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NiGHTS in modern gaming genres
#1
Posted 08 May 2009 - 09:15 AM
Seeing their sheer simplicity, under which lies shockingly hidden depth, got me thinking about how it would be easy to apply NiGHTS to a casual gaming genre in the modern game world. You know, the kind of place where Halo 3 and Bejeweled have the same sales month-to-month. God, how far we've come since 1996.
I know a lot of you will probably disagree, but NiGHTS today probably most likely fits the "casual" genre. I'm not talking JoD with an actual elaborate story, cutscenes, and missions and such, but the raw, distilled gameplay we saw in the original. The game was so simple. Fly through rings quick enough to link them and get points. Get 20 chips, recover 4 ideya, and make it back to the palace/shrine in 2 minutes or less. Then go fight a boss with a peculiar weakness. Repeat 7 times over until the game's end, then go back and A-rank everything. Sounds like most of the casual games I've been playing recently, where getting through the level's easy enough, then 100%-ing's the goal, then you start score-attacking your way up the leaderboards.
I think a NiGHTS game similar to the original would definitely fall into the casual game category today, and could probably see success produced and marketed as such with a sub-$20 (15 Euro) price point. Discuss.
#2
Posted 08 May 2009 - 10:24 AM
Honestly, that's not what I would call "simple". Sure, there are more complicated games out there, but it's still far from the simplicity of Bejeweled for example.The game was so simple. Fly through rings quick enough to link them and get points. Get 20 chips, recover 4 ideya, and make it back to the palace/shrine in 2 minutes or less. Then go fight a boss with a peculiar weakness.
And adding or removing cutscenes don't make any difference on the simplicity of the gameplay.
Though I'm not sure what you mean by "casual game" or whether it's the same thing as a simple game, so...
I could see a remake of NiGHTS into dreams on the XBLA (doesn't mean it would be a casual game, though), and I assume it would have some success, but that's definitely not what I would want for a brand new NiGHTS game.
#3
Posted 08 May 2009 - 05:37 PM
Of course, my definition of a "casual game" might be different from yours, TRAViS. I tend to base my judgment of that on the difficulty rather than the gameplay formula. For example, I would not call Super Mario Bros a casual game even though it has a pretty simple system. You just get through the level while gaining items and points and trying to avoid being hit. But it's not for people unused to platforming (like me ) because it's easy to die. Most casual gamers wouldn't make it through.
#4
Posted 08 May 2009 - 08:22 PM
But anyway I'd say it's an arcade game. Seriously I could see this game in an arcade. Charlie would always have the highest score though haha.
#5
Posted 08 May 2009 - 10:14 PM
LOL...thanks iLLViLLAiN!I think it's a lot more of an arcade game. I can't really define a game as casual or hardcore but with the players I could. Like with NiGHTS I'd call myself a hardcore fan but a casual player. I don't play as much as I used to.
But anyway I'd say it's an arcade game. Seriously I could see this game in an arcade. Charlie would always have the highest score though haha.
I do think the original NiD has a simple concept, but only when you actually know what you're doing, which takes a while for most people.
I remember not knowing what to do when I started playing, and I've heard a lot of frustrated people complain that they get failing scores all the time because the game is too hard. First time players don't usually know about links right away, or the tokens, or the x2 time, or the stunt ribbons, or even the fact that you should perform multiple laps!
I think the initial hurdle in NiD is just too much for the casual crowd to really get into it. It would need to be simplified even more for the truly casual crowd.
#6
Posted 08 May 2009 - 10:14 PM
- "Casual" games are simplistic
- "Hardcore" games are confusing
But what, pray tell, is an "arcade" game?
#7
Posted 09 May 2009 - 02:39 AM
Anyway, back on subject. It's hard to put a 3-D game in the casual catagory I think. It takes a tremendous amount of work to make them compared to PopCap style games. That alone seperates NiGHTS games from casual for me.
#8
Posted 09 May 2009 - 12:54 PM
I could be mistaken but aren't casual games devoid of things like characters, storylines, and complex gameplay. (I think NiGHTS' gameplay is complex because you have to explore on foot, know how to get high Links, perform stunts, etc. Rather than just "match this many of a certain color".) Also when I play NiGHTS I end up with sore thumbs, which doesn't really happen with Solitare or Minesweeper...
But pigeonholing games into titles like this is kind of counterproductive?
#9
Posted 09 May 2009 - 04:21 PM
In my opinion I don't see NiGHTS as casual, simply because its too fast-paced for casual.
#10
Posted 10 May 2009 - 07:45 AM
#11
Posted 10 May 2009 - 07:48 AM
When I first heard someone call it that I was kind of confused. I'm not saying it's wrong but I always thought platformers involved jumping and climbing.According to IGN, NiGHTS is a platformer. I would personally also tie in fantasy and MAYBE a pinch of flight simulator. But the last one is a bit shaky since you're flying from a distance instead of 1st person, and you're flying a purple clown, not a plane. So.
In my opinion I don't see NiGHTS as casual, simply because its too fast-paced for casual.
#12
Posted 11 May 2009 - 12:51 AM
That confused me, too. It actually won an award for Best Platformer once, according to a friend of mine. My guess is they didn't know what else to categorize it as.When I first heard someone call it that I was kind of confused. I'm not saying it's wrong but I always thought platformers involved jumping and climbing.
#13
Posted 11 May 2009 - 03:10 AM
As for it's genre, I'd say the fact it doesn't fit nicely into any category and it has a heavy emphasis on the high score, NiGHTS could probably be best categorized as an arcade title. Beyond that, Action would probably be the next best genre.
#14
Posted 11 May 2009 - 03:30 AM
Something with simple graphics and controls would be more casual rather then hardcore linking. Like the handheld... you had 4 directions and that's about it.
It's a nice idea but you'd have to redesign NiGHTS game into a user friendly game... which would be interesting if it was simple like the handheld... if you gave it actual graphics. lol
#15
Posted 21 May 2009 - 08:32 PM
#16
Posted 21 May 2009 - 10:44 PM
Platformer is a genre of video game in which the characters travel along horizontal surfaces, climb, jump and otherwise move from surface to surface collecting items and defeating enemies.
NiGHTS travels on a horizontal surface (flying across the screen) and does move from surface to surface, albeit through flight and not jumping. The flying through rings, collection of blue chips, and destruction of many enemies along the way categorize this into a platforming game. While NiGHTS into Dreams takes the definition of platformer and creatively distorts it, JoD in a sense fits the category more mainly because of the on-foot stages and more environmental interaction.
#17
Posted 29 May 2009 - 05:25 AM
Platformer is a genre of video game in which the characters travel along horizontal surfaces, climb, jump and otherwise move from surface to surface collecting items and defeating enemies.
By this NiGHTS almost automatically disqualified because he doesn't move along surfaces. Also, in NiGHTS the item collection is a means to an end. In platformers the item collection and enemy combat is usually and end in and of itself.
NiGHTS travels on a horizontal surface (flying across the screen) and does move from surface to surface, albeit through flight and not jumping. The flying through rings, collection of blue chips, and destruction of many enemies along the way categorize this into a platforming game.
NiGHTS moves through the air. He doesn't go from surface to surface at all. I can also collect items and defeat enemies in Gradius and Raiden and move on a two dimensional surface through the air, yet you wouldn't categorize them as anthing but shoot-em-ups.
Honestly, the one truly vital aspect that defines the platformer genre is the player character moves from surface to surface and around obstacles through jumping or an action analogous to jumping. This is a trait largely lacking from both NiGHTS titles and the segments that do conform to this are not the norm of the gameplay experience.
#18
Posted 01 June 2009 - 01:45 AM
I've seen a lot of people describe Flower as some kind of reference by which you could make a more "modern" NiGHTS game, but I don't buy it. The sense of freedom isn't there and the experience isn't nearly as energetic (except for the last level).
I'm pretty sure we can agree that the side scrolling flying still holds up, but perhaps the problem with it is that score attacking isn't very popular nowadays. Ehh, I'll have to keep thinking about it.
#19
Posted 01 June 2009 - 01:51 AM
Getting more technical than that just gets confusing. As per the above conversation
#20
Posted 26 June 2009 - 11:27 AM
Neither casual nor hardcore. Somewhere in the middle.
#21
Posted 26 June 2009 - 03:00 PM
#22
Posted 12 September 2009 - 10:01 PM
#23
Posted 14 September 2009 - 10:30 PM
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