3ERSS XMas Nights

I have debated with myself over whether or not I should review
Christmas NiGHTS---mainly because it's not really a game; it's a sampler
disc that was given away for free in issue #25 of Next Generation
magazine (and was also distributed through Blockbuster stores if I recall
correctly). But the problem is that this demo is just so good that it
deserves to be called a game---because in all honesty, it is better than
most games! To be fair, though, I will just say that this is the greatest
demo disc ever created.

Sonic Team has packed so many extras in this little disc that it makes
you wonder if they ever stop working. I have never seen a company put
so much effort into something and then give it away for free (of course,
you can't get it for free anymore as it is now a rare collectible). This just
proves that Sega cares more about their fans then any other gaming
company.

Since Christmas NiGHTS uses the original NiGHTS' engine the basics of
the game are the same so I'm not going to get into details about
gameplay. If you want to know about how the game fares in the
individual categories then read my review of NiGHTS. Instead I'm going
to tell you what's new.

In Christmas NiGHTS you get to play the first two levels (one for Claris
and one for Elliot) from the original game. But the levels are draped in
snow and everything is given a Christmas theme---rings are now
wreathes, stars are bells, and the Ideya Capture is now a Christmas
tree.

After defeating the level you get to play a memory game where you try
and match up a pair of cards. Once you do you unlock a new feature for
the game. And let me tell you know, there is a lot of stuff to unlock here.
While the majority of extras fall under the "Gallery," where you basically
see artwork for every character in the game, there are several new
modes of play that can be unlocked as well. The amount of extras that
Sonic Team included still amazes me.

SPOILER ALERT: if you do not want to know any of the extras skip the
next four paragraphs.

I do not want to give away all the extras but I just have to mention a few
of my favorites. First of all is karaoke mode, where you sing a long to the
theme song while you can adjust the pitch of the voices for those that
are singing it. There is also the melody box, where you can change the
music for every level of the original NiGHTS and then play to the
changed beat.

You can also unlock two new game modes as well: Link Attack, where
you have to put together the largest combo that you can, and Time
Attack, where you have to collect every thing on the course as fast as
possible. This isn't everything you can unlock, there are some movies,
some A-Life goodness that takes the date from your original save, and
cameo appearance by another Sonic Team creation.

The greatest thing about this game, however, is its time/date feature.
You are going to want to make sure your Saturn clock is set correctly
because depending on the time of the year, and sometimes even the
time of the day, you will see something new when you play.

For instance, if you play on April 1 you will get to play as Reala instead of
Nights. Play anytime from November to February and you will play under
the Christmas theme. Also, during this time period it seems that every
third hour of the day some other object (such as moons, candy, hearts,
etc.) will fall from the sky instead of the snow.

END SPOILER-ALERT

Overall, I just can't say enough about Christmas NiGHTS. Sonic Team
has done an amazing job with this sampler disc. It keeps everything that
made the original so great and adds an unbelievable amount of replay
value.

When taken as a demo there is no question whatsoever about the score
Christmas NiGHTS would receive: an absolute perfect 100%. This is the
greatest freebie ever given away by a videogame company. Amazingly
enough, when taken as a game (meaning if Sonic Team would have
packaged it up and sold it in stores as it is right now) I still think it
deserves to be rated as a 92 simply because of the impressive amount
of replay value that it has. The only thing holding it back is the fact that
it only has two levels and you've probably already played them. But it is
unfair to hold that against this disc because it wasn't even released as a
retail game. It was a free gift from Sonic Team!

This game truly is something special. For fans of the original (how could
you not be?) it's a must own. It will definitely bring a smile to your face
when you beat the game and get to hear the new Christmas theme song.
I mean, seriously, what other game demo is there that is so good that
people find it necessary to write a review for it? Answer: None, because
no other demo can even dream of touching the greatness of Christmas
NiGHTS.