Ninety Nine Nights

[Angry the Clown]

I thought it high time the first next gen title from the good Lord Mizuguchi got it's own thread. The official Japanese website for the game has gone live. You can have a look for yourself here. The music is really rather beautiful, and although all the text is (obviously) Japanese you can take a look at nice artwork in the character profiles section and enjoy two trailers.

 

It remains right at the top of the list of of my most wanted Xbox 360 titles.

 

You can download an AVI version of the trailer here and there's another video - this time five minutes worth of gameplay footage - right here for you all to enjoy. This is taken from a live press conference demonstration at TGS.

 

Daniel

[Angry the Clown]

Eurogamer have offered their impressions of the game as shown at the press conference. You can read their thoughts here.

 

They will post a hands on preview of the game tomrorow.

 

Daniel

[Angry the Clown]

On Mizuguchi's orders the game is to be delayed from it's original Japanese release of January and is now expected to debut in the Far East sometime next spring.

 

Speaking to Famitsu Xbox 360, Mizuguchi said the release had been delayed because he's keen to make ensure that Ninety-Nine Nights is of the highest quality. Although gamers will be disappointed, Mizuguchi reckons they'd much rather wait a bit longer rather than end up with a rubbish game.

 

According to Mizuguchi, NNN is around 80 per cent complete and they're now working on making the armies move as realistically as possible. The AI is being tweaked, too, so that individual characters will respond appropriately to different scenarios and groups will move around more naturally.

 

http://eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=61969

[Romier S]

Hopefully we hear a US release date shortly after the game is fainlly finished overseas. I'm very keen on playing this considering Mizu's involvement, and Phantagram developing. As much as I'm liking the looks of this one, I was a bit disappointed to hear that Phantagram ceased working on Strident (a game they have been developing since the original Xbox was released), to get Nintey Nine Nights done. I don't know if folks remember Strident, but the early looks of it showed some good potential.

[Romier S]

Some new shots of the game:

 

Ninety Nine Nights shots

[Angry the Clown]

It's looking lovely. The battle shots in the green fields are just excellent. I'd hope the game will be out in the West by this time next year when I might actually have a 360 to play it on.

[Romier S]

Xboxhyde posted up some new shots of Ninety Nine Nights.

 

More Ninety Nine Nights shots

[Angry the Clown]

I never got round to posting this, but in December Kikizo put up a nice twenty-seven minute video session with Mizuguchi taking us through some of the story origins of the game through to discussing the development process. It’s well worth watching and touches upon the approach Japanese developers working with Western based talents and publishers.

 

Interestingly the game is already being localised for other territories, but at the time of speaking “Miz” and Sangyoun Lee are coy about N3 making it to the US/Europe noting that the decision will be up to Microsoft.

 

http://games.kikizo.com/features/n3_ninetyninenights_mizuguzhi_lee_vidint.asp

 

 

The most recent news about the game is actually an announcement that as of the 1st of March, in a bid to boost Xbox 360 sales in Japan, all consoles will be sold with a playable demo disc for Ninety-Nine Nights. This is also likely to appear on the Japanese marketplace to download. On the 20th of April when the game is release in Japan first shipments will, according to Eurogamer, include a bonus “Motion View Card acrylic key chain that houses a 20-frame video clip of the game's main character”.

[dogbert]

There was a hands-on preview of this in the latest Edge to hit US shores... Now, Edge is big fans of ol' Miz. This preview was not the most positive - effectively "flashy but no substance".

[Angry the Clown]

This preview was not the most positive - effectively "flashy but no substance".

 

I missed the issue, but that's certainly been the one fear a lot of people (including myself) have had since following the game's progress. Whether the finished work proves otherwise we can only hope.

 

What's most interesting about the video I linked to above is where they talk about the collaboration of working with parties in the west, and how Eastern developers are coming to deal with that for the 360. It somewhat relates to what Romier and I brought up in the Bomberman thread about Eastern developers looking to pander a little more to Western tastes. Whether any faults in N3s depth, or apparent lack thereof, can be attributed to similar concerns I can't say. Did the Edge preview suggest that might be anything to do with the game’s potential problems?

[dogbert]

Did the Edge preview suggest that might be anything to do with the game’s potential problems?

 

I'll dig up some quotes tonight, the issue's at home.

[Anthony G]

New promo (2-24-06) up at IGN:

 

http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/747/747832/vids_1.html

 

It does look flashy.

[Angry the Clown]

Famitsu have apparently awarded it a very healthy 37 out of 40 in this month’s issue.

[Eldorado]

There are a few more HD videos added for Insiders @ IGN. Link is just two posts up.

[Angry the Clown]

The game will be receiving an August release for the US this year. No word yet on a European timeframe, though I would imagine that I is likely to be similar to the American date. Chances of the game’s apparent flaws being ironed out for the Western version I suppose are rather slim. One can hope…

[dogbert]

Ninety Nine Nights will require a hard drive.

[Union Carbine]

Hard drive required and "enhanced". Interesting. I thought MS said none of the games would require the HD?

[dogbert]

I thought MS said none of the games would require the HD?

 

They changed that message a while back. FFXI already requires it, and Football Manager was announced a while back as requiring it.

 

"Hard drive enhanced" is next to meaningless by the way, and especially in this context.

[Union Carbine]

"Hard drive enhanced" is next to meaningless by the way, and especially in this context.

I figured. Still, I'm curious as to what it is supposed to mean.

[ChrisBardon]

I thought MS said none of the games would require the HD?

 

Given this piece of information, does anyone else think that the core SKU will be quietly dropped at some point (probably in early 2007)? Interesting that Oblivion isn't listed as "Hard Drve Enhanced", especially given what I've heard about load times without one, and how it seems to cache things. Perhaps this is a new designation?

 

As for the game, doesn't look like something that'd be worth paying full price for, but maybe a rental or cheap copy later on.

[dogbert]

Hmmmmm...

[Romier S]

Given this piece of information, does anyone else think that the core SKU will be quietly dropped at some point (probably in early 2007)?

I've been saying it since the Core pack was announced. I do believe we won't see that happen until the Premium gets a price drop though. When it does, I do believe the Core pack will go bye bye. Will Microsoft's policy towards the HD change though?

[Angry the Clown]

As Romier has posted elsewhere, all you blasted 360 owners will now find a Ninety-Nine Nights demo on Live.

 

Hop to it then.

[EnemaEms]

I'll be downloading as soon as I get home from work.

 

-Dean-

[iainl]

Well you know as well as I do where you could get one, Clown Man. Although you also know as well as I do that neither of us could afford it, or we'd be playing the thing.