Games Revisted: NiGHTS Journey of Dreams

[Sk8teland85]

Many gamers consider 2007 one of the best years for gaming in recent memory. With big name games like Metroid Prime 3, Super Mario Galaxy, Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, The Orange Box, Bioshock, and Mass Effect you can't really blame them. However with all these big name titles some games just got overlooked by most gamers. One such title was NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams.

Now NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams is the long awaited sequel to the 1996 Sega Saturn game NiGHTS into Dreams and trust me as a huge fan of the first game I was really looking forward to the new one. I really did enjoy this game when I first got it, heck I had to force myself to take a break just so I could give Super Mario Galaxy a try. Now I decide to go ahead and give this game a revisit and share just what I like and don't like about the game.

When I first started the game I was greeted by the CGI intro cinematic which is incredibly well done. As a mater of fact all the CGI in the game is just stunning to look at but that should not be a surprise since it is CGI after all. Well after the CGI into I got into the game itself which starts by dropping you right into the hub which is known as the Dream Gate.

Some of the great looking CGI you will see in the game

Now depending on which dreamer you pick particular levels are open. There are 3 levels for each of the 2 dreamers and each level has 5 stages. Now I am mixed on these levels, some like the Chase missions and Link challenges are very fun while others like the on foot levels where you play as one of the dreamers and the gimmick stages where you are one of NiGHTS stranger forms are not that fun. On average I liked 4 out of the 5 stages per each level which is pretty good overall but still there were a fair amount of the stages I did not like so much.

Once you get into a level you get greeted by some of the best Wii visuals there are. The environment and World of each level are just stunning to look at. There are great visual effects through out and everything has this mysterious dream like feel to it. Some levels like Crystal Palace and Pure Valley are just amazing to look at and it really makes you wish you could be there walking around these worlds. The only downer comes with the character models which are not as well done especially up close but still the characters are not that bad looking overall.

One of the great looking environments seen through out the game

The next thing I noticed is of course the games music. Now NiGHTS has always been known for well done festive tracks which all seem to fit the dream world they are heard in. Journey of Dreams is no different, the music is just stunning and is some of the best I have heard in a game to date. Each track helps bring the world it is heard in alive and is just great to listen to. Now I should note that not all the audio is good, like most Sega franchise games the voice acting is just a joke really. The voice overs are just not that well done as a whole, this is a combination of the actors selected and the poorly written script. But thankfully there is not that much of it in the game.

The only other thing I had a minor issue but an issue none the less is with the controls. Now like many Wii games out there Journey of Dreams offers multiple control schemes you can use. Now really my only issue is with one of the controls schemes and that one is the Wii Remote only or Mindsite one. The issue here is the fact that it uses the IR sensor which is not the most accurate at reading quick and sudden movements. For example to do NiGHTS Paraloop move you have to draw a loop on screen quickly which is almost impossible since the sensor is not sensitive enough to read the movement at high speed. Thankfully all the other control options offer the Analog stick to control movement which works so much better.

Overall after this revisit I have to admit NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams is one of the most underappreciated Wii games out there. It just came out at the wrong time. With so many other good games out there for gamers to get this one just got forgotten about. It's a shame really since it is a well made game that is a lot of fun to play. Yes it could have used some more development time to polish up the rough parts, but for the most part it does many things very well. I know it is not a title everyone will like but it is worth at least giving a try. Who knows you may end up finding a true gem.

[Nayrman]

I merely rented this. It was a decent game to me, nothing terribly special. I just love the premise so much that I'm willing to forgive some of it's faults. The strange thing is that NiGHTS has become the de-facto niche character for some reason.

You think that CGI was amazing, imagine if SEGA got their new animation studio to do a NiGHTS game :o

[Macawmoses]

I was fairly happy with NiGHTS Wii. It was a brilliant endeavour, but fell short in so many ways.

Still, it is an excellent release. I can't wait to see a sequel....let's hope it isn't another decade long wait!