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Thread: Nights Into Dreams

  1. Saturn Nights Into Dreams

    Nights Into Dreams

    With a new Sonic The Hedgehog in developmental limbo, Nights Into Dreams was Sonic Team's answer to Nintendo's Mario 64 and Sony's Crash Bandicoot during the suspenseful console wars of 1996. The story concerns two children plagued by nightmares. After achieving lucidity in their dreams, they assist a purple suited spiritual being named Nights in overthrowing the ruler, now intent on banishing humans from the dreamworld. This is accomplished by piloting Nights through 7 incredibly well designed levels, each containing 4 separate routes, in an attempt to gather Ideya stones which award access to that world's boss. The exact gameplay mechanics are difficult to describe, as Nights Into Dreams is made up of a mishmash of racing, platforming and horizontal shoot-em-up elements set in a fishbowl-like 2.5 D perspective. While your flight is restricted to two dimensions, this allows for a sense of speed rivaling Sonic The Hedgehog, along with countless scripted camera and scenario changes. In mid-flight you will often seamlessly transition into riding a sleigh while steering yourself towards items or being propelled by currents underwater from a behind the character perspective, among several others events.

    Each route lasts for about 2 minutes, where you must collect and deposit a minimum of 20 blue orbs in order to receive the Ideya stone which will advance you to the next section. Strewn about the stage are many items to gather and rings to fly through, both of which inflate your score, as well as enemies that will attempt to waste precious seconds. A linking system is present to reward smooth and quick actions. Once the minimum 20 orbs are accounted for, your remaining time will award double the points for any further action. If you don't return to your base on time with an Ideya stone, you will revert back to human form where you can explore with full 3D control, at the expense of losing all your points and finding yourself stalked by an alarm clock. While the game's seven boss fights are arguably the technical and creative high point of the game, most of the "nightmares" act disinterested in directly attacking you and are east to defeat once their weakness has been spotted. Expect most of the challenge to reside in toppling your previous score. Assisting this is the 360 analog controller introduced with the game.

    Overshadowing even the unique, well executed gameplay is the tremendous amount of beauty and creativity present in every aural and visual component. Better experienced and interpreted in play than described here, expect a rich, colorful dream world rivaling many animation films and a soundtrack that embodies the feeling of joy and freedom that takes place whenever you have personally taken flight in a dream. Powering this world is a high framerate graphical engine removing all doubts of the Saturn's 3D rendering capability. Gourad shading and light sourcing are both present via software, with enough power left over for plenty of detail along the landscapes. Most prevalent in the boss stages, high resolution 2D elements are often implemented cleverly enough to be mistaken as part of the 3D world. The only drawbacks are poor organic textures which the developers tried to disguise with bright color. Pop-up is noticeable, but it exists within a world of speed, activity and color which will command most of your eyes' attention.

    The entire game takes roughly 1-2 hours to complete depending on your skill. Short, yes, but a more relevant measure of a game's true length is whether it's worth revisiting. With a play concept that has yet to be duplicated and one of the few titles that could honestly be considered an "experience", Nights Into Dreams will occupy your Saturn as if the disc chooses to sleep there...

  2. Wrong. The game is an overhyped and overrated hunk of crap.

  3. Hehe, I hated the game back when I played it in demo kiosks. Weird as hell and I had no idea what the point was. Once I learned how to play and just enjoyed the presentation it grew on me a lot.

  4. Quote Originally Posted by Mikazuki
    Hehe, I hated the game back when I played it in demo kiosks. Weird as hell and I had no idea what the point was. Once I learned how to play and just enjoyed the presentation it grew on me a lot.
    That's a pretty good review. And an even better reply to diffision-x's trolling.

    It was a real shame to see NiGHTS listed in EGM's recent "Most Overated" list.

  5. Quote Originally Posted by Core Boy
    That's a pretty good review. And an even better reply to diffision-x's trolling.

    It was a real shame to see NiGHTS listed in EGM's recent "Most Overated" list.
    It belongs. I know the game just fine, theres not much to know. Its all graphics and zero gameplay. Its also short and easy. I think, in this case, "understanding" the game is knowing that its vapid and empty and enjoying it for graphics and sound (the graphics have dated badly, but whatever). Which is funny, because the hardcore that praise this game also make fun of the 'the casuals' for valuing graphics over gameplay.

  6. #6
    Definitely one of the most overrated games out there.
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  7. #7
    NiGHTS may be simple but that doesn't mean there's no gameplay. It's all about replaying for a better score and finding secrets. You can fault the game's easy difficulty if you want but the gameplay is very well done.

  8. One of the most underrated games of all time. Nights fucking rules....I'm I banned yet.

  9. Quote Originally Posted by diffusionx
    Its also short and easy.
    So is Super Mario Brothers, Sonic, and alot of other classics. It's not really a problem in and of itself.

  10. #10
    Super Mario Bros. is not short or easy.
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