85-834: Sonic Jam is a video game compilation developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Sega Saturn . It was released in Japan in June 1997 and in North America and Europe the following August. It contains the four main Sonic the Hedgehog games released on the Sega Genesis : Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994) and Sonic & Knuckles (1994). It also features
170-475: A boss fight which takes place in Nightmare. In each level, players initially control Claris or Elliot, who immediately have their Ideyas (spherical objects that contain emotions) of hope, wisdom, intelligence and purity stolen from them by Wizeman's minions, leaving behind only their Ideya of courage. The goal of each Mare is to recover one of the stolen Ideya by collecting 20 blue chips and delivering them to
255-483: A "giddy thrill". Colin Ferris from Game Revolution praised the graphics and speed as breathtaking and awe-inspiring, concluding that it offered the best qualities of the fifth-generation machines. GameFan praised the combination of "lush graphics, amazing music, and totally unique gameplay". Next Generation criticised the speed, saying that the only disappointing aspect was the way "it all rushes by so fast", but
340-420: A 2.5-D platform game without the platforms". Nights into Dreams has appeared on several best-game-of-all-time lists. In a January 2000 poll by Computer and Video Games , readers named it the 15th greatest game, behind Super Mario 64 . IGN ranked it the 94th best game of all time in 2007, and in 2008, Levi Buchanan ranked it fourth in his list of the top 10 Sega Saturn games. Next Generation ranked it
425-421: A 2014 retrospective, the staff of GamesRadar praised Sonic Jam 's "loving" presentation, noting "this was back before classic Sonic games appeared on every device known to man". Citations Bibliography Video game compilation A video game compilation is a type of product bundling in which different video games are available for purchase as a special collection. They are often stored on
510-637: A 3D environment, "Sonic World", which doubles as an interactive museum of Sonic the Hedgehog content. Development began after the Japanese release of Nights into Dreams in July 1996. Sonic Jam was announced at the Spring 1997 Tokyo Game Show as part of a project to increase market awareness of Sega and the Sonic brand. It received mostly positive reviews, and was praised for its value, though some criticized
595-430: A bonus barrel. The power-ups include a speed boost, point multiplier and an air pocket. The player receives a grade based on their score at the end of each Mare, and an overall grade for the level after clearing all four Mares. Nights is then transported to Nightmare for a boss fight against one of Wizeman's "Level Two" Nightmarens. Each boss fight has a time limit, and the game ends if the player runs out of time during
680-546: A compilation of games with several improvements rather than being direct ports. At the time of the show, the game was "88% complete". According to Naka, the purpose of Project Sonic was not only to increase consumer awareness but also renew excitement for Sega, as Sonic the Hedgehog was only initially successful outside of Japan. Development began after the Japanese release of Nights into Dreams in July 1996, after Sonic Team received letters from fans asking who Sonic was. The Sonic creators, Naka and Naoto Ohshima , thought it
765-755: A lack of games to use as reference; the team had to redesign the Spring Valley level numerous times and build "everything from scratch". The team used the Sega Graphics Library operating system, said by many developers to make programming for the Saturn dramatically easier, only sparingly, instead creating the game almost entirely with custom libraries. Because the Sonic Team offices did not include soundproof studios, team members recorded sound effects at night. According to Naka, every phrase in
850-574: A more mature look. Sega of America , fearing the game would appeal to too young of a demographic in the West, and considered altering the game to better appeal to the older Saturn demographic in the West, though these plans never materialized. Nights was marketed with a budget of $ 10 million, which included television and print advertisements in the United States. In the US, it was advertised with
935-566: A multiplayer mode for two players in addition to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection online functions. Journey of Dreams was developed by Sega Studio USA , with Iizuka, one of the designers of the original game, serving as producer. It was released in Japan and the United States in December 2007, and in Europe and Australia in January 2008. In 2010, Iizuka said that he would be interested in making
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#17327823614951020-640: A prototype for the first fully 3D Sonic game, Sonic Adventure , which began development for the Saturn but was released on its successor, the Dreamcast , in 1998. "Sonic World" uses the same engine as Nights. Naka's refusal to share the Nights engine with the STI team developing Sonic X-treme —a factor in that game's cancellation—may have been motivated by his preference for Sonic Team to create an original 3D Sonic game. Naka later expressed relief that X-treme
1105-540: A reprint of a picture book that was released in Japan alongside the original Saturn game. A Nights into Dreams handheld electronic game was released by Tiger Electronics in 1997, and a port of it was later released for Tiger's unsuccessful R-Zone console. A high definition remaster of the PlayStation 2 version was released for PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade in October 2012. A Windows version
1190-413: A third Nights into Dreams game. In Japan, Nights into Dreams topped the Japanese all-format games chart, despite increased competition from the newly launched Nintendo 64 . It was the best-selling Sega Saturn game and the 21st best-selling game of 1996, with 392,383 copies sold. The PS2 version sold 6,828 units in Japan, bringing total Japanese sales to 399,211 units. In the US, Nights into Dreams
1275-402: Is determined by the first player to defeat the other, which is accomplished by hitting or paralooping the other player three times. The game features an artificial life system known as "A-Life", which involves entities called Nightopians and keeps track of their moods. It is possible to have them mate with other Nightopians, which creates hybrids known as "Superpians". The more the game
1360-411: Is infamous for its low quality. Pirate Nintendo compilations often included ROM hacks that replaced character sprites . In the 1990s, video game consoles saw compilations of older arcade games, such as Arcade's Greatest Hits and Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits , while Windows computers received compilations of console games, such as the Sonic & Knuckles Collection . Three Wonders
1445-724: Is playable through using the Nintendo GameCube – Game Boy Advance link cable connectivity with Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II (2000) and Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg (2003). Following a successful fan campaign by a Nights into Dreams fansite , the character Nights was integrated into Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (2010) as a traffic guard . Nights and Reala also appear as playable characters in Sega Superstars Tennis (2008) and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (2012),
1530-618: Is played, the more inhabitants appear, and environmental features and aesthetics change. The A-Life system features an evolving music engine, allowing tempo , pitch , and melody to alter depending on the state of Nightopians within the level. The feature runs from the Sega Saturn's internal clock, which alters features in the A-Life system depending on the time. Every night, all human dreams are played out in Nightopia and Nightmare,
1615-408: Is presented in 3D and imposes time limits on every level, in which the player must accumulate points to proceed. Development began after the release of Sonic & Knuckles in 1994, although the concept originated in 1992, during the development of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 . Development was led by Sonic Team veterans Yuji Naka , Naoto Ohshima , and Takashi Iizuka . Naka began the project with
1700-494: Is punished by being imprisoned inside an Ideya palace, a container for dreamers' Ideya. One day, Elliot Edwards and Claris Sinclair, two teenagers from the city of Twin Seeds, go through failures. Elliot, a basketball player, is challenged by a group of older students and suffers a humiliating defeat on the court. Claris, a singer, is overcome by stage fright when auditioning for judges, which causes her to lose all hopes of getting
1785-558: Is returned to Nightopia and the world of Nightmare is suppressed. The next day, in Twin Seeds, a centenary ceremony begins. Elliot walks through the parade and has a vision of Nights looking at him through a billboard. Realizing that Claris is performing in a hall, Elliot runs through the crowd and sees Claris on stage in front of a large audience, singing well. The two look at each other and transition to Nightopia. I headed back to Japan so that I could work with Mr Ohshima and while I
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#17327823614951870-472: Is split into seven levels , referred to as "Dreams". The levels are distributed between the two teenage characters: three are unique to Claris, three to Elliot, and each play through an identical final seventh level, "Twin Seeds". Initially, only Claris' "Spring Valley" and Elliot's "Splash Garden" levels are available, and successful completion of one of these unlocks the next level in that character's path. Previously completed stages may be revisited to improve
1955-492: Is unusual for a 1991 arcade machine for being a compilation of three games. Renewed interest in retrogaming has motivated the release of multiple compilations in the 2010s and 2020s, such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection and the Irem Collection series. Nights into Dreams Nights into Dreams is a 1996 action game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for
2040-586: The Japan Game Awards . In Electronic Gaming Monthly ' s "Best of '96" awards, it was a runner-up for Flying Game of the Year (behind Pilotwings 64 ), Nights was a runner-up for "coolest mascot" (behind Mario ), and the Saturn analog controller, which the magazine called the "Nights Controller", won Best Peripheral. The following year EGM ranked it the 70th best console video game of all time, describing it as "unlike anything you've seen before ...
2125-448: The Sega Saturn . The story follows the teenagers Elliot Edwards and Claris Sinclair, who enter Nightopia, a dream world where all dreams take place. With the help of Nights, an exiled "Nightmaren", they begin a journey to stop the evil ruler Wizeman from destroying Nightopia and consequently the real world. Players control Nights flying through Elliot and Claris's dreams to gather enough energy to defeat Wizeman and save Nightopia. The game
2210-515: The greatest video games ever made . A shorter Christmas-themed version, Christmas Nights , was released in December 1996. Nights into Dreams was ported to the PlayStation 2 in 2008 in Japan and a high-definition version was released worldwide for Windows , PlayStation 3 , and Xbox 360 in 2012. A sequel, Nights: Journey of Dreams , was released for the Wii in 2007. Nights into Dreams
2295-470: The slogan "Prepare to fly". Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams... is a short Christmas-themed version of Nights into Dreams released in December 1996. Iizuka stated that Christmas Nights was created to increase Saturn sales. Development began in July 1996 and took three to four months, according to Naka. Designer Takao Miyoshi recalled working "in the peak of summer ... holed up at the office listening to 'Jingle Bells'". In Japan, Christmas Nights
2380-499: The "Paraloop", whereby flying around in a complete circle and connecting the trail of stars left in Nights' wake causes any items within the loop to be attracted towards Nights. The game features a combo system known as "Linking", whereby actions such as collecting items and flying through rings are worth more points when performed in quick succession. Power-ups may be gained by flying through several predetermined rings, indicated by
2465-400: The 25th best game in their September 1996 issue (one month before they actually reviewed the game, and roughly two months before it saw release outside Japan). 1UP ranked it third in its "Top Ten Cult Classics" list. In 2014, GamesRadar listed Nights into Dreams as the best Sega Saturn game of all time, saying it "tapped into a new kind of platform gameplay for its era". Naka said that
2550-471: The Dreamcast. In August 1999, Naka confirmed that a sequel was in development; by December 2000, however, it had been cancelled. Naka expressed reluctance to develop a sequel, but later said he was interested in using Nights into Dreams "to reinforce Sega's identity". Aside from a handheld electronic game released by Tiger Electronics and small minigames featured in several Sega games, no sequel
2635-400: The Hedgehog cartoons and adverts. Electronic Gaming Monthly described the 3D world as innovative and fun, but too small to serve as anything more than a preview. The lead reviewer called it "the best Game Select screen ever created" and emphasized that no one should buy the compilation for the 3D world alone. GameRevolution found the 3D graphics of the interactive museum impressive but
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2720-524: The Hedgehog 2 in 1992, but development did not begin until after the release of Sonic & Knuckles in late 1994. Programming began in April 1995 and total development spanned six months. Yuji Naka was lead programmer and producer, while Naoto Ohshima and Takashi Iizuka were director and lead designer, respectively. Naka and Ohshima felt they had spent enough time with the Sonic franchise and were eager to work on new concepts. According to Naka,
2805-478: The Hedgehog 3 (1994), and Sonic & Knuckles (1994). Unlike later Sonic collections, Sonic Jam does not use a Genesis emulator ; the games are true ports , and all are nearly identical to the original Genesis releases, with the exception of minor bug fixes. Sonic Jam emulates Sonic & Knuckles ' "lock-on technology" —a special feature that allows the player to merge elements of Sonic & Knuckles into previous games, with altered levels and
2890-514: The Hedgehog. Pocket Gamer described it as "so far removed from the original releases that the game practically qualifies as an all-new Sonic adventure", criticizing the motion blur , looping music and collision detection . Sonic Jam received mostly positive reviews. It holds an average score of 77% at GameRankings , based on an aggregate of four reviews. The 3D environment, "Sonic World", received generally positive reviews. Lee Nutter of Sega Saturn Magazine said that it featured "some of
2975-694: The Rangers emails thanking them for their help. Nights into Dreams -themed pinball areas feature in Sonic Adventure (1998) and Sonic Pinball Party (2003). The PlayStation 2 games EyeToy: Play (2003) and Sega SuperStars (2004) both feature minigames based on Nights into Dreams , in which Nights is controlled using the player's body. Nights is also an unlockable character in Sonic Riders (2006) and Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (2008). A minigame version of Nights into Dreams
3060-675: The Saturn analog controller. It took about six months to develop, and the team went through many ideas for alternate controllers, including one shaped like a Nights doll. Iizuka said Nights was inspired by anime and Cirque du Soleil 's Mystère theatrical performance. The team researched dream sequences and REM sleep , including the works of psychoanalysts Carl Jung , Sigmund Freud and Friedrich Holtz. Iizuka studied dreams and theories about them, such as Jung's theories of dream archetypes. Naka said that Nights reflected Jung's analytical " shadow " theory, whereas Claris and Elliot were inspired by Jung's animus and anima . Nights into Dreams
3145-399: The ability to spin dash (introduced in Sonic 2 ) in the first Sonic the Hedgehog, play Special Stages separately, a " Time Attack " mode, and a "Time Out" option to disable time limits. Sonic Jam also includes a special 3D environment, "Sonic World", whereby the player can move around freely as Sonic and interact with various objects. "Sonic World" acts as an interactive museum in which
3230-461: The analogue controller and called the levels "well-designed and graphically unrivaled", but the reviewer expressed disappointment in the limited level count compared to Super Mario 64 , and suggested that Nights seemed to prioritise technical achievements and Saturn selling points over gameplay with as clear a focus as Sonic . Martin Robinson from Eurogamer opined that the flight mechanics were
3315-435: The battle. Upon winning the boss fight, the player is awarded a score multiplier based on how quickly the boss was defeated, which is then applied to the score earned in the Nightopia section to produce the player's final score for that Dream. The game also features a multiplayer mode, which allows two players to battle each other by using a splitscreen . One player controls Nights, whereas the other controls Reala. The winner
3400-522: The boss: an inflatable Dr. Robotnik . The music is a remixed version of "Final Fever", the final boss battle music from the Japanese and European version of Sonic CD (1993). In the HD version of Nights , the Christmas Nights content is playable after the game has been cleared once. Sonic Team made a prototype Saturn sequel with the title Air Nights for the Saturn, and began development for
3485-528: The cage holding the Ideyas, which overloads and releases the orb it holds. If the player walks around the landscape for too long, they are pursued by a sentient alarm clock which awakens the character and ends the level if it comes into contact with the player. The majority of the gameplay centres on flying sequences, which are triggered by walking into the Ideya Palace near the start of each level so that
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3570-452: The character merges with the imprisoned Nights. Once the flying sequence is initiated, the time limit begins. In the flying sections, the player controls Nights' flight along a predetermined route through each Mare, resembling that of a 2D platformer . The player has only a limited period of time available before Nights falls to the ground and transforms back into Claris or Elliot, and each collision with an enemy subtracts five seconds from
3655-492: The character should resemble an angel and fly like a bird. In the context of the game, Nights is a part of every human's subconsciousness, and so was purposely designed to be neither male nor female. Nights' personality is intended to be a "a mirror of the child's personality." Naka originally intended to make Nights into Dreams a slow-paced game, but as development progressed the gameplay pace gradually increased, in similar vein to Sonic games. The initial concept envisioned
3740-557: The choice to play the combined Sonic 3 and Knuckles game and play as Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 . The games can be played in three difficulty modes: normal, easy, and original. Original mode is unchanged from the Genesis games, normal mode slightly alters the stage layouts to create a unique (often less difficult) experience, and easy mode adds platforms and removes many obstacles and some levels. New features include
3825-516: The console "was not built to handle Nights " due to the game occasionally clipping and warping , though he admitted that the graphics were "pretty darn good". A reviewer from Mean Machines Sega praised the vibrant colours and detailed textures, and described its animation as being "fluid as water". The reviewer also noted occasional pop-in and glitching. Rad Automatic from the British Sega Saturn Magazine praised
3910-440: The date and time: December activates "Christmas Nights" mode, replacing item boxes with Christmas presents, greenery with snow and gumdrops, rings with wreaths, and Ideya captures with Christmas trees; Nightopians wear elf costumes, and the music is replaced with a rendition of " Jingle Bells " and an a cappella version of the Nights theme song. During the "Winter Nights" period, the Spring Valley weather changes according to
3995-480: The detailed graphics of "Sonic World", saying that it showed the Saturn did perform well if programmed correctly, although he thought that it did not appear as polished as Super Mario 64 . Reviewers largely praised the inclusion of the four Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis/Mega Drive games. Nutter acknowledged that the compilation "may not be everyone's cup of tea" and recommended that Sonic Jam
4080-416: The director Steven Spielberg visited the Sonic Team studio and became the first person outside the team to play the game. Naka asked him to use an experimental version of the Saturn 3D controller, and it was jokingly referred to as the "Spielberg controller" throughout development. Because the Nights character was testing very young in focus groups , Sega used a nighttime scene for the cover art to create
4165-414: The exclusion of Sonic CD and Sonic Spinball . "Sonic World" was praised for its range of content, though its graphics gathered mixed responses. A version for the handheld Game.com console was released in 1998. Sonic Jam is a compilation which contains the four main Sonic the Hedgehog games released on the Sega Genesis : Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992), Sonic
4250-532: The flight system and freedom were captivating and that Nights into Dreams was the "perfect evolution" of a Sonic game. Scary Larry of GamePro said flying using the analogue joystick "is a breeze" and that the gameplay is fun, enjoyable, and impressive. He gave it a 4.5 out of 5 for graphics and a 5 out of 5 in every other category (sound, control, and FunFactor). Entertainment Weekly said its "graceful acrobatic stunts" offer "a more compelling sensation of soaring than most flight simulators". Edge praised
4335-414: The flying character in a rendered 2D sprite art, with side-scrolling features similar to Sonic the Hedgehog . The team were hesitant to switch from 2D to 3D, as Naka was sceptical that appealing characters could be created with polygons, in contrast to traditional pixel sprites, which the designers found "more expressive". According to Iizuka, the design and story took two years to finalise. The difficulty
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#17327823614954420-435: The game has a meaning; for example, "abayo" is Japanese slang for "goodbye". The team felt that the global market would be less resistant to a game featuring full 3D CGI cut scenes than 2D anime . Norihiro Nishiyama, the designer of the in-game movies, felt that the 3D cutscenes were a good method to show the different concepts of dreaming and waking up. Naka said that the movies incorporate realism to make it more difficult for
4505-607: The holiday season following their adventures with Nights. Realizing that the Christmas Star is missing from the Twin Seeds Christmas tree, the pair travel to Nightopia to find it, where they reunite with Nights and retrieve the Christmas Star from Gillwing's lair. Christmas Nights contains the full version of Claris' Spring Valley dream level from Nights into Dreams , playable as both Claris and Elliot. The Saturn's internal clock changes elements according to
4590-618: The hour. Other changes apply on New Year's Day; on April Fool's Day , Reala replaces Nights as the playable character. Nights features several unlockable bonuses, such as being able to play the game's soundtrack, observe the status of the A-life system, experiment with the game's music mixer, time attack one Mare, or play as Sega's mascot Sonic the Hedgehog in the minigame Sonic the Hedgehog: Into Dreams. Sonic may only play through Spring Valley on foot, and must defeat
4675-526: The idea of flight, and Ohshima designed Nights as an androgynous character that resembles an angel that could fly like a bird. The team conducted research on dreaming and REM sleep , and was influenced by the works and theories of psychoanalysts Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud . An analogue controller, the Saturn 3D controller, was designed alongside the game and included with some retail copies. Nights into Dreams received acclaim for its graphics, gameplay, soundtrack, and atmosphere. It has been cited as one of
4760-408: The initial development team consisted of seven people, and grew to 20 as programmers arrived. Sonic creator and project director Ohshima created the character of Nights based on his inspirations from travelling Europe and western Asia. The character design incorporated Japanese, European, and American stylistics in order to give Nights as universal an appeal as possible. Ohshima later decided that
4845-428: The latter of which also features a Nights into Dreams -themed racetrack. The limited Deadly Six edition of Sonic Lost World (2013) features a Nights into Dreams -inspired stage, "Nightmare Zone", as downloadable content . In February 1998, Archie Comics adapted Nights into Dreams into a three-issue comic book miniseries to test whether a Nights comic would sell well in North America. The first miniseries
4930-453: The magazine praised the two-player mode and the innovative method of grading the player once they completed a level. Electronic Gaming Monthly ' s four reviewers were impressed with both the technical aspects and style of the graphics, and said the levels are great fun to explore, though they expressed disappointment that the game was not genuinely 3D and said it did not surpass Super Mario 64 . Levi Buchanan from IGN believed that
5015-468: The missions are completed, the player is given the opportunity to view the credits. Sonic Jam is compatible with the Saturn's 3D Control Pad . At the Tokyo Game Show in early 1997, Sega announced Project Sonic, a promotional campaign aimed at increasing market awareness of the Sonic the Hedgehog brand. Yuji Naka , the co-creator of Sonic, said that "phase one" would introduce Sonic Jam as
5100-438: The most astounding graphics witnessed on the Saturn", rivaling those of Super Mario 64 . He praised the lack of clipping or glitching, and commended the 3D engine as "truly remarkable". Glenn Rubenstein from GameSpot , however, was not impressed, feeling it did not look as smooth as Super Mario 64 or Crash Bandicoot . Rubenstein praised the unlockable content, in particular the ability to view Japanese versions of Sonic
5185-401: The most difficult part of development was finding a way of handling the "contradiction" of using 2D sidescroller controls in a fully 3D game. Naka limited the flying mechanic to "invisible 2D tracks" because early beta testing revealed that the game was too difficult to play in full 3D. The standard Saturn gamepad was found to be insufficient to control Nights in flight, so the team developed
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#17327823614955270-443: The player can access an array of information of Sonic the Hedgehog -related content, such as viewing concept artwork, manuals, character portfolios, music, and original Japanese advertisements. To access these features, the player must guide Sonic into specific buildings. "Sonic World" also features a "mission list" accessible via jumping on a trampoline. Missions include collecting rings, reaching goalposts, and locating Tails ; if all
5355-459: The player to disambiguate the boundary between dreams and reality. The development took longer than expected because of the team's inexperience with Saturn hardware and uncertainty about using the full 560 megabyte space on the CD-ROM. The team initially thought that the game would consume around 100 megabytes of data, and at one point considered releasing it on two separate discs. Iizuka said that
5440-445: The player's high scores ; a grade between A and F is given to the player upon completion, but a "C" grade (or better) in all the selected character's levels must be achieved to unlock the relevant "Twin Seeds" stage for that character. Points are accumulated depending on how fast the player completes a level, and extra points are awarded when the player flies through rings. Each level is split up into four "Mares" set in Nightopia and
5525-481: The release of Nights was when Sonic Team was truly formed as a brand. Sega released a remake of Nights into Dreams for the PlayStation 2 exclusively in Japan on 21 February 2008. It includes 16:9 wide screen support, an illustration gallery and features the ability to play the game in classic Saturn graphics. The game was also featured in a bundle named the Nightopia Dream Pack, which includes
5610-444: The role. When they go to sleep that night, both Elliot and Claris suffer nightmares that replay the events. They escape into Nightopia and find that they both possess the rare Red Ideya of Courage, the only type that Wizeman cannot steal. Elliot and Claris release Nights, who tells them about dreams and Wizeman and his plans; the three begin a journey to stop Wizeman and restore peace to Nightopia. When they defeat Wizeman and Reala, peace
5695-547: The same physical media or digital package, making use of menu interfaces that allow players to select the game they want to play. They are a form of video game preservation . The Nintendo Entertainment System received official multicart compilations that re-released earlier games, such as Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt / World Class Track Meet . In the early 1990s, Codemasters , an unlicensed publisher, used multicarts to release brand new games in their Quattro compilations . Action 52 , released by Active Enterprises,
5780-423: The same review, Tom Guise said it created a hypnotically magical atmosphere. Ferris said that the music and sound effects were that of a dream world, and asserted that they were fitting for a game like Nights into Dreams . IGN 's Buchanan praised the soundtrack and that the sound effects "fit in perfectly with the dream universe". Nights into Dreams received the "Best Graphics" and "Best Programming" awards at
5865-463: The setup mundane. They commended the inclusion of Sonic the Hedgehog commercials. Colin Williamson of AllGame said the 3D presentation was "gorgeous", but felt the overall experience was not as fun compared to Super Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot . Special K from GamePro felt Sonic Jam served as a "great permanent record" of the original Sonic games. Steve O'Learly from Hyper praised
5950-443: The time remaining. The player's time is replenished each time they return an Ideya to the Ideya Palace. While flying, Nights can use a "Drill Dash" to travel faster, as well as defeat certain reverie enemies scattered throughout the level. Grabbing onto certain enemies causes Nights to spin around, which launches both Nights and the enemy in the direction the boost was initiated. Various acrobatic manoeuvres can be performed, including
6035-694: The two parts of the dream world . In Nightopia, distinct aspects of dreamers' personalities are represented by luminous coloured spheres known as "Ideya". The evil ruler of Nightmare, Wizeman the Wicked, is stealing this dream energy from sleeping visitors in order to gather power and take control of Nightopia and eventually the real world. To achieve this, he creates five beings called "Nightmaren": jester -like, flight-capable beings, which include Jackle, Clawz, Gulpo, Gillwing and Puffy as well as many minor maren. He also creates two "Level One" Nightmaren: Nights and Reala. However, Nights rebels against Wizeman's plans, and
6120-420: The video game industry, particularly the action game genre. The reviewer also said Nights felt better through with the analogue pad, in contrast to the conventional controller, and also praised the light and smooth feeling the analogue pad portrayed during gameplay. Reviewers also praised the soundtrack and audio effects. Paul Davies from Computer and Video Games said Nights had "the best music ever"; in
6205-483: The visuals and colour scheme as rich in both texture and detail, while suggesting that Nights into Dreams is "one of the most captivating games the Saturn has witnessed yet". Next Generation said the visuals were "beyond a doubt" the most fluid and satisfying for any game on any system. Upon release, the Japanese Sega Saturn Magazine wrote that Nights would have a significant impact on
6290-456: Was a lot of exploring for the player to do in Sonic Jam , he expressed skepticism that the majority of the game was from "yesterday" and there were not enough new innovations. O'Learly praised the faithful and accurate replication of the original games, though he felt they were "dated". By contrast, Ed Lomas of Computer and Video Games considered it "amazing how well the games have aged". In
6375-483: Was cancelled. Naka and Ohshima said the most difficult process was gathering information to include in "Sonic World", as there were many Sonic games they had never heard of. A version of Sonic Jam was released for the Game.com handheld console in 1998, with scaled-down versions of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 , Sonic the Hedgehog 3 , and Sonic & Knuckles . Unlike it's Saturn counterpart, this version did not include Sonic
6460-405: Was designed with the intent that young and inexperienced players would be able to complete the game, while more experienced players would be compelled by the replay value. Nights was developed using Silicon Graphics workstations for graphical designs and Sega Saturn emulators running on Hewlett-Packard machines for programming. There were problems during early stages of development because of
6545-445: Was important to introduce people to Sonic. Sonic Team had not worked on a Sonic game since Sonic & Knuckles in 1994; other Sonic games had been developed by teams including Sega Technical Institute (STI) and Traveller's Tales . Naka thought Sonic Team needed a period to "recharge our batteries" and had new ideas. "Sonic World" was part of an experiment to see how a Sonic the Hedgehog game would work in full 3D. It served as
6630-548: Was included as part of a Christmas Sega Saturn bundle and distributed free to Saturn owners who covered the shipping cost. Elsewhere, it was given away with the purchase of Saturn games such as Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition (1996) or issues of Sega Saturn Magazine and Next Generation Magazine . In the United Kingdom, Christmas Nights was not included with Sega Saturn Magazine until December 1997. Christmas Nights follows Elliot and Claris during
6715-507: Was introduced alongside an optional gamepad , the Saturn 3D controller, included with some copies of the game. It features an analogue stick and analogue triggers designed for Nights to make movement easier. Sonic Team noted the successful twinning of the Nintendo 64 controller with Super Mario 64 (1996), and realised that the default Saturn controller was better suited to arcade games than Nights into Dreams . During development,
6800-410: Was not worth purchasing if the player already owned the included games, although he praised its value for money. Rubenstein criticized the lack of Sonic CD or Sonic Spinball , stating that "Sega could have made a far more complete Sonic collection". He summarized that Sonic Jam was not a definitive Sonic experience, asserting that it had only been six years since the original Sonic the Hedgehog
6885-439: Was released and "perhaps most of us aren't quite nostalgic about it yet". Game Revolution's reviewer echoed that the compilation was merely a "solid set of games that we've seen before", saying that the game was not recommended if the consumer was "tired of rehashes", but "well worth thirty or forty bucks." The Electronic Gaming Monthly team described the games as old and outdated, but still fun. Although Williamson noted that there
6970-536: Was released for a Sega console. A sequel, Nights: Journey of Dreams , was announced for the Wii in April 2007. It was first previewed on Portuguese publication Maxi Consolas , after the release of short reveals from the Official Nintendo Magazine and Game Reactor . It is a Wii exclusive, making use of the Wii Remote . The gameplay involves the use of various masks, and features
7055-404: Was released via Steam on in December 2012, with online score leaderboards and the option to play with enhanced graphics or with the original Saturn graphics. The HD version also includes Christmas Nights , but the two-player mode and Sonic the Hedgehog level were removed. Claris and Elliot make a cameo appearance in Sonic Team's Burning Rangers (1998), with both Claris and Eliot sending
7140-441: Was reported to sell out at several different retail outlets. Nights into Dreams received critical acclaim, holding an average score of 89 percent at GameRankings , based on an aggregate of nine reviews. Upon release, Computer and Video Games magazine called it "one of the most sensational video games EVER made!" The graphics and flight mechanics were the most praised aspects. Tom Guise of Computer and Video Games said
7225-456: Was waiting for the plane to take off, I thought, 'Let's make a game where we can fly!' So I guess that's where it all started. Producer Yuji Naka in an interview with Sega Saturn Magazine Nights was developed by Sonic Team , the Sega development division that had created the Sonic the Hedgehog games for Genesis . The Nights concept originated during the development of Sonic
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