreams with the help of a flying jester-thing named NiGHTS. Sound good enough? Not unless you’ve played it. So, if you don’t already have it, go to eBay or Game Haven and buy it, along with a SEGA Saturn, of course (if you don’t have one). Once you beat it (which shouldn’t take long, since I can usually beat it in about an hour and fifteen minutes), look back at this review to see my opinion on its sequel, NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams.
Yep, you heard me. A sequel to NiGHTS. Actually, you probably already knew about it, but who cares? But still, take a look at Sonic Next-Gen for a minute. Yeah, I know I like it, but I’m a super-ultra-hardcore, and even then, I’ll admit that it’s not as good as the older ones. Could SEGA have done the same thing to NiGHTS? Surely not…
Or could they have? Time to find out!
Let’s begin with one of the game’s high points for a sec: the story. Now, those of you who have played the original are probably thinking: “The story being the high point?” Yet, take note that it has been twelve years since the original came out (eleven when the game ACTUALLY came out). Certainly the story could have evolved. And it did. While it has the same basic setup (a boy and girl try to save the Ideya from Wizeman and NiGHTS’ evil counterpart Reala), it’s got much more development than the last game.
This new essence of plot development is started by the voice acting, giving personality to the characters. And the voice acting is actually pretty good! The characters are also fully developed, from NiGHTS himself to Reala, his evil counterpart. You actually grow to hate Reala and Wizeman! But for some reason, everyone is British. Whatever. Thing is...NiGHTS kind of…sounds like…a girl? And he’s referred to as a boy. Just wrong. But that has no bearing on anything else. Another good point is that it explains some elements in the first game that were not mentioned, such as Dualizing (when the kids fused with NiGHTS).
The story is this: two children, named Will and Helen, respectively, are having problems in their lives that are reflecting in their dreams. They both stumble upon Nightopia, the land of dreams, and must stop the evil Wizeman with the help of NiGHTS and the Ideya, which make up Nightopia. While I find Will a bit whiny and unlikable, I managed to actually have some feelings for Helen. Still, it’s just the story, right? You came for the gameplay, right?
Probably, and that’s just what we’re about to get into. Well, it’s just like the last game: go through several parts of a level collecting items and then beat the boss…except with a twist. Not a twist like the Wii Remote functionality (more on that later), but with a twist of variety. Not to say the original NiGHTS was monotonous and repetitive, but a little variety couldn’t hurt to improve its sequel! And it didn’t. You’ll be returning to a level until all missions are complete. All first missions are normal missions like in the original game, except you’ll be chasing birds that have swallowed keys (…yes) and ends with a boss. The others are randomized in how you play them, but the third mission of all levels but one involves chasing a blue octopus dubbed “Octopaw” and flying through the Rings it leaves behind in an attempt to get a bunch of Links (a sequence of collecting items and going through Rings), which ultimately leads to some of the most fun missions in the game. Otherwise, there’s way too much to cover--rafting across a river, riding on a roller coaster, collecting gems from a volcano--heck, sometimes, you even get to play as the children in platforming missions! Of course, while I DO like the variety, returning to a level many times before moving on to the next is a bit annoying. Maybe they should have just added more levels and made the other missions subgames…
OK, now I bet you’re asking: “How does the Wii Remote work?” Well, rather than motion, it uses IR. Using a colored pointer called “Mindsight,” you move NiGHTS around. The closer it is to NiGHTS, the better it receives. But, there’s a BIG problem. NiGHTS just jerks around and often goes the exact opposite way you point the Wii Remote. This ultimately means the game was rushed. I tried to deal with it, but…I just had to switch to the Wii Remote + Nunchuk setup.
And thank GOSH that you can use different control styles. In fact, that’s the only thing separating the game from crap! There are several different ways to control the game. You can use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, the Classic Controller, or a GameCube controller. I don’t have a Classic Controller, so I don’t have anything to say about it. But I can talk about the Nunchuk and GameCube controller setups. While the Nunckuk setup is good, nothing beats the good ol’ GameCube controller! Yet even then, it isn’t as fun as the original game…
Well, to close my review, I will overview the graphics and sound. The artstyle of the game is just as effective and beautiful as the last, while the low polygon count and resolution are a bit of a problem. In fact, the game could have been on Dreamcast without any major differences. And yet they made us wait many more years just for some crappy IR controls. Sheesh! The music is great, though. At least ten versions of the original game’s theme appear, each sounding better than the original version.
And thus, I have reviewed the long-awaited sequel to NiGHTS into Dreams… It may be a disappointment, but it’s still a great game in its own right, provided you don’t play it with the IR, and should be bought by any fan of the first game. While the “Pretty Good” Word (my new name for my rating system) may seem a little harsh, the new “Ehhh” Word I’m going to start using (for the stuff that’s merely OK) gives this game a little boost.
So What’s Good?
+ It’s the NiGHTS sequel!!! W00T!!!!!!
+ A fully developed story
+ Surprisingly good voice acting
+ The variety in missions is a good addition to the gameplay
+ Multiple control styles are a definite plus
+ The artstyle is just as effective and beautiful as its predecessor
+ The music is just as great
…But Then What’s Bad?
- NiGHTS’s voice?
- Returning to a level repeatedly is a little annoying…
- The IR controls are just terrible
- Just not as fun as the original…
- The game could have been made for Dreamcast without any major differences…
So What Are the Words?
Story: Pretty Good. It’s not the story itself; it’s the vast amounts of plot development.
Gameplay: Pretty Good. It’s got variety and great Nunchuk and GameCube controls, so what could be missing? Decent IR controls.
Graphics: Ehhh. Great artstyle, but this really could’ve been a Dreamcast game.
Music: Awesome! The game’s high point, by far!
Final Word: Pretty Good. It’s a disappointment, but a fun disappointment.
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