HALLOWEEN SHIRTS AND STICKERS ARE AVAILABLE FOR LIMITED TIME! Pre-order period ends Halloween! After then, they're gone! theyetee.com/collections/nitro-rad
Speaking of emulation, Mario 3D All-Stars is actually running on emulation. So I would be very cautious of buying that release of just ignore it if you have your original copies.
...Kinda wish you went out of your way to get a gold finger for this game, that way you could translate the text. I'd imagine for recording though that must make things even more of a hassle
Echo Nights: Solve the disappearance of a cruise ship and it’s passengers. Echo Nights 2: Uncover the mystery behind the deaths of the people of an old mansion. Echo Nights Beyond: *Moon’s haunted*
Damm, the guy is stubborn enough to keep playing even after dead. Heck, he must had been stubborn enough to just live through the massacre by just sheer force of will lol
About the 2 in the Japanese subtitle, it literally translates to 'Echo Night #2, ruler of sleep' which I guess would make the literal title 'Echo Night: Echo Night #2: Ruler of sleep'
so while the english translation gives it a cliche subtitle, the japanese version straight up has a nonsense title like what the fuck does ruler of sleep mean!?
@@sarafontanini7051 I'm not a translator or anything, I've just got intermediate level japanese but I'd guess the title seems a lot more sensical to Japanese people. 'Ruler of sleep' sounds ridiculous us, which is likely why the title was translated as 'Lord of nightmares'. I think actually that most things sound ridiculous when literally translated from Japanese to English since the laguages and cultures are so different, so good translations try to recapture the feeling of the original title, not just take it word for word like I did to try to shed some light on what the translators might have been thinking. If you're interested in the process of translating, there are some great translators that make youtube videos about their work such as Sarah Moon who are far more qualified than myself to talk about this, but of course I have much respect for the translators of this game and for the profession in general.
@@Coco-wf5dj interestings. still, I'm gonna laug about 'ruler of sleep' for a while anyway. because that's the BEST way to describe a crazed murderer tying to mae his daughter immortal.
@@Coco-wf5dj I interpret the subtitle is in reference to the player since it's their job to put souls to rest. They rule over who gets to 'sleep' or not.
@@forgottengrooves6073 cause it won't. The first two games aren't connected and have their own stories and timelines. So beyond may be diffrent because it takes place in the future and has it's own story.
I feel like just putting on the guy's coat and lying to him like "HEY BITCH I LIVED" might've been more of a downplayed comic relief, but then again I didn't see the dialogue so I'm not sure. Either way, that's pretty fricken hilarious to me.
This is the second horror game you've reviewed in which a pivotal plot point involves a young girl who was orphaned after a blimp accident; first Rule of Rose, now this. Japanese devs must *really* hate blimps.
Everyone forget the spooky game, let's talk about nitro rad having a medabots wallpaper on his PC and when will he ever make a video about one of the games
Oh the parallel of Eurydice’s maiden voyage and Orpheus’ voyage (from the Greek tragedy of the two lovers trying to get back together after death) while the games aren’t directly connected it’s still nice to see that. The myth and games have a similar story.
If I remember correctly, even Persona 3 Portable references that with the MC's Orpheus becoming the functionally identical Eurydice for the FeMC. Quick edit: Okay, they don't actually change the name, but they change the look so you can kinda pretend its that.
What if someone combined echo night and return to the obra dinn? Solving a mystery, identifying each ghost, and solving their problems so they can properly pass on?
Obra Dinn is brilliant and probably the closest in style to Echo Night that has been made in the west. I would love to see Lucas Pope iterate on it with elements from Echo Night, like having enemies and more environmental interaction
Sort of how I've wanted a game combining Psychonauts and Detective Grimoire. Psychic secret agents going through worlds in minds to solve mysteries and cases.
If only I can see... one last great game review done by my favorite youtuber.... *Notification for Nitrorad posted today* Finally I can rest in piece... *fades away*
@@camharkness SMT had the issue of the early games being on Nintendo platforms when Nintendo of America had strict censorship policies, so while they were fine in Japan due to Nintendo Japan not being as strict, releasing them in North America would have been a huge pain as the devs would have had to change all of the religious imagery and such. Now if Atlus were to remaster them for an SMT collection and release that over here similar to how the Mana collection finally gave NA and Europe the third Mana game officially, that would be awesome. At the moment SMT1 is on the Nintendo Switch Online service in Japan but it's not like that service or pre-existing remasters affected that sort of thing (a remaster of Wild Guns came out on Switch a couple years back but surprisingly the SNES original was put on the service earlier this year).
Watching this, I was reminded that there is a horror adventure game series called DARK FALL, and much like Echo Night you interact with different ghosts and you try and solve puzzles to help them pass on.
@Itzmagmaheadd not necessarily. I mean, there's some psyche horror games where the only enemy is your own characters flaws. Then again, a lot of the ones that come to my mind are indie games, so there's probably a lot of people missing out on them simply bc they don't know they exist idk point is not every horror game needs enemies to make it terrifying
@@bytetheproto1354 As he said it didn't sell that well, as of when Dark Souls became popular. Now most of the old titles of FROM SOFTWARE skyrocketed in $$£¥ and are rare
@@bytetheproto1354 Maybe people back then just weren't interested in the sub-genre. Echo Night is essentially a marriage between the mystery and horror genres, with none of the survival and recourse aspects that define Resident Evil and Silent Hill. Echo Night is like a point-and-click mystery/horror, which was comparatively niche. I'm guessing, I don't claim to know the exact reason, but RE and SH defined the horror genre. It makes sense that people wouldn't be as interested in this game when it lacks some many aspects that people remembered RE and SH for.
I want you to know if you read this: I was feeling really down and I decided to watch one of vids because its been a long time since I watched you. I found out you did echo night and just finished watching that. I was like now I gotta wait for another video, but then you just posted this and I immediately started watching. Thanks for making my day a little bit better. :)
@@zagobous9300 please be well even if it appears a single voice know that even as a stranger I would naturally feel care qns be worried if I were to discover something bad happened to you! More to it.. What pains do you have? Sharing it It any contexts actually does drop and push it out of your backs
@@MineSlimeTV Wow thats really nice of you too thanks. Its honestly sounds really silly, but I just found out my ex's dog died and I love that dog. Like I really liked that dog we were really close. I remember the last time I saw him he was in pain and I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to him. It hurts a bit, but ya know thanks for saying that. Thank you so much
It’s probably a bit late to ask for this October, but I really hope Nitro Rad covers Gregory Horror Show: Soul Collector on PS2 at some point. The game is very unique and forgotten, it feels like it’s right up his alley.
The game reusing the same protagonist for a different story is similar to another horror series, D and its 'sequels', Enemy Zero and D2. The one thing they had in common was that the protagonist Laura was in all of them, but had different last names. The mind behind the series, Kenji Eno, imagined her as a 'virtual actress', a character who could play different roles while retaining the same look. Some characters in Enemy Zero and D2 have the same thing, sharing names and looks, but performing new roles.
i love coming back to your videos, even if i've already watched them, over games i've never played before. your diction and thoroughness is something i've never come across with any youtube reviewer ever. it makes all content of yours, old and new, something i always look forward to watching. keep up the amazing work
I feel like the ghosts (both bad and good) should only show up when the lights are out. Not bad cant show up with the lights on and good can't show up with the lights out. It will add some dynamic to the power boxes. Sure you can make an area safe, but then you can't interact with the NPCs. It also means you would be less required to run back and forth for powerbox keys unless you want to make an area safe.
A youtuber you may like is one called wambu. He uploads slowly and is currently on a hiatus but he has a policy about him to bar running jokes between each video.
Just as a quick side note: the translated title of the game can be read"Echo Night #2: The Sleeping Ruler", but Lord of Nightmares is also correct (though I don't see how that ties into the story). So yeah, the #2 part is just Echo Night #2. But the fact that it's written as #2 implies that these are indeed alternate stories, multiple possible incidents that could happen surrounding the Red Stone.
Also, I know this was 1999 and the Internet was inconvenient to use, but I just looked up what exact date October 16th, 1949 really was, and Google says it fell on a Sunday - From Soft could've at least grabbed some vintage old-timey calendars from the 40s and 50s so they wouldn't slip up and place it on a Thursday.
19:50 This music isn't goofy, it's just out of place. It's the type of music you hear in a crisis, but not so hopeless that you can't fight back. It's intense yet energetic. I actually really like that track based on the few seconds you played, but it is not a track you play in a horror game. The ghosts from the first game should invoke a sense of dread. You're facing something that you can't fight, you need to get away from them as fast as possible.
This game’s beginning feels pretty similar to RE7s beginning. A dude is off to find his lost girlfriend/wife, it opens up with your character driving a car through a forest, you end up in an abandoned building (I think the old house in RE7 is abandoned for the most part? Idk they probably don’t use it much), and your girlfriend/wife is shown being killed. Edit: oops she wasn’t the girlfriend lol but still.
Man, you're right - the graphics look absolutely amazing. Would love a modern retro-3D indie game with that game's quality/artstyle, but a better lighting system.
Thank you SO MUCH for this rare look at a forgotten gem; one I wished so much that we would have gotten in the West. It might be the blimp, but I kept getting Rule Of Rose vibes watching this review! The graphics even looked similar, I wonder if they have developers in common?
Considering how much you liked the Echo Night series so far,maybe you'd like 'Return of the Obra Dinn'. It's a murder mystery game(by the same person who made Papers Please)who that takes place on a ship and has a very interesting way of solving it's puzzles.
I love how you make a point of being so comprehensive, not just with individual games, but with series. You went as far as to play a burned disc just to properly experience the sequel for this video! That's incredibly cool. Great video as always.
I think what you said about the different areas of the mansion being memorable and easy to remember because of the way they look doesn't have anything to do with the graphics. It's more of an art direction/design thing. Graphics could be really bad but they can still make the rooms look different.
And art style typically determines how well the game will age. Graphics being a little blocky and polygonal can be overlooked and dismissed when the art direction makes up for the shortcomings of the hardware. For instance Windwaker still looks super modern because the cel shaded art style makes all the models look timeless and beautiful to this day.
That maid ghost barely visible with the sound anticipating her appearance kinda reminds me of the original White Day: A Labyrinth Named School game, there's a very similar ghost there (but instead of attacking, she tells the chaser of the game where you are) Which reminds me, would be awesome watching a Nitro Rad video about White Day, and maybe that'd introduce that amazing obscure game to some people
Thank you for yet another great half hour of entertainment! I'm sure you spent countless hours making this, running your lines back, editing your footage, etc. I really appreciate the work you do! And thanks for the camera recommendation ;)
I love how you added in the Clock Tower music during that section of the video. These games look fantastic and rather graphically ambitious for PS1 era games. Imagine if From Soft made another Echo Night game or even just a new game done in this style as a PS5 game. That would be sick as hell. I love a good adventure mystery game like this and am looking forward the haunted moon colony.
The texture work in this game is so damn impressive, if you play it on ps2 with texture filtering set to on it looks incredible and not to mention that turning on the higher disc speed also helps with the door transition loading times, it reminds me of how the og pc version half life looked like. And on an emulator with even more enhancements like perspective correction to fix the wobbly ps1 textures (and the echo night games barely had that issue to begin with which is amazing as well) and higher resolution it looks like it could have been an early ps2 or dreamcast game.
I love Nitro Rad’s dedication for these reviews. Not only does he play thoroughly the whole game, he goes above and beyond in order to play the game if it’s not English translated. Like I was taken back he had spare consoles Incase the current one he plays is broken. I hope there’s a lot more spooky games once he finishes the echo night series
Echo Night 1 is a fenomenal game, a solid 9,5/10, but Echo Night 2... is somehow even better. It's easily a 10/10, one of the best games I've ever played.
The way that you can fail quests without knowing why or how and you have to redo the whole playthrough to have another shot at the quest, reminds me of Dark Souls and Bloodborne quests
Nitro Rad: The sheet music puzzle can just boil down to trial and error Me, a person with perfect pitch: Though yeah I probably would need to hear it a few times to identity the notes
FINALLY A NEW NITRO RAD VIDEO! I've been coming back every hour each day since the other Echo Night vid, glad to have this to sit back and enjoy watching!
I still see so many people with that exact profile... Can you tell me the story? Funny enough I did got a recommendation of what appeared to be the person showcasing it
You're the only channel I have post notifications on. You popped up on my watch and fr got me through work today. I was realllyyyyy looking forward to going home and watching. Thank you for the high quality amazing ooey gooey video goodness.
I really appreciate the cinematography in your videos. Something as simple as starting the review with a zoom-in of the PS1 mixed with the *click* of closing the platform was oddly satisfying. Keep up the great work.
The Ps1 era definitely was a time where game developers took huge risks with varying degrees of success. I’m happy that you showed these games so I can play them.
Bit late and i don't know if anybody else has cleared that up, but to answer the question at 3:17 the reason the #2 is gone is because the translators only kept the game's sub name. They cut out all the parts written in Katakana, which read Eko Naito 2, AKA Echo night 2.
Half of the views on the three echonights videos are probably from me because I just enjoy them so much. What I really like about James's reviews is that he describes the stories and elements of the games in a very nice way but above all else, how positive he is about most games. Usually, he will introduce the games flaws through jokes and right after he will balance them with the strengths of the game and will spend way more time explaining what the games do right than focus on the wrongs. A lot of reviewer will focus on the bad aspects because it's easier to make fun of them and base the whole review on them. Here you have a reason to try those games, to experience them still. And all the work behind the game is not reduced to one bad element. Keep doing you James you're doing amazing.
4:55 In some parts of Europe there actually are. Many people don't really like having a oversized cavernous home with horrible insulation, sound proofing and very limited water and electricity that takes a fortune to upkeep and is located in the middle of nowhere.
2:56 - Was just about to ask: How does running a burned disc in a console scratch the disc or damage your hardware? First I've ever heard of that. Then I realized you were probably using the hotswap method using a card or other device. I'd *heavily* recommend you grab FreeMcBoot for $15 and grab a SATA/Network Adapter for the PS2 for $20 and a 240Gb SSD for $20 as well, hell, a 1Tb HDD would work. A tiny bit of setup and you can more easily test games with fan-made translation software, even copying games from your computer to your PS2, or ripping your collection to your PC to apply fan-patches. The loading times are greatly reduced as well as load-stutter and texture pop-in are further removed. I wouldn't normally recommend this, but you play *A LOT* of retro PS2 games, and it's something that will probably save your PS2's laser from degrading further from 10-20 hours of playtime.
The Japanese part in the title screen said エコーナイト#2 (romaji is eko naito #2)which is the title “echo night #2” just written in Japanese. The rest is the second part that got translated in the English version.
Was really looking forward to the sequel video after you mentioned it in the previous vid! Thanks for the uploads, Rad! Your videos always have optimism and brightness that never seems fake or condescending and the joy you have from talking about games you've played always shone through. From a fan for a few years now thank you!
Oh dude I feel you on the music puzzles thing. I've played a whole bunch of adventure games with music puzzles, and I'm sure if you're musically inclined they're a blast but I know nothing about that kind of thing and I certainly can't recognise notes by ear.
I hate the region lock crap companies enforce with their series. This still tends to happen nowadays and while many of those games do appeal to a specific demographic some games would be super fun just to try for more audiences.
Back in the day it made sense due to differences between the PAL and NTSC video formats, but in the HD era where everything runs at the same framerate and resolution, there's no reason to do it.
@@blametl4921 I'm not saying spend money to market it to other demographics. If you think it'll bomb then just release it in certain territories, have the option of English subtitles and let it be playable on systems from any region. Then people could get a second hand copy online! That way people don't have to worry about A. Making fan translations and B. Having a region specific console. Even just putting something old on the digital marketplaces with english subs would be just fine.
With this looking like an overall improvement from the first game, it absolutely breaks my horror game heart that this isn’t easily available to play. Great review NitroRad, I seriously got to play these games. Somehow...someway....
I dont enjoy playing most horror games, however, I love the way Nitro Rad covers them. Recap/review in such a well thought out way. He is the best at this style. And I have to thank him for showing me so many interesting games that I would likely never play.
Hey NitroRad ! I take the chance of seeing this video early (for once) to give you a big thank you ! I watch your videos from time to time since a few years now, and I've always like how well you mix entertainment, discovery and honest criticism. You've found your niche, and I think you're doing it really well. Your show as a background while working is a real treat :)
Don’t know if anyone else noticed, but the Red Stone very much reminds me of the philosopher’s stone - both are a blood red color, and they require sacrifice to be used. Both also can resurrect the dead, heal illnesses, and give wealth/power. Maybe it was an unintentional connection, but it’s still interesting.
I will never get these bad people who think slaughtering dozens for ONE person is worth it. He killed a BABY! It hadn't even gotten a chance at life and he thinks a much older girl's life is more important than that and all of theirs?! Just do the damn math! one could live 50 to 60 more years from 20 and a dozen people is easily over 100 years more than one's whole life.
1 thing to mention about why it was never localized: Echo Night 2 was released incredibly late into the PS1's shelf life (Aug 5, 1999 when the PS2 came to NA on October 26, 2000) so regardless of sales, it was probably doomed to never head overseas.
HALLOWEEN SHIRTS AND STICKERS ARE AVAILABLE FOR LIMITED TIME!
Pre-order period ends Halloween! After then, they're gone!
theyetee.com/collections/nitro-rad
Bread
Tomorrow is my barthday nitro
hey if you want to play ps1 emulated just transform to a PSP format and you can play it like it was on ps1!!! (obvisly on psp)
Speaking of emulation, Mario 3D All-Stars is actually running on emulation. So I would be very cautious of buying that release of just ignore it if you have your original copies.
...Kinda wish you went out of your way to get a gold finger for this game, that way you could translate the text.
I'd imagine for recording though that must make things even more of a hassle
“A mansion can’t just crash/disappear”
Tell that to the entirety of the Castlevania series
To be fair, that castle is.. well.. alive.
@@dungeonmaster3464 it's a creature of chaos that can take many incarnations
@@TheEpicPikachuD Yup, that's what he said.
“A mansion can’t just disappear”
Cue Luigi’s mansion ending scene
Not only that, it seems to change shape every time it comes back.
Echo Nights:
Solve the disappearance of a cruise ship and it’s passengers.
Echo Nights 2:
Uncover the mystery behind the deaths of the people of an old mansion.
Echo Nights Beyond:
*Moon’s haunted*
What?
@@CErra310 moons haunted
“Wait Moon’s haunted this whole time?”
“Always has been.”
Best TH-cam comment I've read in a while, made me chuckle.
It's just Echo Night.
the ship is called orpheus and the airship is called eurydice :) that's cute
Hello, fellow Greek geek!
Thanks, Hades!
I don't get it... er i mean... ha ha! Smart people joke!!!
@Kat Fisher Because Orpheous JUST CANT LISTEN DAMMIT ORPHEOUS
@Kat Fisher I second that statement
Damm, the guy is stubborn enough to keep playing even after dead. Heck, he must had been stubborn enough to just live through the massacre by just sheer force of will lol
Disappointed Nitro Rad in Suit is hilarious.
I burst out laughing when I heard "I got really scared the moment I saw that poker table."
I love how the preview, when hovering on the thumbnail, is literally just him being all sad x)
Edit : it's been changed, unfortunately :'[
He REALLY doesn't want to play poker.
that time of the year when nitrorad frowns in his thumbnail
Wonder what happened to take his smile away...
tee hee
Now thanks to you I will remember that sentence and this thumbnails for the rest of my life.
It's frowning season my boys.
About the 2 in the Japanese subtitle, it literally translates to 'Echo Night #2, ruler of sleep' which I guess would make the literal title 'Echo Night: Echo Night #2: Ruler of sleep'
so while the english translation gives it a cliche subtitle, the japanese version straight up has a nonsense title like what the fuck does ruler of sleep mean!?
@@sarafontanini7051 I'm not a translator or anything, I've just got intermediate level japanese but I'd guess the title seems a lot more sensical to Japanese people. 'Ruler of sleep' sounds ridiculous us, which is likely why the title was translated as 'Lord of nightmares'. I think actually that most things sound ridiculous when literally translated from Japanese to English since the laguages and cultures are so different, so good translations try to recapture the feeling of the original title, not just take it word for word like I did to try to shed some light on what the translators might have been thinking. If you're interested in the process of translating, there are some great translators that make youtube videos about their work such as Sarah Moon who are far more qualified than myself to talk about this, but of course I have much respect for the translators of this game and for the profession in general.
Thanks for the direct translation, I imagine the translators wanted to make the title sound more generic because we love how they sound.
@@Coco-wf5dj interestings. still, I'm gonna laug about 'ruler of sleep' for a while anyway. because that's the BEST way to describe a crazed murderer tying to mae his daughter immortal.
@@Coco-wf5dj I interpret the subtitle is in reference to the player since it's their job to put souls to rest. They rule over who gets to 'sleep' or not.
leave it to nitro rad to show me games I've never heard of before
Leave it to Indeimaus to randomly appear in some of my favorite smaller content creators.
Aren't you the guy who draw boob
Leave it to you to make things more fun
silence indiemaus, go make another waifu top 10 video on top 10 rocks in dark souls >:(
why you gotta be so mean
@@asparagu5139
...wait.
So Echo Night: Beyond takes place on a haunted moon colony?
Wouldn't that mean... Moon's haunted?
* grabs gun * mooon’s haunted
*angry Hive sounds*
BLOW THE MOOM UP. Oh wait that'll cause it to fall and hit earth.
I get the sense Echo Night: Beyond isn't canon.
@@forgottengrooves6073 cause it won't. The first two games aren't connected and have their own stories and timelines. So beyond may be diffrent because it takes place in the future and has it's own story.
I feel like just putting on the guy's coat and lying to him like "HEY BITCH I LIVED" might've been more of a downplayed comic relief, but then again I didn't see the dialogue so I'm not sure. Either way, that's pretty fricken hilarious to me.
I just feel bad for the guy who actually died down there and is probably waiting forever for someone to dig them out
That’s some looney toons shit and is comical just hearing it from that perspective 😂
The writers really made sure to make a good story out of these even with the limitations they had, good on them
And thats whats good about most ps1 games.
This is the second horror game you've reviewed in which a pivotal plot point involves a young girl who was orphaned after a blimp accident; first Rule of Rose, now this.
Japanese devs must *really* hate blimps.
Everyone forget the spooky game, let's talk about nitro rad having a medabots wallpaper on his PC and when will he ever make a video about one of the games
Came to comments for this. Medabots was the 90s LBX and neither of them got enough love in NA.
My man why did u die
Never
crossover with Billiam pls
I read volume 1 of the manga when i was 7 i think. Thats all the experience i have
Oh the parallel of Eurydice’s maiden voyage and Orpheus’ voyage (from the Greek tragedy of the two lovers trying to get back together after death) while the games aren’t directly connected it’s still nice to see that. The myth and games have a similar story.
If I remember correctly, even Persona 3 Portable references that with the MC's Orpheus becoming the functionally identical Eurydice for the FeMC.
Quick edit: Okay, they don't actually change the name, but they change the look so you can kinda pretend its that.
What if someone combined echo night and return to the obra dinn?
Solving a mystery, identifying each ghost, and solving their problems so they can properly pass on?
Obra Dinn is brilliant and probably the closest in style to Echo Night that has been made in the west. I would love to see Lucas Pope iterate on it with elements from Echo Night, like having enemies and more environmental interaction
This sounds like Clocktower 3, only that game added a part where you run from the killer while doing the above.
That would be awesome! That sounds like an interesting game plot. I hope someone makes a game mixing the two sometimes in the future.☺️👍
Sort of how I've wanted a game combining Psychonauts and Detective Grimoire.
Psychic secret agents going through worlds in minds to solve mysteries and cases.
Looks like your greatest fear was
The POKER TABLE
This is why Nitro is dope, I have a 0% chance of playing this game and never heard it before, but I can still watch this video from beginning to end.
I like how you get the best endings for these games by helping all of the ghosts pass on and by refusing the soul stone causing it to be destroyed.
These older games have so much detail and sustenance. These newer games fail to give me this level of "whoa, that's frickin' brilliant".
If only I can see... one last great game review done by my favorite youtuber....
*Notification for Nitrorad posted today*
Finally I can rest in piece... *fades away*
Hey! Where's my Astral Piece?
The Great Stoned Dragon you need to complete Josh Acei’s clone’s quest. You can find their clone in the hall of comments on the isle of TH-cam.
Are you okay? I know you might just be joking, but if not: please don't hurt yourself. Life can and will get better.
@@benedictdwyer2608 Drat! Well, better get started...
Your pfp matches this comment 😅😂
If it was Japan only, that means it was either fantastic, or terrible. That’s how it usually goes at least
Not really when it's japan only,it usually means that they thought of us, as stupid
Not really
It just means the previous game most likely didn’t sell well in the west and it wasn’t financially viable to release it
@@SummMeister or its smt 1,2, and if...
@@camharkness SMT had the issue of the early games being on Nintendo platforms when Nintendo of America had strict censorship policies, so while they were fine in Japan due to Nintendo Japan not being as strict, releasing them in North America would have been a huge pain as the devs would have had to change all of the religious imagery and such. Now if Atlus were to remaster them for an SMT collection and release that over here similar to how the Mana collection finally gave NA and Europe the third Mana game officially, that would be awesome. At the moment SMT1 is on the Nintendo Switch Online service in Japan but it's not like that service or pre-existing remasters affected that sort of thing (a remaster of Wild Guns came out on Switch a couple years back but surprisingly the SNES original was put on the service earlier this year).
@@BloodRedFox2008 yeah I knew about that, I was trying to joke XD
Watching this, I was reminded that there is a horror adventure game series called DARK FALL, and much like Echo Night you interact with different ghosts and you try and solve puzzles to help them pass on.
@Itzmagmaheadd They were point n click adventure games. There were no enemies to fight. Well apart from the ghosts and the Dark Fall, I guess.
@Itzmagmaheadd not necessarily. I mean, there's some psyche horror games where the only enemy is your own characters flaws. Then again, a lot of the ones that come to my mind are indie games, so there's probably a lot of people missing out on them simply bc they don't know they exist idk point is not every horror game needs enemies to make it terrifying
Was it called Dark Fall: the Journal?
@@sozaj the first game, yes
I really should give these games a try, dident expect to be so interested in these
Shout out received, glad you liked our translation. ✌ Was waiting eagerly for you to review the second entry of EN.
Playing them back-to-back, can't underestimate how much better this one controls in subtle ways.
Cant believe that these went so unnoticed they sound like amazing titles
It's because this one was never released outside of Japan
@@青葉オバ I meant either of them
@@bytetheproto1354 As he said it didn't sell that well, as of when Dark Souls became popular. Now most of the old titles of FROM SOFTWARE skyrocketed in $$£¥ and are rare
@@青葉オバ that was the point of my comment?
@@bytetheproto1354 Maybe people back then just weren't interested in the sub-genre. Echo Night is essentially a marriage between the mystery and horror genres, with none of the survival and recourse aspects that define Resident Evil and Silent Hill. Echo Night is like a point-and-click mystery/horror, which was comparatively niche.
I'm guessing, I don't claim to know the exact reason, but RE and SH defined the horror genre. It makes sense that people wouldn't be as interested in this game when it lacks some many aspects that people remembered RE and SH for.
still waiting for that "Halloween Special" voice clip
Oh man, me too.
Its going to be SpOoOoOkY
I want you to know if you read this: I was feeling really down and I decided to watch one of vids because its been a long time since I watched you. I found out you did echo night and just finished watching that. I was like now I gotta wait for another video, but then you just posted this and I immediately started watching. Thanks for making my day a little bit better. :)
Hope you're ok and in the process of getting better bro
@@lilacKurage oh yeah I'll be fine this honestly was the best thing ever today. Thanks for saying that you're really nice. Warms my heart
@@zagobous9300 please be well even if it appears a single voice know that even as a stranger I would naturally feel care qns be worried if I were to discover something bad happened to you! More to it.. What pains do you have? Sharing it It any contexts actually does drop and push it out of your backs
@@MineSlimeTV Wow thats really nice of you too thanks. Its honestly sounds really silly, but I just found out my ex's dog died and I love that dog. Like I really liked that dog we were really close. I remember the last time I saw him he was in pain and I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to him. It hurts a bit, but ya know thanks for saying that. Thank you so much
you guys are so kind. i like the vibes in these comments. hope you're well, Beorn
9:11 The one thing scarier than any ghost attacking you...
RNG G A M B L I N G
So... gambling?
12:15 It's gonna be pretty awkward when he meets Franco in the afterlife....
Franco!? The fuck are you doing here? Weren’t you alive?
It’s probably a bit late to ask for this October, but I really hope Nitro Rad covers Gregory Horror Show: Soul Collector on PS2 at some point.
The game is very unique and forgotten, it feels like it’s right up his alley.
I love Gregory horror show!! And I'd love if nitro reviewed it!
True. That game needs more love
The Anodyne music fits the game so well, it's scary
The game reusing the same protagonist for a different story is similar to another horror series, D and its 'sequels', Enemy Zero and D2. The one thing they had in common was that the protagonist Laura was in all of them, but had different last names. The mind behind the series, Kenji Eno, imagined her as a 'virtual actress', a character who could play different roles while retaining the same look. Some characters in Enemy Zero and D2 have the same thing, sharing names and looks, but performing new roles.
Technically they're all different Lauras. D stars Laura Harris, Enemy Zero stars Laura Lewis, and D2 stars Laura Parton
Before I watch the rest of the video, can we just appreciate the Halloween vibing intro? This looks like it'll be a good one like always.
Our dude sure puts love on his content
It does feel really odd, seeing an NES in PSX graphics.
i love coming back to your videos, even if i've already watched them, over games i've never played before. your diction and thoroughness is something i've never come across with any youtube reviewer ever. it makes all content of yours, old and new, something i always look forward to watching. keep up the amazing work
Once again disappointing American sales rob us of the localization of a gem.
We in Europe know great video game gems when we get them!
@@lucinae8512 Except this one
Ace attorney investigations 2 be like
Ah. The Mother 3 fate.
"A mansion can't crash"
Tell that to the Darrow family from Mystery Incorporated
I feel like the ghosts (both bad and good) should only show up when the lights are out. Not bad cant show up with the lights on and good can't show up with the lights out. It will add some dynamic to the power boxes. Sure you can make an area safe, but then you can't interact with the NPCs. It also means you would be less required to run back and forth for powerbox keys unless you want to make an area safe.
I love how you make each video in such a way they can be watched separately without even watching the previous video
I think that's a biproduct of this game's story, where this game is a sequel in name only.
A youtuber you may like is one called wambu. He uploads slowly and is currently on a hiatus but he has a policy about him to bar running jokes between each video.
Just as a quick side note: the translated title of the game can be read"Echo Night #2: The Sleeping Ruler", but Lord of Nightmares is also correct (though I don't see how that ties into the story). So yeah, the #2 part is just Echo Night #2. But the fact that it's written as #2 implies that these are indeed alternate stories, multiple possible incidents that could happen surrounding the Red Stone.
2:41 Ah yes, "Stinky Poopy Video Games?!?!?", that's a classic video of yours, good opinions.
Also, I know this was 1999 and the Internet was inconvenient to use, but I just looked up what exact date October 16th, 1949 really was, and Google says it fell on a Sunday - From Soft could've at least grabbed some vintage old-timey calendars from the 40s and 50s so they wouldn't slip up and place it on a Thursday.
19:50 This music isn't goofy, it's just out of place. It's the type of music you hear in a crisis, but not so hopeless that you can't fight back. It's intense yet energetic.
I actually really like that track based on the few seconds you played, but it is not a track you play in a horror game. The ghosts from the first game should invoke a sense of dread. You're facing something that you can't fight, you need to get away from them as fast as possible.
Eh. It sounds discordant. Like something that would play during a joke boss. But thats just me
This game’s beginning feels pretty similar to RE7s beginning. A dude is off to find his lost girlfriend/wife, it opens up with your character driving a car through a forest, you end up in an abandoned building (I think the old house in RE7 is abandoned for the most part? Idk they probably don’t use it much), and your girlfriend/wife is shown being killed.
Edit: oops she wasn’t the girlfriend lol but still.
Oooo, All this time we thought RE7 was borrowing from Silent hill 2 when it was actually Echo Night 2.
PhantomShadow
I can’t comment on the SH2 thing because I haven’t played SH2 yet lmao (everywhere I look online is too expensive for my liking :( )
Man, you're right - the graphics look absolutely amazing. Would love a modern retro-3D indie game with that game's quality/artstyle, but a better lighting system.
Thank you SO MUCH for this rare look at a forgotten gem; one I wished so much that we would have gotten in the West. It might be the blimp, but I kept getting Rule Of Rose vibes watching this review! The graphics even looked similar, I wonder if they have developers in common?
Not a direct sequel but reuses elements, themes and characters? From Soft tradition going strong.
Really wish you had more subscribers. Also your voice is always so soothing. It's very calming to just listen to your videos.
Considering how much you liked the Echo Night series so far,maybe you'd like 'Return of the Obra Dinn'. It's a murder mystery game(by the same person who made Papers Please)who that takes place on a ship and has a very interesting way of solving it's puzzles.
I love how you make a point of being so comprehensive, not just with individual games, but with series. You went as far as to play a burned disc just to properly experience the sequel for this video! That's incredibly cool. Great video as always.
I think they should remake the Echo Nights series. Maybe even add some VR support to it. I would buy it.
I think what you said about the different areas of the mansion being memorable and easy to remember because of the way they look doesn't have anything to do with the graphics. It's more of an art direction/design thing. Graphics could be really bad but they can still make the rooms look different.
And art style typically determines how well the game will age. Graphics being a little blocky and polygonal can be overlooked and dismissed when the art direction makes up for the shortcomings of the hardware. For instance Windwaker still looks super modern because the cel shaded art style makes all the models look timeless and beautiful to this day.
That maid ghost barely visible with the sound anticipating her appearance kinda reminds me of the original White Day: A Labyrinth Named School game, there's a very similar ghost there (but instead of attacking, she tells the chaser of the game where you are)
Which reminds me, would be awesome watching a Nitro Rad video about White Day, and maybe that'd introduce that amazing obscure game to some people
Thank you for yet another great half hour of entertainment! I'm sure you spent countless hours making this, running your lines back, editing your footage, etc. I really appreciate the work you do!
And thanks for the camera recommendation ;)
I really enjoy this game's visuals. The low-poly, the great texture work, the PSone's dithering... it all adds up to a very unique feeling, imho.
Dude I absolutely love your stuff, on Nitro Rad and Garanikor, keep it up.
"Nitro Rad" more like "Nitro R---eally good videos"
no just no
Got em
Damn, fuckin' killed it dude.
What were they thinking?
I agree. These videos are Rad.
I love how you added in the Clock Tower music during that section of the video. These games look fantastic and rather graphically ambitious for PS1 era games. Imagine if From Soft made another Echo Night game or even just a new game done in this style as a PS5 game. That would be sick as hell. I love a good adventure mystery game like this and am looking forward the haunted moon colony.
The texture work in this game is so damn impressive, if you play it on ps2 with texture filtering set to on it looks incredible and not to mention that turning on the higher disc speed also helps with the door transition loading times, it reminds me of how the og pc version half life looked like. And on an emulator with even more enhancements like perspective correction to fix the wobbly ps1 textures (and the echo night games barely had that issue to begin with which is amazing as well) and higher resolution it looks like it could have been an early ps2 or dreamcast game.
Ah, I remember ThorHighHeels reviewing some old Fromsoft games, which included this one as well.
I'm absolutely loving this Echo Night series you're doing! Please make a King's Field(From Software) one after this! :D
I love Nitro Rad’s dedication for these reviews. Not only does he play thoroughly the whole game, he goes above and beyond in order to play the game if it’s not English translated. Like I was taken back he had spare consoles Incase the current one he plays is broken. I hope there’s a lot more spooky games once he finishes the echo night series
Echo Night 1 is a fenomenal game, a solid 9,5/10, but Echo Night 2... is somehow even better. It's easily a 10/10, one of the best games I've ever played.
The way that you can fail quests without knowing why or how and you have to redo the whole playthrough to have another shot at the quest, reminds me of Dark Souls and Bloodborne quests
Nitro Rad: The sheet music puzzle can just boil down to trial and error
Me, a person with perfect pitch:
Though yeah I probably would need to hear it a few times to identity the notes
FINALLY A NEW NITRO RAD VIDEO! I've been coming back every hour each day since the other Echo Night vid, glad to have this to sit back and enjoy watching!
I started watching you just in the beginning of this year, and i gotta say, man have i been missing out!! love these videos! Awesome work :D
Man, that Medabots wallpaper reminded me of part of my childhood I totally forgot about. Thank you!
I still see so many people with that exact profile... Can you tell me the story? Funny enough I did got a recommendation of what appeared to be the person showcasing it
You're the only channel I have post notifications on. You popped up on my watch and fr got me through work today. I was realllyyyyy looking forward to going home and watching. Thank you for the high quality amazing ooey gooey video goodness.
I really appreciate the cinematography in your videos. Something as simple as starting the review with a zoom-in of the PS1 mixed with the *click* of closing the platform was oddly satisfying. Keep up the great work.
There is something incredibly satisfying about hearing that PSone lid hinge go "TWANG" when he closed it.
Im not into horror media yet i still want to play those games.
I hope they will get remades some day
the maid ghost's bell reminded me of Enemy Zero. Thanks for the video, it's so nice to know new games! ^^ cheers from Brazil.
The Ps1 era definitely was a time where game developers took huge risks with varying degrees of success. I’m happy that you showed these games so I can play them.
Publishers weren't money grubbing sequel pimps back then.
Bit late and i don't know if anybody else has cleared that up, but to answer the question at 3:17 the reason the #2 is gone is because the translators only kept the game's sub name. They cut out all the parts written in Katakana, which read Eko Naito 2, AKA Echo night 2.
15:05 that's some Enemy Zero like shit right there
Half of the views on the three echonights videos are probably from me because I just enjoy them so much.
What I really like about James's reviews is that he describes the stories and elements of the games in a very nice way but above all else, how positive he is about most games.
Usually, he will introduce the games flaws through jokes and right after he will balance them with the strengths of the game and will spend way more time explaining what the games do right than focus on the wrongs.
A lot of reviewer will focus on the bad aspects because it's easier to make fun of them and base the whole review on them. Here you have a reason to try those games, to experience them still. And all the work behind the game is not reduced to one bad element.
Keep doing you James you're doing amazing.
4:55
In some parts of Europe there actually are. Many people don't really like having a oversized cavernous home with horrible insulation, sound proofing and very limited water and electricity that takes a fortune to upkeep and is located in the middle of nowhere.
2:56 - Was just about to ask: How does running a burned disc in a console scratch the disc or damage your hardware? First I've ever heard of that.
Then I realized you were probably using the hotswap method using a card or other device.
I'd *heavily* recommend you grab FreeMcBoot for $15 and grab a SATA/Network Adapter for the PS2 for $20 and a 240Gb SSD for $20 as well, hell, a 1Tb HDD would work.
A tiny bit of setup and you can more easily test games with fan-made translation software, even copying games from your computer to your PS2, or ripping your collection to your PC to apply fan-patches. The loading times are greatly reduced as well as load-stutter and texture pop-in are further removed.
I wouldn't normally recommend this, but you play *A LOT* of retro PS2 games, and it's something that will probably save your PS2's laser from degrading further from 10-20 hours of playtime.
The Japanese part in the title screen said エコーナイト#2 (romaji is eko naito #2)which is the title “echo night #2” just written in Japanese. The rest is the second part that got translated in the English version.
I actually love this channel!! I hope you never stop making content bro. Underrated AF
Was really looking forward to the sequel video after you mentioned it in the previous vid! Thanks for the uploads, Rad! Your videos always have optimism and brightness that never seems fake or condescending and the joy you have from talking about games you've played always shone through. From a fan for a few years now thank you!
Man I miss these spooky adventure titles from the 90s.
Always funny to see someone in a game share the same name as someone you know in real life
Oh dude I feel you on the music puzzles thing. I've played a whole bunch of adventure games with music puzzles, and I'm sure if you're musically inclined they're a blast but I know nothing about that kind of thing and I certainly can't recognise notes by ear.
Nitrochads halloween specials seem to go so soon and instantly appear again fuck me I love this month
I hate the region lock crap companies enforce with their series.
This still tends to happen nowadays and while many of those games do appeal to a specific demographic some games would be super fun just to try for more audiences.
I'm happy the Switch is region free
Back in the day it made sense due to differences between the PAL and NTSC video formats, but in the HD era where everything runs at the same framerate and resolution, there's no reason to do it.
is it really there fault if it would lose them money why would you do it
@@blametl4921 I'm not saying spend money to market it to other demographics. If you think it'll bomb then just release it in certain territories, have the option of English subtitles and let it be playable on systems from any region. Then people could get a second hand copy online!
That way people don't have to worry about A. Making fan translations and B. Having a region specific console.
Even just putting something old on the digital marketplaces with english subs would be just fine.
Stuff like that would bankrupt companies back then. That and what Dom Mitchell just mentioned about PAL and NTSC.
It sounds like a sequel worth playing, even if some of the changes make it arguably inferior to the original.
With this looking like an overall improvement from the first game, it absolutely breaks my horror game heart that this isn’t easily available to play. Great review NitroRad, I seriously got to play these games. Somehow...someway....
Wow I just finished eating lunch and a new nitro rad video when i come back to my computer
I dont enjoy playing most horror games, however, I love the way Nitro Rad covers them.
Recap/review in such a well thought out way.
He is the best at this style.
And I have to thank him for showing me so many interesting games that I would likely never play.
"Completely new story that doesn't share anything from the first game"
Me: Hmmm.... Seems familiar.
*You died sound intensifies*
Hey NitroRad ! I take the chance of seeing this video early (for once) to give you a big thank you ! I watch your videos from time to time since a few years now, and I've always like how well you mix entertainment, discovery and honest criticism. You've found your niche, and I think you're doing it really well. Your show as a background while working is a real treat :)
Excited! I didn't even know about the echonights games, but they're pretty *rad* been waiting for this followup !
Don’t know if anyone else noticed, but the Red Stone very much reminds me of the philosopher’s stone - both are a blood red color, and they require sacrifice to be used. Both also can resurrect the dead, heal illnesses, and give wealth/power.
Maybe it was an unintentional connection, but it’s still interesting.
But seriously bough I really appreciate the fact you don’t emulate. It takes dedication
Little different tangent, but thank you so much for having a separate playlist for horror games.
I will never get these bad people who think slaughtering dozens for ONE person is worth it.
He killed a BABY! It hadn't even gotten a chance at life and he thinks a much older girl's life is more important than that and all of theirs?!
Just do the damn math! one could live 50 to 60 more years from 20 and a dozen people is easily over 100 years more than one's whole life.
1 thing to mention about why it was never localized: Echo Night 2 was released incredibly late into the PS1's shelf life (Aug 5, 1999 when the PS2 came to NA on October 26, 2000) so regardless of sales, it was probably doomed to never head overseas.