Nintendo Wii Fanboy

We said we wouldn't get hung up on graphics if the gameplay was good. And, well, after watching these two videos of NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, we are feeling a sensation we haven't felt in a long time: real Sega love. You could put a copy of Sonic Shuffle in front of us and we'd totally play it. Our minds aren't changed about the textures, but we find it very hard to care right now.

What you see in the video is authentic NiGHTS. Sega hasn't changed it into a minigame collection or a training game or even a 3D platformer. They didn't give him a gun and a car. This is a real sequel to the Saturn game in 2.5D, just like God intended. Ignore the Disney-esque narration and flourishes in the trailer. They are irrelevant.

For some reason, these videos aren't embedded at Gamespot's NiGHTS page, despite using the Gamespot player. You can, however, download a high-resolution version of the gameplay video there. They are embedded after the break. Please watch them and improve your day!

[Via NeoGAF; embedded Gamespot videos found at GoNintendo]

Okay, before we start talking about these new NiGHTS screenshots, we'll preface ourselves. We are huge Sega fanboys from way back. We played hours of Penguin Land. We were excited about the bundled Altered Beast in the first Genesis boxes. NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams is right up at the top of our "most wanted" list, no matter what. We don't really care about graphics if the gameplay is good. We love Sega, and we aren't graphics snobs.

But we have to say that these new screens of NiGHTS don't look that hot. Specifically, the textures are horribly blurry. This is pretty disappointing. NiGHTS should be a visual feast. It doesn't help that Jeux France's images are in double the Wii's native resolution. They look better in a more Wii-like 640x360 resolution, as they appear in our gallery, but even so, those textures are pretty dire. We know the Wii can do better than this, and we know that Sega can do better than this.

A new scan of NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams has appeared, thanks to NeoGAF's tireless neo2046. It mostly contains too-small images of NiGHTS flying around, which-- thankfully-- look great. There's some kind of ... peacock creature, maybe?

The page highlights NiGHTS' new human counterpart, Helen Cartwright, a young violinist. We assume that, like the previous game's children, she experiences performance anxiety and seeks solace in her dreams. Whatever the motivation, she frees NiGHTS so we can start playing the real game. And for that we must thank the frilly-jacketed, fictional child. The full page is after the break!