This game looks as bland as a loaf of bread. Even the John Williams, Disney-esque orchestral score does nothing for me. This game just doesn’t look as magical or enchanting as it should do. Nowhere near as much as Super Mario Galaxy does, which is the kind of look and feel this game should really be going for.

It’s clear that Sega won’t be making any cosmetic changes to the game and that the ghetto, low end Dreamcast style graphics are here to stay. So I guess it’s now just a case of hoping Sega nail the gameplay. The original game being a joy to play doesn’t mean shit to me anymore. We all know Sega can f**k up a game just as good as they can make a decent one. Sonic the hedgehog 3 was fantastic and a pinnacle in the series, but every console Sonic outing since then has been like shit on a disc. Daytona USA was (and still is) a multiplayer funfest with kick arse courses, Daytona USA 2 was some unplayable bullshit that looked nice and nothing else. Streets of rage 2 was a side scrolling beat ‘em up masterpiece, Streets of rage 3 made me wish I was dead. For Sega’s sakes and also the loyal NiGHTS fans out there, I hope this game doesn’t follow the Sega trend of poo-poo sequels. It would be a damn shame if Sega messed this game up, because NiGHTS is so well suited to the Wii.

NiGHTS: Journey of dreams releases in Japan on December 13, with a North American release following December 18. A European release date has not been confirmed, though the game is rumored to release in January.