Nights Into Dreams (PS2)

[Super Monkey Balls]

Hmm. Mixed impressions here.

Firstly the Nightopia Dream book is well worth an extra 1,000 Yen. Apart from that the game is hardly bursting with omake. There a movie theater and gallery and a hidden option. Anyone know what this is? Chrimbo Nights?

The updated graphics are interesting. At first I wasn't impressed, they've merely cleaned them up rather than re-done them, although having said that I'd be complaining about a full on remake like some of the Ages stuff. It still looks and feels like the original which is what matters, and when you play Saturn mode you appreciate just how tidied up it is! Its not aged well. In conclusion, I actually really like the redux.

Control is a little weird at first, the PS2 stick feels realy odd but you get used to it. Technically speaking it plays perfectly in both modes.

A minor gripe is that there doesn't appear to be an AST which is lame. Nights has my favourite soundtrack ever so I wouldn't have stuck with it, but still... Also some of the sound samples could've done with cleaning up.

PS3 owners should also note you can force 480p if you can't get the upscaled widescreen mode looking right.

So, not the best PS2 remake, but not the worst. The game still brings a smile to my face more than any other and I can't see myself opting for the Saturn version over this new one. At least they didn't overdo it.

[Leon Retro]

Sounds promising. I like the fact that the dev hasn't gone crazy with boosting the visuals. A nice bit of tidying up is what I was hoping for.

Thanks for the review.

[kyo_244]

Nice review! Would ps2 owners also be able to play in 480p?

[Super Monkey Balls]

Yes.

Christmas/Winter Nights unlocks when you complete the 8 levels btw. No "Christmas presents" though. Was that a date thing, I can't remember?

[kyo_244]

Yes.

Christmas/Winter Nights unlocks when you complete the 8 levels btw. No "Christmas presents" though. Was that a date thing, I can't remember?

And another PS3 bug, you have to assign your card again when you load up or it won't find your save. You'd think they'd test this on a PS3

Haha! I guess NO emulator can be perfect then! Not even official ones!

[SuperBeatBoy]

Anyone tried this on a regular ps2? Just wondering because on Virtual On, if you enabled 480p it would shrink the resolution. Just hope Nights doesn't do this.

[Linkintones]

I have both the NiGHTS-remake and Virtual On and I just tried them both on my PS2 for the first time today. There does not seem to exist any option for 480p in NiGHTS unfortunately.

First of all, I am a huge fan of NiGHTS. I bought the game the day it was released for the Saturn and I think that NiGHTS is the best game of all time (with Panzer Dragoon Saga at a very tight second place spot), so please take that in mind when you read my comments about this remake.

I was a bit disappointed when I first tried the "Brand New Dream"-mode. The graphics is a bit too bright and I do not really like the "smoothed out" look. I actually prefer to play the Saturn-version of this port as it almost looks like the original, except that the graphics looks a bit more grainy/unclear and a tad too bright. Both modes runs without a hitch in 60fps. This is a huge improvement compared to the Saturn-original that runs in about 30fps, I think.

It may just be me, but the whole feeling of playing NiGHTS is also taken away when you do not have the Saturn 3D-pad in your hands. But this remake is at least a lot more playable than the awful NiGHTS-game for Wii. The control is in no way bad, it just feels a bit different. It took me a few minutes to get used to play NiGHTS with the PS2-controller, but I still prefer the Saturn 3D-pad as it offers spot on control and the sole fact that the 3D-pad was created with NiGHTS in mind says it all really. There is no substitute. At least not for me.

The game plays exactly the same except for some annoying loading screens that is visible for about 5-10 seconds before you can play the remake/Saturn-version of the game and before showing you the replay of a level you have played. It sort of takes away the wonderful atmosphere and beauty of NiGHTS when you only see a loading screen for a few seconds. The sound and music in the game also feels a bit muffled compared to how it sounds in the original Saturn-version.

They have included the galleries from Christmas NiGHTS as an separate "Gallery"-mode and there is a "?????"-mode that probably is nothing more or less than Christmas NiGHTS. There's also a movie theatre where you can see all the CG-movies that are included in the game. The "Options" seem to be the same as in the original, except that the 2 player Vs. is missing?! You can also select "Wide" in the "TV Screen"-option. But I am still not sure of what it does, besides that it adds borders to the left and right in the main-menu and in all the CG-movies.

To sumarize: The port is not bad. It is just that it feels like some parts could have been done better. Like making the graphics and the sound/music cleaner and eliminating the loading screens. There is nothing to do about the controller - either you get used to it or you buy a Saturn -> PS2-adapter.

[Super Monkey Balls]

Hold triangle and X on boot up for 480p

Wide = widescreen mode as in the original.

[drob4]

I can't seem to save my game... can anyone tell me which options I choose after I finish a level (I don't understand the black and white Japanese text).

[Super Monkey Balls]

Turn autosave on

[drob4]

Ah - cheers for that. Didn't see the autosave option hidden away there...

[Super Monkey Balls]

Edited my posts about the PS3 bugs. Seems its my system. I played some more PS2 games yesterday and it seems they're doing the same o_O

[Lyris]

Got mine this morning. It's really weird to see the remade mode - it's... wrong somehow. But I'm liking it all the same, despite my hatred of the PS3 controller.

The SegaSaturn mode is like a blurrier version (thanks to scaling on my end I think!) of the, well, Saturn version. They've re-created the draw-in and some of the other graphical oddities (but not the VDP chip weirdness like the flickering text and checkerboard pattern that appeared when Nights flew up out of the top of the level in Splash Garden).

It's actually 30fps though like the original game, not 60. But it's so smooth and flighty-feeling (I have a way with words) that I can see why people would think it was 60. (One of my favourite oddities about the Saturn original was when the background would scroll at 60fps but the polygons done on the other VDP would run at 30 )

[Dogg Thang]

Are there any good screenshots or videos anywhere of this remade mode? Did they massively extend the draw distance for it?

[SuperBeatBoy]

Got mine this morning. It's really weird to see the remade mode - it's... wrong somehow. But I'm liking it all the same, despite my hatred of the PS3 controller.

The SegaSaturn mode is like a blurrier version (thanks to scaling on my end I think!) of the, well, Saturn version. They've re-created the draw-in and some of the other graphical oddities (but not the VDP chip weirdness like the flickering text and checkerboard pattern that appeared when Nights flew up out of the top of the level in Splash Garden).

Where did you order it from? Im still eagerly awaiting mine from yes-asia.