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I didn't like this game at first, but now...


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#1
HyperShadow

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Hi everyone. Long time lurker but I haven't posted in years so before I describe what I think of JoD, I thought I'd share my life-long experience with NiGHTS in this thread, so here goes:

1996: NiGHTS into Dreams is released for the Sega Saturn. My 13-year old Sonic-obsessed self just falls in love with every screenshot published in Sega Power (UK Magazine).

1997: I get a Sega Saturn for my birthday together with NiGHTS. NiGHTS quickly becomes the best game I've ever played. To this day it still holds that title, and as a major Sonic fan, I dare say it's better than any sonic game too.

1999: While on holiday in the UK, I come across a "Computer Exchange" store that had Christmas NiGHTS. The excitement is overwhelming as I had never imagine I could ever get my hands on a copy (this was before ebay).

2007: While experimenting with emulators and finally having a fast enough PC, I get NiGHTS and Christmas NiGHTS running smoothly using SSF emulator. My fiancee starts to play it and loves the game too. She beats my Spring Valley highscore. Awesome.

2007 (later in the year): As soon as I heard a sequel to NiGHTS was being developed for Wii, I decided there and then I would buy that console. NiGHTS JoD arrives and at first, I'm overwhelmed by the graphics, but very quickly I become disappointed. NiGHTS talks in a british accent, cutscenes are long and boring, that owl is EVERYWHERE and just won't shut up, and the chase mission is very different to how one would normally play NiGHTS. I sadly fell out of love with JoD, and being that I had just started a new career that year, I played through the game just a single time and never touched it again.

2012: SUPER excited for the rerelease of NiGHTS into dreams on xbla, I spend some time playing the original on an emulator. The game is released, and I quickly notice that despite the beautiful graphics, the controls are all wrong. Another disappointment. Nevertheless, I keep playing and I realise just how short NiGHTS into dreams was. I start to wish that somehow a mission pack of sorts would be released, or maybe even some extra levels. After a while, I decide to load up JoD again, just to have a look at it once more. As I try my hardest to ignore all the things that bugged me about this game before, I realise...NiGHTS JoD is EXACTLY the mission pack I had been imagining in my head! If one just ignores the long tutorial sessions and godawful voiceacting, you're left with a pretty decent set of NiGHTS levels that look gorgeous and play better than the current remake!

I'm posting this because I've been wondering if anyone else had any similar experiences with JoD .... The second time around, I'm really starting to appreciate how wonderful this game really is :)

#2
droidsaturn

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Im of a similar age and basically the same backstory except for I didnt get a Saturn till 1999+, but rented a Saturn with NiGHTS multiple time around 96,97.

I loved the magazine ads for NiGHTS back in 96 they made the game look very interesting and seemed toned for a more mature audiance. Im tried to find the one I remember but I cant seem to find it, I remember the metal things from stick canyon and I believe it was talking about how only the Saturn could handle it. And a bunch of thumbnail pics or something.

Anyway when I heard the sequel was coming I was stoked. At the time I had no job so I modded my parents wii to play burned games( yes I know...but it was either that or not try it at all) It was a pretty easy process and I was playing it in no time really.

Same feelings you stated having problems with. The voice acting and non straight foward mare to mare gameplay actually made me quite angry with what could have been.


One thing about the original NiGHTS is that most if not all my friends are non gamers, casual gamers at best. So when they see me playing a game like nights it was much easier to show off.
For one thing I explain it like a racing game with tony hawk like point system with grades and each lap you need to take care of a mini boss. Sound pretty cool and I can start the game select a charactor, level, and your off to start the lap. And while strange at first they get it and for the most part like it

I wouldnt even show my friends jod from what I played, looks very strange and much more child oriented. I can assure you non of my friends would see the coolness under all of what they added to the core gameplay

Ill probably give it a second go though as I can look past them, I dont remember a problem controlling so some new levels would be nice. Ill have to buy it now since my dad updated the wii and is now unmodded. I never did get that far maybe I was to quick to dismiss it...

#3
HyperShadow

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I think it's safe to say this game definitely deserves a second look, ESPECIALLY if like me you're a bit disappointed with the controls of NiGHTS HD. JoD on the other hand is nice and fluid if one plays with the nunchuk, except perhaps not as fluid as the old saturn for some reason since the nunchuck's analog stick sort of "sticks" in 8-way grooves, making the experience feel kinda bumpy. Nevertheless, I'm having loads of fun playing through it a second time.

The things that ruin the game aren;'t really in the gameplay itself, which kind of gives me an idea. Would it be possible to HACK JoD and remove the cutscenes and annoying tutorials? I know for a fact that New super mario bros wii has a hacked version out there where the levels are replaced by fanmade extra hard levels, so how impossible would it be to do with JoD? I'm imagining a "streamlined" version with no cutscenes (or at least skippable) and a simple menu to load any mission.
I know it's a long shot, but anyone here have any experience in that sort of thing?

#4
droidsaturn

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That would be awesome there must be a way, but since the cutscenes are using the game engine, so you couldnt just delete a mpeg out. You would have to find it using a hex editors,which would be very difficult to find where a scene starts and implement a skip scene.

I didnt know about the wii mod, I knew there was a Mario bro 3 mod for the ds.

Seems you need to dump some files off your actual game cd using Reggie!dumper
Then use Reggie! Level editor program and it makes a playable image when your done.

I I wonder if Reggie!dumper could dump JOD. Maybe its not too hard to make a editor looking at reggies for reference and change some things. I need a comp...




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