--
Christmas NiGHTS -- Hope you've
been good boys and girls this year, 'cause Santa Sonic Team has a
present for us all! ...okay, that was in 1996, not this year.
Christmas NiGHTS was the first (and only) game to take full
advantage of the Saturn's internal clock. And it's not just
Christmas, CN is a new holiday treat every time you power on around
a special time. And best of all...it was FREE, man! (It was a
Christmas gift, after all! Best darn one I ever got, too...)
--
Story -- 'Tis the season to be
jolly in Twin Seeds, where the streets are decked out in lights and
Twin Seeds Tower is decorated to look like a giant Christmas Tree.
But underneath the flashy show, where is the real spirit of
Christmas? Elliot and Claris wonder. Everyone is rushing around with
their shopping, coldly going about their business. There is no
Christmas here, it's all commercialism and meaningless show. (Sound
familiar?) The situation is represented by Twin Seeds
Tower...although it is decorated to look like a giant Christmas
tree, there is no star atop. Where is the Christmas star?
That night, Elliot and Claris share the same
dream. In the dream, Gillwing has hoarded the star in his lair. With
the help of NiGHTS (all decked out in red & white holiday
regalia), the two teens defeat Gillwing and take back the holiday
star.
The next day while walking through the crowded
city streets, Elliot slips on a patch of ice...and slams headlong
into Claris! (Oh yeah, I'm so sure it was just an "accident", that
horndog...) A small crowd gathers around the scene to see if the
children are alright. A warm laugh is shared by all as the teens get
up unharmed. Can you feel the love? Wait a sec...could this
be...Christmas spirit? Well by george, I believe it is! While
admiring the fully-lit Twin Seeds Tower that night, the star on top
seems to materialize before Elliot and Claris. The tree is complete.
...and God bless us, every one! (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)
--
Gameplay Info -- What we have
here is, essentially, a sampler disc. It includes the Spring Valley
level from the full game, with a mirror track added. Gameplay within
is completely identical (for details, check out the NiGHTS
page), but there's a whole stinkload o' holiday goodness thrown in
just 'cause Sonic Team loves us!
Christmas NiGHTS is calendar-sensitive, so make
sure your Saturn's internal clock is set correctly. If you're all
set, pop in the disc to see one of the following:
- NiGHTS: Limited Edition -- This is what you'll be getting for
most of the year (March through October). The graphics, items,
character models, music, and Gillwing boss are as they usually
are.
- Winter NiGHTS -- This is your wintery treat should you decide
for a spin anywhere in the month of November, January (except Jan
1), or February. Spring Valley is covered in snow, Claris and
Elliot don their bright winter outfits, and the BGM becomes "Jack
Frost's Chime".
- Christmas NiGHTS -- Hohoho, this is the real deal! Prepare for
a fantastic holiday treat from December 1-25. The snow-capped
Spring Valley is decorated with colored lights, Christmas trees,
candles, giant candy canes, and other such holiday paraphernalia.
Blue Chips become color-changing Chips, Star Chips become bells
(and make a special "bell" noise when you collect them), the
orange loops become green wreaths, and Ideya Captures become
Christmas trees! Elliot, Claris, and NiGHTS don their red &
white Christmas garments, and even Gillwing gets into the holiday
spirit. The background music is "Dream Bells" (a hip take on
Jingle Bells), and the "Presents" option changes to "Christmas
Presents". After beating the game in the Christmas setting, the
"Christmas" option becomes playable year-round.
- New Year NiGHTS -- Ring in the New Year with style only on
January 1! It's identical to Winter NiGHTS except for the title
screen.
- On April 1 (April Fool's day), everyone's favorite Nightmaren
Reala takes NiGHTS' place! After beating the game as Reala, the
option to play as him appears under the "Presents" menu
year-round.
And what would a Christmas celebration be
without the customary exchanging of gifts? The good news is that
you'll be doin' all the receiving! ("Tis better to give" my ass.)
After completing the game (as either Elliot or Claris), you'll be
challenged to a little game of memory match-up. Match a pair of
cards in the allotted number of moves, and that option becomes a
feature under the "Presents" menu, accessible any time! Merry
Christmas to ME! Here's the gift list:
| REALA -- Play as Reala
year-round |
|
|
|
|
|
| Karaoke -- Sing along to
"Dreams Dreams" |
LINK ATTACK -- Go for the
most Links in Mare 1 of Frozen Bell |
TIME ATTACK -- Go for the
best time in Mare 1 of Frozen Bell |
Melody Box -- Mix music
from the original NiGHTS |
Nightopian Collection --
View the A-Life |
SONIC -- Time Attack as
Sonic in Spring Valley |
| NiGHTS MUSEUM -- Art
featuring NiGHTS |
NiGHTS MUSEUM -- More art
featuring NiGHTS |
NiGHTS MUSEUM -- Art
featuring bosses |
NiGHTS MUSEUM -- More art
featuring bosses |
NiGHTS MUSEUM -- Art
featuring Nightmaren |
NiGHTS MUSEUM -- More art
featuring Nightmaren |
| NiGHTS MUSEUM -- Art
featuring Elliot Edwards |
NiGHTS MUSEUM -- Art
featuring Nightopians |
NiGHTS MUSEUM -- More art
featuing Nightopians |
NiGHTS MUSEUM -- Art
featuring Twin Seeds |
NiGHTS MUSEUM -- More art
featuring NiGHTS |
NiGHTS MUSEUM -- Art
featuring Nightopia |
| NiGHTS MUSEUM -- Art
featuring Claris Sinclair |
NiGHTS GOODS -- Images of
various NiGHTS goodies |
Movie 1 -- Preview movie
from Tokyo Toy Show '96 |
Movie 2 -- Preview movie
from '96 Summer Special |
NiGHTS MUSEUM -- More art
featuring NiGHTS |
Christmas NiGHTS -- Play
Christmas NiGHTS year-round
|
--
Screenshots --
    
--
Behind the Screens -- Christmas
NiGHTS was a holiday gift to fans of the game from Sonic Team, and
you don't charge for gifts. Which means this excellent bonus
game was a FREEBIE! Over in Japan, subscribers to Famitsu
magazine got their copies with the Christmas ish. Here in the states
it was packaged with the holiday '96 issues of Next
Generation and the now out-of-publication Game Players
magazines. Europeans must've been naughty in 1996, 'cause they
didn't get theirs until a year later, packaged with the December '97
issues of Sega Saturn Magazine. Nevermind the ramifications
of our not getting another "gift" from Sonic Team since...
--
Codes & Cheats --Singing 'Pians:
You'll notice that in the "Nightopian Collection", NiGHTS'
popularity rating among the 'Pians is represented by a bar graph at
the bottom. If the little NiGHTS head is all the way to the
right (meaning NiGHTS' popularity is 100% with every
Nightopian and Mepian in the level), the 'Pians will sing you their
own kawaii version of "Dreams Dreams".
Secret Background Items: By setting the Saturn's internal
clock (or just waiting for the appropriate time, if you've got that
sort of patience), you can access special visual goodies. Set the
clock to the following times for the indicated results:
- 12:00 A.M. -- Snow becomes Hearts
- 3:00 A.M. -- Lunar Eclipse in the background
- 6:00 A.M. -- Auroras in the background
- 7:00 A.M. -- Bright Sun in the background
- 9:00 A.M. -- Snow becomes Crescent Moons
- 12:00 P.M. -- Rainbows & Clouds in the background, snow
becomes Red Crystals
- 3:00 P.M. -- Snow becomes Candy
- 6:00 P.M. -- Snow becomes Sparkles
- 9:00 P.M. -- Snow becomes Stars
--
Trivia --
- The boss music for the "Sonic into Dreams" mini-game is the
original boss music from Sonic CD.
Japanese case thanks to Heidi "Zero-chan" Kemps.
Information compiled and arranged by Jared "Green Gibbon!" Matte. Make
no mistake, this site is a part of SonicNEXT. All Sonic
related materials are copyright Sega
Enterprises. SonicNEXT is created by Zifei Wu. Space provided by
VGHQ.com. In the interest of the PC, this year we can expect three
variations of Christmas NiGHTS: Hannukah NiGHTS, Kwanzaa NiGHTS, and
Winter Solstice NiGHTS. (No, not really. Thank
God.)
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