Journey Of Dreams- NiGHTS 2 on Nintendo Wii 2007

LAST UPDATED: 17th December 2007 15:00

AVAiLABLE ViDEOS FOR DOWNLOAD:


IGN Trailer (74Mb)	Official Trailer (19Mb)	Gameplay Preview (50Mb)

	TGS Alps Gameplay (102Mb)

iNSiDE NEWS

Here at the .Com we were alerted to Journey of Dreams being an actual full motion project in the presence of Sega staff themselves back in November 2006. We know how far along the game is, but as always, anything can happen between now and the release date as the original game proved to us. We will report on any secret information given to us by reliable inside sources, and will continue to do so until the game is on the shelves. We bring this information to the heart of the 11 year fanbase since it's important that the people who really care know first.

*Please do not take any of this information without direct permission from either the reporter or admin*
Also, if you are submitting news to our site, please state clearly the terms and conditions of the information given to avoid confusion on anyone's behalf . Thankyou.

Things that we spoke of prior to press releases that are now officially in the game or common knowledge:

Unofficially confirmed the games existence before Sega did. (Us and Spong)
Game on the Nintendo Wii for 2007.
The game was described in January as being for Parents to play along with their young children and family orientated.
Date change due to 're haul' a few months ago.
We first reported of Helen and 'Kevin'. With a 100% on Helen's name.
Both children were blonde, Sonic360 princess-esque, looked glaringly similar and that William was a football fan.
Persona mask power ups named long before any official sources.
Sandy 'arabian' level confirmed now.
'Huge Patchwork Boss with a toony face' Puffy clone revealed to public.
Game has many British/London overtones.
William has indeed got Father issues.
Reala is 100% in the game.
The game plays like some sections in Sonic and The Secret Rings.
An Owl is in the game and acts as a support Omo-Chao type character.
NiGHTS now speaks. Has a British accent.
Beautiful Spring Valley level with 'Windmills' reported. (Level is called 'Alp Chase').
A-life garden (similar to Chao garden) involving the online trading function. Enables users to raise A-Life in their own small dream world.

Things that could still happen that we were told in the past 9 months:

Plans for Xbox 360 and PS3 game in 2008. Not said to be a port, which has been apparently ruled out now, but a new game amusingly titled 'NiGHTS -Twilight Adventure'. (Source from January 2007)
'The Great Mother' Jung archetype is a counterpart to Wizeman. We were told 'The great Mother' was an actual character, not the Nightmaren.
William is said to be 'tricked' by Wizeman acting as a father figure.

Things in development that were changed:

Pre April 2007 the game was named 'Bedtime Story' as originally reported and hinted at by us.
William Taylor was originally called 'Kevin'.
NiGHTS was to have stars on his face and blue feathers on his heels. Perhaps this will transfer over onto the Persona mask designs. Other designs were a very thin NiGHTS, a NiGHTS that looked like my U.V design, a very frilly NiGHTS with a cape and a ... midget NiGHTS.
Other Persona masks designed were 'Cloud' 'Eagle' and 'Magnet', rumored to be in the PS3/Xbox360 ports as an exclusive with a few extra levels. (This could still technically happen if the game sells well enough)
Helen got less frilly. Lol.
People complained in early stages (Feb) that NiGHTS' head looked super deformed like a toaster so they changed it. Yes.
Spongebob eyelashes are now gone.

NEWS TiMELiNE

The most recent additions to the timeline are displayed here.
This is everything up to date so far but remember if you catch onto more new news mail us quickly at ADMiN@nightsintodreams.com so we can keep everyone informed of what is the hottest gaming news this decade.

17th December - Game released in Japan and our last JoD News Update:
Well, it's been the talk of the forums for a while now but after a long wait we can honestly say that the so called 'delay' we were told turned out to be incorrect information. The game was released last week in Japan on December 13th. People had been talking about the confusion regarding this delay ever since we had been informed about it in Amsterdam but the confusion now lays to rest, the game was released in Japan and is set to release in America within the next few days, leaving the UK and European copies to land on our side of the planet next month.

I would personally like to take this opportunity to apologize for the confusion regarding the news of the delay. We presumed that since we were being told by a Sega PR directly that this game was delayed then we thought of him to be speaking the truth. A number of reasons as to why we were told of a delay could be that Sega had planned a delay then canceled it later on after we had left Amsterdam or simply the fact that Sega, as a company, simply don't communicate very well with each other and their different offices. Either way, somewhere along the line, something got twisted and we were told of a delay and reported it. I want to apologize for the confusion and even though i was merely a messenger i highly doubt anybody else is going to say sorry for all this, so i'll do it. Once again, to all those people who were lead to believe that this game was delayed, i apologize. We were lead to believe the same thing hence why we reported it.

However, it ain't all emo because this means you Americans will get your game within the next day or so. You lucky gits XD
According to a few sources, JoD seems to be doing well enough in Japan and American reviews of the game are mixed feelings but they still focus on the good points of the game. In general, it's looking quite good but at the end of the day no review can tell you what to like. Judge for yourself and play JoD when you get the chance. Form your own opinion without being influenced by what anybody else is saying.

Also, since this game has now been released, this is our last news update on this page. Our forums contain topics regarding JoD and any tid bits of news can be found in there.

Come January, ArchangelUK of Sega will be coming to visit me and TRiPPY and he's bringing JoD with him, so we get to playtest the game before the UK release. Jof, our friendly forum moderator, will hopefully be joining us for the event and us three will be writing up our own personal reviews of the game after the playtest. Looking forward to that, indeed.
So, until the next game comes out (because, you know, a little bird tells me that the talks of a Xbox360/PS3 NiGHTS game are still occurring), it's been one hell of a year and we hope that you'll stick with us for future projects regarding everyones favourite purple guy.
-
DiGi

7th December - What ArchangelUK reported for us at the JoD event in London and new 'Forest of Memories' level revealed:
Before we get started, i would just like to point out that next Thursday is the 13th December and that is when NiGHTS Journey of Dreams is meant to release in Japan. As far as release dates go, there are many different places saying many different dates of release but the Japanese release date has always been focused on December 13th. While we were in Amsterdam, the PR told us of a global delay until next year however with only a week left to go and no sign of Sega announcing a delay i can honestly say it doesn't look like this delay has stuck. BUT, it doesn't rule it out either. We advise everybody to keep an eye on next Thursday to see if JoD releases in Japan. If it does, then it's most probable that the delay was canceled. If it doesn't then this delay is most probably in place. Though, judging by the looks of things, my money is on that it won't be delayed until next year. Still, let's wait and see what happens next week in Japan and we'll take it from there.

Right. As you may know, ArchangelUK (our latest connection in the Sega company) was very kind to us and offered to represent our website during the JoD event in London. He was there and reported to us the Iizuka interview, which has it's own page in the news section. He was also present during the showing of the game and took down as many notes as possible, which i'll copy and paste here, word for word.
----
" THINGS NOTED DOWN DURING DEMO:
Opening story CGIs look gorgeous.

Release is January 2008 - no specific date has been announced yet.

Game is very easy to play but difficult to master.

Variety of gameplay styles, NiGHTS is NOT in every level.

Dragon Mask = Not affected by Winds
Dolphin Mask = Not affected by Water

Music is gorgeous.

My Dream feature: your own dreamscape created by what you collect in the game using the paraloop technique including Nightmarens and Nightopians. Essentially a Sandbox System. Tamogochi like. Weather taken from Weather Channel if connection active. You can visit the My Dream of "friends" and other NiGHTS users ("Rest of the World") via Nintendo Wi-Fi connection, exchange details (friend numbers) and communicate via symbols.

2P race available via N.W.C - "Nearby Friend" (same console)
- "With A Friend Far Away" (Rest of World)
- "Random Character In The World" (Random global challenge)
2P battle was not seen by us alas...

All controller types covered in NiGHTS
- wiimote control using "Mindsight" target.

WILL and HELEN's Dreams are unique to them.

Much more interaction movies to help tell story.

Boss fights "look simple" but are "quite difficult to complete fast" according to Iizuka-san.

LEVEL DETAILS I WAS ABLE TO GRAB

DREAM GATE
- Main hub, Dream Doors will open as game progresses.
- "Night: #" counter increases every time you enter Dream Gate, has no effect on gameplay apparently.
- NiGHTS appears there, ability to Dualise and do tutorial, learn to fly, masks, etc...

PURE VALLEY
- In WILL's start to the game Reala appears almost immediately and Nightmarens take NiGHTS away, Will tries to help NiGHTS but AnNOYING OWL (I don't know the name, sorry, lol) says not to interfere as Reala is "much too powerful for you".
- Mission 1: Chase Mission - climb into NiGHTS cage and dualise, bust out and Catch 3 birds to get keys for other cages.
- Mission 2: Link Challenge
- Mission 3: Fluffy Catch
- Mission 4: River Rescue - NiGHTS becomes a boat, Wiimote is held horizontally (similar to Sonic & The Secret Rings controls)
- Boss: Donbalon - NB: 69020 only good enough for a C grade.

LOST PARK
- Mission 4: Coaster Mission - NiGHTS becomes a rollercoaster car with the ability to stretch up onto stilt legs and move left and right in this mode to avoid enemies, obstacles and pass through rings. Must catch coaster ahead of them.

BELLBRIDGE

DELIGHT CITY
- Mission 4: Broadway Guide - Unlike NiD, HELEN and WILL DO meet and can communicate, mission involves WILL having to get a woozy HELEN out of his Dream World safely."
----
ArchangelUK, along with G' from SegaNerds and Mike Taylor from NintendoLife, had also been able to play the final level and boss but we won't be reporting on that as it could be a bit too much of a spoiler for you.

Also, a new level, currently titled 'Forest of Memories' has finally been shown at GameSpot and it looks to pay homage to the Mystic Forest level in the original NiGHTS into Dreams.
A few screenshots i can show you are here. Thanks to Apti for getting these for us -

Apti also has uploaded the video on to YouTube and you can see the forest level in all it's glory here -
NiGHTS Journey of Dreams on GameSpots 'On The Spot' show.

As usual, more information and discussion can be found in our forums so feel free to head there to learn more.

20th November Trip to Sega, highly possible delay and various other interesting pieces of news:
Ok. We've been meaning to do this update ever since we got back from Amsterdam. This was about a week ago now so apologies that we've left it this long. Those of you who are signed to our forums got to hear the news earlier but for those who are not i will report a brief version of the events here.

As you know, we went to Amsterdam to visit Sega Europe under the impression we were to play NiGHTS Journey of Dreams. However, due to problems with the game we were not allowed to play it. This was due to the game still needing debugging which further led to us being informed that the game is being delayed until January/February 2008. This is apparently worldwide, too. Gaming websites still report a Dec 18th 2007 release so i have NO IDEA what is going on there. If the game releases on Dec 18th, you'll obviously know about it. However, everybody and their grandmother is praying for this delay to stay in place so it gives Sega enough time to polish the game a little bit more. The Sega PR we spoke to was certain on a delay and the fact that we were not able to play it due to bug issues confirms it. However, we certainly did not walk away from the office empty handed. In fact, there was more positive points to our trip than there were negative. Due to things getting twisted, we have been promised a review copy of the game once it is complete so technically we're still getting to try out the game before it hits the shelves. On top of that, we have also had the chance to pass our questions onto someone high up in the production of Journey of Dreams. We're waiting to see if we get a reply to that and if we do we'll certainly tell you about it. The Sega PR we spoke to on the day was going to answer the questions for us but he offered us the chance to have the questions passed onto someone on the main production team for the game.
For the full story and to see what everyone else is saying, here's the topic in our forum -
Forum Topic Here

Also, in other news, a new boss has been revealed. A cat/witch/snake/pinball table ...thing. Bomamba. Lol, it certainly looks to be the most original boss we've seen so far and seems to have fans rather pleased. IGN reported the news and here's a screenshot of the boss -

For the topic of this boss, click here.
The concept artwork that is mentioned in the topic has been updated to our Official Art Section on our site, so feel free to check those out.

9th November 1up.com Iizuka interviews and other things:
The past two days have been filled with interesting much needed Iizuka input over at 1UP.com. Be sure to both visit their site (and our forums) to get the full scope on what he had to say for himself. If you're having problems downloading the videos (like a lot of our users) do a youtube search to save you time. Todays final news is footage of the river rafting sections.

Actualy it's interesting because we have something to report on next week that links to a subject Iizuka was asked about ;) You'll have to wait and see. But just know it's awesome and that nobody else knows (as usual). And people don't take fansites seriously eh?

Also on Sunday we're flying out to the Sega Europe HQ to play the game for ourselves and report back on it. Best PR there is to the original fans! I'll be sure to play the game to death in the 3 hours we have since I'm over experienced at the original game. I'll be trying to answer your questions when i get home. We'll also be making a video of our trip. Gigantic Wizeman sized thanks to Sega and GameLegend. I'm so excited ^-^

TRiPPY

6th November 1up.coms Week of Exclusives:
Ok, i admit it. We are late with bringing in this news mainly because we have been real busy behind the scenes here at the site. A lot of stuff has been going on which has required a lot of organizing and planning and we've neglected the updates lately. So, apologies for that. But let's not beat around the bush and just get to the news.

1up.com is having a week of news regarding NiGHTS: JoD. Starting yesterday, they went into some detail about the multiplayer aspects of JoD and have a bundle of screenshots to go with it. I won't go into detail because there really is far too much to explain but in a nutshell, the two player racing is online, there is a 'hot-potato' style game, the weather system seems to only apply to the Pian Garden and the Pian Gardens graphics are somewhat of a joke and i really honestly hope they sort that out or it's going to be embarrassing on their behalf. So, enough of me watering down the news. Head over to 1up.com for not only todays news but keep checking them up for the rest of the week to see all the other stuff they plan on showing us (and the link to these articles is HERE). In the meantime, here are some screenshots from 1up.com. Enjoy -

27th October Jackle Replacement, USA Website & UK Release:
Well, a few things have been popping up lately. First and foremost, a new boss was revealed in American gaming magazine 'Nintendo Power'. The boss, who we still don't know the name of, has become known as 'Jackle's Replacement'. Reason being, he sports a funky cape and a stack of cards. However, he looks nothing like our good friend Jackle and therefore should not be considered as being Jackle but rather a whole new character. ...is it me or have they just been ripping off the old bosses for this new game? Oh well. The only image we currently have of him is this one -

If you find any screenshots of this sucker anywhere else then let us know.

In other news, Sega of America have finally opened a NiGHTS website that is worthy of praise. It's very lovely. It even has a section where it briefly discusses the original 'NiGHTS into Dreams' and i find it quite cute that at one point they refer to NiGHTS as our 'purple friend'. The link to the website is here -
http://www.sega.com/gamesite/nights/
Enjoy. ^_^

Also, the UK's release has been confirmed as being January 2008. And that seems to be pretty final now. I know we had a bit of confusion a while ago, wondering what was up with this alleged '2008 release date' and which countries it applied to. It seems to be just for the UK. So, i'm glad that has been ironed out now.

17th October Preorder Gift:
I found this thanks to Seiya-chan, our friend in Japan. Apparently, for preordering NiGHTS: Journey Of Dreams, you'll recieve this cute little toy of NiGHTS. Right now, details are sketchy but i think it's Japan only...but don't qoute me on that. All i know right now is this thing is a gift for preordering NiGHTS: JoD. That's it.

10th October Wizeman and Reala:
Our NiD NiNJA's have grabbed artwork of the big man himself, Wizeman. And, yeah, reality-boy Reala is in there, too. Check these out. Also, from what we've been told by the NiNJA'S, the water level now has the name 'Aqua Garden' and the level formerly known as 'Alps Chase' is now known as 'Pure Valley', apparently. Anyways, here's some art. Enjoy.

3rd October Persona Masks Info and Screenshots:
Some screenshots have emerged showing off the three different Persona Mask forms. Thanks to Subterfuge for finding these -

IGN also had this to say about the masks and also gives light to the information regarding the A-Life system. As we had already stated before, an online feature would be the trading of items and/or pians and this news post from IGN now confirms it. Thanks to Jof, for getting this for us -

"Today SEGA revealed the first details on the Persona masks to be utilized in the upcoming NiGHTS sequel, Journey of Dreams. The masks will be found in treasure chests while playing the story mode as either Will or Helen. The three Persona types (Dolphin, Dragon, and Rocket) each transform the player into a different form, unlocking unique abilities. Masks can be donned whenever you like, and SEGA says there is strategy involved in deciding when the best opportunity is.

The Dolphin Mask changes the player into a dolphin, perhaps as a nod to SEGA's Ecco the Dolphin franchise. This allows underwater exploration.

The Rocket Mask turns players into a rocket, providing great speed.

The Dragon Mask shape shifts players into a dragon. While this will slow the character down, they won't be affected by wind or gravity while in this form.

SEGA says NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams will also utilize the Wii's Wi-Fi capabilities to resurrect the original game's Artificial Life feature, allowing players to cultivate virtual pets and share them online."

Also, Jof grabbed these from CVG too. Very snazzy -

As usual, more information AND screenshots can be found in our forums.

25th September TGS Video links:
Here is a quick list of videos from the Tokyo Game Show that have been popping up on our forums from around the net. If you have any more to add please contact us.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25284.html
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25299.html
http://gamevideos.com/video/id/14919
http://www.jeux-france.com/downloads8435_video-NiGHTS.html
http://www.gamersyde.com/stream_4675_en.html

Also, i forsee a lot of us fighting to the death for the TGS booth display. If anyone finds out where it goes, also let us know ;D This is the kind of thing we wanted to see at E3! Grrr.

Photos by Jeux-France

21rst September 2007 'Dreams Dreams' Remade:
Our NiNJA, Martijn, managed to grab a zip folder containing some music from JoD. It contains 3 audio files, one of which will may (or may not) come as a surprise to some of you NiGHTS fans. The original title song 'Dreams Dreams' has been remade.

Other than the Dreams Dreams remake, the other two audio files are the sound of a bell being rung and the main music from the recent trailer that was shown at IGN.
You can grab the ZIP folder HERE.

21rst September 2007 Alps chase and Nightopians at TGS:
Yesterday when the site was being moved a video was posted in our forums from Gamevideos.com. Taken on a camcorder at Tokyo game Show it shows some great gameplay footage of the Alps chase level, which serves to explain the gameplay mechanics very well. There is so much good stuff in this video (other than peoples giant heads), so do yourself a favor and download it HERE.
The TGS video also shows the A-life in full action, which is something that fans had wanted to see for ages. I'm happy to see Sega have not altered the Nightopian design and kept true to the original, in both gameplay and spirit.
If you're at TGS and grab any interesting footage or news, be sure to email us.

17th September 2007 2-Player, A-life, etc:
Well, the news is all over the internet now anyway but if you don't know, Sega brought confirmation on what we heard months ago about the A-Life system being a feature in the new game. Yes, those lovable Nightopians are back so god only knows how far they're going to go with the breeding this time. It's sure going to be interesting to see what we can do with the Pians now.

Also, 2-Player has been confirmed as well. And so is the online support. Online races, perhaps? That would be fun. Let's wait and see if they go into more detail about this 'online support'.

Also, here's a screenshot, just to tide you over for now. TRiPPY is going to be working on a Screen Shots page soon so be on the look out for that. In the meantime, visit our forums and check under the Journey of Dreams News section for more info.

15th September 2007 Release Date News:
Our NiD NiNJA's, Niraven & Martijn (those who brought you coverage from the Leipzig Games Convention) have got some more light to shed on the release date of NiGHTS: JoD. A quote from the email Niraven sent this morning reads as follows -

"OK, Release date news is always good. Here's what we got today straight from SEGA:

Japan and USA: Q4 (December) 2007 release
Europe: Q1 2008

That's official news."

And there you have it. The latest of the release date issue seems to be resolved for now. JoD was originally set to release in Autumn/Fall (November, specifically) in America so a delay has definitely occurred if it's coming out in December now. As for us in the UK and Europe..well..who knows why we're getting it a month later than everywhere else? Anyways, that is about as official as it's going to get for now. We'll keep you all posted on any developing news thanks to those Ninja's of ours, lol XD

ALSO: Yes, you've probably all seen the IGN trailer a hundred times by now but if you have not then feel free to grab it. It's at the top of the page.

2nd September 2007 Japanese JoD site opens:
Ok, we're a bit late with this update thanks to us being offline over the weekend. So, without beating around the bush, Sega of Japan have opened a NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams website, that contains a few new things that we have not seen/heard yet, including the title/intro music, some screens from FMV in the game and a brand new trailer. It's all very sparkly so go and have a look around.

NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams Japanese Website - HERE.

And just because we have it, thanks to Jof, here's the title music in MP3 format for your downloading pleasure.

NiGHTS: JoD Theme - HERE.

28th August 2007 RELEASE DATE PUSHED BACK:
Niraven got in touch with us again to report some interesting news concerning the release date of NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams. According to the SEGA PR they spoke to, the game has now been pushed back to Q1 2008. Here's what she told me in a recent message -

"As for our source of the delay, it's as high up as it gets. You see, the German magazines said Christmas 2007 was the release date as did Daniel our demo-guy. When we got Nintendo's publishing dates, it was listed as November. We contacted SEGA this morning and spoke with SEGA's Product and PR Manager and he told us that it's been officially pushed to Q1 2008. That's literally "this morning's news", and it's coming from the most credible source it can come from."

Right, before you take the "oh, wtf?" attitude, breathe and stop and just think about it. This is a blessing in disguise in the fact that it's giving Sega more time to complete this game because if it's at 55% complete and going to be released in November then there was certainly going to be a few things wrong with it. Let's hope Sega use this time wisely and make this next NiGHTS game as good as it can possibly be. So far, all the news from Leipzig has made me excited and i have not felt this excited about a games release since Sonic Adventure was announced. Let's hope the extra time is used to great effect and Sega release one hell of a game that earns them their lost respect points back. Plus, it will no longer be clashing with the releases of Mario Galaxy and that is certainly a good thing. Be happy. Things are going just fine.

Niraven, and ourselves too, would also like to say the following thank you's to a couple of people who made things possible at the Leipzig games convention -

"Also, very important, I wanted a special thanks posted giving credit to Daniel Johannes, our demo guy, who showed us so much and was so wonderful (and gave me a NiGHTS poster, whee!!), and also to SpeedLink, who provided us with a free Gamecube controller during the event (that might have been used for multiplayer had Daniel's boss not interjected)."

27th August 2007 ALPS CHASE GAMEPLAY:
Thanks to Niraven and her extra stealthy ninja man, we have the FIRST online look at the Spring Valley (obviously) Alps Chase level. We reported on this months ago as something we heard about, but now actually SEEING it, it's something quite special and will make your inner fan go squeee. For some reason it only reached my inbox this morning (must've been tangled up in a series of tubes), but here is some telephone footage of the game demo. Sega didn't allow any visual media coverage of the game, so this is extra special. Appreciate how much trouble GameLegend went into to get us this exclusively, because it's going to be months before you see it in action anywhere else online.

Video 1 [ Download ] .3gp
Video 2 [ Download ] .3gp (files open with Quicktime)

The thing, other than the amazing windmills I'd been ranting about, that caught my eye is the vastly improved LARGE AMOUNT OF LINK RINGS, this should make any of you gamer scoreattack types very very happy today :) So enjoy!

25th August 2007 LAST DAY- REALA:
Like we said, Enter Reala. Niraven confirmed this for us today with great news from the final day of the show. Thankyou for being such great sports and really giving us stuff to be excited and hopeful about. So much generic media coverage has been negative lately, but this stuff just makes 99% of us hardcore fans hyperactive. Hype is good where it matters.

DAY 4 REPORT!
"Ok, so a little bad news first. Our SEGA guy informed us that apparently we weren't supposed to see ANYTHING but the Alps Chase first mission and the boss, we weren't even supposed to be able to see NiGHTS more than once! So we got WAY more than allowed, but he said "today's the last day so I don't really care". The only catch was we couldn't play 2P. Oh well. But what we saw, was WAY better than any 2P.

So one small update: NiGHTS can fly the "wrong way" on the course for fun or to get rings that were missed. The blue Link orbs collected are for the children and help you get Link combos.

Children controls (Wii-mote only): Controlling the child's movement uses the control pad. The kids can jump with the 2 button, and throw the blue Link orbs with the 1 button. Their number of orbs chuckable are limited to the number of orbs NiGHTS collected.

Now here's the big, huge, OMFG news:

We've seen the intro movie to the game at least 30 times before today, but today it was extended! Our guy didn't unlock anything new, he didn't do anything different, so I can't explain it other than the game must have bugged or something but we saw Reala! You're gonna die with how huge a spoiler this appearance was. After the scene of Helen running with the Nightopians, she finds a treasure chest and opens it. Then, the scene flashes to NiGHTS standing on the ground, looking up at Reala floating above. All I have to say: he's GORGEOUS!!! Very similar to the original design, only he's got the fluffy-puff collar NiGHTS has, a vest similar to NiGHTS also with a gem crest, he wears red gauntlets with black etching, and the face. Get ready to squeal: Reala wears the mask that is shown in the title logo. It's more detailed of course, but it's the same gold mask, with black etching, and a purple gem crest. There are also black feathers that protrude from the edges of the mask: it reminded me a lot of your cosplay costume of UV NiGHTS, Trippy. Anyway, Reala looks foreboding and powerful above NiGHTS. The camera zooms up and Reala does a sort of fist in front of the face threatening pose. Now here's another huge thing: I noticed the silhouette of Wizeman was behind Reala. Something's up there.

Anyway, we got lots of SEGA goodies, we tried SO HARD to get a photo or footage of Reala but they were literally watching our pockets without blinking. However, I've drawn a quick picture in pencil of what Reala's face with the mask and the collar looks like. It was a few-minute sketch so forgive the lesser quality again. Also, it was really neat seeing Reala smile, as in the smilish mouth going from a relaxed position to actually smiling (no teeth exposed of course, I really can't imagine that...). It was smooth, flawless, and looked completely natural. His color schemes are the same as before, only slightly darkened and a bit of purple added.

Side-note: The "seagulls" in the beginning intro that fly next to NiGHTS are actually geese, colored like seagulls.

For the rest of the intro, NiGHTS loops through canyons and over rivers, and even goes from flying fast to running like Sonic for a couple steps on a cliff (like Sonic as in, really fast, similar to Peter Pan in the scene where he's saving Tigerlily and runs down the cliff face). Then NiGHTS dives off the cliff in an acrobatic flying and then we get the title screen.

I got a magazine from Daniel to that I believe may have a screenshot that hasn't been released. I can't tell, I don't remember it (but then again I don't check screens often). I'll include that, too. The important detail is that there's a Nightmaren riding on the bird and controlling it with reins. It wears a green suit.

Enjoy enjoy enjoy, that's my last update for the games convention but I'm still here and I'd be more than happy to answer questions, discussions, comments, etc. "

Many thanks M'lady XD You survived without being stuck in concrete and tossed into the ocean. Win +1000.
OH! Also tonight we should have something else up recording wise, if my mail stops being slow that is.
TRiPPY

24th August 2007 DAY 3 AND Much much more:
Oh have we got news for you again from Leipzig..

Thanks to Niraven at GameLegend, we have the first internet exclusive NiGHTS' voice actor talking for you to listen to. Yes, NiGHTS' voice (and Will's). Just like we reported last week. We're all pretty happy with the result. It takes some getting used to (mostly for the LaraCroft connections) but give her 5 minutes or so on repeat and you begin to loooove. I know NiGHTS' voice has been the bain of the fanverse for 11 years (man i remember arguments back in 97), but this aint so bad.

And remember kiddies. Just because NiGHTS' voice is FEMALE it doesn't mean he is a GIRL. NiGHTS is constantly referred to as still being Androgynous, and Sega are making big efforts to keep it that way.

WANT TO HEAR? Then check it out!:
[LiSTEN]

NEXT! Oh what a day! We have footage of the Wiimote being used with the game, ho ho ho, and the ulterior motive of WE GOT THE ALPS LEVEL MUSIC. YES. Be the first to listen to the new inlevel music by our favourite composer <3 Thanks again to Niraven our stealthy NiGHTS ninjaninja.

LISTEN TO MUSiC
[LiSTEN]

That's about it for now. We'll keep you posted on any more developments from Leipzig.

23rd August 2007 Germany hot off the press DAY 2:
Just when you thought it was safe to poke your head out again after yesterdays onslaught of news regarding NiGHTS: JoD, Niraven in Leipzig, Germany, has hit us with round two of what she's been able to learn about the game. It's getting better, believe that. Here's what she told us this morning -

"ADDITIONAL MISSIONS ON ALPS CHASE:
Alps Chase Links Mission:
You goal in this mission is to fly through the rings and get as many links as possible. During this stage you will follow a flying octopus that looks like it's swimming away from you, only it's flying. It's very small and you can't catch it, but it makes you want to chase it faster and also helps lay out flight path for you. The little guy is blue. Our demo guy played as William. In the beginning of this stage, you meet the octopus with NiGHTS and William. It sees them and immediately runs away. William exclaims "Hey, he ran off!", to which NiGHTS replies "C'mon Will, shall we have some fun? Let's follow it!" They agree and put their hands together (palm to palm with one hand). This is where gameplay begins.

Alps Chase Grab the Dandelion MORE STORYLINE REVEALED:
The beginning of this mission drops a bombshell. There's a movie scene where William is running through a field (not corny like you may be thinking, he's just jogging a bit), and NiGHTS and the owl are there. The sound was unclear for the first part of the scene thanks to neighboring demos, but we got the juicy part. After the owl disappears (not like anything he'd say is really important anyway), William says to NiGHTS "Look, Dandelions!" He explains to NiGHTS how his father used to take him to a field full of dandelions. By his actions and voice, you can tell it meant a lot to him. He turns around and says "Do you have a father NiGHTS?" NiGHTS avoids the question for a moment and thinks, before replying "Well... I guess you could call him that..." Then the subject is dropped because a bunch of Nightopians start flying around in front of them. "Wow, Nightopians!" "Don't they look happy?" Suddenly a dark hole opens up in the sky and starts sucking up the Nightopians. William exclaims "They're being vacuumed up!" and NiGHTS says "Well, shall we help them?" They nod to each other, do the hand touch, and then you start the stage.

Alps Chase Grab the Dandelion GAMEPLAY:
This is a very confusing mission because all your hints are in Japanese. You fly around a little island (and I mean around in a circle, like a Merry-Go-Round, only with free movement on that path). The Nightopians are hanging on to dandelion tufts. We tried grabbing the Nightopians with NiGHTS' grab function and we also tried grabbing the giant dandelions below, but nothing seemed to work as it seemed they were either in the foreground or the background. Our demo guy lost that stage and I don't speak enough Japanese to know what the hint said. The demo guy (I'll just say Daniel from now on, as that was his name) said that SEGA was looking for someone here who speaks Japanese so they could tell them what the hints meant, therefore they could unlock more stages everyday. They're still looking, but with a little luck, we'll have a ton of new things for you! The Game Over music is also exactly the same as the original NiGHTS Into Dreams. Additional details: you have a small map in the bottom right of the screen that shows you where the Nightopians and where you are so you can get to them faster and easier. Once all the Nightopians are sucked up, you've failed your mission.

NEW LEVEL: MY DREAM:
This is the beta level I was told about earlier. I convinced the guy to show us what it looked like. It's strange indeed. You start out on a small plaza area. It appears other than the small world you're in, there's nothing but sky. The ledges drop off into sky. On the left is a little scenery, a bench, not unlike the park from the beginning of the game. On the right is a door like the one you entered at the beginning of the game, that leads to a new level/dream/world. The picture over the door is of a Nightopian. You walk down a staircase from the small plaza area to walk into a perfect square field of pink flowers. Since it's beta, it's a patterned texture of flowers, and not actually a field of flowers. All around the field are these strange Nightmaren that resemble dogs, that float around, high or low. They constantly open their mouths like they're barking, but no sound comes out. Their bodies are made up of the orange globs that can hinder your flying in Alp Chase (they look like globby circles, quite simple). The dog has red and green ram horns, a blue crest/mane, and an orange face. I made a quick sketch of the creature while Daniel was playing, to which he exclaimed "Wow, you really are a strange one!' You see, we're not supposed to record any video or let character designs leak, but you can't come up with a rule like "no drawing in the demo room". Also, it was weird for me to suddenly say "Could you go back to the dog so I can sketch it really quick?" right after I gave a long explanation of "recording the controls" to really get sound and music for you guys. But it worked! The sketch is rough, but not far off what it looks like, so you should like it. It stays true to the bright/rich colors of the original Nightmaren. The owl will pop up around the edges of the field to give you hints, but again, we have no clue what to do as it's in Japanese. Also, the level is still under construction obviously as at one point, a dog got stuck in the corner of the field, and suddenly half its body just vanished out of nowhere. Then the owl that was trying to give us a hint got stuck inside the stuck dog (since the owl can be found in corners) and we couldn't talk to it anymore. I'm sure it won't be like this in the final version, but it was very strange.

NOTE ON THE OPENING MOVIE:
After Helen runs with the Nightopians, more footage was shown of NiGHTS leisurely flying around, twirling, running a finger through the water as she went flying down the river. It's got a wonderful feel to it, and after that, the title screen opens.

NOTE ON NIGHTS' VOICE:
Again, NiGHTS has a very feminine voice. After we got to hear her more, we also discovered she's got a bit of an English accent as well. A bit strange, but a heck of a lot better than an obnoxious American voice-over in my opinion, as they are all to common (sadly, especially with SEGA).

NOTE ON THE OWL:
The owl acts as a hint system in the game. After you meet the owl for the first time, posts will appear in various locations with a spinning yellow dial near the top. On the dial is the owl's face. These are hint posts where you can talk to the owl for help.

NOTE ON NIGHTS IN THE PARK:
After watching the intro scene and having free access in the park, and after doing the tutorial as NiGHTS, you can freely explore. NiGHTS will hover behind the fountain near the doors, and it would appear you can freely talk to her if you like.

NOTE ON THE DOORS:
Above each active door is a small round stained-glass window with an icon or picture in it that reminds you which level you're entering. For example, for Alps Chase, the icon is a snowy mountain. In the level My Dream, the icon was a Nightopian's head/face.

We'll be checking back with SEGA everyday for more updates and to check out what Daniel unlocked for us. Attached in this e-mail you will also find the sketch I made of those weird floating-dog Nightmaren. It's rough, but I did a quick quick brush over to show how the colors look. Sorry for the poor quality, but I really don't have much time as we have to go talk with CAPCOM and EA here pretty soon. I'll send the video footage/sound in a seperate e-mail since they're so big. That's the update for now, feel free, again to barrage me with questions.

~Tawny Ditmer (Niraven)
GameLegend"

Wanna see what the dog looks like? Lol. It looks veeeery similar to how the minion 'Shleep' used to look in the original game. In fact, it most probably is the same minion. Here's Niravens sketch -

That's all for now. We'll keep updating as it comes in.

22nd August 2007 Germany hot off the press:

Thanks to an insider we just got a chocload of new game info. Discuss this at the forums!

"I'm here in Leipzig, Germany at the big game event, and I just came from SEGA's booth where we got a personal viewing of NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams. You see, I work with a gaming magazine aimed at retailers, so let me share the details of what I saw with you:

INTRO: The intro for the game is about the same as the official trailer you saw, including the cutscene with the boat on the river and NiGHTS in the "flute-playing" position on top of the clock at midnight. However, past the title screen there's an additional intro movie. In this one, NiGHTS starts out flying above a river. Soon he's surrounded by birds (seagulls?) and they fly around him. Then, it cuts to William, who's sitting on a little grassy hill. NiGHTS comes in and flies around him, William fascinated, before NiGHTS comes to a stop in front of him and bows. A moment later, you see Helen running through a crystal-like area smiling with some Nightopians flying around her. After this, the game started.

MODES: There's the standard story mode, and though the game was in Japanese it would appear there was also a multiplayer mode, due to the "2P" in front of the Japanese in the second option. There's one more mode option I assume might be something like a time trial.

CHOOSING A CHARACTER: When you choose a character, they will be sleeping in bed. To begin playing as the character, you highlight their face. There are also other things you can highlight, such as a book and a notebook. These options were not explored so I cannot clarify further.

PLAYING AS WILLIAM: William's story starts out with him playing soccer with his friends, weaving the ball in and out of a row of cones. He kicks and scores a goal. He cheers, when it shows a man picking up the soccer ball coming out of the net: William's dad. He smiles and tosses the ball back. The next immediate scene, William's Dad is leaving the home. He pats William's head, and suddenly they're outside. His Dad gets in the car and drives away, William calling for him. William turns around to see his Dad's plane flying away. The landscape turns cold and blue, and William is surrounded by his soccer teammates. Their eyes turn red and they start laughing, before turning into monsters. William runs away as they chase him, then sees a bright light ahead. He spreads out his arms... (end intro)

PLAYING AS HELEN: Helen's story begins with her and her mother playing violin together. Suddenly Helen's cellphone (or similar device) rings. Apparently her friends are calling. She tells her Mom "C'mon!" and puts the violin down, running off to go hang out with her friends. Her mom looks really sad and looks down at the nearby calendar: it's only a week or less until Helen's violin recital. Next scene, Helen is walking down the street with her friends eating ice cream (one girl is a red-head, the other has black hair). As they're walking and laughing, Helen looks in one of the shop windows and sees violins. She stands there a moment looking sad and thoughtful. She sees her mother's reflection in the window looking sad, when suddenly she snarls and turns into a monster and the window breaks. Helen, frightened, runs away. She sees a bright light in front of her and spreads out her arms... (end intro)

BEGINNING GAMEPLAY: When the game first starts (as either character), you find yourself in a park at night. There are trees surrounded the small round plaza, as well as 7 doorways, 3 looking a bit broken. There's a fountain in the middle with 3 seals in it. An owl will greet you and blabber on for a while about "your first time here", introducing you to various things. When he's about done, NiGHTS comes flying into the scene, acting indifferent to the owl who's a bit ruffled. The owl introduces you and then, the truth:

NIGHTS' VOICE: It's a girl! It's very much a girl/woman's voice. I was pretty shocked to hear that, but there you go: NiGHTS has a female voice and is portrayed much more as a female in the game.

CONTINUING BEGINNING GAMEPLAY: NiGHTS offers her (I'll say her from now on for the sake of the voice) hand to the character. They smile and reach out and take it, and then you get to control NiGHTS, experimenting with the feeling of flying with the first time. Once you've done all the basics, NiGHTS disappears and you'll take control of the child again. Only one door is active, so that's the one you enter to find yourself in...

LEVEL 1: ALP CHASE: This is based very heavily on the Alps/Windmill level in the original game. You'll start out as Helen or William on foot, grabbing a few orbs, before releasing NiGHTS from her cage. The point of the gameplay is to fly through the rings as NiGHTS and gather orbs to gain more time, however in this first level there is also a large bird flying around. Your goal (while flying through rings) is to catch the bird. Not attack it, not pass it, just catch it (fly into it). The bird will fall and NiGHTS will grab a key from one of its' feathers (same you saw in the trailer). You must do this twice in the level (there are 2 birds total) to move on to the first boss.

CONTROL NOTES: The controls for this game are extremely simple. For the basic/classic gameplay, you use the analog stick on the Wii Nunchuk to move NiGHTS up, down, or around in loops or circles. To speed up (the spinning while moving forward) is the B button (trigger button) on the Wii-mote. You can grab things with A, such as passing or falling feathers. The controls are very smooth and when we asked the SEGA representative playing, he said it was very comfortable and easy to adapt to. He also said you never get bored with the game: there's always more to a level and they expand once you beat them. A detail I found very nice in the gameplay was the fact that you can plunge NiGHTS right into a lake/water and she'll swim like she's flying. It's a great transition and really allows for expansive gameplay. But now: on to the boss.

FIRST BOSS: That would be Puffy: or at least something that resembles Puffy to the closest degree (only male, not female it would seem). You start out seeing a giant pin-ball like board that also resembles Wizeman. At the top it has red eyes and teeth that jut out. You have a limited amount of time to beat the boss (around 2 minutes) and the goal is to fly into Puffy, pushing him up through the various boards and gates until he reaches the top where the teeth are. Once there, he spins around and blows up. During the fight, NiGHTS is completely free to fly where you want her to. Anywhere: there's no set path like in the default stages. (You can also fly backwards in normal gameplay, as in, the opposite direction, not feet first:)). It can be difficult, because there are various cubes that you can hit to lose time. If Puffy hits one of these giant cubes, it explodes and Puffy goes flying in another direction: usually down. The farther down he falls, the harder it is to push him back up. At each gate between boards (you're flying up, remember) there are two green circles that act as extra boosts for NiGHTS. The board layout is very similar to the giant pinball machines in the casino level of Sonic Heroes.

Extra Note: The seven arches/doorways in the park at the beginning of the game suggest a solid seven levels. However, there is possible space for an eighth where a park bench is standing. The SEGA representative said we could even have up to a total of 9. There's also some cloudiness around the fountain, and the possibility you could eventually break it or somehow use it to get to an additional level or boss, if so, most likely the final one.

The gameplay and feel of NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams is almost exactly like NiGHTS Into Dreams. With the exception of the pretty shocking voice acting, it felt like watching the original game all over again. The resolution of the game is still being improved at this point and we've been given a release date arouond Christmas. The levels of the game are also still under construction: one more level was playable on the disc present, but it was so rudamentary that it glitches quite poorly (characters sometimes fall through the ground, etc). The representative said it looked really weird and there was barely anything there. We tried to get him to show us but it also took a LOT longer loading, so unfortunately, no go there.

-

Oh yessssssssssssssssss baby.

22nd August 2007:
Taken from the SegaFTP, a more detailed story description of the Desert level. Thanks to JOFiNiN for noticing it. This is the first confirmation of Ideya still being in the game, Huzzah!.

'The Dream of Desert
After being separated from his beloved father, Will, a once normal young boy, becomes overwhelmed by a crippling sense of loneliness and falls victim to a series of daily nightmares.
Ideya, an idyllic shining light orb, discovers Will's dreams and transforms them into the beautiful and fantastic desert like world known as Nigthtopia. This dreamlike and desolate world reflects Will's inner struggle with loneliness as well as his youthful innocence.
Will happens upon a large deserted amusement park, the same park that he and his Father had experienced many happy memories together at. The amusement park is now weathered, decrepit and buried in sand with only a beautiful green beanstalk shooting through the clouds to give Will a sense of hope and purpose beyond his current surrounding and desolation.
Will meets NiGHTS again on his journey through Nightopia and the two of them decide to 'dualize' or unite as one and confront the terrible nightmare monsters and ultimately to free NiGHTS.
Nightopia, an immersive world created by dreams, is filled with exciting and intriguing contraptions. At the beginning of the journey, we see a strange lake in the distance and watch it as it fades in and fades out as if it were a mirage. Floating TV sets located in the area launch surreal transformations into lush oasis environments, only to transform back to the dry desert environment once again. While with the oasis environment, rings and mysterious items multiply, but when the desert reclaims its territory, the Nightmarens infest the land. As each dream changes, so does NiGHTS flight pattern.

Some of the adventures that await and challenge Will on his journey include a super-charged trip on the rollercoaster from the amusement park and an extraordinary journey up a beanstalk and through the clouds. In a world of dreams, anything can happen because everything is possible.'

18th August 2007:
A new level was revealed in some screenshots yesterday, thanks to the people at www.1up.com. So, before we get into the info, here is the latest eye candy for you guys. Click on the thumbnails for the bigger image. -

This level is being called 'The Dream of Desert' and, so far, has been the first level that's been given a solid name. This has also been the first level that SEGA have spoken deeply about in terms of it's connections to Williams life and what certain parts and objects of this level mean in reference to his past, present and future.
It's all very interesting stuff, though some of it does seem to be acting as a replacement for Elliot's Stick Canyon level. For example, both levels represent the 'growth' of the character it belongs to. Stick Canyons tower in the middle was to represent the growth of Elliot. Dream of Desert has a similar aspect to it in that Will has a beanstalk in the centre of his level and it acts as the same thing. However, although this makes the game sound like a complete rewrite over the original game, 1Up go on to say that this game is a 'sequel' numerous times throughout their article. So, is it a rewrite or a sequel? Who really honestly knows anymore, lol.

As for the 'Reala returns' thing. Well, for those that remember the original game, Reala appeared at the end of Stick Canyon for Elliot. If this 'Dream of Desert' is anything to go by, you can expect Reala to be at the end of this one, too. In fact, i find it way too much of a coincidence that we were personally told Reala was 100% confirmed to be in it a short while ago and then news of this particular level arise a few days later. Reala screenshots will probably be released very soon so keep your eyes open and if you find any, you know where to send them in.

Other than that, go and read the entire article at 1up.com which is here - 1Up Preview

7th August 2007:
Well todays news is that Reala is definately in this game, so I'm sure all you Reala fans will be happy. And when i say -definately- i mean not from a confusing magazine source. So yay.

Then the news that NiGHTS has been given a voice actor despite the majority of fans saying a large no to someone fully voicing NiGHTS. He did make short worded noises in the original game but in JoD i've been told he actualy talks. So, lets hope that one turns out for the best.

Other news that i have to add here that appeared when the server went down last month (courtesy of JOFiNiN and Co. at our forums):

NiGHTS JoD Boxart

This was revealed over at SEGA Nerds

New images taken from the trailer appeared on the Sega FTP. Click on the below images to go to the relevant galleries.

And the last thing I noted, was again over at Sega Nerds. They said a SEGA representative at E3 told them this :

'Helen and Will are the two new personalities replacing Elliot and Claris as the humans that transform into the acrobatic NiGHTS, but their role isn't quite the same as Elliot and Claris' was. According to a Sega representative, players can control Helen and Will in 3D platforming levels later on in the game, and once players collect blue balls when flying around as NiGHTS, they can use those as projectiles when playing as Helen and Will.'
*source*

As Purgatory said...

9/10/11th July 2007:
It's common knowledge that every time something important happens in the world of NiGHTS my internet or PC dies. Thus being the story of yesterday night. Our net goes down and when it turns back on we find that two videos of JoD have hit the internet big style. Fanbase frenzy errupts, emotions run high and a lot of fears are put to rest.

User Jonathan sent us in the 2 videos that he painstakingly converted for the site, twice might i add, so huge thanks to him for the files. Here they are (also available for download in the video section)


Official Trailer (19Mb)	Gameplay Preview (50Mb)

Also here for your pre-viewing pleasure are some screenies i stole from JOFiNiN in the forums XD

Also of note, the 'are they or arent they' Claris and Elliot rumor has some new fuel.
DiGi: This morning, i had went down to our local supermarket to buy a few things when i came across the latest August issue of Edge magazine. I wasn't able to buy it since i needed the money for food but in the magazine it had a one page feature on NiGHTS: JoD. It was pretty much saying everything that had already been mentioned about the game BUT it did say something that we've only heard once before in that Game Reactor magazine. It said something along the lines of "Claris and Elliot are back along with NiGHTS' rival (and fan favourite) Reala." Now, what strikes me as odd is that Edge magazine are usually well informed. They're a more professional magazine than some of the other stuff out there AND this issue was labeled as an August issue. Either Edge magazine was providing information that GameReactor gave us 3 months ago (which seems to be out of date now due to the release screens of William and Kevin) OR Edge magazine know something that we don't. Hmm. Wouldn't it be nice if SEGA did reveal Elliot and Claris in tonights E3 coverage? I'm probably hoping on something that isn't there but still, it's hope nevertheless. I guess we'll probably be all the more wiser by the end of E3.

Remember to discuss all this new stuff in our forums, theres some great conversations going on in there right now.

5th July 2007:

More Famitsu from NeoGaf. This time of the long awaited 'Kevin' who has had a name change to 'William Taylor'. He would appear to be the same child we were given details on in December, football kid with father issues, Wizeman originaly bargins with him, lets see if that remains.

From first impressions, fan reactions to the design of William havent exactly been positive, which is what we'd been worried about from the beginning. Why is everyone blonde in this game >_>?

For the english translation to these pages detailing the plot outline a little more, visit this topic here at our forums.

4th July 2007:
Famitsu! Helen's character design unveiled and new populated game screenshots. Are we happy? Yes we are. It looks a lot better than it did in the last screenshots. Also we can see some FMV screens and Marens. All good stuff. Like we said, blonde >_> So, nice to meet you, Miss Helen Cartwright, lets hope Kevin doesn't look like your genetic clone. Unless of course he actualy is. Thanks to Fushidane for posting this scan and to NeoGaf for keeping more than an eye out.

But i get my eyecandy so all is well at breakfast time.

More scans as they come today.

Remember to send us in your soundclips for DreamCast 03.

26th June 2007:
Iizuka has done another interview. Before you get your hopes up, it's probably worth mentioning first that he's saying nothing new and we've heard it all before.

A link to the interview is here.

Iizuka seems to dodge the questions by giving us answers that we've already been told well over a month ago. Over the previous month we had heard of no new JoD news and we were kind of expecting something more than this so there is the air of feeling short-changed floating around at the moment. Also, Iizuka goes on to mention those "two new kids" again, which is leading me to believe that Elliot and Claris may not be in it after all. Join the discussion in our forums and have your say on the subject.

23rd May 2007
While we were stuck offline we didn't stop gathering info on Journey of Dreams. A big thank you to the people who kept us up to date on info and sent us scans. I encourage you all to find your pennies and go buy these magazines as if you're a collector you'll regret it if you don't in another 10 years time. Support NiGHTS in the media! Empty the shelves! XD

So first up we have the German mag N-Zone sent to us by MYSTiCCOOKiE. Translated the news is nothing new, but it's nice all the same.

Then we have the GameInformer page from BlueFantasy. Again just a recap of the current news and details. Cheeky blighters :|

U.K Gamesmaster magazine.

And Games magazine, we love you. You've found a new reader. They also do a feature on Sega later on in the mag mentioning NiGHTS a lot, read it in the Articles section under Misc.

The other big news comes in the form of interviews from lucky iGN who have been shown a running trailer presentation of the game pre E3:

Photo by Kotaku.com
http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/787/787062p1.html
The above link takes you to the IGN Iizuka interview.
http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/787/787088p1.html
And this link takes you to the article where IGN talk about the footage they saw.

The main news points you should know about JoD in the past few weeks have been-
1. The game release has been pushed back giving the Team that little longer to work on it. Our forum members have reported that its release in the USA has moved from October 1st to November. We have been told by our insider that this delay is true due to some form of 're-haul' and, because of this, testing for the game has not begun yet. Remember that the west is getting this game before Japan.

2. The Japanese title has been changed to 'NiGHTS: Hoshifuru Yo no Monogatari' translating roughly as: 'Story of the Night of the Falling Stars'.

Does this mean that the USA/EU version will also be changed back to Bedtime Story as we first heard in the begining? I personally hope so.
The new Japanese name sounds strangely like another project we heard about regarding NiGHTS. People seem to have taken a shine to the new Japanese title which is great. So lets wait and see what unfolds.
http://gonintendo.com/?p=17968

1st May 2007

Nintendo Power scans sent into us by Zephan. This article has a great double spread of the new games city scape. A confirmation of the ranking system staying intact, the onrails 3D system returning and a description of how the patchwork boss works.

I'm glad to see Iizuka going out of his way to keep mentioning he's trying to please us fans. It's wholly apreciated since 11 years kinda -is- a long time to wait around for something. I know that the fanbase will fully support the SonicTeam as long as a single ounce of passion is put into this new game. It's exciting.

It's strange that Claris and Elliot get no mention in this however, it keeps hinting at the new kids we know about. Are we rabid for clarity? Why yes we are :D

25th April 2007:

It's so good to see NiGHTS on the front of a magazine again! ^-^ Here is the most recent cover of USA Nintendo Power suplied to us by the very kind Zephan S. Any more scans of this magazine would be most apreciated. We're going out to buy UK N-Gamer tommorow morning, so we'll have scans of that up as soon as we get them. Remember to keep all this info coming in and we'll do our best at our end too.

I feel a rant coming on after reading the latest interview in the link above (21rst). But make up your own mind, also the forums should be open in a few hours so you can take your thoughts there and share them with oneanother.

EDiT: Ok thats the forums back up. Go register and talk till the cows come home about the new game.

25th April 2007 Continued...

And here we have todays NGAMER article. It's certainly worth reading for the awesome new shots! This has got me excited. Excuse the blurryness on one page, i'll rescan it later, i've had 4 hours sleep @_@

Also! Note the shot of the kids bedroom. Like we were saying last month there were 2 new children, Kevin and Helen. Like i discussed in the Podcast Kevin wanted to be good at Football, this would appear to be Kevins room, unless of course they've redesigned Elliot... which would be sad. I wonder what is going to happen. Perhaps the 2 other children will appear as children from the past or something? The city looks older than TwinSeeds City. Lol Big Ben much?

There is also artwork of the underwater beachy level which is beautiful. It amuses me it has big boats in just like my dream 2 years ago in my diary XD Maybe if i wish for everything you guys asked for it'll come true.

Read the article, it has a lot of info we already read at the NGAMER preview interview with Iizuka, but some new stuff too. Confirmation of the Jung Archetypes, and more on the online idea we also know vague things about.

I think i'll write to Iizuka.

21st April 2007:
Just a quick update, pointing you towards this current article.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=162369&site=ngm

It is the latest interview with Iizuka from N-Gamer so have a read through that and decide how you feel about it all. We're going out right now so this update is pretty short but when we get back home tomorrow we'll elaborate a bit more on this latest piece of news in our next podcast. Link supplied to us by Alex D.

13th April 2007:

From ONM (OFFiCiAL NiNTENDO MAGAZiNE UK) issue today...

Me and DiGi woke up at 7am and dragged our asses out of bed to go buy this magazine. We felt crazy relief (and celebrated by calming our nerves with large amounts of McDonalds) despite the fact we were expecting NiGHTS on the front cover and err... a little more info considering this was supposed to be a world exclusive. But heck, now the cat is officialy out of the proverbial fanbag we can share more of OUR information with you guys. Well enough to not get us snipered in the street by Sega hitmen XD; We'll save it for our upcoming podcast number2 we are recording tonight.

Also megalols and props to ONM for this feature further on in the magazine :

Websites eh?
*grin*

More good news is that we have just thismorning purchased our new forums. So the community will be in full swing again by the end of next week. I think it's important that you guys have a place to speak again, as promised.

12th April 2007:

YUS! Today is a day to indeed be happy my friends. Swedish Game Reactor magazine is in the hands of one of my Swedish friends animejosse and she has sent us scannnns. Also something you really wanted to hear.

1. REALA IS BACK. Central role!

2. CLARIS AND ELLIOT ARE BACK TOO.

Josse:
Hi!

"I'm holding this lovely magazine in my hand right now. I'd translate
it all, but I have schoolwork to do .__. Must of the stuff they reveal
in the main articel is old news by now (even if the writer is doing
all but squeeing), buuuut two things in the textblurbs of the first
page will make fans happy! Translation for those bits:

- The white speachbubble: "CLARIS & ELLIOT: Sega didn't want to reveal
any details around the plot of the new game, but confirmed that the
children who's dreams made up the levels in the first game, Claris and
Elliot, are back and will play a central role."

- The textblurb "DREAMDEMON: The main character Nights is a
androgynous dreamdemon who's traveling to the land Nightopia to bring
down a wicked demon called Reala who has seized all of the happy
dreams from all children of the world."

In short, the kids and Reala are back! :D

Also, from the main text: "The game is a new interpretation of the old
game, even if there will of course be a lot of new stuff."

The NiD1 and NiD2 is for the two pages, the third one was an attempt
to get all of the new CG pic of NiGHTS. That pic is oh so pretty, the
scan doesn't do it justice *___* Lookit those eyes~"

I jump for joy. The only part that worries me now is the "new interpretation" part. Dundundunnnnnnn rewrite. But damn Claris, Reala and Elliot are back, it makes me less irate.

8th April 2007:
To clear up the odd happening on the Sega site a couple of days ago with the dissapearance of the info on NiGHTS' Persona forms. I presumed my browser was messing up (like it does on most of the Sega sites)(OR THE GENERAL INTERNET) but the following information was actually quickly taken down from their site. An oops by Sega it would seem. Still it was enough to make us guys grin XD Perhaps they're waiting for ONM.

Dragon mask: Transforms NiGHTS into a huge dragon and makes him resistant to wind effects.
Dolphin mask: NiGHTS can change into a dolphin and explore under water.
Rocket mask: NiGHTS takes the shape of a rocket and travels at supersonic speeds.

7th April 2007:

Another magazine scan circulating the internet reaches our inbox. I'm not sure what magazine this is from, if anyone does, tell me. But thanks for sending it in anyway, it has a couple of new screenshots from the game.

Also today our PODCAST went online in which we discuss NiGHTS 2, what we know in some further detail and have a good ol' argument about our first impressions of the game. So if you want to know more head on over to the Audio section.

It's worth noting that the next 2 weeks will be full of new magazine articles going to press, so make sure you get scans into us so we can share them with the fans.

4th April 2007:

SEGA EUROPE update and confirm the NiGHTS release on their website at www.segaeurope.com. Also today it appears that Sega Europe have also confirmed the existence of the Persona morph masks that we spoke about a few days ago. Listed is a new one 'Rocket' which we hadn't heard of, sounds awesome, kuedos. The other forms he could originaly change into in development were listed as 'magnet', 'eagle' and .... 'cloud'. Yes... perhaps he could rain on your BBQ. I'm not sure if these forms are still in this version, maybe they are, i hope so, i want to see what the point of NiGHTS turning into an eagle would be. If NiGHTS turns into any sort of bird it should be a bluebird, lol.

Also mentioned at various areas around the net is news regarding Wii Connect 24. The news is about the weather station function being connected to your game so that the weather ingame mirrors that of what is outside your window. This gives the Shenmue fiend within me the warm fuzzies.

Sega Europe:
'In 1996, SONICTEAM released NiGHTS: Into Dreams on the SEGA Saturn to critical acclaim. Packaged with a customised analogue controller for fluid aerial control, NiGHTS quickly became one of the best selling games on the Saturn with an average review score of 87 percent.

Ten years later, the legacy of NiGHTS lives on with NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams for the Wii.

NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams is a unique flight-action game where you soar through a world of dreams filled with amazing environments, mystical creatures and terrible, nightmarish monsters.

As the fantastical character NiGHTS, utilise the Wii controller and physically manoeuvre his every movement as he glides, weaves, dives, spirals, loops and blasts in the skies of Nightopia, a universe where dreams are brought to life.

Nightopia is being over-run by the so-called Nightmarens, and it's up to NiGHTS to make the most of his acrobatic skills, his freedom of flight and the special abilities he obtains via shape-shifting masks to save his world.'

3rd April 2007:
SEGA of America give their official announcement of the game at www.nightsgame.com
It seems they're putting the release date forward from Christmas to Autumn, or it could just be the difference in release dates since here in Europe we receive games a little later than America.
The description for the game on the site reads -
"NIGHTS: JOURNEY OF DREAMS -
The critically-acclaimed franchise that gave gamers the freedom to fly in a world of dreams is coming to the Wii™! As a fantasy jester called NiGHTS, you will experience a heightened sense of gliding, spiraling, and looping through seven extraordinary worlds of Nightopia where the ocean resides in the sky and glass-formed cliffs overlook a castle of mirrors. When the "Nightmarens" from the neighboring dark world of Nightmare infiltrate the idyllic Nightopia, NiGHTS must defend the dream world to keep it safe for all dreamers. This holiday, NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams will take you in a voyage filled with courage, hope and inspiration."
If they mean 'seven worlds' to be just seven actual levels in the game then Splash Garden looks like a dead certain. As we've stated before, we've heard of Spring Valley in development along with a brand new level which takes on an Arabian theme, perhaps harking at 'Sonic and the Secret Rings'. Or they could mean seven actual worlds with a variety of levels within them, which would certainly be nice. Either way, whether or not Spring Valley and this other Arabian themed level make the final cut is unclear at the moment. We shall have to wait and see along with the rest of you.

2nd April 2007
Wake up in the morning thesedays and you hear nothing but sugar. Thanks to Feniiku for linking us this. As good as official goes Japanese gaming website FAMiTSU.Com have confirmed the game along with its current title 'Journey Of Dreams'. Also the article has the full body image of the new NiGHTS and title design.

Words from Iizuka (SonicTeam USA):
“In 1996, we created the NiGHTS character to achieve a concept of ‘being refreshed from being able to fly in the sky’. 11 years later, at last, we have broken our silence. NiGHTS will now fly in a new dream world: new stages, new story, and on the new Wii platform. Please look forward to NiGHTS and friends exploring this brand new adventure.”

30th Mar 2007
Then with no chance of news slowing down in sight scans from a Portuguese gaming magazine called 'MAXi CONSOLAS' were posted in this thread at NeoGAF. These magazine pages were what some people had essentially needed as proof of the game officially existing. Showing some beautiful screenshots and an interview with Takashi Iizuka the new games producer it was later translated by a Portuguese user of NeoGAF for everyone to enjoy. Thankyou ^^

Takashi Iizuka Interview - Lead Game Designer of NiGHTS 1:
Translated by Myke Greywolf from NeoGAF.com's forum. Thanks also to MAiKU.
Q: How did the idea of creating NiGHTS for Nintendo's new console come along?
A: I've been interested in making this sequel for as long as I can remember, and the moment seemed perfect to start working on it. This game is ideal to take advantage of the Wii controller's potential.

Q: Will we get, once again, inside the dreams (and nightmares) of Claris and Elliot, or are there new human characters whose dreams we'll be able to visit?
A: Just like the first game's story, the new NiGHTS happens inside a dream world, and its story will follow the adventure of those children. I hope to announce further details in the coming months.

Q: Will the main character (also called NiGHTS) be alone in this mission, or are there new kinds of Nightmare-people to control?
A: I can already confirm that NiGHTS will be the main character, and that he will have new abilities which will be explained later. As for new characters, I can't reveal anything yet. You'll have to wait and see.

Q: Which new flight maneuvers will this charismatic figure be able to perform?
A: NiGHTS will have a considerable number of acrobatic movements, many of them never seen before, for the player to perform easily using the Wii controller. You can count on loops, spins, and other maneuvers which will be kept secret for now.

Q: In which ways does Nintendo's new console attract you?
A: I am particularly enthusiastic about witnessing all of this technological advance, and about knowing that, as a programmer, I can create games in the new consoles which, a few years ago, I was only able to dream of.

Q: We're real fans of this character. Do you think that he will still be able to be interesting to the public, after all these years?
A: Above everything, I hope that NiGHTS fans like this game as much as the First one. I'm confident that, with all the new features I'm hoping to include, it will also attract a new player base, not yet familiar with this character's world.

Q: What can we expect, regarding game modes?
A: Besides a single player mode, familiar to everyone, there will be a two-player mode and certain special online functions.

Q: Do you intend to take the inspired NiGHTS experience to other platforms?
A: So far, this new NiGHTS game is a Wii exclusive.

Q: What other classic franchises, developed either by you or Sonic Team, would you like to bring back to life?
A: When I created NiGHTS, I didn't see it as a classic franchise, but I always hoped I would be able to dedicate it a sequel when the right moment came. For know, this is the only game series I'd like to see people talking about once more.

Points to note so far:
NiGHTS is a Wii exclusive
NiGHTS will be officially announced in April
There will be a two player mode
There will be special online functions
NiGHTS is the primary character and he has a set of new abilities
Other character details will be revealed in the coming months

27th Mar 2007
A few days afterwards in a brilliant mistake by Swedish gaming magazine Gamereactor they put the preview image of Aprils issue on their website that revealed NiGHTS' new redesign. With the title 'Sega's Dream Demon Returns'. Later on the image vanished and was replaced by a silhouette instead. Sega reportedly told them to take it down. But now that image is also half way around the internet thanks to NeoGAF. Trust me, artists were up on NiGHTS new design just minutes after it was leaked. That's dedication.

22nd Mar 2007
Later on after the server went back online i updated the admin news with my admittance of knowing the game existed then confirmed it on the excellent SegaNerds news website. *Note i did not say this website has been up for 11 years @_@; There was no doubt a lot of naysayers and skepticism over our claims but like i said in my update, i would never mislead the loyal fanbase. I would hope that fans would share such information with me if the shoe was on the other foot. So i'm just doing my job of keeping the core NiGHTS fans up to date because they deserve it. Plus, SonicTeam can't deny that hype is good. Afterall i'd been hinting at it in my personal diary since christmas... lol. Anyone who picked up on the silly madonna reference gets a cookie. My old Deviant Art page subtitle also displayed 'has a pointy bra' for a few months before any news hit the internet. Bedtime Story. We were kind of worried that someone would think Madonna was somehow connected to the project XD;

19th Mar 2007
Then along came Spong with a 'CONFIRMATION' of a NiGHTS sequel on the day our site was down on which i'd planned to let the cat out of the bag. Doh!

16th Mar 2007
News kicked off online after U.K magazine ONM (official Nintendo Magazine) reported a world exclusive for Aprils issue with a double page teaser image. A starry background with an outline of stars in the same design as the original NiGHTS art. Canny members of GoNintendo lined up both images to reveal it was indeed a perfect match. Also in the magazine was a short mention that Editor Chandra had 'visited Japan to play a top secret game that would blow your socks, shoes and trouser legs clean off'.

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