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Sonic Xtreme "Nights" build released

Wow, it actually got released! I wonder how it got leaked out? I know that Yuji Naka ordered the build to be deleted, so someone from the dev team must have been holding it for all these years!
 
looks like an unplayable mess, but I could easily see this evolving into a much better experience than Sonic Adventures
 
I like how the ground looks like it's breathing in some areas. This wouldve been so much better than Sonic 3D Blast.
 
I'm searching for a way to play this right now. Such a surprise, to see a tech demo of this playable after so many years.
 
Figured GAF would have had a topic about this by now, but yeah. Credit goes to the 96 who donated. Its not much, but it had such a huge hype around it that it should please some people to see it released.
 
I seriously cant believe Sega scrapped this for 3d blast I really cant.
What would be wrong with having both NIGHTS and Sonic xtreme? Id buy 5 copies of both.
 
I love the music. Sonic always had such great music, and that cystal frost level has a really great song.

I wish Sega would still go back to that old school sound of synthesizers and melodic tunes. I get so bored with the music in today's games. It's either liscened music or a bunch of uninspired generic crap.

When CD's and improved digital formats came around, I knew it would mean great things for gaming music but I never thought we'd have to trade-off creativity, originality and experimantation. Songs like in the Sonic game actually got your adrenaline going and made you get in the rythm of the game.
 
Cdammen said:
(EDIT) Also found a video of the Crystal Frost Zone from another (earlier?) version of the game. Catchy music.
Actually it's a later build. After Yuji Naka found out that the US team had used the NiGHTS engine without his personal consent he threw a fit and forced the US team to can that build and make this new engine that had a fisheye effect.
 
RagnarokX said:
Actually it's a later build. After Yuji Naka found out that the US team had used the NiGHTS engine without his personal consent he threw a fit and forced the US team to can that build and make this new engine that had a fisheye effect.
That fisheye effect is spectacular though. I wouldn't want it in a sonic game, but a game that is custom built around it would be great. It looks similar to the 'small worlds' from R&C2 and Mario Galaxy, only it doesn't affect the level geometry. That level was (I'm simplifying here) basically a level from a 2.5D game (such as UG&G, NSMB, SSB:M, etc) only the fisheye perspective made it look like you were playing in an orb (the east and west horizons being where the left and right edges of the screen should be, etc)

It's a wonderful effect and one I would love to see a game designed around.
 
The Nights version doesn't look so fun to play (glad that it's available now), but the fisheye one looks incredible. Kind of the same concept as Crush, isn't it? Edit: Actually, it looks just like Mario Galaxy. Ha!

They just weren't visionary enough- that game could have been great.

Also: pissy internal politics killed Sega. Figures.
 
Nabs said:
the music sounds great. is there a good rip of it?
Yes, it is the Japanese version of Sonic CD and the soundtrack should be easy to find on the net if you look around (the entire soundtrack).
 
My good friend was one of the guys responsible in acquiring the game. Its a cool little tech demo which was forced to leak early due to a few people who couldn't keep it to themselves.
 
SCReuter said:
And here's how the same Jade Gully stage turned out in the later fish-eyed build.
The quoted video isn't a stage but a tech demo IMO. The one you linked, not only looks like an actual game stage but is precisely why I was thinking a sonic game isn't suited to that fisheye engine. The engine can't reasonably handle fast movements nor overly vertical gameplay (especially evident during the springs in the beginning)

still, I had never seen that video before and much thanks for providing me with a link to it.

You rock, good sir

edit: a point I wanted to get across in this post but somehow forgot was that I feel that the engine is better suited to 'contained' environments such as the Crystal Frost stage video
 
I remember waiting for this game back in the (Saturn) day :(

After watching the video though....UGH! Good music but it's good the game got canned as all else sucks. Hmm the music is really good.
 
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