I'm on jury duty. Yep, I've been doing my civic duty since last week which means I've been going to the court house instead of work. I really did not want to get picked for jury duty but it's actually kind of nice. The experience is rather interesting and the hours are rather short, especially since I don't have to drive my typical 45 minute commute. I've been taking advantage of the extra time by digging into my backlog and pulling out a game I've had for months: NiGHTS Journey of Dreams.
As an old Nintendo fangirl, I never owned a Sega console, certainly never owned a Saturn. I do remember playing a little of the original NiGHTS on a demo station and watching friends play it, but really, the Wii game is my first serious experience with this franchise.
Footage of NiGHTS into Dreams for the Sega Saturn.
I really like the whimsical character and level designs, but I don't like how rough things look. Rough is actually the optimal word to describe most everything about this game. It looks a bit rough and plays the same. The basic concept for the game play is very relaxing but the count down timer, lack of visual and control polish, and some poor level layouts work against the easy going enjoyment I'd like to gain from this title.
NiGHTS Journey of Dreams for the Nintendo Wii.
I really wasn't a fan of the two children's stories or how the game dumps you back into the hub world after each mission, even though it seems to play in a purely linear fashion. Let's just go straight to the next mission and cut out a few loading screens says I. Last on my list of complaints deals with the controls. You have the choice of using the Wii's pointer (which felt imprecise to me), the Classic Controller, and the remote with nunchuck duo. I went with the last option but it was hardly perfect. Sometimes my little flying jester seemed to have a mind of his own. This was especially infuriating in the final battle when, for no apparent reason, NiGHTS would fly in the opposite direction I wanted him to go.
In spite of all of my complaining, the game has its moments. It is fun to fly around, the worlds are quite lovely, and the boss fights ... well, the boss fights look really cool but otherwise are a mixed bag. It can be hard to figure out what you need to do and that miserable count down timer adds an unwelcome element of frustration, doubled by having to repeat an entire level just to replay the boss if you fail.
I wanted to like this game a lot more than I did. I think there's a great concept here, but like Sega's other notable mascot, NiGHTS doesn't quite live up to his potential.
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