Great! So for now, we have a consensus.

Uhh... Martijngamer? Are you sure that putting your picture with Niraven up there is a good idea? I thought you guys were supposed to be undercover or something. [/off-topic]

Also, here's a thought. Those birds are always travelling down the mare to right, correct? What happens if NiGHTS flies to the left?

If they keep on flying toward the right, that means 1) the debuggers aren't doing their job, and/or 2) the developers aren't doing their job.

Think about what you have just wrote. Does NiGHTS ever NEED more than just a facelift and some new levels?

*chanting*
Q-F-T!
Q-F-T!
Q-F-T!
Q-F-T!

Sup all, I've been lurking here for a bit. I think I actually noticed something on the new tokyo gameshow videos no one else has caught yet. That or, you know, eveyone caught it and it's so GLARINGLY obvious that I'm gonna sound like a prick annoucing it. Whatever.

So yes, about the whole 'Claris cameo' thing. I think we get to see elliot's cameo too

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd230/S...pg?t=1190519186
Blue hair, faux hawk/duckbill/whatever hairstyle...
Looks like blue boy to me.
Anyone agree?

Good Gorramn!

They didn't even change his hair color! Truly amazing.

Keen eye, Minn. Great work.

Ah, lovely. The more I see and hear of this game, the more it's obvious that not only are a lot of the same people behind it, but that they really do respect the original material and the fans. Unlike StH's "Sweet Sweet Sweet" mix, this is an update job that's dead on: nearly the same, but with enough new material and improved mixing to make it fresh again. The female singer comes off a bit strong and I could live without the odd voice modulation, but in the end it's very much the Dreams Dreams I came to love years ago.

Spoiler

Now to wait and see if the rest of the game turns out the same way.

QFT.

iLLViLLAiN, I'm pretty sure some chick can't sing isn't being sexist.

If it were, American Idol wouldn't have lasted one season.

Also... uh, I joined the community a bit late. What was the etymology of the name Phuckle?

Puffy + Jackle = Phuckle.

For my part, I don't have a problem with the bird-catching gameplay. I would, however, like for the gameplay to be more varied somehow. If Sonic and the Secret Rings could have so many different types of missions and objectives, why not NiGHTS?

There's also the matter of what these birds are, what the cages are supposed to be and how this all fits into the storyline.

>=3 The clock tower is the final boss.

THREAD OVER. EZEKiAL WINS.

Slightly off-topic: Has anyone in the demos tried to paraloop that stupid "Donbalon" boss? Is that even possible, I wonder?

Oh, and I second the "Gulwing" nickname for the other boss we've seen.

Here's what IGN had to say on the topic:

The Wii version's controlled via the Nunchuk's analog stick, and the Wii remote's only being used for its buttons - no waggle. I hear that the game will have many control schemes, including Classic Controller support as well as one that uses the Wii Remote's pointing function, but at TGS it was Nunchuk/Remote exclusively.

There you have it. A variety of control schemes may -- and probably will -- be available in the final version. For my money, I seem to remember that JoD was brought underway precisely because of the Wii-mote's many awesome possibilities. I can't imagine that Sega would build such a high-profile game around the Wii-mote, make the game Wii-exclusive and not invoke motion control in some way.

That tired debate aside, I like what I'm hearing and seeing about JoD from the floor over at TGS.

It's okay.

The introduction is much improved -- I could barely hear the fade in on the initial track and that always bugged me.

The instrumentals haven't been altered too greatly and that's for the better. I also noticed some extra vocal filler ("Ooh," "Yeah," etc.) that was very well-placed.

But that lead female vocalist has got to go. Someone had to tell her that this isn't grand opera, it's a light sort of feel-good pop song.

To start with: I hate, hate, HATE videos taken off a screen. It's sloppy, it's distracting, it's unprofessional. The trailer music was way too loud, there were too many thick heads in the way and the player obviously had no clue what he was doing (could the control scheme really be that bad? I don't think so).

Of course, these complaints have nothing to do with the game itself, which I thought looked great. I'm glad that there are more rings, chips, etc. to pick up and combo, and it's great to see the trick ribbon come back. I didn't see any of the jagged visuals or framerate drops I've heard so much about (but then, the video was OFF THE SCREEN ).

My biggest question is, what's up with the Ideya Shrines or whatever they are? Why is NiGHTS hanging out in them, why is the player trying to blow them up and why do the kids have to climb up there instead of just jumping in, like the previous game?

All in all, I'd say the game looks great. Can't wait to get my hands on the final version and show that numbskull player how it's done.

Found this on YouTube a little while ago. It really puts all the Halo 3 hype in perspective, you know?

Click and enjoy.

I'm from the US, guys. But if you ask me, I honestly think the UK should get it FIRST. >(

Elaborate, please.

For my part, I wouldn't worry about Halo. By the time NiGHTS is released, Halo 3 copies all over the country will be well-worn and the trilogy long over and done. Don't underestimate how much time can pass in three months.

However, I would worry about the lack of press. Granted, Metroid Prime 3 had a woeful ad policy of "too little, too late" and it still did all right. But then, it wasn't up against juggernauts like Mario Galaxy or SSB.

I'm very curious to see how this is going to work out. I wonder if Nintendo would let Sega advertise for NiGHTS via Virtual Console, like Metroid Prime 3 did.

Thank you, NiNJAS!

This doesn't surprise me at all, really. European gamers are traditionally the least loved by hardware and software developers. I'm sure I don't understand why, but that seems to be how it is.

Still, if you European NiGHTS fans want to buy a copy from the U.S, more power to ya. I just hope you have a Wii that's American or modded though, because the Wii is region-locked.

Completely random thought: I'd much rather be a level designer for NiGHTS than a level designer for Sonic. Both game franchises have beautiful scenery that need painstaking attention to detail. The levels for both game franchises take a lot of time, energy and money to design, draw, render and polish just right.

The difference is that with Sonic, you never see any of it. It must make the developers cry to put so much work into the backdrops knowing that the players are going to blur by so quickly, they'll never notice.

NiGHTS, on the other hand, goes at just the right speed. Fast enough so it doesn't get boring, but slow enough for the player to take in every detail of the beautiful worlds crafted by Sonic Team.

I should think that's some sort of perverted fanservice.

The blue chips seem to hit targets like the guns did in Shadow, completely randomly. This doesn't seem good.

Well, this is a completely new game engine. I should think that the shooting/throwing/aiming mechanics are different from those of Shadow. I should think they've improved, though they apparently couldn't be much worse.

=3 Helen looks funny what with her fancy frilly clothes, and the other two are just wearing sweater type things.

Hadn't noticed that. But in my opinion, what stands out most is the fact that Helen is wearing pink and her friends are wearing solid white. Helps Helen stand out a bit more.

This cutscene actually takes place in a dream, doesn't it? Shortly after, some glass should break, and Helen's mom (a Nightmaren desguised as her...) will begin the child beating of a life-time...until of course NiGHTS comes in.

There's no guarantee that this flashback takes place in a dream. It's possible and quite probable, but it shouldn't be taken for granted just yet.

Anyway, there's only one way the dream sequence can possibly end and it goes something like this:

Who's Frank?
@Purg. Yes, I was kidding.

Not "Frank", "frak." F-R-A-K. The Battlestar Galactica fanboy's euphemism for "f***."

Um....
This topic's title says "Helen cameo", not "Claris cameo".
Everybody, get on topic.
I don't think Helen will be cameod in JoD, I think she'll be the main focus along with Will, NiGHTS, and Reala. (and possibly Wizeman)

*slaps forehead*

Frak, you're right.

*edits*

There. Thank you.

I don't know who first suggested this -- Jof and/or Purgatory, probably -- but someone noticed a redheaded girl in the trailer and thought she might be Claris.

I was skeptical at first, but then I posted this side-by-side:




And I was convinced, just like that. If the girl at the right isn't Claris herself, the character designers are giving her a hell of an homage.

Come to think of it, we never got to see any of Claris' friends in NiD. We got to see Elliot's teammates -- not to mention his rivals -- but we never got a glimpse of Claris' social standing. Could Claris have been friends with Helen this whole time?

And if this is Claris, where does Elliot come in? How will he be recognizable without such strikingly blue hair (they tempered Claris' pink hair, so Elliot's blue hair will have to be modified as well)?

So, what do you think? Is that girl our Claris or not? And if so, what could that mean for the storyline?

Her hair isn't pink, it CAN'T be Claris! If they put Claris and Elliot in JoD, they BETTER have their original haircolors!

It's pretty damn close. That's about as pink as you can realistically get it without looking tacky.