
Just a heads up to let those of you who don't own the NiGHTS port know that it's HALF PRICE down to only 400MSP. A total steal for an incredible and timeless game.
For more details please read the SEGA blog here:
http://blogs.sega.com/2013/03/05/xbla-deal-of-the-week-nights-and-fighting-games
A real nostalgic treat for you all today here at Nidcom. The wonderful Josh Goring recently put together an interview with the two original singers of DREAMS DREAMS for the community. The young Cameron and Jasmine sang on the track way back in 1996 giving us our favorite themesong. Josh catches up with them both to chat about the infamous song and what they're up to today.
Enjoy!
First, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?

C: My name is Cameron (my friends call me Cam). I’m 30 years old. I’m a Kiwi but have spent a lot of my time in Japan, which I also consider my home along with New Zealand. I love reading a) manga and b) old horror anthology books. I play fighting games competitively and hope to be NZ champion one day. My best result so far is 5th equal in last years NZ nationals (Super Street Fighter 4 AE v.2012).

J: Hi, I`m Jasmine Allen, 27 years old.
I was born in Seattle WA, and came to Japan when I was a little wee one (8 years old). I went through Japanese elementary, junior high, and have been in the Japanese entertainment industry for nearly 15 years. That`s my story in a nutshell!
From what I understand, you have lived in (and still go back and fourth to) Japan. What is it like growing up there?
C: There is good and bad in every culture. Japan has a pretty high ratio of Awesomeness compared to lameness so I can’t complain. I looooooove Tokyo but I wouldn’t want to live there anymore. I hope to visit once a year in the future.
J: Yes, I have been living here for almost 20 years now. I never expected to be here this long. In fact, for the first few years I was always expecting my dad to say “Jasmine, start packing! We`re off to another country!” lol We were always moving around in the States…
Japanese school was difficult for me, especially catching up to my other 3rd grade peers, when I had all those Kanji to learn. I was lucky to make so many friends and be accepted, so I never really had any issues with “fitting in”. I didn`t expect to be here, but the longer I stay, the more and more I started to accept this as my home. I do occasionally visit my extended family in the U.S. and travel here and there, but I always get homesick!
I love the food, and people…and my friends…I pretty much have everything I need. And my older sister is married to a Japanese man and has 2 kids, so yes, I do have my family nearby, and they`re a huge part of my life.
So, how did you first get involved singing the NiGHTS theme song "Dreams, Dreams"?
C: I come from a singing family and a family friend heard of a job requiring a little boy singer. I auditioned for it and got the job. I would have been eleven at the time and it was my first paid job. I was a Sega fan boy (die Playstation die!) so I already had a Sega Saturn (they offered me a free one) but they did give me an armful of games and paid me a handsome sum. I was quite lucky.
J: To be honest, I can`t recall the exact events, but I think I was about 10? When my parents received a phone call and told me that I would be singing for a game software. I didn`t know much about games, ‘cause my dad never really let me play them (yes…it`s true) but I was certainly excited about being able to sing in the studio. I had already had some professional experience by then, and I liked being in front of the microphone with headphones. I had always been singing at home in the shower or in my own little space, so it was an exciting feeling for me. I had a couple days to practice, but I had it down all right. I really liked the song, and was happy to be a part of the whole project.
Have you played the game(s) yourself?
C: I played the original and loved it. I think the music was especially notable (not just because I was involved haha). The boss battles, themes, etc. You could tell a lot of heart went into the game. I was mildly disappointed at the end because a secret boss I was told about never made it into the game but then I saw my name in the credits and I felt much better.
J: I have to admit, I have never been much of a gamer. I have an older sister that always beat the crap out of me with Super Mario Brothers, so I guess I never really got into it that much. I`m really a chicken when it comes to fighting off the “enemies”, I always cringe when I fall in a pit or do anything self destructive.
At one point, I really got into Mario Kart, but I think I got too into it, because I ended up racing in my dreams, so I had to give that up too.
Jasmine, you were brought back to sing the "Sweet Snow" version for the sequel Journey of Dreams in 2007. How did that happen?
J: Yeah, so almost 10 years later, my agency gets a phone call, asking me to sing a song called “Dreams Dreams”. By then I had already sung many songs, so it wouldn`t be a surprise that I would forget it, but actually I was like, “Oh THAT song, of course I`ll sing it!” I`m the kind of person that doesn`t remember much of their childhood, but I remembered this in particular, so I just had to say yes.
It`s funny…the songs that I loved the most as a child always come back to me, one way or another. I can honestly say that “Dreams Dreams” is one of them, no joke. Yes, this version was slightly different, but I thought it was perfect, and connected with it on a deeper lever. And I hope the listeners can sense this too.
What do you think of the original NiGHTS game being re-released for the current-gen systems?
C: Awesome. I plan on playing through it again soon. I’ve been following Trippy and DiGi on facebook for a while now and their involvement and efforts have been truly inspiring.
J: I`m really not the person to talk to when it comes to games. lol But oh well, I`ll give it a shot. I suppose with this rapidly advanced technology, people are wanting “Newer” “Better” and “Faster” everything. And with games, things are advancing as well.
Maybe it`s a good to take a step back, and give the gamers a taste of what the “Original” system is like and to appreciate the simplicity in it.
Would you be willing to come back and perform again for another NiGHTS game?
C: Of course.
J: Yeah, see you in 10 years! yaay
I`m excited to think what kind of version of the song they might come up with.
Are there any other projects (movies, games, music, TV, etc) that people might not know about that you were involved with?
C: Most of the work I did over the years (as an adult) was for Japanese TV commercials; singing little jingles and writing lyrics. I usually had 2 or 3 commercials that were running at any given time. I usually wasn’t credited so it was very much "in the shadows" type of work. I still get paid from time to time for commercials I did years ago if they get renewed and my agent still gets me lyrics jobs when she can which I can do from down here. I wrote some lyrics for a Mr. Donut commercial and a Jim Beam commercial a week or so ago which was fun.
Video game jobs didn’t come around nearly as often but I was the singing voice for the green blob in Loco Roco for the PSP and sang a few tracks for the English and Japanese versions of The World Ends with You for the DS. My sister-in-law Joelle has done more of that stuff than me. I think she did a track or two for Final Fantasy XIII-2 and sang the theme song for a game called Bravely Default.
I translated and subtitled a couple of minor Japanese movies that none of you would have seen. A yakuza film called Amazing Grace (2011) which was actually pretty good and a really weird one called Made in Japan ~Kora!~ (2010).
J: Pretty much everything you need to know is added on my Japanese Wikipedia page. As for game software. I remember doing something for SONY, the 2nd edition of Shenmue. I played the character, Fang Mei.
I did radio for a couple years when I was 22. I had my own little show every Sunday on a small, small internet radio site called RAINBOW TOWN FM. I coordinated the whole program, so I used up a lot of energy and time, but this was great experience for me, and was a valuable starting point in trying new things, not only as an entertainer, but as a director/creator as well.
What are you up to these days?
C: I’ve struggled to get work in NZ due to my lack of work experience in any of the relevant industries here but as of an hour ago I have a full time job as a night security guard at the local university.
Music-wise I’m auditioning for X factor New Zealand later on this month so wish me luck.
Game-wise I’ll be leveling up at Street Fighter and entering all the tournaments I can.
J: For the past year or so, I have been working as a manager and translator at a narration agency. Now being actively involved “behind the scenes”, I can see things from an entirely different perspective. I guess I`m developing the management/business side of me, and I`ll just see where that takes me.
I haven`t been singing lately, as I have developed a vocal dystonia, which affects my singing and speaking as well. It`s been an ongoing battle for me as with my voice, singing (and speaking too) and I have been currently going through therapy sessions. So, if any of you have wondered where I have been for the past few years, just letting you know that I am definitely on the road to recovery. And hopefully in the near future there will be a cure, and I would like to continue with voice acting as well as singing.
Because I need to rest my voice, lately I have been writing lyrics. In fact, this has been a passion of mine since childhood and I figure this might be a good time to hone it. I hope to continue singing, but if not, I will be involved in music in any way I possibly can.
How can fans stay in touch with you?
C: My personal facebook page (Cam Strother) is all I’ve got right now, but later on this year I’ll be starting a new Youtube channel for my music.
J: I`m on Facebook (Jasmine Allen) so just give me a holler.
Any last words for NiGHTS fans?
C: Keep on following your dreams.
J: I`m glad to know that you all enjoyed the game (and the song) just as much as I enjoyed being a part of it…
Thank you…and keep gaming!
Thank you very much Cameron and Jasmine!
- And don't forget to check out the DREAMS DREAMS Sweet Snow complete version if you missed it last Christmas.

Hey PC-owning peoples it's that day you've been waiting for!
NiGHTS into Dreams is now available to buy on Steam ^^ Check out the [ official SEGA blog ] for full details.
I'd like to thank all of you for making this little dream come true.
Merry Christmas everyone ~ *
TRiPPY & DiGi
Great news guys! Today for the first time ever both the NiGHTS into dreams… perfect album and the full Journey of Dreams OST has sneaked onto iTunes for UK/US/JP regions!
This is a massive deal because previously all official releases of NiGHTS albums were Japan only. We've had to put up with years of expensive imports, dodgy downloads and sticking our game CD's into disk drives. Now we can legitly buy and support the music and artists we love so much. Tracks like D'Force Master and deleted boss Selph's theme Know Thyself! – they all deserve your pennies. So please support the franchise and buy these albums. At only £7.99 they're a total steal and worth every cent.
Also I've been told they will appear on Amazon too in the near future. So look forward to that!
Thanks so much SEGA! ^_^ You've made a lot of fans very happy!
Volume 1: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/nights-into-dreams…-perfect/id573385917
Volume 2: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/nights-into-dreams…-perfect/id573427146
Volume 3: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/nights-into-dreams…-perfect/id573425262
…. AND …

Volume 1: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/nights-journey-dreams-original/id573383995
Volume 2: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/nights-journey-dreams-original/id573383368
Volume 3: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/nights-journey-dreams-original/id573382907
Please please go buy them or even single tracks to show support for the wonderful soundtrack and the artists who created them. I just spent a lot of money on a LOT of music…. I regret nothing, lol!

And now for the 30 great runners up. I wish I had an infinite stash of prizes to give away to you guys as your entries were all superb and really difficult to choose from ^^; That goes to everyone who entered. Great job guys. It was really cool getting to see your dream personas. That's something really personal, so i appreciate the sharing. I'd love to see lots more artwork of your creations in the future, so everyone keep drawing!
30 Badge set winners

It's time to show the first 20 contest winners for the 'In MY Dreams' design competition. The prizes are from the lovely folks over at SEGA so congrats to all the winners for getting their creative mitts on this brand new rare and official merch! Appologies for the late update but I've been very sick in bed with the flu this weekend @~@ Sorry about that. Anyways, without further ado- our top 20 winners! All art is judged for meaningful creative and original design concepts.
The remaining 30 Runners up will be listed in a seperate update coming tonight!
20 Pillow case & Badge winners

By Cottonbun
My dream persona would probably take form of a tiny moth-shaped maren ( I'm a frequent visitor to the Nightmare I'm afraid haha… ).
In my dreams I often view the world through the eyes of different characters/people that I dream about. T
he moth seem to be asleep and inactive but the third eye observes everything quietly, only sometimes using its silky threads to make the host to follow its bidding.
~*~

By Dexlacabra
~*~

Hyalus By Amy
This is my Nighmaren, Hyalus. (Hyalus means "glass" in Latin. He is
named for the spyglass he caries) He is an astronomer and a
philosopher. Generally quiet and contemplative, but always willing to
engage in lengthy, deep conversation.
I took a slightly different approach to the "create a dream-world
alter-ego for yourself" idea. Instead of personifying my whole self
and personality, I personified just a piece. I created a Nightmaren, a
physical form, for the "voice of reason" in my head, you could say.
When thinking deeply about various subjects and decisions, I tend to
converse with myself in my head and reason and ration and weigh
thoughts and possibilities. Hyalus here is a personification of those
inner philosophical musings. He's my conversation partner.
When I first read that NiGHTS was inspired by Mystere, I also wanted
to create a Nightmaren based on something from Cirque Du Soleil. I
chose to base Hyalus on a character/creature from O, my personal
favorite Cirque Du Soleil show. .
~*~

By Kanna
In our world, there is a lot of bad things, good things, and dreams allow us to create a world of their own, such as we want.
Speaking about the dreams, I am real dreamer, a child in my heart, and always will be so.
When I was little, I dreamed about toys, books, good grades in school, well, probably, like all^^ But when I grew up, I realized that in the world there are more important things.
A long time ago when I had the Internet, my life has changed, I found my best friends, wonderful people who always understand me, laugh with me, and compassion, if it necessary.
And I found in the Internet love of my life, the best man in the world… I love them very much.
There is only one problem-we all live in different cities. Here's what my dream is more than anything else, I want to see them, I want to be with them.
I dream about it when I draw for them, when we had fun laughing on Skype, when I sleep, and I see that dream again-as I ran to them, we hug and go on a new adventure. I hope you understand me…
That's what my picture about-this is my dream in reality, the characters of my friends in the form of small toys flying around me, because my main dream is to meet them.
The first interest that reunited us was from our beloved universe of SEGA-Sonic The Hedgehog, that's why I holding little Sonic plush in my arms.
All my friends there have no character-nightmarens now, but I hope that after the remake of our beloved game, NIGHTS Into Dreams, they will have them)
My Nightmaren character Kanna basing a little on my Sonic character who represents me in the world of Sonic…
Soooo, my favourite color is turquoise, And I'm REALLY long-haired with a long braid in reality ^__^''' So that's Real Me, blue-eyed real dreamer in the world of NIGHTS…
~*~

By WiNGS
My dream persona is an ethereal thing, lithe and flowing. Prone to flights of fancy, sky gazing, ignoring the laws of gravity, and painting the clouds with starlight.
She wears a mask, which at it's simplest explanation is a reflection of my love of theatre. What lies beneath?
Well that varies from dream to dream, but suffice to say the simple exterior conceals potential, different lives, different worlds, different dreams, vibrant in their variety..
~*~

By Lil' Shock
My dream self has always been the rag doll of loneliness, LyLyDyA. She is that doll that was outgrown, torn and filthy from faithfully tagging along in the form of a nightmaren. We both share a strong feeling of being left behind. However, there's always that bit of hope that glows from my ideya that she holds so close.
~*~

By Karita
~*~

DRiFT by Sami
I'm quite the day dreamer, so I figured creating a Nightmaren based on day dreaming would be interesting.
The character, "DRiFT", is lazy, always tired and is never stood up right. The cloud-like hair is based off day dreaming and it's carefree personality.
~*~

Delt by Sarah
In the refuge of my dreams, I am at liberty to become my true self- a creature named Delt.
However, because I anxiously sleep with one eye open, I must dream with one eye closed.
I gradually float back to the surface of reality, racing against time while searching for those fleeting thoughts that are
most important to me before I finally awake to my human reflection.
~*~

By Heather
Since I'm very content with my overall appearance and I normally don't have dreams of myself wearing fancy/silly/other costumes.
So instead of giving myself a makeover I didn't really want, I gave myself a pencil that can create my alter ego; a girl dressed up as a clown.
This personally fits better for my "Dream Self" because I love to create things;
pictures, stories, you name it, so long as I don't have to change myself in the process.
My mind is bursting with the creativity and imagination of a child; which leads me to the nightopia itself.
The Nightopia itself was very fun to draw, I'll admit. The whole thing was inspired by my inner child; my alter ego clown-girl.
Since Nightopia is supposed to be the reflection of ones heart, I wanted to reflect the childish part of my heart
(Which I assume would be powered by my ideya of purity with how silly and childish this place is)
And while everything seems completely fine and dandy, you may take notice that the walk way; along with everything else; is floating in the day time sky.
This represents my ambitions to be a writer, and at the same time, my fear of failing to do such and falling to my doom.
~*~

AKAi by Krystal
My Dream Persona is named AKAi.
She's kind, always willing to help when given the opportunity.
AKAi, even on the hottest of nights, would always be seen in sweaters and jackets.
For they give her comfort and that soft, fluffy feeling.
Never will she want to be alone and follows anyone who she can trust..
~*~

Athlon by Cristian
Well, his name is Athlon and he has the ability to transform himself in any thing, he can also stretch his arms,
legs and neck as far as he wish, something like a spring.
He also has the ability to change your dreams into night or day by using his swords, if your having a dream where you can see the sunlight,
he immediately can change it into night, making it a nightmare.
~*~

The Child of the Moon
In the majestic world known as the 'Night Dimension', where the serene and joy-loving world known as Nightopia exists,
there resides a very unique resident of its existence. Dressed in flowing garments that look as of it was dyed with pale blue moonlight itself,
it roams throughout the serenity that surrounds the world one can only visit within their sleep and their dreams.
With skin as blue as her majestic rags, a fox's face can be seen covering the upper half of her face, only exposing the eyes reflecting the moon's
luminous and guiding light. With dream-like winds in her midst, cherry blossom petals follow and surround her as if they were
children looking to their beloved mother who watches and cares for them. Her child-like body she possesses
signifies the purity of her soul and longing to forever remain young within a dream.
Visitors, Nightmarens, and Nightopians alike all wonder who this mysterious being is, and its origin of its existence.
The possibility of a Visitor remains distinct, for behind the mask, a human is visiting this world for the night,
only to disappear on the dawn of a new day. Or perhaps a Nightmaren, created by the Wicked One's dark power,
whose purpose only lies within the snatching away of beautiful dreams Visitors have at night,
taking them as sakura petals to add to her midst.
Being a Nightopian is another possibility to ponder, as she could be another peace-loving resident without a care in the world.
Who do you think she is?.
~*~

By Zander
This guy's not actually a Nightmaren in any sort, but a regular dreamer. The last half of his life he had trouble with Nightmares. The problem wasn't of dealing with them, but not having them. He had only recently witnessed a nightmare for the first time in years; woke up in a cold sweat and his heart racing fast. The adrenaline rush was actually rather different and refreshing. He enjoyed the experience of fear and danger but ending up in your room unharmed and safe.
This is his disguise to infiltrate the realm of Nightmare. The goal is to be able to explore it and experience the terrors it has to offer, and without the Nightmaren ganging up and directly attacking him.
The disguise doesn't grant any special abilities. He can't fly or do anything terribly out of the ordinary. Perhaps the claws might work as a weapon but that would be the extent of it.
~*~

Mindy by Summer
When I started designing Mindy I thought back to all the dreams I had and was going to build her personality based on how I behaved in dreams.
I tend to run away from things in my dreams a lot which made think of a chicken. She had a design that made her appear
more chicken like but after redrawing her a couple times, I came up with her current design which is based more off of Cockatoo.
She has an expressive crest that blends in with her hair, the poofy collar around her neck to represent her plummage,
and her coat tails are her tail feathers. Another thing that happens in my dreams
(or nightmares because I'm usually running away from something when it happens) is I'll sometimes blend in.
So I gave her glasses that act like the personas from Journey of Dreams to let her change shape.
However, one of the lens got cracked which makes her change at random times so blending in doesn't always work and Mindy
will have to keep running away anyway. Mindy likes to believe she is an intelligent being but due to her running away from everything the
citizens of Nightopia might consider her more of a bird brain. (I couldn't help but pun I'm sorry.).
~*~

By WEiRDO
~*~

By Sterling Quinn
~*~

S'more by Jennifer
She was created from the distress and ideya of an average young adult who had constantly faced misfortune after misfortune.
Slowly breaking and feeling more like a puppet themselves. A rag doll. S'more constantly makes a mess of their dreams.
From the weirdest to the dreariest of dreams. More and more the dreamer tried to drown themselves in the "sweeter" side, while slowly becoming one with the nightmare,
unknowingly as planned. Eventually the dreamer had been lured in by an empty promise from S'more and fell into the all seeing hands of the wicked one.
Although the fate of the dreamer is unknown, S'more lives a well off life. Stalking her crush and hoping to have him all to herself someday even though it is clearly forbidden..
Favorite Quote: "Dost thou hunger for a sweet or two?"
~*~

Verigo & Bruna by K*Chan
Hum.. I wasn't quite sure if I should draw my dreamer self or a nightmaren so.. Why not both?
~*~

iD by Layla
I drew myself and my Nightmaren "iD". (pronounced id not eye-dee)
(In my dreams, 5 different colored scarves represent the 5 ideya).
~*~

Announced today ~ NiGHTS into dreams… will be hitting PlayStation Network on the 2nd of October for $9.99 and Xbox LIVE Arcade on October the 5th for 800 Microsoft Points. An incredibly worthwhile purchase considering that the rare and amazing Christmas NiGHTS also comes included as a free bonus! That's right, it's not DLC, it's free. How great is that? NiGHTS as a stand-alone game had tons of replay value but Christmas NiGHTS was always the icing on the cake. I know a lot of fans who have never had the chance to play Christmas NiGHTS on the Saturn due to the difficulty in finding a copy as it was never for sale as a buyable game. Christmas NiGHTS was an extra disk that Sonic Team decided to give out for free as a Christmas gift. Consider it a DLC expansion pack before DLC ever existed on consoles, lol. Gamers could only get a copy by buying certain Saturn bundle packs or free from a couple of gaming magazines (or Ebay of course). So this is a great chance for new fans to experience a little festive spirit.
Christmas NiGHTS looks amazing in HD updated graphics. If you don't believe me wait until you're whizzing around the screen with a ton of crystal clear HD multicolored sparkles in your eyes chasing high scores to beautiful beautiful music (trying your hardest to not kill all your Mepians haha). There's a reason a lot of us still hook up our Saturns every Christmas to play this game. I'm so glad that a new generation will get to experience this lovely gift. It meant a lot to Sonic Team back then and it still does now.

It made me pretty tearful when i got to play it in the office for the first time… lots of fond memories of many Christmas holidays gone by.
Do me a big favour and buy this port when it comes out. In fact buy it as a Xmas gift for a gaming friend! They'll appreciate it, trust me. Christmas NiGHTS is a classic and memorable beautiful experience.
Not long to wait now guys. It'll soon be time to fly again
To read the full SEGA blog on the release dates and info please [ CLiCK HERE ]
The NiGHTS demo of Spring Valley was playable at PAX recently and it's been being received very well by fans! SEGA were there to give a preview of the game and hand out NiGHTS badges. Great to see the game in the public eye again!
Here's the wonderfully enthusiastic Mr Anthony Carboni from rev3games letting you all know how badass NiGHTS is *lol* We like this guy a lot. Be sure to subscribe to their Youtube channel. Watch this video for the full lowdown on how the port sizes up.


NiGHTS into dreams… HD is featured as part of the SEGA Heritage line up!
A demo of the game was recently available for play at this years PAX event, where a trailer for the collection was also shown. You can watch the trailer over here at SonicWrecks – http://youtu.be/9C11odKVbHs
The trailer also provides us with information that the title is to be released during October 2012, though a specific date has not yet been announced.
So, not long to wait…
Are you ready to fly again?






