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SegaSonic Radio solves its emotional distress through the power of sleep-flying!
Continue reading ★ SegaSonic Radio ★ Ep. 3: Into DreamsAs our weeklong celebration of NiGHTS’ 25th anniversary comes to an end, it feels appropriate to end on a feature all about reflecting on moments from those twenty-five years. It didn’t feel right to run this celebration without hearing from certain people, so we decided to reach out to TRiPPY and DiGi Valentine, two prominent members of the NiGHTS community who run nightsintodreams.com, which is a superb resource for the franchise.
So here you are: four NiGHTS memories from the staff of two websites. Feel free to share your own in the comments!
Continue reading TSS Roundtable: Our Favorite NiGHTS MemoriesIf you’re visiting this site, chances are you have a guilty pleasure or two made by Sonic Team. A game with flaws that you overlook because there is something else about it you love. I myself have enjoyed a few Sonic games that are, at best, divisive. But out of all of Sonic Team’s less critically acclaimed games, there are none that I’ve gotten more enjoyment out of than Takashi Iizuka’s NiGHTS sequel, Journey of Dreams.
My feelings on JoD have always been…mixed. But in recent years, I‘ve come to realize it shares more qualities with Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 than some of Sonic Team’s less well-thought-of games. Like the Adventure games, JoD has its flaws, and there are many parts of the game I never return to, and some areas I just don’t like. But what I enjoy, I enjoy a lot, and I’ve gotten hours of entertainment out of periodically returning to them over the years. At this point, it’s probably my favorite Sonic Team game from the post-Dreamcast, pre-Colors era. It is, in my mind, their most underappreciated game from this entire period.
Before I get into the good or the bad, I should probably layout what the game is, right?
Continue reading The Spin: NiGHTS Journey of Dreams is Sonic Team’s Most Underrated GameThe NiGHTS franchise may not be nearly as big as Sonic, but its had its fair share of merchandise over the years, much of which is now rare, expensive, and/or obscure. I thought it would be fun to explore some of what’s been made over the years. This is far from a complete list, but we’re at least going over some of the more interesting bits of merch NiGHTS has had in the last 25 years.
NiGHTS into Dreams didn’t receive much in the way of plushies, but it did get one set of them…which were made exclusively for SEGA’s UFO Capture devices. For those unaware, these devices were claw machines, and could often be found in arcades. The NiGHTS plushies have been rare and expensive for decades, and a single one of these plushies typically commands a price of hundreds of dollars. If that sounds familiar to you Sonic fans, its because Sonic the Fighters had a plushy line that was distributed the same way, and is now just as rare and expensive.
There was also a line of Christmas SEGA plushes that includes many NiGHTS characters, as well as a line of small NiGHTS plush key chains. I think these were also for UFO Captures, but I’ve been unable to confirm that for his article. NiGHTS was also part of a 1996 SEGA keychain figure line, though I’m not sure how those were distributed.
Released days after the NiGHTS game on July 11, the OST was released exclusively in Japan for ¥28,000 under the PolyGram record label. Not an especially remarkable release, but it was at least enough for Sonic Team to include it amongst Christmas NiGHTS’ extras (which is where the photos for the plushes came from).
In December of 1996, NiGHTS received a storybook adaptation. Published by Futabasha, the 54 page book was written by Kyoko Inukai and featured illustrations by Takumi Miyake. It’s a loose adaptation of the game’s story, though with many details changed or written out. The basic premise of Wizeman creating NiGHTS, and seeking to conquer Nightopia, remain intact. The story only features Elliot, as he learns to find the courage within himself. Outside of Reala and Wizeman, none of the other Nightmaren bosses appear. The ideya are nowhere to be found, instead replaced by a “red energy” likely inspired by the red ideya of courage.
The book would later be reprinted in 2008 and sold with the PS2 re-release of NiGHTS. The book was never translated into English, though TRiPPY over at nightsintodreams.com was able to get a fan translation done, which you can find here.
NiGHTS was one of the many SEGA IPs to get adapted into an LCD game by Tiger Electronics. The LCD game was released in 1997, and was also eventually re-released as part of Tiger’s “Pocket Arcade” line and as a game for their R-Zone LCD console.
Sonic wasn’t the only SEGA series to get a comic adaptation from Archie. In late 1997, Archie Comics released a three issue NiGHTS mini series featuring writing from Dan Slott, as well as pencil breakdowns from renowned Sonic cover artist Patrick Spaziente and pencil finishes by Knuckles comic artist Manny Galan. The comics aren’t completely divorced from the game story, and does share some similarities. Just as in the games, NiGHTS was a creation of Wizeman who rebelled. Wizeman seeks to open a portal to the waking world.
It’s in the finer details where things diverge. Instead of taking any human’s dream energy, Wizeman needs the energy of specific dreamers who only come about every 100 years with “red ideya.” His initial attempt to do this, which is foiled by NiGHTS, inadvertently leads to the founding of the city of Twin Seeds, where Claris and Elliot live 100 years later.
The mini series would ultimately spawn a second three issue mini series in July of 1998, written by then Sonic writer Karl Bollers, and with pencil finishes by Sam Maxwell. After this second mini series, the NiGHTS comic was canceled. It has never been collected in a graphic novel or re-released digitally. There are, of course, ways, but you’ll need to find that for yourself.
Unsurprisingly, NiGHTS merchandise would take a break for awhile. The next bit of merch in this run down was released 9 whole years after the Archie Comics, in December of 2007. Released as part of a line of mini figurines by besidegames called PaPetch, the above figurine was released alongside NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams as a pre-order bonus in Japan.
The figurine was just a little over two inches two and based on JoD’s NiGHTS design.
In 2015, First4Figures released a NiGHTS resin 12.5” statue as part of its SEGA All-Stars line. The statue came in both regular and “exclusive editions,” priced at $210 and $235, and limited to 1000 and 500 pieces respectively. The exclusive edition lit up.
Years later, in 2017, F4F held a vote to gauge interest in a Reala statue, which had been in production but was in danger of being canceled due to perceived lack of interest. The statue was made available for pre-order last year, and is being sold in both standard and exclusive variants for $330. As with NiGHTS, the exclusive edition lights up. Reala is scheduled to release in Q3 2021, and can still be bought here.
There’s more NiGHTS merch, of course. There’s promotional pillows, clothing, stickers, and probably other things I’v missed. SEGA’s US shop currently has a jigsaw puzzle, a shirt, and a Christmas ornament. My personal hope is that NiGHTS might receive something a bit more than some clothes and puzzles, but a bit less than a $200 statue. Here’s hoping we might get another plush that isn’t a super expensive collector’s item one day!
For Part 1 of this article, go here.
Though no new NiGHTS game was on the horizon by the late 90s, Sonic Team and SEGA still had plenty of love for the purple dream jester, and they demonstrated that a lot. Sonic Adventure featured an entire NiGHTS themed pinball table, which likely served as many Sonic fan’s first exposure to the character. When Dreamcast party game Sonic Shuffle’s multiplayer was played on December 24, NiGHTS replaced Lumina. Sonic Adventure 2 featured NiGHTS on numerous level assets and featured a chao based on them. The cameos continued even after the Dreamcast.
Sonic Pinball Party gave NiGHTS a second pinball table, and the character was playable in both the Sonic Riders games and SEGA Superstars, a mini game collection for the PS2’s Eyetoy. NIGHTS popped up in Billy Hatcher as a special unlockable character, and also starred in NiGHTS Score Attack, a special mini game that could be downloaded to the GBA over a link cable from both Billy Hatcher and Phantasy Star Online.
For over a decade, this was essentially how NiGHTS stuck around. It wouldn’t be until 2007, eleven years after the original game’s release, that this finally changed.
Takashi Iizuka had often talked about wanting to do a NiGHTS sequel, and finally got his chance in late 2005, after the completion of Shadow the Hedgehog. My mid-2006, NiGHTS Journey of Dreams was in full production for the Wii. Though some have speculated JoD may have been originally planned for HD consoles, Iizuka later confirmed it was built from the ground up for Nintendo’s system.
After a small delay, JoD launched in December of 2007. It would not be as well received as its predecessor, receiving mixed-to-positive reviews. The game also likely didn’t sell especially well, though sales numbers appear to be hard to confirm.
JoD kept several aspects from the original, including its 2.5 perspective, its focus on flight, the timer for NiGHTS, and the ability to link rings and blue chips together for higher scores. Unlike the previous game, players needed to chase down nightmarens riding large birds in order to collect keys to free NiGHTS, and there is no incentive to run the timer down. Instead, JoD encourages players to simply complete its stages as quickly as possible.
JoD also introduced a lot of brand new features, such as multiple missions per level, a significantly more fleshed out plot, an online multiplayer mode, and most infamously, platforming levels starring the children. It also has an area where Nightopians can be interacted with called “My Dream,” which is essentially a barebones chao garden. This open space can be filled with random objects from the game’s levels, as well as Nightopians and Nightmarens, which are sent here via paralooping.
JoD does a lot to try to modernize NiGHTS. While it has the same number of levels as its predecessor, it stretches those levels out by giving each five missions that reuse assets, including the aforementioned platforming sections. It also features loads of cutscenes and voice acting for all the characters.
JoD’s plot is essentially a reboot of the previous game, but with new kids: Helen and Will. The game features a new helper character, “Owl” who essentially serves the same purpose as Tikal and Omochao. Aside from NiGHTS, Wizeman and Reala also make a return. Everyone is sporting new, more complex designs.
There is a lot I could say about JoD, but that’s best left for another article. To this day, it continues to serve as the only other full game in the NiGHTS franchise. It would not be the last NiGHTS game released, however. The original would soon be getting a remake.
Just a few months after the launch of JoD, SEGA launched a full remake of the original NiGHTS for the PS2, exclusively in Japan in February of 2008. It featured completely remade visuals, Christmas NiGHTS, and a complete port of the Saturn original. Each copy of the game also came with a second printing of the rare NiGHTS story book. The PS2 version featured additional timed events in Christmas NiGHTS, including special summer and Halloween outfits for Claris and Elliot, and a special Halloween skin for NiGHTS. Unfortunately, the game didn’t sell particularly well, charting just over 6,000 units. The remake version of the game is also infamous for featuring somewhat slower speeds, as well as inferior (potentially 8-way directional) control instead of full analog.
This version would later become the basis for the HD remake, which as released on Xbox 360 and PS3 four years later in 2012. This remake presented NiGHTS in HD for the first time, and featured true 16:9 widescreen as opposed to the stretched 4:3 widescreen of the Saturn and PS2 games. It included all the special features of the PS2 version, as well as all the control issues. These issues would later be patched, though.
NiGHTS into Dreams… HD continues to be available for both Xbox and Steam users, and can also be played by anyone who has Game Pass or PS Now, making it far more accessible then it once was.
NiGHTS hasn’t had a single release of any sort in nine years, but as with before JoD, the character hasn’t disappeared.
NiGHTS was a playable racer in 2012’s Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, and inspired a whole DLC level in 2013’s Sonic Lost World. NiGHTS, Reala and Wizeman all returned to Archie as part of their World’s Unite crossover event. They appeared as “buddies” in 2015’s Sonic Runners, and inspired a costume in 2017’s Sonic Forces. Elements from the games even popped up in Sonic’s 30th Anniversary Comic and orchestra just last month!
Finally, NiGHTS as a brand has recently made a return…as a slot machine in certain casinos. I can’t say I’m exactly happy about that, but it does show that someone somewhere still sees value in NiGHTS as a franchise.
With Iizuka expressing an interest in returning to NiGHTS yet again, there is yet hope that we’ll be seeing the purple dream jester again in a proper game. Until then, we’ve still got 25 years of games and legacy to remember them by.
Nearly two years ago, we reported that SEGA had registered a trademark for something called “Nights Dream Wheel.” We speculated that it could be a new NiGHTS game. Now, we finally know what it is, and well…we were half right!
A few weeks ago, on June 24, San Manuel Casino, which is a Highland, California casino, posted a tweet about their newest slot machine, NiGHTS Dream Wheel. The slot machine operates in one cent denominations, with a 5 cent minimum and $5 maximum. It features art and branding from the NiGHTS sequel, Journey of Dreams.
We only just learned about it while researching for this week’s 7 Days of NiGHTS articles. Certainly not what we were expecting (or hoping for) but it’s…interesting to see NiGHTS branding being utilized at all, so long after the release of the last game.
We’re running NiGHTS articles all week to celebrate its 25th anniversary, which you can read about here.
via Twitter
Sonic isn’t the only game franchise with an anniversary this year! His other, less popular younger sibling has one too! Twenty-five years ago on July 5, 1996, Sonic Team’s NiGHTS into Dreams… launched for the SEGA Saturn, and we’re celebrating that all week with a series of seven articles, 7 Days of NiGHTS. These articles will explore various aspects of the NiGHTS franchise, as well as my own personal experience with it.
In addition to articles, we will also be running NiGHTS streams at 5PM EST on our Twitch all week, running daily NiGHTS tweets on our Twitter, and we’ll be featuring a bunch NiGHTS track or two on this week’s SEGASonic Radio.
NiGHTS is a character that has long had connections to Sonic via cameos and easter eggs, so if you’ve ever been curious about the games behind it all, we hope you’ll enjoy this!
And also stay tuned for more Blue Blur Legacy articles, which will be coming back soon, and running through the year!
Come back to this article, or keep an eye on the front page, for the articles running throughout the week!
Monday: 25 Years of NiGHTS (Part 1)
Tuesday: 25 Years of NiGHTS (Part 2)
Wednesday: How NiGHTS Won Me Over
Thursday: NiGHTS into Merchandise: A Brief Overview of NiGHTS Merch
Friday: The Spin: NiGHTS Journey of Dreams is Sonic Team’s Most Underrated Game
Saturday: NiGHTS into Sonic (Team): A Brief History of NiGHTS Cameos
Sunday: TSS Roundtable: Our Favorite NiGHTS Memories
Slam the brakes on all things fast and blue, everyone!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2aOINpLtgE
For this round, TitansCreed sheds a purple shade of the Community Spotlight on Lynne Triplett and Niyazi Sonmez, respectively known as the dynamic duo TRiPPY/imagni and DiGi Valentine from NiGHTS into Dreams.Com, as they talk about all things NiGHTS!
The long awaited Sega/Sonic Team sequel to NiGHTS into Dreams for the Sega Saturn has today hit European stores. NiGHTS Journey of Dreams for Nintendo Wii introduces two new children Will and Helen. Together with NiGHTS Will and Helen must stop the evil Wizeman from destroying Nightopia.
The game includes lots of new features –
Stay tuned to Sonic News for all the latest Sega/Sonic news!
SEGA has just announced a surprisingly cool pre-order bonus for NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, launching next Tuesday in the US. Those with reservations will get a special “Behind-the-Scenes” DVD chronicling the creation of the game, the history of the series, and “an interview with the creator of NiGHTS”, among other things.
This looks to be quite the holiday treat for loyal NiGHTS fans! Better get your down-payments put in!
Sega have revealed their European Winter release schedule. Among the list are popular upcoming titles such as NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, Sonic Rivals 2 and Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus.
Here is the full list –
December – The Golden Compass (PC, PSP)
December 7 – Sonic Rivals 2 (PSP)
January 11 – Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus (PS2, PC)
January 25 – Ghost Squad (Wii)
January 25 – NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams (Wii) Continue reading Sega’s Winter releases in Europe dated
Frozen Bell was my favourite stage from the first and it’s looking as good as ever in the remake!
IGN have updated their website with some new videos of the highly anticipated NiGHTS Wii game earlier today, showing off some new in-game footage, music and a better look at the three new transformations in action.
Check out the NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams IGN media page here.
One video also shows the Race Multiplayer in motion, with the voice of Reala sounding much more deeper than it did in the original game. It’s shaping up to look like a lot of fun, with each video SEGA release looking more of an improvement each time. Continue reading NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams and NiGHTS PS2 Media Frenzy!
It has been reported by one of the “NiNJAS” at NiGHTSintoDreams.com that NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams has been delayed over a month. It now has a January/February release, with only a few days seperating the release of the game in America and Europe.
Whilst this hasn’t been “officially” confirmed, this source has been spot on accurate in the past. NiGHTS is now a 2008 title, completely missing the Christmas holiday rush, and giving the game an extra month of much needed polish. Continue reading NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams delayed again!
The ‘Game Videos’ website has just uploaded five brand-spanking new NiGHTS videos viewable on the internet as of today. A lot of news on this game lately, but these videos have got me even more hyped more than anything.
See all Five vids here intergrated into one page courtesy of Nintendo Wii Fanboy!
The Shleep are back! 8D
The videos show off new footage, new music and alot of other cool stuff. This is looking to be an awesome sequal to an above awesome origional and has definatly greatly improved upon the quality of the previous batch of videos. It also appears you DO have to get a key from the bird to enter the ‘NiGHTS Captures’ (origionally they were Ideya Palaces’ to continue to the next course. This change doesn’t really seem bad, infact it looks fun chasing after those bird things. Stay tuned at TSS for all the latest NiGHTS 2 media!
I think I need to sit down after that. Well, if I wasn’t already sat down. x_x;
Also: Well done Somethingstein for finding the videos and letting us all know on the forums. =P
It’s been rumoured for quite some time now, but SEGA officially announced today that the Weather Channel function will effect the ‘My Dream’ Chao Garden like area of the new and upcoming NiGHTS Journey of Dreams game for Wii.
The channel seems to give impact on the weather conditions of the game mode, showing effects such as Snow, Clouds and Thunderstorms. This is the first Wii title to make use of the Weather Channel in the actual game itself, and just like the origional titles changing music for Saturn (along with Christmas NiGHTS date and clock function) offers something new and uses the latest gaming technology to full advantage. Continue reading NiGHTS: JoD to use Weather Channel [UPDATED]
Last night, Sega opened the official NiGHTS: JoD website. It’s the usual stuff that’s there at the moment: A story synopsis, game features, screenshots, and videos.
One particularly interesting item, though, is a section called “History”, giving information about the original NiGHTS on the Saturn. It mentions the game’s huge fanbase and appearances on “best of” lists, and the “Christmas NiGHTS” expansion pack. There’s even a nod to the diehard fans who kept requesting a sequel all these years!
More information is forthcoming. Stay tuned…
EDIT: Yes, it is “Journey OF Dreams”. Crap. Please don’t flog me, Dreadknux! Anyway, fixed.
Link: http://www.sega.com/gamesite/nights/
It’s been long speculated that NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams for the Wii was going to be delayed at least a month. Going by the date changes at several retail outlets, that appears to be the case.
GameStop, Amazon, and Best Buy all have the game listed for a December 18th, 2007 release. The game was originally supposed to see an October release, before an “overhaul” saw the game pushed back to November 13th, 2007. While dates on retail websites are hardly an end all, be all confirmation, a date change like this from several completely different retailers is about as good as an official confirmation from SEGA.
So be sure to mark your calenders, people. Or just pre-order the game from one the links I so graciously provided.
As a side note for our UK readers, Amazon.co.uk has NiGHTS listed for a December 21st, 2007 release, so you might not have to wait quite as long as the rest of Europe, which is scheduled to get the game in early 2008.
Naturally, if the date changes, we’ll make an update about it.
Finally, I would like to apologize for my lack of news updates lately, as I’ve been a bit busy.
Dear Diary,
That is all. And no, it wasn’t me this time.
Continue reading Nice to meet you sir. Your name?I’m sure all of you are well aware of the rumored delay of NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams into 2008 in Europe. This news came from a reliable source from NiGHTSintoDreams.com, and has since been all but confirmed by one of my own source, and the boss-man Dreadknux.
However, all these sources confirmed the games delay only for Europe. That is, until now. NiD.com’s same source has now confirmed the release month for the US release is now December, the same month as the game’s Japanese release.
While there is no exact date for the American release, the Japanese release has a December 13th, 2007 street date from SEGA. While no European release date has been given, Amazon Germany has the game listed for a January 11th release.
Matt Cassamassina of IGN.com has revealed on the website’s message boards that there will be three big features on IGN’s Wii channel from now till midnight. The first feature is a trailer of one of the Wii’s most promising first person shooters, Medal of Honor Heroes 2, one of the first FPS games on the Wii to go that extra mile with beautiful graphics, dead on control, and online multiplayer that can hold up to 32 players in any given game.
The second feature is IGN’s long awaited article on the lack of voice chat on the Wii. Continue reading New NiGHTS trailer released
Rumour: Following on from its great exclusive coverage of Liepzig, fan site NightsIntoDreams.com is reporting that the long-awaited sequel is to be delayed until Spring 2008. The game was on show at last week’s Game Convention in Germany at only 55% completion.
Niraven from outlet GameLegend posts via the NiGHTS fansite that: “We contacted SEGA this morning and spoke with SEGA’s Product and PR Manager and he told us that it’s been officially pushed to Q1 2008. That’s literally “this morning’s news”, and it’s coming from the most credible source it can come from.”
SEGA are throwing ‘No Comments’ out all over the place, but a delay wouldn’t sound so ridiculous, considering NiGHTS Into Dreams is considered for many fans as Sonic Team’s last stand — any botching of this title will result in some very disillusioned followers.
TSS thinks that this is really only good news – if nothing else it shows that Sonic Team are taking their good sweet time with this one… hopefully. With NiGHTS we wouldn’t want it any other way, if we get absolute perfection at the end of it.
More on NiGHTS as we snuff out. Stay tuned.
What you are about to read below, are e-mails sent to the NiGHTS fan website, NiGHTSIntoDreams.com , a website that has for months been providing NiGHTS fans with exclusive and accurate insider info, as well as compiling the latest news articles regarding the game. Recently, at Leipzig’s Game Convention, Tawny Ditmer (aka Niraven) has been going to the NiGHTS kiosk every day, watching the game in motion and shaking down the Sega rep for info. Over the last three days, Ditmer has sent NiD loads of info and media, with some more coming in the future. Keep in mind, what you are about to read below contains some spoilers for the plot. If you wish to go into the game fresh, don’t continue (although you can still look at the YouTube videos).
Head on over to NiGHTSintoDreams.com for the full diary and details.
TSS will post this footage as soon as it’s up, so be sure to check back to this news post. Again, SPECIAL THANKS to Mrs. Ditmer and NiGHTSintoDreams.com! There will be more info, including hands on impressions, in the next news update later today, so stay tuned
1up has updated it’s NiGHTS page with some new, awesome looking screenshots, showcasing a previously unseen level. Enjoy! Continue reading New NiGHTS Screens
Again, as this is mostly media oriented, no need for much of my blathering.
The NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams box art:
The NiGHTS Video with in game music:
NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams video
It should be noted that the sound is a bit out of sync with the video, and the boss music starts way early, nevertheless this seems to be the official music. As a NiGHTS fan, I rather like the first one. The second one…sounds fitting, but a bit weird to me.
Of course, this E3 would have been very disapointing if Sega hadn’t given us any NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams media. They’ve released both a trailer and a gameplay video, although the gameplay video lacks in game music. Continue reading NiGHTS: JoD Trailers shown!
E3 is here, kiddies, and with it comes the long awaited goodies we’ve been… waiting for. The following Sonic Team games will be at E3:
Sonic Rivals 2 looks like it’s going to be a no show at E3, but nevertheless, this event should bring us some much needed info on these games. Expect plenty of screens and media on these three games in the next few days.
Sega has recently revealed new information regarding Nights 2. The game’s official name is “Nights: Journey of Dreams”. It will feature 7 new worlds, 3 new powers up called “Persona Masks”, a 2 player mode, will use the WiiConnect24 feature to allow players to send currently unknown items to friends Wiis, and will make use of the Wii’s forecast channel to change the scenery in accordance to the seasons.
The Persona Masks offer new shape shifting abilities to allow Nights to better navigate the land of Nightopia:
Little else is known about Nights: Journey of Dreams. Stay tuned!
