It's time for a collective "Uh-oh!" We've been hoping against hope that NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams would be the game to bring Sega back from their current ruinous state to, well, where they were 11 years ago when the first NiGHTS came out. Back then they were a perfect counterpart to Nintendo, with NiGHTS exploring the move to 3D in a completely different way from Nintendo's Mario 64. It was fresh, exciting, and infinitely replayable.So when Sega revealed the new NiGHTS on the Wii, we thought the timing was right for a brilliant return to form from Sonic Team, complete with another exciting new controller with which to tool around some ring-filled fantasy lands. Did it turn out like we dreamed? It appears not. At best, it looks like "a pretty good game" -- not quite the Sega renaissance we'd hoped. At least it's not Sonic the Hedgehog bad.
Nintendo Power -- 90%: Nintendo Power shows a secret love for classic Sega -- who knew? "Like the first game, Journey of Dreams does have its share of flaws -- some of the voice acting is questioniable, the on-foot levels are a bit dull, and the motion controls disappoint (steering NiGHTS with the analog stick works much better) -- but the whole is somehow greater than the sum of its parts. This was obviously a labor of love for the development team--something that goes beyond the nuts and bolts of typical game design."
GameSpot -- 75%: GameSpot's Kevin VanOrd makes the game sound fairly cozy for old NiGHTS players and gorgeously dreamlike for new ones: "Once you get settled in with your preferred controls, you'll find Journey of Dreams is an often joyous experience. You'll soar through some lush, colorful dream worlds, from a fragile land of glass to a Broadway-inspired neon utopia. You will often interact with elements of these worlds in clever ways, such as bumping into huge floating billiard balls or having to watch your reflection in the mirror to collect blue chips and fly through rings."
1UP -- 70%: Shane Bettenhausen found that the game's often-slavish devotion to 1996-era design ideals may have kept the game faithful, but it also brought along some unwelcome decisions: "Likewise, poor design choices and a ticking clock conspire to create some of the most confusing boss encounters in recent memory. After blazing through three flight stages you're given only one shot at felling a massive opponent -- if you don't clue into how to damage its tricky weak spot within the strict time limit, look forward to doing it all over again."
We tend to find our personal all-time classics in the mid-70s "good" territory, plus we're blindly devoted to the ideal of a real Sega, so we're just going to wait and see for our own playthrough. It's clear that NiGHTS isn't the smash hit we hoped for, though.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-20-2007 @ 5:09PM
Mr Khan said...
Good to mediocre, then
eh, better than Sonic and the Secret Rings did (ranged from 85 to 35)
Either way, i'm positive i'll like it (i picked it up, but its a Christmas gift, i get it back with my $50 under the tree come tuesday)
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12-20-2007 @ 6:08PM
Mr Khan said...
Oh, and JC, none of us expected NiGHTS 2 to be a smash hit, i would think. Sega, and specifically Sonic Team, has garnered too much ill will, and the concept that made NiGHTS such a phenomenon (the idea of full 3D movement with an analogue controller) has, of course, become common
The gorgeous art design and feelings of whimsy are still there, but that's not enough, especially not on a platform that is not known for looks
12-20-2007 @ 5:22PM
Ghaleon said...
Not a big deal -- I think most gamers who remember SEGA know what to expect from them these days in terms of polish.
The core game is there, that's all that really matters (flying is sweet, fantastic visuals/soundtrack). I can't wait to play it next week.
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12-20-2007 @ 5:37PM
Tristan said...
What a horrible game, I guess I am not going to get it now. I had hoped to get it but after these horrid reviews, I wont be picking it up.
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12-20-2007 @ 6:56PM
Kogen said...
Are you actually able to translate scores into proper terms? 75% means good. It means 1/4 is the game is bad, leaving you with 3/4 of a good game. The only thing "horrible" here is your sense of well... reading.
I was tempted to get a Wii for this, but I guess not now; I'll just get this whenever I end up getting a Wii instead.
12-20-2007 @ 7:10PM
Tristan said...
Most defintely, only good games are rather 82% and above, anything below is a direct waste of money, havent you learned this?
12-20-2007 @ 5:38PM
Zack W. said...
I doubt that it will be a journey into dissapointment. It still looks neat.
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12-20-2007 @ 6:05PM
Jay said...
I got it yesterday and I really like it! Flying is awesome, but make sure you use the nuchuk. Flying with just the pointer sucks and is very unresponsive, I haven't tried it with the gamecube or the vc controllers yet - but I'll definately give the vc controller a spin on it eventually. But doing it with the nunchuck is very fun, i love just flying around!
So the core mechanics work very welll, especially the chase missions. The other missions vary from awesome to so-so, but I haven't played one that I ddnt like. The game is kinda hard, and unforgiving, which I'm glad to see in a modern game. If you mess up, its back to the begining, not just of that part, but the entire level, which means you can put a good 15 minutes into a chase level (which usually consists of 3 parts and a boss) and if you die on the boss, you have to go aaaallllll the way back to the first chase part and do it all over. Which makes the game more exciting on the boss fights. I notice that IGN gave it quite a low score, and one of the major complaints was that he got annoyed that he had to start all over again. Does no one realize that not wanting to die and start all over on a level makes the gameplay that much more exciting?
The parts where you play the kid can get a little boring if you don't get into the whole exploration aspect, but I liked walking around the environments, the walking parts broke up the flying parts and made the experience feel more filled-out.
Anyway, I'd give it a solid 9 out of 10, personally. I'm glad I picked this up on a whim, as I never played the first one.
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12-20-2007 @ 8:24PM
Haohmaru said...
I find it kind of funny that one of the things holding back this game's score from IGN is a feature that makes the game more challenging - starting a level over if you die. Damn. Some gamers have really gotten spoiled since the early 90's, huh?
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12-20-2007 @ 9:11PM
ALH said...
'starting a level over if you die.'
TBH hearing that makes me mroe interested in the game than i would have been otherwise. I miss relentlessly difficult games.
12-20-2007 @ 9:46PM
Jay said...
I know, Haohmaru - it's insane. I mean, these are still supposed to be games, right? Not interactive movies. WTF? What if Contra or Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts or Ninja Gaiden came out today, they'd get like zeros, and yet they are some of the greatest games of all time.
I'm tired of the "hardcore" game title going to effortless games like Bioshock, where dying makes no different (yes I realize people thought it was a great game or whatever, but the fact that dying had no affect on the game bugged me immensely) and yet people will call NiGHTS a kiddy game. I think it's the other way around personally.
Hardcore should go back to meaning challenging, not violent.
12-21-2007 @ 11:18AM
Niji said...
I never really expected it to truly pull Sega out of the water,but the game still looks pret-ty awesome,so I hope to still get it for Christmas.
Besides,I really want to see if the Wii controller is as bad as everyone says it is.
But,then again,I'm a jack-of-all-trade with controllers,so I'll probably get used to it.8D
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12-21-2007 @ 11:55AM
James said...
It's funny, whenever I'm playing a "family" game with an action segment where you have to fly through rings (the Ratchet and Clank games have done this on several occasions), my wife mockingly says "Catch the snitch, Harry!", because I helped her through some of the Harry Potter games and in all cases the Quidditch matches are reduced to a 3D fly-through-the-rings game (which sucks).
I guess what I'm saying is I don't think I'd like this ;-)
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12-21-2007 @ 5:22PM
DeathChronx said...
GOD! Why can't the internet be swarming with more gamers like Jay? Seriously?
These days..I absolutely cannot judge a titles by it's rating..No matter where it's reviewed, because these days they are slamming games for completely pointless reasons..Look at Shane's review from 1up....
Confusing boss encounters?? Is he bitching that the game is too hard?? Does he know that you can just press start...and It'll actually give you tips on how to fight the boss?
I own this game, and I found it to be nothing like what these people have reviewed it to be. . . My judgment go out and rent/buy this game, and try it yourself, and stop being led by half-assed reviews.
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12-21-2007 @ 5:53PM
Jay said...
Right on man.
I'm going back to the old days of gaming. I'll pay the 4 dollar rental fee and try it for myself if I'm interested. Or, if I have faith in a game like NiGHTS, I'll just buy it.
I'm tired of reviews. It's MORE of a hassle to read them than to just do the research (play the game) yourself!
The whole thing has spun itself into an infinite "who cares" at this point. It was bound to happen.
I'll still read news sites like this one and destructoid, but I'm officially calling it quits on reviews from here on out. They just don't work anymore.
So whose with me?
12-21-2007 @ 6:07PM
Niji said...
I'm with you and DeathChronx on this one,Jay.
12-25-2007 @ 9:25PM
Tony said...
I bought this game and own the original NiGHTS and Christmas NiGHTS, here are my impressions: Graphics are great, the worlds are vibrant and magical; Sound is great, most effects from the original, the music is a mix of old and new, but is all around great; The missions that are flying are great. Overall this game is a very fun follow up to the original masterpiece, and despite it's flaws, is a blast to play. Flight-based gameplay, wonderful soundtrack, and brilliantly realized level designs that populate the Nights universe. I have to say I am happy to have gone buy this game. Here is the game I found: http://dealstudio.com/searchdeals.php?deal_id=74637 , I think it is a very fun follow up regardless, and worth checking out for gamers of all sorts.
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