NiGHTS: A mini review

So, a month ago I picked up a couple of new games for the Wii... NiGHTS was one of them. When I first loaded the game, I was astonished at the graphics and the video that was playing on my screen. It was beautiful. The music was wonderful, and I couldn't wait to see how the game play was.

Please note, I never played the original. My view on this game will be on this game as a lone piece, not as a sequel.

After the movie sequences were over and I finally got to play the character (I picked Helen first), I was a bit disappointed in the quality of the graphics at Dream Gate. They weren't terrible, but after seeing such a beautiful movie sequence, they left much to be desired. Then hearing the voices for the characters... I was less than impressed. I found the dialogue cheesy and annoying, and the Owl... sometimes I just wanted him to shut up. It wasn't terrible, but definitely a bit of a let down.

Anyway, on to the game play. I entered the first world, having no idea what it was I was supposed to do. Some of it made little to no sense (you have to save NiGHTS, but the second you do, you escape the 'prison' and then have to chase birds for keys to the prison you are no longer in... I wasn't sure what the point of it was). However, flying around was so fun! Really! I enjoyed it immensely. The flying on rails still allowing you so much freedom (like and unlike the old Sonic games), I kept going back to those levels to try to capture things in my circles, and just enjoy the ride. The worlds are so colorful and gorgeous. I got a bit frustrated at first with the first boss I had to defeat (a giant fish... I had NO clue what to do and that Owl made no sense). I got him the first time out of sheer luck, and had to find out what I did by looking online. Once I realized I had actually grabbed the thing's head and bashed him, well, that made everything so much easier. The bosses were actually a LOT of fun in this game, as were the chases.

This game has a lot of extras that will bring a bit more game play time to it. Mainly, there is a Dream World where things you capture in your 'circle' (I cannot remember what it is called, but when you fly in a circle and 'grab' everything that was inside it) end up. It is fun to see what it turns into as you play the game. Also, trying to get a better score to end up with at LEAST a 'C' rating on ALL your levels (this allows you to get the last white Ideya and see an alternate ending). Then there are the Dream Drops to collect which will allow you to play as the original characters in the old game instead of Will and Helen... if you collect them all.

Oh, and my little girl (who is a year old) absolutely LOVED watching me play. The music and graphics grabbed her attention for a LONG time.

In all, this is a fun time waster, with enjoyable worlds and music. The main drawback is the cheesy voice acting. A great game for kids... but perhaps too easy for those of us who want a bit of a challenge. If you can pick it up for cheap (I got it for $10 at Best Buy), go for it.