Does Night Creatures suck?

[starsoldier1]

Alright, Night Creatures for the Turbografx-16. Now here's a game that has some of the best coverart I seen for a TG-16 game (believe me some of them can be pretty awful) plus it has a great concept where your hero can change into several different vicious looking animals (yeah, pretty much ripping off Altered Beast). Is it a good game though? I did a video review on it and so far I think I'm the only one I know that did a video review on this obscure 1992 title.
http://blip.tv/file/3919494

[Graham Mitchell]

I didn't play it for too long but when I experimented with it years ago, I was really put off by the visual style and the sound effects. I do think the game might actually have some depth to it. I seem to remember there being a zelda-2-like sidescrolling exploration component to it. Perhaps if I just excuse the strange presentation, id maybe like it more.

[tomaitheous]

I never liked that game. Everything feels either stiff or awkward about the main player. It lacks any sort of polish in the game mechanics department. Also, the main character looks funny (his stance, his attack animation, etc). The animation is pretty low/minimal too, IIRC.

I looked at the rom once, all the game graphics are completely uncompressed; sprites/tiles/etc. That's really poor, given all other game titles for the TG16 hucards, and the Genesis/SNES, all had compressed graphics to pack in the most for the storage. That tells me right there, that the developers were half-assing it.

[starsoldier1]

I didn't play it for too long but when I experimented with it years ago, I was really put off by the visual style and the sound effects. I do think the game might actually have some depth to it. I seem to remember there being a zelda-2-like sidescrolling exploration component to it. Perhaps if I just excuse the strange presentation, id maybe like it more.

There is actually a lot of depth to it but it's buried under tons of crap like cheap hits and nearly useless animal powers which makes it really hard to enjoy the game.

[starsoldier1]

I never liked that game. Everything feels either stiff or awkward about the main player. It lacks any sort of polish in the game mechanics department. Also, the main character looks funny (his stance, his attack animation, etc). The animation is pretty low/minimal too, IIRC.

I looked at the rom once, all the game graphics are completely uncompressed; sprites/tiles/etc. That's really poor, given all other game titles for the TG16 hucards, and the Genesis/SNES, all had compressed graphics to pack in the most for the storage. That tells me right there, that the developers were half-assing it.

Everything you said was true. The game was created by a company called Manley and I can't even remember recall any other game they developed so maybe this was their only project.

[tomaitheous]

I think they did Ghost Manor. And if they did, Night Creatues is a much better game (though that's not saying much). NC wouldn't be so bad if the gameplay mechanics and hit detection was more refined/polished. The graphics aren't fantastic, but they're decent. The game even goes to some extremes with dynamic tiles to do two overlapping pseudo background layers (more so than any other PCE/TG16 game that I've looked into - the graveyard level). That, and the music could have been better. Kind of a shame, really.

[starsoldier1]

I think they did Ghost Manor. And if they did, Night Creatues is a much better game (though that's not saying much). NC wouldn't be so bad if the gameplay mechanics and hit detection was more refined/polished. The graphics aren't fantastic, but they're decent. The game even goes to some extremes with dynamic tiles to do two overlapping pseudo background layers (more so than any other PCE/TG16 game that I've looked into - the graveyard level). That, and the music could have been better. Kind of a shame, really.I think Icom Simulations did Ghost Manor which is sad because they made some great games like Shadowgate and Deja Vu. I could see the potential in Night Creatures too but how could anyone like a game where you lose health from using the animal powers: a key selling point of the game!

[Oldskool]

I own it and think it pretty much sucks. Don't buy it.

[starsoldier1]

I own it and think it pretty much sucks. Don't buy it.Yeah, there are just too many flaws and I don't anyone really likes the game.

[mobiusclimber]

I kept seeing the title of this thread and not clicking on it but thinking it had to do with Nightmare Creatures. I've actually been wondering if that game was any good since it came it. LOL

[Drixxel]

I kept seeing the title of this thread and not clicking on it but thinking it had to do with Nightmare Creatures. I've actually been wondering if that game was any good since it came it. LOL

Haha, the same misunderstanding occurred to me. Nightmare Creatures is alright, sort of a sloppy action game but the combat is fairly satisfying (grotesque creatures that get chopped up real good).

Night Creatures.. it sounded cool when I first read about it in a Turbo Zone Direct catalog, but in hindsight I'm glad to have ordered something else in its place.

[starsoldier1]

I kept seeing the title of this thread and not clicking on it but thinking it had to do with Nightmare Creatures. I've actually been wondering if that game was any good since it came it. LOL

Heh heh, funny thing I almost called this game Nightmare Creatures when I started this thread.