120 replies to this topic

[Deraj]

DiGi, you are my hero. XD Knowing they've got YOU on their case, they may delay the game again to make sure they've got every little PIXEL perfect. XD (Which is how it should be.) I would have been in the same way as TRiPPY. Emo/Sad, and wouldn't say anything. ... I may have put a dent in their bloody wall with my fist and stormed out, though. XD

Sucks that you didn't get to play, though. But, hey, look at it this way:
Press Release Copy = More than just three hours of play. Just gotta wait a bit longer, but you get to play as long as you want, and scope out every little piece of the game.

And as for the Jackle thing, I think after DiGi's outburst, they may do what I thought they would, and make Jackle a serious plot point in the next NiGHTS game. *Grins* And shove more than a few cameos of him into THIS game, since they probably don't have enough time to build an updated Jackle and put him in as a playable character in Multiplayer, let alone ANYTHING in the main game. ... Maybe a small Maren/Mepian based off of him, but that's about it for THIS game...

Frostbite: I'm going to Amsterdam and playing Godzilla. *Evil Grin*

[KittyWhiggles]

Welsome baaack! . Shame the game wasnt there. Glad you got back safe and stuff.

[Niraven]

Well, they can call whoever they like but the guy at Sega said it to my face, not even 3 feet away from me - "this game is delayed until January, maybe February next year". When asked about the American release he said - "it will probably be a few days before the Europe/UK release. It's delayed."

Now, this was not a phone call. This was directly to my face, no bullshit, answering the damn same question 4 times over because he knew he couldn't lie to us about it because we flew our asses over there for this sh!t.

Yet, i'll agree with you in some sense. I am concerned also. Trailers still say December 18th. So, if Niraven would like to step up and tell everyone exactly what she told me yesterday about this in our chat then it may answer your questions. Niraven, help us out here. Cheers.




Sadly, no. There was nothing in Sega to record. The way the mood was in there, not a hope in hell could we record any footage of anything.

Also, huge LOL at Sa-Chans take on the event! XD

*assumes authoritative roll from relaxation of couch* I would be happy to repeat what we chatted about concerning the delay.


Ok, so like TRiPPY said, while we were at SEGA I wanted to ask about the releasedate again before we left because it's just something I do (it makes you sound like a professional press person). He said late January/early February. DiGi and TRiPPY reacted and DiGi stated "So it's delayed then?" The SEGA guy replied "Yes, definitely, no question". While DiGi and TRiPPY squeed with happiness, I specifically asked "But not for America, right? We're still getting it Dec 18th, correct?" (I can say 'we' because I'm obviously an American). He replied "No, it's worldwide." We were all surprised by that, so I asked "Does this mean a simultaneous release worldwide then?" Our SEGA guy answered "Almost definitely. That's the plan, though America might get it a few days before everyone else." Martijn gave his trademark "Oh, okay!" And I asked again "And you're positive about all this?" he had to assure me a few more times and convince me that not only was it happening, but it was mandatory for the game because their review copy was so buggy (that's why we couldn't play). One thing that makes this guy so credible is the fact that he has contact and knows Iizuka personally (hence the reply that Iizuka never replies to anyone who's not in the company, etc). Considering that he talked with Iizuka not long ago and will be meeting with him again in a few weeks tells me that it's true. SEGA America, while more prominent as a SEGA outlet, does not have the added perk of a recent visit from Iizuka, nor another one within the next few weeks. It's very possible this delay is coming from Iizuka himself, not simply "SEGA", so SEGA America may not yet be informed.

What I was telling TRiPPY the other day in gmail is that the delay is extremely plausible. If you don't believe the fact the game is too buggy to hit US stores in December, here's some other tell-tale hints:

-The review copy for NiGHTS, the final debugged version TRiPPY should be getting, will only be getting sent out about 1 week before American release. This is unheard of, cutting it so close to a release, when it comes to the final final version of a game. At least a 1 month advance procedure is followed for games like this.

-Second, this delay coming from Iizuka, is the fact that Mario Galaxy is the hot holiday item in the U.S. For those of you who aren't all-familiar with the dynamics of holiday retail in the States: there is always ONE hot game during the holiday season. Other prominent titles competing on the same console willl get buried in the wake of the most popular item. Mario Galaxy has been waited for by Mario fans for years, a game that actually goes back to its roots. Any other game releasing beside it will NOT get the attention it needs for massive sales on the Wii. A game like NiGHTS wouldn't stand a chance. Now, for those of you who don't know, the original release of NiGHTS competed with Super Mario 64. While NiGHTS was popular in Japan, even there it was landslide buried by Mario, and easily overlooked even on release. It's a sad truth of why the game isn't more popular. Mario Galaxy coming now, I'm sure Iizuka doesn't want to relive the game getting buried.

-More holiday season facts: the hottest games, i.e. Mario Galaxy, are going to get almost all the manufacturing attention on the Wii for the month of December. That means the number of copies of NiGHTS will be much smaller. By the time the holiday season is over, people won't hardly notice it on the shelf if it doesn't have a good week to itself upon release.

-This is huge for SEGA. The release of NiGHTS is a test to see if people are interested in the remake of old game titles and if they can be successful with the new gaming audiences of this generation of gaming. NiGHTS needs the exclusive release: January and early February are open as far as major gaming goes, because of the holiday season rush. Brawl won't be releasing until after this scheduled delay in the US, and the US gets Brawl first. If NiGHTS is a success, SEGA will invest in more NiGHTS games, as well as retro classics returning in new forms. If NiGHTS doesn't get a strong response or is overshadowed by a big title, they're finally going to be putting this game to rest. SEGA wants clear results, and if a delay gives them that, they'll do it.

-Finally, the delay in terms of Europe is not that big. It's a matter of a couple weeks. The delay's bigger in the US, where it's a month. Now why wouldn't SEGA loudly announce this? When delaying games, companies rarely announce a delay that is less than 6 months. This is only in the range of 1 month. Instead of making people lose interest with a big "delayed for 1 more month!" and losing consumers, the information will instead go to the stores, who will inform people with pre-orders of the short delay. A short delay is almost always easily covered up with "stock problems" due to overmanufacturing of other games on the system. With NiGHTS originally scheduled for the holiday season, this is an extremely easy cover-up.


It would take a miracle for America to get the game on time, and the result is, if it DOES get it on time, the game, for a fact, will NOT be clean. Like Majora's Mask, it will have bugs, no matter how clean it may look. It needs the extra test period time to have a clean finished feel without the risk of overlooked bugs, and if the game is as glitchy as it is now, there's no way it can be released snug by Dec. 18th. Glitches that have been confirmed as of now are things such as text errors and editting needed, as well as NiGHTS doing things such as "swimming" while in the air, like a breaststroke, instead of flying at times. That's a glitch from when NiGHTS COULD fly/swim underwater before the Dolphin Persona, but it still bugs during normal gameplay at times. A close study of recent footage and tutorial play has proven this. A clip I saw recently even showed the Owl's feathers ruffling/spazzing uncontrollably during the intro. Not good. It definitely needs polish.

If America gets it on time, sweet, because then I'll get it early. If not, good, because the game needs cleaning.


That's pretty much what I told TRiPPY the other day. Hope that helps.

[Reala5481]

I know a delay would benefit the game greatly, but does it really look that crappy, platforming sections aside?

...

I think I just answered my own question.

That's the problem these days. All people care about these days is graphics, They never think about the actual story, Just gameplay and graphics, The story means nothing anymore...

[CrazyInABottle]

It would at least have been nice of them to show you something, even if you didn't get to play. But if you say the trip was worth it, then that's all that really matters. Early press copy? Yeah, I suppose that's good enough! Anyway, congrats on being able to go and represent the NiGHTS community. I'm sure you left a good impact.

[The wise Kitsune]

Omg, I swear. If I went to Sega just to play JoD, and they didnt have it I WOULD RAISE HELL. But that was awesome. Now I know I want to work at Sega!

Any Merch? XD

[kidninja]

Id show my rarely shown evil side if that happened but the news is bittersweet to me
And also I guess the feburary release wont be so bad I just got the orignal and the saturn so I can wait.

if I was there I would have still accepted the bugged up version they still shouldve let u play it T-T

[Machenstein]

I'm confused. If the full game is that buggy, how did the developers extract working demos from it?

[PRiNCE]

Too bad about not playing...

However, with the news you have recieved, the trip was not in vain. A delay, owl's name, artwork to Iizuka. (OMG, TO IIZUKA?!?! LUCKY!) And Digi, props to you man! Going wild on that rep! (In terms of speaking, don't take that out of context too badly.)

[Niraven]

I'm confused. If the full game is that buggy, how did the developers extract working demos from it?

Think of it as if you have a full movie that's still undergoing filming or final editting. The trailers look nice and done. That's a good comparison of demo vs. full version. The one SEGA had there was a full version of the game, NOT a demo. In addition, they're not allowed to show versions of the game that buggy because it could get bad press reviews. It's standard company procedure: no one likes showing the world the things they did wrong because word could get out and people will lose interest or think the game sucks.


Why do I have a feeling no one read my post on the delay?

[Machenstein]

I read your post. There are indeed many factors causing the delay. I was just wondering how buggy the game truly was. If you can, would you mind linking us to the videos that show the bugs you mentioned?

[TRAViS]

-This is huge for SEGA. The release of NiGHTS is a test to see if people are interested in the remake of old game titles and if they can be successful with the new gaming audiences of this generation of gaming. NiGHTS needs the exclusive release: January and early February are open as far as major gaming goes, because of the holiday season rush. Brawl won't be releasing until after this scheduled delay in the US, and the US gets Brawl first. If NiGHTS is a success, SEGA will invest in more NiGHTS games, as well as retro classics returning in new forms. If NiGHTS doesn't get a strong response or is overshadowed by a big title, they're finally going to be putting this game to rest. SEGA wants clear results, and if a delay gives them that, they'll do it.

This is exactly what I've been worried about with Sega since Sonic 2006. Can they revive themselves with their old IPs and bring back what's been oh-so-lacking in today's mainstream gaming world: gameplay? What I wouldn't give to see Virtual On, Daytona USA, Golden Axe, Space Harrier, Panzer Dragoon, and more make triumphant comebacks (as well as them fixing the damn Sonic games and going back to those wonderful 2D roots) on the modern systems.

My only concern as of current is that NiGHTS is still likely to only reach a niche market with the hardcore and the young, and that interest in the largest, most important demographic (ages 16-30) is going to be too low to give sales the numbers that they're hoping for. Marketing has always been hit-or-miss with Sega and I hope they do something drastic to expand interest in the game. My own personal word of mouth has only influenced 2 or 3 people my age and that alone most definitely won't be enough.

This is good though. The delay will give all of the departments time to pull out all the stops. Development can progress and let the bugs be hammered out, Publishing can stamp out more copies of the game, and Marketing can do whatever they have to (maybe the PlayThing and XBlock can fly once more, because they're not ready).

God I wish I worked for Sega. Hell, I'd take any game company except EA.

Also. JoD's now about three months behind its first announced release date (it would've come out in the U.S. YESTERDAY if it stayed on track). I wish game developers would start with conservative release dates instead of optimistic ones, since it's always more exciting to hear about your favorite game getting pushed forward than back...

[Niraven]

I read your post. There are indeed many factors causing the delay. I was just wondering how buggy the game truly was. If you can, would you mind linking us to the videos that show the bugs you mentioned?

I'm afraid I can't due to SEGA's "no filming" policy on almost everything, especially a game like NiGHTS. You'll have to take my word on the bugs like you did while I was at Leipzig.

[Tangocat777]

No love for Clawz......
Now we wait for Iizuka to join the forums.
I CALLED IT!
So, this time the brainmeltingly cool thing is in the game, right?
Next thing you know, cardboard boxes will start performing surgery.
>.>

[apti]

*snipped for lots of words*

Thanks! More information is always appreciated.


You know, I was really relieved that they actually delayed JoD again... but now I'm worrying once again that 1-2 months extra still may not be enough.
And you say that if JoD isn't a success, they'll put the series to rest once and for all? That seems unfair, considering how much they seem to want to rush it out the door. If they can't invest the time, money, and effort (and dare I say love?) to make a game as good as it can possibly be, then they don't deserve to have good sales. They seem to be thinking more of the money they can make than of how much care they'll put into the product. That really saddens me.

I know we should be (and are!) thankful that they're making another game at all, and believe me I'm anticipating the actual game as much as anybody here, and it's looking good, but I find Sega's overall attitude very disheartening. You can't do the absolute minimum needed to have an acceptable finished product and expect it to be a big hit.

Shame on you, Sega. Why haven't you learned?

[Machenstein]

The game has been delayed three times now. The first time being from October to November, the second time being from November to December, and finally from December to February (?) 2008. That's about four months from the original release date. Do tell how SEGA is not investing enough time into this game, even when it's looking rather solid in its incomplete glory. I'm surprised Sonic Team even went this far in development considering their previous motto with this "quick" Wii version.

The NiGHTS gameplay looks excellent. If the only thing wrong with it right now is the swimming animation, then hot damn, it should be ready soon. Now if NiGHTS was glitching through the floor and getting stuck under it, that would be a problem. Owl's feathers aside, the only thing that truly needs work right now is the platforming sections. As evident by 1UP's "Claris" video, they look extremely unwieldly. The character movement is far too loose and, at the same time, seems very slow and clunky. That is not a good combination. Sonic Team should really take an example from Super Mario 64 on how to handle character movement. It's tight and refined, but not too stiff. Sonic 2006 is the exact opposite in which it's far too stiff but controls so loosely that a mere tilt of the analog stick sends you flying off the stage.

[Tangocat777]

I wonder how Majora's Mask got in Niraven's post. I have the game, and I've had no problems. It's like my favorite gamr ever. So far, all I know is that it has emulatiin problems, which led the Gamecube version to mess up, and stops it from being on VC.

[Niraven]

No love for Clawz......
Now we wait for Iizuka to join the forums.
I CALLED IT!

Iizuka doesn't talk to mortals. I doubt he's ever got enough time to join any forum. He's like Miyamoto or Aonuma.



Replying to the post that said SEGA's not spending enough time on NiGHTS and rather looking for just the money, I think you've got it very wrong. SEGA's shown more care with this game than with nearly any I can remember. They're adding time onto the development because they want to do it right. If they wanted money, they'd be releasing it with all the bugs, and we can already see they're not doing that. They really want NiGHTS to be successful so they can bring back retro games. SEGA was a god with retro games and has made characters as lovable as some of Nintendo's best.

NiGHTS faces a lot of challenges because the way games are designed and the gaming audiences have changed dramatically. This is probably the best chance it'll have thanks to the Wii's family appeal. Families are into playing together, and now they can expand that with easy gameplay that tells a heart-warming story, yet is interesting and not too dark for children. I wish it all the best and I think SEGA and Iizuka have done a wonderful job trying to give NiGHTS the best chance it could possibly have. A huge thanks also goes to TRiPPY and DiGi for keeping the fan community interested and showing that people still really care about the game. The fact is though, if people don't get interested, then developing more NiGHTS games would be very unlikely. It's not just a matter of money, but sadly for a game to be worth the development, it needs an audience that makes the development pay off, otherwise it's just a waste of time from an economic, business, and work standpoint. I mean, Link's Awakening was one of my favorite Zelda games, but there hasn't been another one like it because it didn't have a huge audience. That's just how things work in the gaming industry, but it's not selfish.

One reason why I respect Nintendo as a whole and SEGA with NiGHTS and Sonic is because they spend time on the quality of the game, because they have the mentality that quality games draw in more long-term fans and quantity. The world is the world and it's hard to find games with stories and lots of love poured into them, literally games that you can appreciate, so respect goes out to SEGA from me anyway for showing a lot of dedication with a game that certainly deserves a second chance.

[apti]

*sigh* I guess you guys are right. I'm letting my worries get to me. Sorry.

I just really want JoD to be successful...

[Niraven]

I wonder how Majora's Mask got in Niraven's post. I have the game, and I've had no problems. It's like my favorite gamr ever. So far, all I know is that it has emulatiin problems, which led the Gamecube version to mess up, and stops it from being on VC.

Majora's Mask was one of the most glitchy games released as "clean" ever, certainly in recent times. When I worked with a Zelda site, I had pages and pages dedicated to glitches you could do in that game, especially the N64 version. I found 3 ways to become Oni Link outside of a boss room, not to mention how to suspend Link in mid-air, have Epona anywhere in the world, even Clock Town, knock Epona off Snowhead Mountain, etc etc, the game's filled to the brink with glitches and ways to jump through walls: literally.

Ask for a link if you want some footage.

That's why I mentioned it. I don't think SEGA wants to release a game that's as glitchy as MM was. MM is commonly used as the glitch-game example, because the game was rushed to meet deadlines.

[CrazyInABottle]

I don't know if I'm the only one who feels this way, but I almost hope they don't start pumping out NiGHTS games left and right (we know what happened to Sonic). Look at Mario platformers. We get, what, one for each console's five year life span? And look at how popular he still is. I almost see NiGHTS the same way. Somewhat. I don't know.

Just me and my thoughts.

[boon]

Very, very interesting Niraven. Gives me newfound hope for the game.

My only question, since it's that important to Sega...why let Takashi Iizuka go ahead with those rather horrid looking platforming stages? I can see the game getting butchered by reviewers and some of the pickier fans for those sections alone, especially if they play a prominent role.

Should we be worried about these platforming stages, or do you think they'll be more of an after thought?

Anyway, I'm happy that Sega's cautious attitude towards NiGHTS is a result of the company actually wanting to start releasing quality titles, rather then release them quickly for cash ala Sonic and Shining Force, trying to hide their blemishes until the reviews bust them wide open.

I still don't expect NiGHTS to get good review scores even with this polish...but at least me and my niece will be able to have a load of fun with a great game come 2008.

[Niraven]

Very, very interesting Niraven. Gives me newfound hope for the game.

My only question, since it's that important to Sega...why let Takashi Iizuka go ahead with those rather horrid looking platforming stages? I can see the game getting butchered by reviewers and some of the pickier fans for those sections alone, especially if they play a prominent role.

Should we be worried about these platforming stages, or do you think they'll be more of an after thought?

Anyway, I'm happy that Sega's cautious attitude towards NiGHTS is a result of the company actually wanting to start releasing quality titles, rather then release them quickly for cash ala Sonic and Shining Force, trying to hide their blemishes until the reviews bust them wide open.

I still don't expect NiGHTS to get good review scores even with this polish...but at least me and my niece will be able to have a load of fun with a great game come 2008.

By platforming, I'm assuming you're talking about the kids' play, right?

That's probably what I'd ding the game for most at this point. The kids move a bit unnatural. It's about as strange as Tidus from Final Fantasy X. For those of you who know what I'm talking about, it's like he was lunge-skipping, huh? He couldn't simply walk like a normal person like Auron, no, it's like he was bounding for joy wherever he went, and it was weird.

The kids seem to take steps that are too far and wide for their bodies, but I assume it's because if they moved the speed their bodies are naturally made for, they'd be pretty slow, and in comparison to the fluid movements of NiGHTS, that's pretty eeking slow. They also don't bend their knees much and float a bit when they jump. I don't see SEGA spending a lot of time on that in the final stages of development, so we'll probably all just have to get used to it.

The kids ARE getting more interactive now though, and don't simply throw useless blue chips and jump randomly. Now as we've seen, there's puzzles and Nightopian interaction, and even outwitting Maren. Their gameplay might be shallow in comparison to NiGHTS, but it's not as bad as their actual movements. Their movements and mobility are just a bit awkward, like it was playing with teams of 3 in Sonic Heroes.

BTW, earlier when I referred to Sonic as "quality", I was referring to the old era of Sonic, like the first games, and Sonic Adventure. God that game was fun.

[Tangocat777]

Majora's Mask was one of the most glitchy games released as "clean" ever, certainly in recent times. When I worked with a Zelda site, I had pages and pages dedicated to glitches you could do in that game, especially the N64 version. I found 3 ways to become Oni Link outside of a boss room, not to mention how to suspend Link in mid-air, have Epona anywhere in the world, even Clock Town, knock Epona off Snowhead Mountain, etc etc, the game's filled to the brink with glitches and ways to jump through walls: literally.

Ask for a link if you want some footage.

That's why I mentioned it. I don't think SEGA wants to release a game that's as glitchy as MM was. MM is commonly used as the glitch-game example, because the game was rushed to meet deadlines.

Ya. Those glitches I know about, and have actually gotten to work on more than one occasion.
They're not so much bad glitches or anything that stops you from playing. They're just little extra quirks. I take that back. I've had this one thing with the goron and the stone food and the game froze, but that's it.

[Machenstein]

BTW, earlier when I referred to Sonic as "quality", I was referring to the old era of Sonic, like the first games, and Sonic Adventure. God that game was fun.

And even so, we still get good Sonic games from Dimps. That's not SEGA, but whatever.

[off-topic]Omni Link outside of boss levels? Video please![/off-topic]

[Tangocat777]

Yes. OniLink portable. It's OniLink you can kick ass with outside.
Do the Kafai (whatever) quest up until you get to Sakon's hideout. Put the bunny hood on. When you take control of Kafei, switch the Bunny Mask with the Fierce Diety Mask. Voila.

[Niraven]

Ya. Those glitches I know about, and have actually gotten to work on more than one occasion.
They're not so much bad glitches or anything that stops you from playing. They're just little extra quirks. I take that back. I've had this one thing with the goron and the stone food and the game froze, but that's it.

I've had a few harmful glitches. One was in the GCN version, it would always glitch at Darmani's Grave, just black out. Nintendo sent me another copy of Collector's Edition for free in 1 day and let me keep the old one, that was awesome.

PM or IM me for the videos.

Back on topic, luckily I haven't seen any fatal glitches with NiGHTS, just really buggy gameplay (we turned the owl orange at Leipzig... 0_o...).

Yes. OniLink portable. It's OniLink you can kick ass with outside.
Do the Kafai (whatever) quest up until you get to Sakon's hideout. Put the bunny hood on. When you take control of Kafei, switch the Bunny Mask with the Fierce Diety Mask. Voila.

(off-topic) There's 2 more ways to become Oni. (will not go astray again >_>) Seriously, I love the Zelda games but I only meant to use them as an example, let's keep the actual Zelda topics to PM's or random non-NiGHTS related threads.

---> http://www.nightsint...?showtopic=1185

[Tsunami]

-This is huge for SEGA. The release of NiGHTS is a test to see if people are interested in the remake of old game titles and if they can be successful with the new gaming audiences of this generation of gaming. NiGHTS needs the exclusive release: January and early February are open as far as major gaming goes, because of the holiday season rush. Brawl won't be releasing until after this scheduled delay in the US, and the US gets Brawl first. If NiGHTS is a success, SEGA will invest in more NiGHTS games, as well as retro classics returning in new forms. If NiGHTS doesn't get a strong response or is overshadowed by a big title, they're finally going to be putting this game to rest. SEGA wants clear results, and if a delay gives them that, they'll do it.

Wow. I was half-joking, half-wishing when I posted in the "Off To See the Wizard" thread that TRiP and co. should push Sega to make a Shining Force III/Shining the Holy Ark remake. It's awesome to hear that there's a tiny-yet-glimmering chance of that happening.

I was already hoping that the NiGHTS sequel would do well, but now I really, really hope it gets the attention and sales it deserves. How sweet would it be if Sega remade a bunch of retro titles?

[charlie]

Awesome post TRiPPY!! Too bad you didn't get to play the game but sounds like it was still a pretty cool experience. I can't wait to hear what happened that you've been ordered not to talk about....hmmm...wonder what it could be???????

And way to represent the community while you were there! You have definitely been keeping this fanbase alive all of these years and Sega needs to respect that. Oh, and congrats on your artwork going to Iizuka...that's amazing!

[boon]

The level designs for the kid levels look pretty poor, frankly. It goes beyond just the control. If they make up a a large portion of the game, I'm gonna be dissapointed.

[Niraven]

The level designs for the kid levels look pretty poor, frankly. It goes beyond just the control. If they make up a a large portion of the game, I'm gonna be dissapointed.

Trust me, they really don't. The most significant thing they do is the A-Life (My Dream), and touching NiGHTS, if they like that sort of thing... 0_o (lol)

[boon]

So...the platforming sections are rare? Excellent. Sorry about all the questions, but this appears to be the only possible feature that could potentially ruin the game for me and a lot of other people.

Speaking of My Dream...that feature definetly has me excited. I miss the Chao gardens from the Sonic games, and it will be a major selling point towards my niece. Visiting friends gardens online is gonna be sweet .

I hope this game is as funny as people here say it's going to be...a family friendly game with a real sense of humor would be quite refreshing.

[Niraven]

So...the platforming sections are rare? Excellent. Sorry about all the questions, but this appears to be the only possible feature that could potentially ruin the game for me and a lot of other people.

Speaking of My Dream...that feature definetly has me excited. I miss the Chao gardens from the Sonic games, and it will be a major selling point towards my niece. Visiting friends gardens online is gonna be sweet .

I hope this game is as funny as people here say it's going to be...a family friendly game with a real sense of humor would be quite refreshing.

"Go on, touch her! If you like that sort of thing..." <---SEGA's idea of family-friendly!? 0_o What kind of sick family are they trying to appeal to?

J/K, I couldn't resist.

The platforming sections are there, but are much smaller than NiGHTS' actual gameplay.

[boon]

Very good, very good. I'd hate to collect ridiculous amounts over crystals over and over again as the kids.

Aye, that line is somewhat weird. XD I thought the owl was talking to the kid when he said that though.

[Niraven]

Very good, very good. I'd hate to collect ridiculous amounts over crystals over and over again as the kids.

Aye, that line is somewhat weird. XD I thought the owl was talking to the kid when he said that though.

He was, that was just the best screen I found for the phrase.

[DiGi Valentine]

You know, when we were making that Sega Project 2007 i noticed something that would pop up in almost everybodies email. People kept asking for "more playtime with the dreamers" because in NiD you pretty much just walked up to the ideya palace and dualized with NiGHTS and until the final level, you never really saw much of Elliot and Claris. So, most of you people had asked Sega to show more of the dreamers this time around. And that is exactly what they're doing. Yeh, fair enough, the gameplay for the dreamers looks a bit poo but i suppose that's Sega's way of trying to listen to the fans.

As for NiGHTS not having any other games if this game fails. Well, it all depends, really. Let the game come out, let's play it thoroughly and then let's discuss our views on it in here to see what kind of reactions it's getting. Because i always said, if JOD fails then i'm making another Project folder to Sega....only this time we have the right email address's to send stuff to. If JOD is not a success then it only gives us more fire to show Sega how to get it right. I know for a fact i ain't gonna stop contacting them just because JOD might go balls-up.

[MidgitLD]

I'm actually very comforted by the delayed release of the game. There are two upsides to this:

1. Now there's more time to save up money for it. (for those that have to plan ahead for stuff)

And 2. Slightly longer production means a more polished game as poor Nir has been saying for many posts now.

Downside:
EVERYBODY'S JUST GOTTA HOLD ONTO THEIR BRITCHES A LITTLE LONGER. Granted this means those fans that are fairly impatient will be far more riled up and angry, thus increasing the chances of them going primal and lunging at the game section to get their copy and possibly hurting someone...

But hey... all in the name of love, right? XD

Who am I to complain about the delay? I don't even have the fraggin' system for it yet. Doh!

To our beloved Red Scottish Chocolate Covered Legume and her equally beloved Bunny Man... Congrats on your newfound connections. :3 May you use them wisely for what is right.

[boon]

Where did you hear NiGHTS was an important game for Sega, anyway? I had heard otherwise from BossRush, a supposed "insider" blogger.

Also, did you say the review copies are going to be sent out a week before the current release date, or a week before whatever date the game is going to ship on? I'd very much like to aviod the game's reviews.

[Feniiku]

I don't have anything to say that hasn't already been said :/ Oh well.

I want someone to make an animated GIF of DiGi happy, then Sega, then digi, then sega, then DiGI ANGRY, then sega crying. Plzplz.

Avatar sized for your convenience XD

[Machenstein]

Where did you hear NiGHTS was an important game for Sega, anyway? I had heard otherwise from BossRush, a supposed "insider" blogger.

I'm surprised Sonic Team even went this far in development considering their previous motto with this "quick" Wii version.

Sonic Team must have changed their minds somewhere along the way. Even though they don't realize the importance of their primary IP, Sonic, they somehow realize the importance of NiGHTS enough to delay the game. Three times. Some quick Wii version, I'm sure.

I can't fully recall the context of the BossRush article. From what I remember, there was an early version of the Xbox 360 build at Tokyo Game Show '06 and it was not received well so Sonic Team decided to go with the Wii version for some reason. Then BossRush went emo later on in the article about Sonic Team's current state and whatnot.

Not much else to say other than I look forward to when the review copy comes. If the release date is officially changed to February, we might have to wait until the final week of January. That's what I speculate anyway.