44 replies to this topic

[Innotech]

Ok, Ive heard a lot of discussion about this.

The graphics dont always make a game, but lets face it, NiGHTS MUST look pretty decent. Even on the wii, blocky character models and pixelated environments just dont have to occur.
My theory is that what we see now, even though its devoid of the goodies like items and Ideya captures, is essentially Dreamcast era placeholders (canceled Air NiGHTS). Im not a graphics %$£! as it were, but I also know the wii is MORE than capable of making at least NiGHTS himself look decently rounded and detailed. The environments are quite nice, but I really think Sega can do better than this, and Im hoping they do. Simply because a NiGHTS game should make the best use of the hardware its on in all aspects and be as beautiful as possible. Im all for optimizing graphics to prevent slow framerate as that would KILL a NiGHTS game, but the Wii is also capable of Sonic ATSR visuals. Cant NiGHTS at least look THAT good? I know its possible. you all know its possible. What makes me worry about this in particular is the fact that there really isnt much more time to tweak things before this game is released. Thoughts?

[wyldflowa]

Although I'm not fussed on the graphics as they are now I know the game is far from finished and once all the items, hoops, ideya captures, marens and the like have been thrown in there it'll be a whole different kettle of fish. Screenshots hardly ever do games justice - just look at the original. Screenshots of that look yucky but the way the game runs so fast and smooth, all that junk on the screen with your scores popping up and links, sparkles flying about the place (I mean, hello, the transparencies on the new sparkles are lovely! XD)... seeing it in action in the final version is very different from seeing a few early-stage screenies.

When I see it running I'll judge~

[Innotech]

Thing is, I wouldnt even bother mentioning this if I hadnt seen the wii already doing much better visually. Super Mario Galaxy and sonic and the Secret rings clearly show that pretty complex visuals CAN be rendered by the wii. thats why I want this game to go all out visually that it can without affecting framerate. I know SATSR didnt slow down, even when it was blazing by in a blur. This game could easily look absolutely mindbending while runnig very smoothly.

[DiENE]

I agree, the Wii is capable of much more than this. Graphics are not the solution but after 10 years of endless torture and waiting I think the fans deserve more. I mean, it looks like it could be done on the Dreamcast but we are two generations of gaming technology beyond that.

[NiGHTSfan]

So true, if the Wii can handle SaTSR, Super Mario Galaxy, and SSBB, it can handle NiGHTS. What we're seeing now is probably just an early build that is not even close to finished.

[Innotech]

well the most obvious thing about these early shots is that the levels arent populated with all the goodies. so that right there says it was extremely early. but dont they have some more recent shots maybe? something to really blow us away? Id honestly be perfectly satisfied if this game was as beautiful as SATSR. Come on Sega, you can do it.

[YamiLover13]

well the most obvious thing about these early shots is that the levels arent populated with all the goodies. so that right there says it was extremely early. but dont they have some more recent shots maybe? something to really blow us away? Id honestly be perfectly satisfied if this game was as beautiful as SATSR. Come on Sega, you can do it.

They want to keep us on out toes like all gameing companies do.

I am not too worried. If there is anything Sega will do right I am pretty sure it is graphics. They don't seem to fail at that too much. Besides, graphics is not what makes the game great. Plus I don't have high standards. Anything is better than what I could do. I appreciate all the hard work that goes into the art and programming games. I still wonder how they do it all so quickly! Oh yeah...they go for day and days withought sleep. (One of the main guys working on Sonic R did this and got himself really ill. With him gone, it was one of the last straws and they had to postpone and eventually cancel the game. I hope this doesn't happen to NiGHTS.)

[Innotech]

They want to keep us on out toes like all gameing companies do.

I am not too worried. If there is anything Sega will do right I am pretty sure it is graphics. They don't seem to fail at that too much. Besides, graphics is not what makes the game great. Plus I don't have high standards. Anything is better than what I could do. I appreciate all the hard work that goes into the art and programming games. I still wonder how they do it all so quickly! Oh yeah...they go for day and days withought sleep. (One of the main guys working on Sonic R did this and got himself really ill. With him gone, it was one of the last straws and they had to postpone and eventually cancel the game. I hope this doesn't happen to NiGHTS.)

I know graphics dont make a game great, but lets be honest here. NiGHTS can look a hell of a lot better than these screenshots. It really can. And thats without pushing the boundaries of the Wii. Look at Treasure Island and Dewy and SMG for proof. I cant stress it enough. This isnt a case of this being the best the system can do, its a case of not even pushing the system at all. I want to see this game go for the gold so to speak. I know Sega can do it. Graphics AND gameplay. more than possible on the wii.

[YamiLover13]

I know graphics dont make a game great, but lets be honest here. NiGHTS can look a hell of a lot better than these screenshots. It really can. And thats without pushing the boundaries of the Wii. Look at Treasure Island and Dewy and SMG for proof. I cant stress it enough. This isnt a case of this being the best the system can do, its a case of not even pushing the system at all. I want to see this game go for the gold so to speak. I know Sega can do it. Graphics AND gameplay. more than possible on the wii.

I don't own a Wii nor do I have time to look at screenshots of it. So I really don't know how the graphics are. But I will agree, they can do better. I guess there is just a little person inside of me feeling sorry for all the work they have to do. I think that is me feeling guilty for sucking so bad at art. lol

Seriously, we don't need to worry. They are not going to make perfect graphics right off the bat. They got to experiment with things and design. That would utterly suck if they made a bunch of perfect models of NiGHTS new outfit, and then after a month they decide to change. Same thing can happen with the levels. So, don't worry people. The funcky eyelashes might be fixed eventually, and I bet he will be smoother. So don't fret your little heads. Sega can do graphics well. That mush is certain.

[~Tsuki~]

Personally I'm not to worried about the graphics right now. For all we know these are way old. I think they will probably wait until closer time for the games release before they start showing more finished screencaps. Even if it turns out the graphics aren't much improved it's like what most everyone else has said, graphics don't make the game.

[EZEKiAL]

Anyway, NiGHTS wasn't about graphics, was it? (Well, it kinda was made to show of the Sega Saturn's power...but that would make me wrong so I'm going to disreguard it) It was about gameplay, music, and having fun. Oh, and purple jesters.

[YamiLover13]

Anyway, NiGHTS wasn't about graphics, was it? (Well, it kinda was made to show of the Sega Saturn's power...but that would make me wrong so I'm going to disreguard it) It was about gameplay, music, and having fun. Oh, and purple jesters.

I think that is what attracted me the most about NiGHTS. He is purple!!! My faviorite color!

I still think the fish look really nice though.

[EZEKiAL]

I think the backgrounds and pretty much everything else except NiGHTS look GREAT in JoD. NiGHTS' edges seem a bit jagged, though.

[AYRiES]

I think the only thing I don't really like is NiGHTS' model, but I think it's probably not finished yet, and I thought that about Sonic and the Secret Rings until I saw it in motion- it moves so quickly your brain doesn't notice the jaggedness, just the basic thing. So maybe NiGHTS will be the same...

[Kichigai]

Zelda is a good example of how good the graphics can get for the Wii, So why not NiGHTS? I'm nit-picky when it comes to details and considering Sega's history with the Sonic games lately... It better be DAMN good with the story and controls. D: I'm hoping those screenshots are early beta tests. Those eyes... @_@; Why?? Honestly the details/design of the first game is really what attracted me in the first place.



What......what the heck is that? A neck or really shotty polygon left-over?

[YamiLover13]

Zelda is a good example of how good the graphics can get for the Wii, So why not NiGHTS? I'm nit-picky when it comes to details and considering Sega's history with the Sonic games lately... It better be DAMN good with the story and controls. D: I'm hoping those screenshots are early beta tests. Those eyes... @_@; Why?? Honestly the details/design of the first game is really what attracted me in the first place.

What......what the heck is that? A neck or really shotty polygon left-over?

OMFG I never saw that! I hope that is just polygon leftover! Thanks for showing that to us.

As for they eyes...yes I am upset as well. It looks like they couldn't decide on making NiGHTS eyes blue or purple and just decided to settle with both.

[Dan]

The game isn't out til the end of this year. There's still pleanty of time to tidy up the visuals. I'm not ready to pass judgement on the visuals firstly because I haven't seen the game in motion, secondly. I don't care Because in my opinion JOD looks awesome, even better than sonic and only second to Mario Galaxy.

Saying that. The colour scheme doesn't seem to be as 'NiGHTSish' this time. Wheres the hot colours all over the place? The levels look super detailed, but c'mon, NiGHTS it up! Slosh some shock pink in there or something!

Dan.

[YamiLover13]

Saying that. The colour scheme doesn't seem to be as 'NiGHTSish' this time. Wheres the hot colours all over the place? The levels look super detailed, but c'mon, NiGHTS it up! Slosh some shock pink in there or something!

Dan.

That would make me go blind if they put a buch of hot pink in there. O.O It might even burn into the LCD TV's if its too bright. (Ok maybe not but who knows.) I guess they are trying to be careful so that people don't feel like they are on an acid trip. Oh yes NiGHTS...the one game you should never play while drunk.

[DiENE]

Yeah, I mean, I can live with choppy graphics, it didn't bother us before, but we are granted with better technology that they can be taking advantage of and with the exception of God of War (Which is pwnage) this game is being developed by Sega of America ::Shudder::

There is one thing that I can't shake off and its his obnoxious eyelashes, what was wrong with the first ones? I have a feeling they want to "lean" towards a gender but not really confirm one. America has this thing about hiding non-specific gender roles because that kind of thing is not entirely moraly accepted" on a wide scale around here. Kind of like the Sailor Moon bit, if I'm correct, Sailor Uranus and Neptune were in love with each other, here it was dubbed that they were Cousins. So I have a feeling they want to make him seem feminine. I could be wrong though, just an opinion of mine, I mean they did mess up before with saying he was Nightopian because they assumed that he wasn't a bad guy he couldn't have been a Nightmaren. People need to do there research before publishing this stuff! Because I think we all know another example...

Archie...

::Cough:: Anyway...

What also makes no sense to me is that in all of the new art drawn of him, he has the old eyes, so like, did the game developers even take one look at the magazine art?

[EZEKiAL]

Yeah, I mean, I can live with choppy graphics, it didn't bother us before, but we are granted with better technology that they can be taking advantage of and with the exception of God of War (Which is pwnage) this game is being developed by Sega of America ::Shudder::

There is one thing that I can't shake off and its his obnoxious eyelashes, what was wrong with the first ones? I have a feeling they want to "lean" towards a gender but not really confirm one. America has this thing about hiding non-specific gender roles because that kind of thing is not entirely moraly accepted" on a wide scale around here. Kind of like the Sailor Moon bit, if I'm correct, Sailor Uranus and Neptune were in love with each other, here it was dubbed that they were Cousins. So I have a feeling they want to make him seem feminine. I could be wrong though, just an opinion of mine, I mean they did mess up before with saying he was Nightopian because they assumed that he wasn't a bad guy he couldn't have been a Nightmaren. People need to do there research before publishing this stuff! Because I think we all know another example...

Archie...

::Cough:: Anyway...

What also makes no sense to me is that in all of the new art drawn of him, he has the old eyes, so like, did the game developers even take one look at the magazine art?

So...liek....NiGHTS is gonna be a lesbian?

[DiENE]

So...liek....NiGHTS is gonna be a lesbian?

XD No, all I'm saying is I think they want to try and make NiGHTS more appealing as one gender other than inbetween because America likes to twist things like that. They think we can't handle something to these proportions, ever since Pokemon started to "White" out because blacking out was said to be "too scary for children" I lost all hope for our youth, they will learn nothing if we keep them in lala land forever, they wont be prepared, there dooming their future! O_o; Yeah I have a feeling I'm being just a tad over dramatic over this lol.

[EZEKiAL]

XD No, all I'm saying is I think they want to try and make NiGHTS more appealing as one gender other than inbetween because America likes to twist things like that. They think we can't handle something to these proportions, ever since Pokemon started to "White" out because blacking out was said to be "too scary for children" I lost all hope for our youth, they will learn nothing if we keep them in lala land forever, they wont be prepared, there dooming their future! O_o; Yeah I have a feeling I'm being just a tad over dramatic over this lol.

So...not only is NiGHTS gonna be a lesbian, s/he's gonna be a stereotypical one?
XD I'm just kidding. Put your flannel away, NiGHTS.

NiGHTS: Awww...

[YamiLover13]

XD No, all I'm saying is I think they want to try and make NiGHTS more appealing as one gender other than inbetween because America likes to twist things like that. They think we can't handle something to these proportions, ever since Pokemon started to "White" out because blacking out was said to be "too scary for children" I lost all hope for our youth, they will learn nothing if we keep them in lala land forever, they wont be prepared, there dooming their future! O_o; Yeah I have a feeling I'm being just a tad over dramatic over this lol.

How does genderless marens prepare the youth for their future? Not very often you come across someone genderless.
But I think I see what you are saying. They need to comprehend things better I guess. Really I thought they made NiGHTS genderless so that you thought of NiGHTS as whatever gender you want. But you are right, they are leaning towrds one way too much.

[Veggie]

I was a little underwhelmed by the screenshots as NiGHTS looks kinda blocky.. I'm sure (hoping) these are just early shots though. I know graphics shouldn't be everything but the visual side shouldn't be ignored either.

[Huruyami]

Dont worry. This happens with alot of wii games. If you pay attention, when you take a screenshot of a moving model, It will look blocky. They are smoother and stuff when it is moving.

[Ten]

Off topic for a minute, the assumption of hiding the gender-lacking nature provides a more narrow perspective of what it could and could not be. Elaborating on that, kind of like how the American (as well as many other Western) culture has two genders, other cultures have three, some have more... It's basically "we're going to restrict this to our culture's understanding and make sure it doesn't let kids think of anything outside of it!", kind of. ...Like the somehow socially acceptable concept of incest between female cousins, or so the Sailor Moon dubbers thought, even though it touches on two taboo concepts. o_O Because lesbian incest is more socially acceptable than just being lesbian. ::nods:: ...I don't get it, either. But back to the original point of this, it's a matter of people making it black or white versus prismatic--is it narrow or multi-faceted? I hope they go with the latter. X_x Life isn't 2-D. (This probably makes very little sense. I'm not quite coherent, yet. XD)

On topic, I'd assume it's all unfinished testing. This has been done a lot with games, as I think someone's mentioned, already. Not all the bugs are cleaned and out, so things don't look at their best level--makes sense. But... I really hope those eyes aren't the finished product. >: That would sadden me very much.

[NNR07]

I agree, what we're getting shown to us is probably just beta versions/graphics. I'm waiting 'till around September or August to get worried if it's going to be looking good or bad.

[Huruyami]

yeah, chances are they will improve, but graphix look worse when a screen of a moving shot is taken.

[Loren]

I thought the screenshots or cgshots in the mags.. whichever they were.. looked pretty awful. However, it's probably in the development stage like some of you are saying. About the gender thing.. yeah the lashes make NiGHTS look more feminine, but that jacket ups the masculinity too. Then the pink offsets it again. He/she looks just as genderless as ever to me. And I like the eyelashes.. in the cg pictures. They could do better in the actual game shots than those plasticky spikes.

[Huruyami]

eh. who noes. well just have to wait to find out.

[LUCiD-STUDENT]

Again, a little off topic, but what do you actually expect for the graphics, besides the gameplay itself? I mean, for the main menu, or if there be a more intricate story, would you prefer for any cutscenes to be fully animated? Because I personally loved the hand-drawn artwork they used for the NiGHTS: X-Mas disc. I'd love to see more of those, but I don't know, what are all of ye all's thoughts?

[The Adza]

maybe we are getting a bit less detail but going full 60 fps. who knows. I'm pretty sure it will turn out ok. Graphics wise anyway.

[Scion]

I'm hoping that the graphics do improve.....I'll just have to wait and see over the next couple of months

[Dark Messiah]

Err...really? I like the graphics, it's the controlling I'm afraid of. I own a Wii, and at times (Sonic and the Secret Rings crap) that stuff was too...well, too jumpy, or a lag effect. So that's my main thing will be the reaction timing between your action and NiGHTS' on the screen.

But graphic wise? I think they gave NiGHTS a bigger butt... but that's my opinion. XD

[TRiPPY]

However, it's probably in the development stage like some of you are saying.

...

You'd be suprised.

[DiGi Valentine]

Oh hush, you. They can change sh!t, TRiP. They've changed quite a bit since we were told about it 6 months ago. Quit being so negative about it.

The graphics are not a main concern to me, being honest. As i've said before in a seperate topic (which i thought was this one), graphics don't make a game. It makes it look pretty and i'm all for that....but if they make this game unplayable due to a sh!t control system then THAT will be something to be annoyed about as we won't want to play the bloody thing.

Sonic 360. A great example of how a game can look like a masterpiece and play like a horses arse.

[Louis]

Sonic 2006 (it's on PS3 too, so you can't really call it 360) doesn't look too great in motion, sloppy graphics, horrible framerate etc. The promo stuff looked a LOT better than the real thing.

Anyway, right now the game looks like arse, but in motion it might look better. Right now we're seeing silly closeups, which you wouldn't get in the real game.

[KyraWolf]

I saw the graphics when TRiPPY first put them up on the site and I was like.. " O_O That's it?" I kinda thought.. you know, over 10 years of waiting and they can't make it look stunning. But like some of you said, it could have been early beta shots and such.. So I'm not going to judge by just screenshots.

And someone mentioned the new eyelashes. O_O They creep me out. I think the old ones were fine.

[whatabout_paul]

When I first saw some JOD screens I was impressed! I think the first I saw was of the boss fight and on another message board they compared it side by side to some Sonic 2006 screens. NiGHTS looked twice as good just because of the art style alone. People are right in saying it depends how everything looks in motion. Case point, Sonic Rush looks horrible in screen shots but in motion it’s a fantastic looking DS game.

Compared to the Saturn game I’m used to playing JOD is an amazing leap into the present day. Our old NiGHTS hasn’t aged very well and bits almost resemble techno-puke

[Innotech]

Im in NO way saying NiGHTS art STYLE is ugly. thats the truly gorgeous part about it. But on a technical level, I dont usually make much of a big deal about things, but in this case, the problem is that theres already a precedent of games looking BETTER than this on the Wii, especially the games devs havent rushed and are building from ground up (like NiGHTS supposedly is). I think much of the criticism stems from NiGHTS himself and his overly blocky appearance. theres really nothing keeping Sega from rounding out his form, and from making the scenery itself a bit less blocky too. The Wii can definitely handle that. SATSR had little or no slowdowns and it was gorgeous. So Sega itself has even shown it can do it.