It's because of incompetent management at Sega of America during the mid 2000s where they also did not arrange to localize Sega Rally Championship 2006 and they also made some dumb arrangement to release Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution as a "PlayStation Greatests Hits" game when Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution was a major upgrade over vanilla VF4 and worthy of being a separate full price release no different from Street Fighter 2 variants which in turn confused people in North America and led to VF4 Evo not generating the buz as it was seen as a "re-release" even thought it was a completely different revision or not the same as plain VF4. PS I should add back then when "news" of PS2 VF4 Evolution came out, it completely slipped my attention and I really feel it was also because of whatever it was Sega of America's management was doing... PS2 VF4 was very, VERY disappointing in terms of graphics to impress, as a game it was a true VF4 with good quality from SEGA-AM2 but i played VF3 in arcades and VF4 as well and since the Genki handled VF3 developed port it always felt like the quality of the Sega Saturn conversions was gone. VF4 was also facing off against Namco's Tekken Tag Tournament and eventually Tekken 4 which in terms of superficial graphics just looked way more impressive. VF4 Evolution was a revolutionary improvement because SEGA-AM2 proved they cracked open the PS2 processors and could face off against Namco and I feel that was communicated in Japan but here it was confusion... I was very impressed AFTER finding out because at first I believed VF4 Evo was just VF4 plain... but it was on a DVD-ROM isntead of CD-ROM and I cannot help but feel that it hurt the sales potential because even though you always read about gamers whining and complaining about "prices", when a game is released at a low price those SAME gamers even if hardcore and with the added confusion of the labeling will end up feeling that it's a cheap effort. It also did not help that Microsoft bribed Sega to make games on Xbox... in hindsight Sega should have only made games for Sony PS2 and Nintendo GC due to audiences... make Shenmue 1 and 2 for PS2 after VF4 Evo and today we would have been on Shenmue 7 or 9 and we might have had Fighting Vipers in the west with less idiocy from Sega of America management.
Has anyone ever felt nostalgia for a game you've never played before? 'Cus that's what happened to me when I first saw Nights in a retro article of a videogame magazine ages ago. This game is simply magical, one of my all-time favorite.
Nice ^^ Is it on XBox Live Arcade only, or is there a physical release ? I plan to buy it two on either version but I always prefer physical is possible.
This game in the US is what Mario 64 is to the N64 in the US. Kind of a tall order to fill but I think it’s justified. This game is very special and holds feelings that can’t be expressed. I love SEGA!
Nowadays you can play the Steam release with mods to fix the analog controls and other things, but most importantly, to boost the framerate to 60, which does wonders for this particular title.
Awesome BOTP, this game had an unexplainable magic about it when it released on the Saturn way back in in ‘96, Christmas Nights was just more of that goodness, where most games of the time were that of the 3D Platformer mould this game tried to do something different which it should’ve got recognition for, also playing this with the Saturn 3D Analog controller was pure bliss ❤
Nights is such a beautiful and pleasant sounding game. In the direct comparison one can see that there are a few visual effects added to the PS2 that were not carried over to the 360 (and probably all HD ports). The globe that appears after Claire is attacked has a glowing effect on the PS2 only, and the shadings on bosses and their stages are absent on the 360 version, making they look simpler. I have been noticing this kind of thing on many comparison videos of games that got ported from PS2 to Game Cube and 360/PS3 and the reason I came across is that the PS2 had many quirks that didn't translate well to other platforms and would need to be reworked in order to be preserved.
Now there's a fun game. When I first got my Saturn in early 1997 (which still plays to this day), one of the games I got with it was NiGHTs into Dreams, with the 3D Pad. Let's just say I was horrible at it, but it was still fun. Several years later I ended up trading it off, keeping the 3D Pad. However, I actually had Christmas NiGHTs from before I had the Saturn, having got that for free with my copy of Next Generation Magazine around Sept. of 1996. I still have that as well as a regular demo with Spring Valley. I play Christmas NiGHTs around Christmas every year as a little tradition :) Of course now, I also have the game on Steam, and while I haven't beaten it yet I'm about halfway there...I just have to pick it up again :) Great video!
Thanks for watching. I always found it cool that Christmas NiGHTS was given away for free in the UK. I still have my UK copy now as well as a Japanese copy.
@@elgoog-the-third Oh yeah, I've heard about those. I also recall a certain date, far in the future (I don't remember the date) that apparently produces a weird color scheme entitled "Nuclear Winter".
When NiGHTS appeared in the pinball section of Sonic Adventure it gave me hope that there was going to be a new game in the series on the Dreamcast! Alas, it was not to be. Thanks for another video, Mark!
I'm surprised the PS2 version wasn't part of the Sega Ages 2500 line. It has most of the same changes and additions (like a "Saturn Mode") that other entries had.
@@RetroCore Haha, mine is stored right next to my 2500 collection, understand the feeling! PS2 Nights really does feel like it belongs with the similarly high quality releases from the later entries of the 2500 series. The PS2 version of the arcade (Model 2) Sega Rally, that came on its own disc along with Sega Rally 2006, is the other Sega PS2 game that also feels like a bit of a "lost" 2500 series release to me. I have since moved to playing Nights on the 360 port, currently via Series X, but will always appreciate the care that went into the PS2 version (and particularly as the last physical release of the game, so I'll be keeping my copy).
I can remember buying this packaged with the analogue controller on release day, rushing home to play only to find out the shop had forgotten to put the disc in the case 😡. Cue another trip into town and a lesson learned 😁.
I recently got this for free on Steam (Sega had a 60 year anniversary promotion). I of course have the Saturn original, and Christmas Nights is still my favorite way to play it. But, you definitely can’t beat free lol
Oh hey! I guessed right on the next BotP on that one comment! SEGA's modern ports of around 2009-2013 tend to be hit or miss (see also: Sonic Adventure for misses), but NiGHTs's modern port was amazing
The remasters are objectively better but the Saturn version has a certain charm that's hard to explain. Maybe it's just the fact of playing a Saturn game on a Saturn, with a Saturn controller. It just oozes that 90s feel that some games have like Pandemonium or Klonoa.
Gawd I was 9 when this came out. I thought the game was really tough when I first played it but going thru the stages super fast and getting those hi-scores were always a lot of fun. I kind of wished there a few more features on the 360/ps3/steam ports. But the true widescreen support is always welcome. I'm glad they ported this saturn classic as many times as they did. Not to mention the nights content we get in other games, it's evident that sega recognize how memorable this property is.
The PS3 version was my first purchase on PSN way back when I was in middle school, and sadly I played through the levels once and never really bothered with it again. I remember reading on a lot of forums over the years that the controls on the ports weren't truly analog, instead only moving NiGHTS in 8 directions like a digital input. I've never verified if that's true but a lot of people seem adamant that it was. I do imagine that the Saturn 3D Pad was probably more intuitive with this game than the Dualshock 3, as that controller works surprisingly well with games that were optimized for it, and this game in particular was built around it. Now that I have a Saturn I should definitely try it in its original form, if for no other reason than to see if they really did botch the controls in the ports like people claim.
I got this game on the Saturn. This plus the BrawlerGen controller make it one of my favorites. I'll go get the Steam version and the Retro-Bit Saturn Pro controller one day...
It's not an easy one to get good at unless you memorise the locations of orbs. It had been a few years since I last played Nights so I also had trouble making this video. I used to be able to rank B or A without an issue back in the day.
There seems to be some confusion over wide screen modes. Anamorphic wide screen is the superior option for SD resolutions. The resolution and quality remains the same, it’s just the shape of the pixels that change. Non-anamorphic wide screen on the other hand uses black bars drawn at the top and bottom of the screen, so you’re reducing your vertical resolution.
Think I'll be giving this a spin on my XSX this afternoon. I bought the original back in the day for my Saturn with the controller. Once it all clicks its addictive as hell.
imagine my surprise when I booted up the PC port on the steam deck and it had NO native controller support! I had to map the controller buttons to keyboard keys
I feel bad for Steam users who cannot play most of pre-2015 Sega stuff, including Nights. There was no lucky region unblock for them since January 2024 with the remakes of SA1 and SA2.
I prefer the more vibrant colour of the Saturn version, as evidenced by Puffy's stage. It's rather impressive what the Saturn's actually pulling off - gouraud shading all over the place with (at points) numerous light sources, hundreds of sprites in addition to the polygons, a relatively stable frame rate, minimal warping and some splendid VDP2 work. The terrain in Soft Museum literally sinks as you fly across the surface. The soundtrack, for the first six levels at least, is based on the mood of the nightopians and arranged in five to seven sections with four different themes for each section depending on how happy or annoyed your little friends were, so there was literally thousands of combinations (you could check the mood in the pause menu with L + R + Y, and do another run or two to improve the mood and henceforth the music - 0 is default, 1 is happy, 2 is annoyed and 3 is very annoyed, though I may have 0 and 1 mixed up), though the tempo itself wasn't ever affected. You can mess about with these combinations in Christmas NiGHTS' Melody Box present, though if you don't have a save game, all you'll see is Jack Frost's Chime. There's something I want to check, assuming anybody knows - does the 2-player versus mode survive in the ports?
@@RetroCore Yeah, it would have been something if Traveller's Tales handled the programming. Would have been nice to have objects fade into view instead of the copious amounts of pop-in, a-la Sonic R.
Chalk me up as another who was very impressed by what they were doing with the Saturn itself, but the game was never anything i could personally get into.
One of my favourite games of all time right here. The Saturn version will always be my favourite, theres a magic to it. The other ports are great, but theres something not quite right. It doesnt help that all modern versions have far more analogue deadzones compared to the original, though there are mods on the PC version to remedy this.
@@fenderdanuk A Sonic game needs a lot more data to be streamed through to keep up the same element of speed as the Mega Drive games - even CD and arguably GD-ROM could not keep up (hence the shorter levels, slower pace and less running action compared to the Mega Drive games on the Dreamcast Adventure games). Mario 64 doesn't need that as it is a traditionally more slow paced game and the likes of Crash Bandicoot and Croc was created with the same limitations in mind. We've only really got to that level with Sonic 3D games come DVD, Blu-Ray, downloads and hard disk storage. I fear a Saturn Sonic game would have to be greatly compromised compared to Mario 64 and would have made the Saturn look weaker compared to the slower paced 3D platformers on other consoles. Sonic was introduced near the pinnacle of 2D technology to upstage the NES and subsequently SNES with "blast processing" to stand out and make the Genesis/Mega Drive a success in western markets. When the primitive 3D consoles arrived, it favoured the slower paced and smaller in scope platformers by the necessity of the technology of the time.
@@SomeOrangeCat Except that was a very small area that could be put into RAM. You could have Sonic in a quadrilateral 3D game, Sonic R did that too, but a fully fledged game based on speed in quads and subsequently polygons would not technically be feasible for at least a decade. Even Sonic Adventure and its sequel were relatively shy on the speed elements and reliant more on traditional platforming.
Back in those days, there was some hype about Nights being the Saturn's long awaited "killer app" to go up against the likes of Super Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot. Very colorful, creative game, doubtless, but killer application it was not. Like a lot of Sega's greatest works, it felt like a game made for the arcades,. Nothing wrong with that in and of itself, as arcade ports were still doing good business in the racing and fighting categories - but it wasn't nearly enough to turn the Saturn's fortunes around. Likely, nothing short of a full 3D Sonic game could have managed that, and even that was doubtful, looking back. Outside of Japan with the whole Virtua Fighter obsession, business just went poorly for Sega. It's a shame too. Of all the Sega hardware, I think the Saturn is genuinely my favorite. It would have been nice to see it have a full lifespan that overlapped the Dreamcast's.
'In the nights, dream delight, I found someone who really cares.' Nights is a wonderful game, and one of my favorite games on the Saturn. It's just fun and unique, with great graphics and wonderful soundtrack. I've never played the PS2 version, but do have it on the 360 and Steam and those are great versions. I didn't like Journey of Dreams nearly as much though: it's okay but not magical like the original game.
Hey now, the controls on the Xbox 360 version are noticeably worse and less "free" than the Sega Saturn version. I mean that it inherited the much worse control from Journey of Dreams on Wii. The Wii's (and Gamecube and N64) analog stick was designed with 8 corners around the stick for better diagonal control, but the Saturn's 3D Pad, and NiGHTS, was not, so the game tended to get stuck in those contrived "gates" of the controller while playing. Somehow the Xbox 360 version also feels just like this, but a proper, circular port for the stick. It is still playable, but NiGHTS on Xbox 360 does play much worse than the Saturn version just due to this particular issue. And no, I don't know what those sections around the analog stick are called, so I made do.
I don't know. I played all versions back to back and it felt fine. Is it possible the game was patched? Or that playing on the series X improves the controls over the 360? I mean, the series X does have a vastly nicer controller after all.
@RetroCore I grew up with the Saturn version and I was immediately aware of the difference. I actually grabbed it on Steam today and played with the Series X controller and it has the same issue. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with just how the 3D analog "pad" is.
Getting a headache watching this footage 😂 As much as I want to like this game, there’s just too much whimsy in the theme and art. Still - did not know about all the other ports and the increased frame rate and redrawn textures of the x360 version helps quite a bit
I just realized PS2 is the best place for saturn remasters/remakes! So many games got a ps2 version... at least panzer dragoon, vf2, vf1, sega rally and nights... I guess there is more I don't recall?
Man, I don't know how I missed this conversions, here I thought there were only the Saturn version 😅 Thanks Mark 👍🏼 P.S I never understood how one was suppose to play this game, thanks for clearing that up 😅
Great video, though I'm pretty sure the PS2 remake has 480p support (AND anamorphic widescreen, how cool is that!?) I was half-expecting the GBA demo too but it just has the first level.
Looks like the HD ports are missing a few of the graphical effects of the PS2 release (notably, at the very beginning, when some robots steal your marbles, the pod where they bring them in has a focus blur on the PS2 version that's missing in the HD ports).
Hi Mark! No love for the Wii game? Yes, it's slightly different from the original but you should have included it as a bonus. I managed to get the Steam port but I haven't gotten to play it just yet, which I find a little bit sad, given how beautiful the game is and the music also seems great. I really need to give it a try. Thanks for the video!
This Game is so interesting, but until now I didn't get the hang on it. It Looks so relaxing (might not be the Case). But isn't there a Wii Version of Nights as well?
I can't seem to find any info on that one. That's the problem with Steam. So many PC games the were released on steam but also released solo previously never seem to have their early versions mentioned on line 😖
There was also a Christmas edition of the game. I never knew that this would be the shortest one yet. 3 versions? Usually, these videos would have at least 25 versions in the remastered versions. But sometimes, simple is good enough. This one was great. Maybe you could try comparing Sega Superstars Tennis for Wii, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, and DS in your next episode.
@RetroCore Darn! It would've been so cool. If it's in the Xbox 360 store, you can buy it. Also, you could just compare the three versions you have already. Wii, PS2, and DS. I wouldn't mind.
Was the original ever released on Windows before the Steam version? I know Sega used to port some of their games on PC before Microsoft Xbox did, eventually followed by Sony Playstation.
Would love a saturn modern port since the ps2/3/360 remake does not play the same and have cut features (and graphics), but the worst offender is they are zoomed and trimmed on 360/PS3, not a true widescreen.
btw Sega have just annonced, many classic titles is being delisted on 6 dec. this game is one of them. quite "strange" timing with so few days after this battle of the port game, hihi.i.
It's all about score at the end of the day. The actual gameplay is basic so those not looking to beat their own scores haven't much reason to come back to the game after opening up all the areas.
also its released on PC and PS3 as well. Im saw this game on gamepass a day. So im tried the game there when im have a change. Actuelly im personally did not really liked the game, due a bit too short game timer. But its a nice graphical well designed game for sure.
That's the one I play mostly these days but still enjoy the Saturn version from time to time. The PS2 version while playing fine is the one I play least due to the blurry image.
Remakes games should really stop taking things out. There is no good excuse on this modern remake not having the 2 player vs mode & that Sonic level. Sega loves being lazy as hell. That final boss was really tough to beat (I beaten the modern remake on PC). Those floating rocks really mess with my depth perception.
I'd say the Saturn version is the best one because the camera moves around a bit more. It looks more fun overall. I don't think the high res textures and resolution really helped this game. A port usually looks best in the target platform and I think this holds true here.
I tried to play this game like 3 times in Windows and I always feel that the game was visually awesome by the time but at gameplay level is boring as hell. I unnistalled at about 15 minutes later.
I've always hated this game. It's just a 2.5d score attack game with aweful draw distance where you do nothing but fly through rings over and over. The boss fights were well designed though.
(Using translator) Congratulations on the video! Hahahahaha... this is the only battle that only has losers! Man... Nights sucks, the only good thing is the control (hahahaha... which looks like a discman). My friends! If Yuji Naka wasn't an imbecile, he could have used the power of the Saturn to make a 32-bit Sonic! Imagine a Sonic with the graphic and sound quality of Astal, but no, the imbecile had to make a character of dubious masculinity (hahahaha!). That's why he was arrested... oh, and also for having made Balan Wonderworld! Hahahahaha... if I liked Square, I could even feel sorry for it! I wish you all good health and... don't play this garbage, play Astal, or Princess Crown!
PSA: the PC port of NiGHTS (based on the PS360 version) has a bunch of very useful QoL mods - notably a 60fps patch!!
If you're surprised that there was a PS2 version of this game and wondered why you never saw it before, it's because it was only a Japanese release.
It's because of incompetent management at Sega of America during the mid 2000s where they also did not arrange to localize Sega Rally Championship 2006 and they also made some dumb arrangement to release Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution as a "PlayStation Greatests Hits" game when Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution was a major upgrade over vanilla VF4 and worthy of being a separate full price release no different from Street Fighter 2 variants which in turn confused people in North America and led to VF4 Evo not generating the buz as it was seen as a "re-release" even thought it was a completely different revision or not the same as plain VF4.
PS I should add back then when "news" of PS2 VF4 Evolution came out, it completely slipped my attention and I really feel it was also because of whatever it was Sega of America's management was doing... PS2 VF4 was very, VERY disappointing in terms of graphics to impress, as a game it was a true VF4 with good quality from SEGA-AM2 but i played VF3 in arcades and VF4 as well and since the Genki handled VF3 developed port it always felt like the quality of the Sega Saturn conversions was gone. VF4 was also facing off against Namco's Tekken Tag Tournament and eventually Tekken 4 which in terms of superficial graphics just looked way more impressive.
VF4 Evolution was a revolutionary improvement because SEGA-AM2 proved they cracked open the PS2 processors and could face off against Namco and I feel that was communicated in Japan but here it was confusion... I was very impressed AFTER finding out because at first I believed VF4 Evo was just VF4 plain... but it was on a DVD-ROM isntead of CD-ROM and I cannot help but feel that it hurt the sales potential because even though you always read about gamers whining and complaining about "prices", when a game is released at a low price those SAME gamers even if hardcore and with the added confusion of the labeling will end up feeling that it's a cheap effort. It also did not help that Microsoft bribed Sega to make games on Xbox... in hindsight Sega should have only made games for Sony PS2 and Nintendo GC due to audiences... make Shenmue 1 and 2 for PS2 after VF4 Evo and today we would have been on Shenmue 7 or 9 and we might have had Fighting Vipers in the west with less idiocy from Sega of America management.
Typical idiots running Sega.
It's a shame we never got that version back then, but at least now it's like available as the HD port on steam and such
Has anyone ever felt nostalgia for a game you've never played before?
'Cus that's what happened to me when I first saw Nights in a retro article of a videogame magazine ages ago.
This game is simply magical, one of my all-time favorite.
I think it's because these days there's very little like NiGHTS. I wish there was though.
@nobodyinparticular9640 yes, I played this game often when I was around ages 10 or 11. I loved it so much.
i just purchased the 360 version thanks to this video.
You're very welcome.
Nice ^^ Is it on XBox Live Arcade only, or is there a physical release ? I plan to buy it two on either version but I always prefer physical is possible.
@@tsht digital only and its more expensive than the other sega ports
This game in the US is what Mario 64 is to the N64 in the US. Kind of a tall order to fill but I think it’s justified. This game is very special and holds feelings that can’t be expressed.
I love SEGA!
I remember seeing this as a demo in stores back in the day. Never had a Saturn but always wanted to play this game. Thanks for posting this!
@@peachjackson3856 Buy a Saturn and be amazed. It’s my favorite console. The quality of the 2D games is flawless.
You're very welcome.
It's available for free from Sega's 60th anniversary website.
Saturn version has anamorphic widescreen, too 😜
Yeah, that is true. I forgot to mention that.
@@RetroCore Do you know what the specific differences (if any) are between the Saturn original and the PS2 version are?
Cuz you were saying the PS2 version is more of a remake?
Nowadays you can play the Steam release with mods to fix the analog controls and other things, but most importantly, to boost the framerate to 60, which does wonders for this particular title.
Yeah, the mod is amazing, I was so thrilled to see it land 🙂 Handy as I play Christmas NiGHTS every year!
A magical game on Saturn: The music, the world, the amazing controls with the 3D Controller...
Awesome BOTP, this game had an unexplainable magic about it when it released on the Saturn way back in in ‘96, Christmas Nights was just more of that goodness, where most games of the time were that of the 3D Platformer mould this game tried to do something different which it should’ve got recognition for, also playing this with the Saturn 3D Analog controller was pure bliss ❤
Nights is such a beautiful and pleasant sounding game. In the direct comparison one can see that there are a few visual effects added to the PS2 that were not carried over to the 360 (and probably all HD ports). The globe that appears after Claire is attacked has a glowing effect on the PS2 only, and the shadings on bosses and their stages are absent on the 360 version, making they look simpler. I have been noticing this kind of thing on many comparison videos of games that got ported from PS2 to Game Cube and 360/PS3 and the reason I came across is that the PS2 had many quirks that didn't translate well to other platforms and would need to be reworked in order to be preserved.
Now there's a fun game. When I first got my Saturn in early 1997 (which still plays to this day), one of the games I got with it was NiGHTs into Dreams, with the 3D Pad. Let's just say I was horrible at it, but it was still fun. Several years later I ended up trading it off, keeping the 3D Pad. However, I actually had Christmas NiGHTs from before I had the Saturn, having got that for free with my copy of Next Generation Magazine around Sept. of 1996. I still have that as well as a regular demo with Spring Valley. I play Christmas NiGHTs around Christmas every year as a little tradition :) Of course now, I also have the game on Steam, and while I haven't beaten it yet I'm about halfway there...I just have to pick it up again :) Great video!
Thanks for watching. I always found it cool that Christmas NiGHTS was given away for free in the UK. I still have my UK copy now as well as a Japanese copy.
@@awwrelic You might also want to try out Christmas NiGHTS on certain other peculiar dates, e.g. first of January and iirc Valentine's day?
@@elgoog-the-third Oh yeah, I've heard about those. I also recall a certain date, far in the future (I don't remember the date) that apparently produces a weird color scheme entitled "Nuclear Winter".
When NiGHTS appeared in the pinball section of Sonic Adventure it gave me hope that there was going to be a new game in the series on the Dreamcast! Alas, it was not to be. Thanks for another video, Mark!
Yeah, it was a sad day when Sega pulled the plug so early on the Dreamcast. If only it had lasted longer we may have actually seen NiGHTS.
The Saturn version will always be the best version for me
One of my favourite Sega Saturn games. Great episode by the way RetroCore ❤❤❤
I'm surprised the PS2 version wasn't part of the Sega Ages 2500 line. It has most of the same changes and additions (like a "Saturn Mode") that other entries had.
So was I. When looking for my disc I was looking through my 2500 collection wondering where on earth my NIGHTS was 😅
@@RetroCore Haha, mine is stored right next to my 2500 collection, understand the feeling! PS2 Nights really does feel like it belongs with the similarly high quality releases from the later entries of the 2500 series. The PS2 version of the arcade (Model 2) Sega Rally, that came on its own disc along with Sega Rally 2006, is the other Sega PS2 game that also feels like a bit of a "lost" 2500 series release to me.
I have since moved to playing Nights on the 360 port, currently via Series X, but will always appreciate the care that went into the PS2 version (and particularly as the last physical release of the game, so I'll be keeping my copy).
I can remember buying this packaged with the analogue controller on release day, rushing home to play only to find out the shop had forgotten to put the disc in the case 😡. Cue another trip into town and a lesson learned 😁.
Bummer. That would be so annoying.
I have fond memories of Christmas Nights
I recently got this for free on Steam (Sega had a 60 year anniversary promotion). I of course have the Saturn original, and Christmas Nights is still my favorite way to play it. But, you definitely can’t beat free lol
Free, the best price of all 👍
Oh hey! I guessed right on the next BotP on that one comment!
SEGA's modern ports of around 2009-2013 tend to be hit or miss (see also: Sonic Adventure for misses), but NiGHTs's modern port was amazing
The remasters are objectively better but the Saturn version has a certain charm that's hard to explain. Maybe it's just the fact of playing a Saturn game on a Saturn, with a Saturn controller.
It just oozes that 90s feel that some games have like Pandemonium or Klonoa.
Gawd I was 9 when this came out. I thought the game was really tough when I first played it but going thru the stages super fast and getting those hi-scores were always a lot of fun. I kind of wished there a few more features on the 360/ps3/steam ports. But the true widescreen support is always welcome. I'm glad they ported this saturn classic as many times as they did. Not to mention the nights content we get in other games, it's evident that sega recognize how memorable this property is.
This game really surprised me the first time I played in my Saturn. Never know about other releases, but 360 version looks terrific! WoW!
I'm honestly shocked there are even ports beyond the Saturn version. I can't imagine playing it on anything else. Ever.
Still got my Saturn copies (both English and Japanese) to this day along with the 3D controller!
Me too. The box still looks brand new 👍
The PS3 version was my first purchase on PSN way back when I was in middle school, and sadly I played through the levels once and never really bothered with it again. I remember reading on a lot of forums over the years that the controls on the ports weren't truly analog, instead only moving NiGHTS in 8 directions like a digital input. I've never verified if that's true but a lot of people seem adamant that it was. I do imagine that the Saturn 3D Pad was probably more intuitive with this game than the Dualshock 3, as that controller works surprisingly well with games that were optimized for it, and this game in particular was built around it. Now that I have a Saturn I should definitely try it in its original form, if for no other reason than to see if they really did botch the controls in the ports like people claim.
I got this game on the Saturn. This plus the BrawlerGen controller make it one of my favorites.
I'll go get the Steam version and the Retro-Bit Saturn Pro controller one day...
I will never be able to one-loop Gillwing's tail and have mad respect for those who can.
God i remember getting Christmas nights and thought that was really special...
I've always been terrible at this game, but i love the soundtrack.
It's not an easy one to get good at unless you memorise the locations of orbs.
It had been a few years since I last played Nights so I also had trouble making this video. I used to be able to rank B or A without an issue back in the day.
Gotta remember to use up all the bonus time to rack up your score, dont start the next course right away after returning all the orbs.
The PC version rules all.
We really need a NiGHTS remake someday.
You can it for free from Sega's 60th anniversary website. At that price, it's a steal 😂😂😂
Really? Nice👍
There seems to be some confusion over wide screen modes. Anamorphic wide screen is the superior option for SD resolutions. The resolution and quality remains the same, it’s just the shape of the pixels that change. Non-anamorphic wide screen on the other hand uses black bars drawn at the top and bottom of the screen, so you’re reducing your vertical resolution.
I tried it out in the Toys R Us in my hometown in 1997 and I was taken on one magic ride
Think I'll be giving this a spin on my XSX this afternoon. I bought the original back in the day for my Saturn with the controller. Once it all clicks its addictive as hell.
I recommend that you do. It's still a fun game to play in short blasts.
imagine my surprise when I booted up the PC port on the steam deck and it had NO native controller support! I had to map the controller buttons to keyboard keys
Theres a mod available on the steam guides page for Nights that fixes all of the control issues
Well, to be fair, it is a pretty old release in steam deck terms
I feel bad for Steam users who cannot play most of pre-2015 Sega stuff, including Nights. There was no lucky region unblock for them since January 2024 with the remakes of SA1 and SA2.
Nights runs perfectly on Steam Deck.
I practically never use steam so I'm unaware of the region block. Isn't that defeating the point of steam? PC are a region free platform.
@@RetroCore Must be a very specific region as Sega keeps giving away free Nights Steam keys every other year :D
Excellent comparison ashamedly have to admit I'm one of those who don't "get it" but it's still nice to look at.
Not to worry. I think an awful lot of people don't really understand NiGHTS. I know at first I sure didn't. 😅
I prefer the more vibrant colour of the Saturn version, as evidenced by Puffy's stage. It's rather impressive what the Saturn's actually pulling off - gouraud shading all over the place with (at points) numerous light sources, hundreds of sprites in addition to the polygons, a relatively stable frame rate, minimal warping and some splendid VDP2 work. The terrain in Soft Museum literally sinks as you fly across the surface.
The soundtrack, for the first six levels at least, is based on the mood of the nightopians and arranged in five to seven sections with four different themes for each section depending on how happy or annoyed your little friends were, so there was literally thousands of combinations (you could check the mood in the pause menu with L + R + Y, and do another run or two to improve the mood and henceforth the music - 0 is default, 1 is happy, 2 is annoyed and 3 is very annoyed, though I may have 0 and 1 mixed up), though the tempo itself wasn't ever affected. You can mess about with these combinations in Christmas NiGHTS' Melody Box present, though if you don't have a save game, all you'll see is Jack Frost's Chime.
There's something I want to check, assuming anybody knows - does the 2-player versus mode survive in the ports?
The soft museum terrain always amazed me and still does. In fact it looks best on the Saturn original.
Was never my thing but the original game did look impressive when played on Saturn. Imagine a game using the system hardware to it's fullest...
Sadly this game was only scratching the surface of the Saturn's power.
@@RetroCore Yeah, it would have been something if Traveller's Tales handled the programming. Would have been nice to have objects fade into view instead of the copious amounts of pop-in, a-la Sonic R.
I downloaded this game on the Xbox 360 back in November 1st, 2017 when it was free with gold.
Wise move.
Isn't there a demo on GBA?
If there is, it's definitely not official.
Chalk me up as another who was very impressed by what they were doing with the Saturn itself, but the game was never anything i could personally get into.
It certainly is one of those games where you know the controls but wonder what is the point? 😅
I have to say this game showed the graphical capabilities of the Sega Saturn.
One of my favourite games of all time right here.
The Saturn version will always be my favourite, theres a magic to it. The other ports are great, but theres something not quite right. It doesnt help that all modern versions have far more analogue deadzones compared to the original, though there are mods on the PC version to remedy this.
I still think Nights instead of a proper Sonic title for Saturn was a mistake.
Correct. It's also way too short. How did they think a game of this size could compete with Mario 64?
@@fenderdanuk A Sonic game needs a lot more data to be streamed through to keep up the same element of speed as the Mega Drive games - even CD and arguably GD-ROM could not keep up (hence the shorter levels, slower pace and less running action compared to the Mega Drive games on the Dreamcast Adventure games). Mario 64 doesn't need that as it is a traditionally more slow paced game and the likes of Crash Bandicoot and Croc was created with the same limitations in mind. We've only really got to that level with Sonic 3D games come DVD, Blu-Ray, downloads and hard disk storage.
I fear a Saturn Sonic game would have to be greatly compromised compared to Mario 64 and would have made the Saturn look weaker compared to the slower paced 3D platformers on other consoles. Sonic was introduced near the pinnacle of 2D technology to upstage the NES and subsequently SNES with "blast processing" to stand out and make the Genesis/Mega Drive a success in western markets. When the primitive 3D consoles arrived, it favoured the slower paced and smaller in scope platformers by the necessity of the technology of the time.
@@fenderdanuk Sega had completely taken leave of their senses by the time the Saturn launched.
@@tgheretford The museum section of Sonic Jam proved a proper 3-D Sonic game on the Saturn could have worked.
@@SomeOrangeCat Except that was a very small area that could be put into RAM. You could have Sonic in a quadrilateral 3D game, Sonic R did that too, but a fully fledged game based on speed in quads and subsequently polygons would not technically be feasible for at least a decade. Even Sonic Adventure and its sequel were relatively shy on the speed elements and reliant more on traditional platforming.
Back in those days, there was some hype about Nights being the Saturn's long awaited "killer app" to go up against the likes of Super Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot. Very colorful, creative game, doubtless, but killer application it was not. Like a lot of Sega's greatest works, it felt like a game made for the arcades,. Nothing wrong with that in and of itself, as arcade ports were still doing good business in the racing and fighting categories - but it wasn't nearly enough to turn the Saturn's fortunes around.
Likely, nothing short of a full 3D Sonic game could have managed that, and even that was doubtful, looking back. Outside of Japan with the whole Virtua Fighter obsession, business just went poorly for Sega. It's a shame too. Of all the Sega hardware, I think the Saturn is genuinely my favorite. It would have been nice to see it have a full lifespan that overlapped the Dreamcast's.
As great as the HD port is, the fact that it doesn't have Sonic from Christmas NiGHTS is sinful.
Yessssss. My fave game of all time. Thank you.
It's one of mine too. Although I'm not so good at it now. I really need to get back into the game.
'In the nights, dream delight, I found someone who really cares.' Nights is a wonderful game, and one of my favorite games on the Saturn. It's just fun and unique, with great graphics and wonderful soundtrack. I've never played the PS2 version, but do have it on the 360 and Steam and those are great versions. I didn't like Journey of Dreams nearly as much though: it's okay but not magical like the original game.
Yeah, I thought the Wii Nights game wasn't much good either.
Very colourful. Almost makes me wish I hadn’t sold my XBox 360.
If you have any of the following Xbox consoles it does work on them as well.
@ I don’t. The only Xbox I own is an OG with a RAM upgrade and a mod chip.
Hey now, the controls on the Xbox 360 version are noticeably worse and less "free" than the Sega Saturn version. I mean that it inherited the much worse control from Journey of Dreams on Wii. The Wii's (and Gamecube and N64) analog stick was designed with 8 corners around the stick for better diagonal control, but the Saturn's 3D Pad, and NiGHTS, was not, so the game tended to get stuck in those contrived "gates" of the controller while playing. Somehow the Xbox 360 version also feels just like this, but a proper, circular port for the stick. It is still playable, but NiGHTS on Xbox 360 does play much worse than the Saturn version just due to this particular issue. And no, I don't know what those sections around the analog stick are called, so I made do.
I don't know. I played all versions back to back and it felt fine. Is it possible the game was patched? Or that playing on the series X improves the controls over the 360? I mean, the series X does have a vastly nicer controller after all.
@RetroCore I grew up with the Saturn version and I was immediately aware of the difference. I actually grabbed it on Steam today and played with the Series X controller and it has the same issue. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with just how the 3D analog "pad" is.
hmmm a mixture of sonic/pilotwings and supermarioworld when mario is wearing a cape(feather powerup)
Getting a headache watching this footage 😂
As much as I want to like this game, there’s just too much whimsy in the theme and art.
Still - did not know about all the other ports and the increased frame rate and redrawn textures of the x360 version helps quite a bit
It's certainly not for everyone.
The PS2 version looks amazing when upres'd to 4k in PCSX2
I just realized PS2 is the best place for saturn remasters/remakes! So many games got a ps2 version... at least panzer dragoon, vf2, vf1, sega rally and nights... I guess there is more I don't recall?
Look up the Sega Ages ps2 collection, there's quite a few like virtua racing, virtua on.
Man, I don't know how I missed this conversions, here I thought there were only the Saturn version 😅
Thanks Mark 👍🏼
P.S I never understood how one was suppose to play this game, thanks for clearing that up 😅
No worries! The PS2 version was Japanese only release so not many people knew about that one.
Great video, though I'm pretty sure the PS2 remake has 480p support (AND anamorphic widescreen, how cool is that!?)
I was half-expecting the GBA demo too but it just has the first level.
Looks like the HD ports are missing a few of the graphical effects of the PS2 release (notably, at the very beginning, when some robots steal your marbles, the pod where they bring them in has a focus blur on the PS2 version that's missing in the HD ports).
Oh yeah, and I guess there's that GBA minigame.
I'm actually glad that blur effect is missing as it looks pretty ugly.
nights music was created by the same girl who created ristar music
Hahaha. Do I really have to say anything on this timeless classic Mark? But another excellent job as always bro. 8^)
Anthony...
Glad you enjoyed it
Will Nights: Journey of Dreams ever be ported?
I doubt it. That's the Wii game, right. From what I remember, that wasn't very good.
@@RetroCoreIt wasn't perfect, but I really enjoyed it.
there's always Dolphin
We're long overdue for another remaster. Sega should rerelease both this AND the sequel on Nintendo Wii.
Hi Mark! No love for the Wii game? Yes, it's slightly different from the original but you should have included it as a bonus. I managed to get the Steam port but I haven't gotten to play it just yet, which I find a little bit sad, given how beautiful the game is and the music also seems great. I really need to give it a try. Thanks for the video!
Nah, it's a totally different game. I see where you're coming from but that would be like including Megaman X2 in a Megaman X video. 😅
Epic:)
This Game is so interesting, but until now I didn't get the hang on it. It Looks so relaxing (might not be the Case).
But isn't there a Wii Version of Nights as well?
The Wii Nights game is a different game and not very good from what I remember.
I thought a PC Version of was also released exclusively in Japan.
I can't seem to find any info on that one.
That's the problem with Steam. So many PC games the were released on steam but also released solo previously never seem to have their early versions mentioned on line 😖
There was also a Christmas edition of the game. I never knew that this would be the shortest one yet. 3 versions? Usually, these videos would have at least 25 versions in the remastered versions. But sometimes, simple is good enough. This one was great. Maybe you could try comparing Sega Superstars Tennis for Wii, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, and DS in your next episode.
Sadly I don't have access to a PS3 and my 360 can't play copied games 😢
@RetroCore Darn! It would've been so cool. If it's in the Xbox 360 store, you can buy it. Also, you could just compare the three versions you have already. Wii, PS2, and DS. I wouldn't mind.
I always thought this game is a strange experiment in game design.
Some attractive stylings looking for a better game. :-/ I wanted to like it more than I did. Even so, I got a bit of fun out of it.
Was the original ever released on Windows before the Steam version? I know Sega used to port some of their games on PC before Microsoft Xbox did, eventually followed by Sony Playstation.
I don't believe it was. I can't see any mention about it on the net.
@@RetroCore Never mind then. I just didn't know if there was or not.
I was really lucky to play nights on ps3 Japanese ps plus
How's this compare with the PC version?
Like I said in the video, the PC PS3 and Xbox 360 versions are all the same.
Would love a saturn modern port since the ps2/3/360 remake does not play the same and have cut features (and graphics), but the worst offender is they are zoomed and trimmed on 360/PS3, not a true widescreen.
The ps2 version has certain exclusives that aren't available on any other platforms
It does? As far as I know all the content of the PS2 release is included in the Xbox 360 /PS3 / Steam version.
btw Sega have just annonced, many classic titles is being delisted on 6 dec. this game is one of them. quite "strange" timing with so few days after this battle of the port game, hihi.i.
Wow, good job I featured the game on the channel when I did.
Do you recall reading an article that sega was considering porting this to ps1 after they dropped out of the hardware market?
Yeah. NiGHTS and a few other games. Probably just some made up news from PlayStation magazines at the time.
I have the “Xbox port” for my PS3. Looks great and is a joy to play. But I’ve never found the actual game to be much good.
It's all about score at the end of the day. The actual gameplay is basic so those not looking to beat their own scores haven't much reason to come back to the game after opening up all the areas.
Say retro core can you do the ports of Puyo Puyo Fever on the next episode of battle of the ports
I'll add it to the list.
@@RetroCore right on 😎
also its released on PC and PS3 as well. Im saw this game on gamepass a day. So im tried the game there when im have a change. Actuelly im personally did not really liked the game, due a bit too short game timer. But its a nice graphical well designed game for sure.
I still play the xbox one
That's the one I play mostly these days but still enjoy the Saturn version from time to time.
The PS2 version while playing fine is the one I play least due to the blurry image.
Still sad the Wii sequel failed or maybe we would have seen more games
You forgot the Wii version...
That's a completely different game.
I never got on with the ports. Saturn or bust, IMO.
Remakes games should really stop taking things out. There is no good excuse on this modern remake not having the 2 player vs mode & that Sonic level. Sega loves being lazy as hell. That final boss was really tough to beat (I beaten the modern remake on PC). Those floating rocks really mess with my depth perception.
The PS2 version was slow and sluggish, couldn't do many Link Combos at all!
All ports are plain broken as links timeout too fast.
Can't say I noticed that myself. What I did notice is that the Saturn version runs faster in some instances.
I'd say the Saturn version is the best one because the camera moves around a bit more. It looks more fun overall. I don't think the high res textures and resolution really helped this game. A port usually looks best in the target platform and I think this holds true here.
The Saturn version is also faster in some cases.
I tried to play this game like 3 times in Windows and I always feel that the game was visually awesome by the time but at gameplay level is boring as hell. I unnistalled at about 15 minutes later.
I've always hated this game. It's just a 2.5d score attack game with aweful draw distance where you do nothing but fly through rings over and over. The boss fights were well designed though.
(Using translator) Congratulations on the video!
Hahahahaha... this is the only battle that only has losers!
Man... Nights sucks, the only good thing is the control (hahahaha... which looks like a discman). My friends! If Yuji Naka wasn't an imbecile, he could have used the power of the Saturn to make a 32-bit Sonic! Imagine a Sonic with the graphic and sound quality of Astal, but no, the imbecile had to make a character of dubious masculinity (hahahaha!). That's why he was arrested... oh, and also for having made Balan Wonderworld! Hahahahaha... if I liked Square, I could even feel sorry for it!
I wish you all good health and... don't play this garbage, play Astal, or Princess Crown!