Ninety-Nine Nights

"I've seen this game about ninety-nine times before."

So here's the thing, I don't normally go for this type of game. The whole "Kill-a- thousand-enemies-in-two-minutes" genre never firmly took root in my library (with only Dynasty Warriors 2 and Samurai Warriors representing and, I guess, to a lesser extent the Drakengard series). So it was as much a surprise to me as anyone that I decided to purchase (preorder even) N3: Ninety-Nine Nights as this game was as much a representation of the genre as any before it. I'll admit the leveling system caught my eye and the graphics certainly offered nothing to scoff at, so I decided to throw down money on a game that I knew I might not end up liking.

The story is somewhat of a complex thread to unravel with any sort of straightness, as it involves a myriad of different warriors all battling towards the same general goal but for very different reasons. Basically, the world that used to live in peace is divided when a gem that unifies the races is split in half, forming a light and dark side, which naturally causes all-out war on a grand scale. A group called the Temple Knights is set to the task of restoring peace to the land (which translates in to "go forth with mighty weapon and slay all of our enemies") with rumors that the King of Ninety-Nine Nights (a demon who controlled all the lands in the grip of utter darkness for, you guess it, one day shy of a hundred), though defeated, is behind the recent surge in hostilities. I'll be perfectly honest, the plot gave me the impression I was playing some 80-hour epic role-playing game, what with the unpronounceable names being thrown around and the ridiculously over-powered heroes being sent to battle. So while an RPG may have fleshed out the story (and therefore added some much needed pacing to the tale), it felt cramped and overwrought in a hack-n- slash.

There's no denying that N3 certainly has it going on in the looks department. The CG cinema sequences alone give Square and Namco a run for their money, but it when you see the in-game character models up-close that you really begin to see the beauty that is Ninety-Nine Nights. After completing the first "real" area of the game, you are treated to a cut-scene depicting where you're going next. The camera is fairly close to two of the key characters in the game, and the detail on them is such that I thought, at first, I was watching another CG sequence. Then, suddenly, I realized I was actually looking at the in-game engine in action with a full set of filters flipped firmly in the "on" position so as to create the effect of a computer-generated animation. Wow. It was then that I fell in love with the game, surrendering that little part of me that promised to never be a "graphics whore". How can't you when the game looks this good?

It's rare that a game that comes straight from Japan actually has good voice acting, especially from smaller, lesser-know developers. Apparently, this is going to remain a rare phenomenon, as N3 doesn't make any effort to actually showcase even the tiniest bit of talent in this area. Perhaps it is just that much more pronounced given the visual orgy your eyes are feasting upon, but rating the voice-over at anything above mediocre would be a flat-out lie on the part of the reviewer. Thankfully, the bassy audio- effects help compensate for this, creating a symphony of chaos as you wade, weapon aglow, into a horde of oncoming enemies. So to does the soundtrack add a touch of epicness to your battles; filled with just the right amount of rhythm offset by a heaping helping of orchestral fantasy, N3's music does a fantastic job of setting the mood and pacing of the gameplay.

In a game like Ninety-Nine Nights, you can only expect so much from the controls (as by the nature of the genre the way the game plays is more or less predefined), so it game as no surprise how very basic the setup was- A regular and heavy attack (variating the order and number of times you press each button produces different combos), a jump button and a special attack. The shoulder triggers handle guarding and dashing, while the shoulder buttons give you limited command over the two battalions that have been assigned to you. While the control itself is smooth and easy to pick up, blocking is almost pointless and the only orders you can give your troops are to either stay or follow you. The special attack (gained by collecting red globules of light after felling an enemy) is worth noting as it fills the screen with all manner of special effect while helping you rack up insane combos. During this attack brief time you are afforded the Orb Attack, enemies will dispense blue spheres of energy that builds up another meter. Unleashing this attack will pretty much wipe out every enemy on the screen within range, so using it becomes a matter of strategy.

On a whole, the design of Ninety-Nine Nights is fairly solid, but suffers from being tied to a "last-generation" state of mind. In short, I feel that (graphic prowess aside) this game could have been pulled off on the original Xbox. Many of the levels are small; they look large, but are, in fact, cramped due to invisible barriers and "gates" which essentially break them up into smaller areas. While most may not be bothered by this, after playing the likes of Saint's Row, Just Cause and even Dead Rising, I feel there really is no excuse for any developer to resort to such programming tactics on nice, shiny next- gen consoles. That gripe aside, I was pleased with the multiple characters, each with their own story that adds to the overall mythos of the Ninety-Nine Nights Universe, as well as the leveling and equipment system that encourages multiple play-throughs.

As I mentioned above, there are multiple characters to play Ninety-Nine Nights' story mode with, though initially on one is selectable. However, playing through the game with unlock new characters for you to choose and, ultimately, you'll receive a special secret character once you beat the game with everyone else. This final bonus is pretty cool because their story really helps to tie the whole game together and add a sense of cohesiveness to Ninety- Nine Nights that the game would otherwise be lacking. Don't get me wrong, it's not the end-all reason to keep playing the game, but it is a nice reward for those of use who would have done this otherwise.

If you don't like this particular type of genre, chances are N3: Ninety-Nine Nights won't convert you. If, however, you're curious to jump on the Dynasty Warriors bandwagon, but are intimidated by the sheer amount of games released and repackaged over the past five years, you might want to give Ninety-Nine Nights a shot as you get the same thrill without having to jump in to a series that has well over a dozen available entries. For myself, not being a fan of the genre, I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed playing N3. Maybe it was the fantasy setting or the incredible graphics that won me over, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this game and look forward to the inevitable sequel.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/07/09

Game Release: Ninety-Nine Nights (US, 08/15/06)