NiGHTS Into Dreams (Saturn)
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NiGHTS Into Dreams
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| Publisher: | Sega |
| Developer: | Sonic Team |
| Alternative Title: | none |
| Release date: | JP: 5/July/1996 NA: 31/August/1996 EU: date/month/1997 AU: ? |
| Genre: | 3D Platformer |
| Number of Players: | 1 |
| Rating: | ESRB - ESRB-rating PEGI/ELSPA - 3+ CERO - n/a |
| Platform: |  Sega Saturn
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| Media: |  CD-ROM |
| Online Functions: | No |
NiGHTS Into Dreams is now considered by many to be one of the greatest games ever created, although at the time of its release it failed to find the mass commercial appeal of Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64), which was launched around the same time. Most reviews in dedicated Saturn magazines praised the game, but those of some multi-format web sites and magazines were more critical.
A sequel was planned, and supposedly used a tilt sensor in the analogue pad. Development of this was discontinued (apparently due to quality issues). Another sequel (for the Sega Dreamcast) was discussed, using a motion-sensing wand as a controller, but this was also discontinued. However, it has been suggested that the technology for this title (which had the working title Air NiGHTS) would have been similar to that of Samba de Amigo (Dreamcast), and Air NiGHTS may even have been a extremely early version of that game. It is said that Yuji Naka refuses to release a sequel because he cannot improve the game any further other than a graphical update. This is supported by a February 2005 interview, in which he expressed that a NiGHTS sequel would have to be of perfect quality.
Although there have been no new NiGHTS games, the character can be seen in cameo appearances in more recent Sonic Team titles (such as Sonic Adventure 2 (Dreamcast)), and references to the game were made in Burning Rangers (Saturn). There is also a bonus NiGHTS game in the Nintendo GameCube version of Phantasy Star Online Ep 1&2 that can be downloaded to the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. There are also NiGHTS-themed pinball levels in both Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast) and Sonic Pinball Party (GBA). NiGHTS' most recent cameo appearance is in the form of a minigame in the Sony PlayStation 2 game Sega Superstars, which makes use of that console's Eye Toy peripheral.
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Story
Players take the role of either Claris or Eliot, two children living in the city of Twin Seeds. In their dreams, they enter the world of Nightopia, where all human dreams are played out. An evil creature known as Wizeman is gathering power to take control of Nightopia. The children team up with NiGHTS, an ex-Nightmaren (nightmare-dweller) trying to stop Wizeman.
Gameplay
The goal of each level is to capture 20 blue chips to overload the Ideya capture and take back the orb it holds. After playing through four routes, NiGHTS is transported to meet and defeat another Nightmaren.
The unique features of this game centre on NiGHTS' flying sequences. Movement is natural and fluid; multiple moves can be freeformly played and linked and all with such a simple control mechanic. The game often came bundled with an analogue joypad, which was significantly more responsive and accurate than those which had been available for previous consoles.
Aside from the immediate game mission, there are the complex and involving artificial lifeforms called Nightopians (dream-dwellers) and their genetically modified counterparts, the Mepians. The game featured an evolving music engine, allowing tempo and pitch to change depending on the happiness or other moods of these creatures. Although if judged only by the main adventure it is a rather short title, significant long-term appeal comes from its refined high score system (similar to those of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater or Crazy Taxi franchises, in that it relies on fast movement and long chains of "combos" in order to build up points).
Screenshots
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Review Scores
This game currently has no review scores. Please edit this entry to include any review scores relating to this game, in the form:
- Magazine Name: score (issue number or date)
Trivia
- There is a NiGHTS themed table in Sonic Pinball Party (GBA).
Credits
This game currently has no credits filled in. Please edit this entry to include any credits for the game you can, in the form:
- Job: Person 1, Person 2}
External links
- The NiGHTS page of The Green Hill Zone, a general Sonic Team fan site.
- The Christmas NiGHTS page of The Green Hill Zone.
- The NiGHTS section of GameFAQs
- Versus Mode, a site allowing high score competition.
This article uses source material obtained from Wikipedia The original article can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NiGHTS_Into_Dreams
