Ninety-Nine Nights
Added July 28th, 2006 by Serenity Now
If you’re a fan of Dynasty Warriors or the Xbox-only Kingdom Under Fire series, chances are you’re greatly anticipating Phantagram’s and Q Entertainment’s latest action/RPG cross, Ninety-Nine Nights. Luckily, there’s fantastic news for gamers eagerly awaiting its release, as a demo just recently went up on Microsoft’s Xbox Live Marketplace. Talk Xbox has gotten its hands on the build and is here with full impressions.
As mentioned, Ninety-Nine Nights is very comparable to the Dynasty Warriors franchise. But perhaps what it’s even more akin to is the Kingdom Under Fire titles on the original Xbox of the same developer, Phantagram. It should be stated that the final retail version will allow you to assume the roles of an array of heroes, supposedly seven. Until then though, the preview build of Ninety-Nine Nights places you in the position of Commander Aspharr. Aspharr is a character that possesses immense agility and speed, whose strong points lie in his knack for deathly, magical and uninhabited attacks that will send a shiver down any army’s spine. Clad in stylistic armor, this is one combatant born for the toughest of battles.
As mentioned, Ninety-Nine Nights is very comparable to the Dynasty Warriors franchise. But perhaps what it’s even more akin to is the Kingdom Under Fire titles on the original Xbox of the same developer, Phantagram. It should be stated that the final retail version will allow you to assume the roles of an array of heroes, supposedly seven. Until then though, the preview build of Ninety-Nine Nights places you in the position of Commander Aspharr. Aspharr is a character that possesses immense agility and speed, whose strong points lie in his knack for deathly, magical and uninhabited attacks that will send a shiver down any army’s spine. Clad in stylistic armor, this is one combatant born for the toughest of battles.
Controlling your character won’t be much of a hassle as the scheme is exceedingly simplistic – barebones even. Aspharr can jump, execute both normal and power attacks, and, when your red orb meter is full, implement an orb laceration on foes, which will usually clean the field. You are also able to perform more unique moves such as picking up an enemy and swinging him from side to side to eliminate anything in your path as well as the chump in-hand. Alongside your character will be an army of approximately fifty soldiers. You can, of course, command these troops by way of the left and right bumpers as well as up (attack) and down (block) on the d-pad. However, I quickly became aware that you don’t hold too much power over their combat mechanics, rather simply if you want them to hold their base or follow. Additionally, it doesn’t seem as if they make a valiant effort in battle.
Many have been a tad worried concerning Ninety-Nine Nights’ visual aspect. I’m happy to report that it looks a great deal better in motion than in the sub-par screens that have surfaced the Web as of late. The main problem I had with the presentation, though, was definitely the slowdown when entering a massive battle. Considering the circumstances – hundreds of enemies on-screen in addition to this being a fairly early build – I wasn’t too disappointed or shocked. The graphics hold up extremely well and the environments are huge, despite a few invisible walls here and there.
Many have been a tad worried concerning Ninety-Nine Nights’ visual aspect. I’m happy to report that it looks a great deal better in motion than in the sub-par screens that have surfaced the Web as of late. The main problem I had with the presentation, though, was definitely the slowdown when entering a massive battle. Considering the circumstances – hundreds of enemies on-screen in addition to this being a fairly early build – I wasn’t too disappointed or shocked. The graphics hold up extremely well and the environments are huge, despite a few invisible walls here and there.
Ninety-Nine Nights’ foremost letdown, and namely its only substantial setback, is its second-rate audio. The soundtrack is something I would describe as J-Pop, yet somehow being Nine Inch Nails-esque. The result is the background music to the abyss. The voice-acting is pretty much of the same caliber, with anime-quality voiceovers and emotionless and cheesy lines galore.
The Outlook:
From what I’ve played of this game, I can safely say I’m looking forward to its August 16th street date. Its fast-paced gameplay is reminiscent of other popular franchises of the same genre, but what looks to lie here is a distinctive title created by some of the industry’s finest developers, Tetsuya Mizuguchi from Q Entertainment and lead-director SangYoun Lee from Phantagram. The action is fluent and the combat is deep, and while the audio could use some work, this is a prime example of what the custom soundtracks feature is intended for. Keep your browser locked to Talk Xbox in the coming weeks for our full review.
The Outlook:
From what I’ve played of this game, I can safely say I’m looking forward to its August 16th street date. Its fast-paced gameplay is reminiscent of other popular franchises of the same genre, but what looks to lie here is a distinctive title created by some of the industry’s finest developers, Tetsuya Mizuguchi from Q Entertainment and lead-director SangYoun Lee from Phantagram. The action is fluent and the combat is deep, and while the audio could use some work, this is a prime example of what the custom soundtracks feature is intended for. Keep your browser locked to Talk Xbox in the coming weeks for our full review.
