Metareview - Ninety-Nine Nights

So,.. is this proof that Nintendo is in the right mind, saying no to technology and yes to... ahem "innovative control schemes" or.. is it more a testiment that it's stupid to declare a game great untill you play it, and stop using scapegoats like "graphics" and shit when you buy into the hype and it lets you down.

I mean, you want stinkers.. go back and Play Orphen on the PS2.. or Kengo, or, Dynasty Warriors 2. Then there is Run Like Hell, and Eve Of Extinsion. I remember when some game store employee mentioned RLH as a game that proved the PS2 supirior to the Dreamcast.

#42 Halladay:
"Q should stick to puzzle games"

Now, I don't think this is a fair statement. Yes, Q Entertainment is a new studio, with only two games before this (Meteos and Lumines), but the talent behind them aren't n00bs. Many of Q's workers used to work for Sega, including Tetsuya Mizaguchi (Space Channel 5, Rez, etc.).
So, they have experience with more than just puzzlers. And what's so wrong with branching out and trying new things?

Another xbox360 game who made a 360 !
What's new..

@41

You say you should blame the developer who did not take the time to do the game right. But usually developers run out of time because publishers don't give them enough. If you really wanted a game to be good you'd give the developers enough money and infrastructure to publish the game themselves. That way they'd set the deadlines and hopefully be more realistic about them. And I wouldn't be surprised if MS had a lot to do with any sort of mess up ever. I'm not anti-360, I've just been using gaming on computer and trying out new technology long enough to know that MS does a lot of things ass backwards. i.e., bluetooth drivers stack.

@6

You don't have to be such a blatant fanboy about it. We all know game reviews are completely dead on and that no one should question them. Seriously, if you like the genre, you'll like the game. Just because 1 360 title didn't get so hot reviews doesn't mean that all games for it are terrible. And what does 1080p have to do with anything? Look at all the great games out and coming out for the 360. Bioshock, Dead Rising, Oblivion, GRAW, CoD2, PGR3, Saint's Row, GoW, R6, Splinter Cell: DA, and much much more. I played the N3 demo and thought it was pretty cool but I'm not a big fan of the genre so if I buy it it will be when it hits 20 bucks.

LOL... Sony fan boys. This is equivelent to the greatness you all swore Kill Zone would be on the PS2... except that was a SONY game... you cannot hold MS responsible for 3rd Parties... they don't do the quality control.

Now sit and wait for you "Real Time" Kill Zone 2.

Don't get me wrong... I have all systems... and ALL have disappointing games. If anything, SONY is the King of HYPE and the GOD of let downs. Hows that for MASSIVE DAMAGE.

*changes weapon in real time*

"SONY fanboys have clearly proven to be the most annoying of all. You'd think SONY promised them a girlfriend with their PS3 purchase."

Actually I believe the PS3 would be the equivelent to a girlfriend for Sony fanboys. They don't like girls.

"SONY is the King of HYPE and the GOD of let downs."

Exactly. Sony always shows CG crap for their games. I remember seeing the screens and previews for GT and lusting over them only to be highly disappointed when the game came out. (Especially after watching the gorgeous intro). And don't forget E3 '05 when Sony hyped the shit out of everything to try and steal MS' thunder only to show games that matched x360 (heavenly sword looks really good though).

Remember the Emotion Engine!!!

People are too hard on 99 Nights.

This game is beautiful and at times, insanely fun. I have other games for my 360, but this is the one I can jump back into any time and lose myself in for hours, even if only to replay levels and search for missed items or weapons, etc.

It IS very shallow, and fairly simplistic and repetitive from a game mechanics standpoint. It also suffers from some minor quirks and flaws that could use refining if there is ever a sequel ....

But none of this alters the fact that the game is successful and effective at its core.

What this game does do right, is bring home the giddy, mindless joy of zoning out in front of a big, dumb, gorgeous, chaotic, quarter-eating arcade button-masher, and being totally overwhelmed by the fantastical sensory input of it all. It captures that big magical mood and that unique pleasure far better than any other console game I've played to date.

It is a next-gen game for people who loved games like GOLDEN AXE back in the day. It was a dumb game, mostly. It was about killing hordes of gorgeously-crafted and easy-bested enemies, by mashing the buttons like crazy, and collecting all kinds of weird treasure. To some gamers there was and is a real joy to this.

For pure visual, visceral thrills, there's nothing quite like diving headlong into a stunningly rendered sea of hundreds upon hundreds of beautifully crafted, independently-moving enemies, and sending them up in a flashy, eye-popping tornado of destruction, then topping it off with a super-charged magic attack that is the equivalent of a small onscreen apocalypse, just to finally watch all those obliterated enemy bodies litter back down onto the battlefield like fallen leaves on all sides.

Very satisfying and enjoyable.

I also think the game is well-balanced for what it is. Just when one character starts to get a little old, a new one (or two) become available. Levels for each character overlap, but each character has a few distinct ones as well, offering both variety and unity to the experience. While a bit light on interactivity, these levels are all quite gorgeous on the whole, and finding one you haven't seen yet is always uniquely thrilling.

In short -- a great game that hasn't gotten enough love and positive word-of-mouth. It isn't a game for everyone, but there's a certain faction of the intended audience that will just love it.

gk


While I'd have preferred Japanese dialogue with English subs -- at least as an option -- the cheesy voice acting really just sort of adds to the game's ridiculous, over-the-top charm.