One of my favorite Sega Saturn games was NiGHTS. It came with a special controller with a tiny joystick that you used to make some circles with a flying character. As far as 3D games go, it was also one of the first 3D games that I really got into. There was a short-lived Christmas version of NiGHTS that I never played.

NiGHTS is a game I’ve been hoping Sega would update for some time for the Xbox 360 or PS3 who both have solid analog sticks which could control the game. But instead Sega chose to make ‘Nights Journey of Dreams’ exclusively (?) for the Wii and something where you have to make the movements with motion controls or use the separate nunchuck with Wiimote.

When I saw the game on the shelves I was curious how well the Wii controls would work out?

Motion controls aren’t responsive. Actions as simple as a loop require you to slowly move the Wii remote in a circle, which isn’t helpful when battling against a clock. You can add the nunchuk to control NiGHTS with a joystick, but it only helps slightly. I had to resort to using Wii’s Classic Controller to make the experience more palatable.

If you don’t want to read just one review and base your game buying decision (me neither), check out Joystiq’s NiGHTS roundup. The best score? 80 out of 100 by Games Radar. More complaints about controls in the Joystiq comment section as well as non-controls complaints about the game.

Despite the negative reviews, I’ll probably still pick this title up for the Wii — likely when it reaches bargain bin pricing — because I’m so fond of the original title and some (very few though) games that are broadly panned, I still enjoy. Not sure the latter will be the case here though. If it blows, oh well, won’t be the first or last game I buy that disappoints.

Wii Motion controlitis
This raises an excellent point about the Wii: motion control is great for physical exercise but doesn’t apply well to all types of games and holding two different controllers, the Wiimote in one hand and the nunchuck in the other is awkward for some games. I’d rather have both my hands focusing on a single controller. You?

I appreciate that Nintendo is trying to do something creative with the Wii controls but their revolutionary controller setup is not right for every game and could ruin some otherwise good programmed games. Why Sega didn’t figure this out in the game testing phase and offer NiGHTS for the Xbox 360 or PS3 is puzzling.

Actually, it’s not, Sega’s NiGHTS producer, Takashi Iizuka responded in a CBS News interview with the following:

Initially, when I thought about the game concept of “NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams,” I really didn’t consider what platform I wanted the game to run on. It wasn’t until I started the actual game design that I discovered that the Wii was the most appropriate platform because it had the right features to fit the game I was designing.

Maybe Takashi is right and the reviewers are wrong?

Since I haven’t actually played the game yet, the controls might not be as bad as reviewers are saying. If anybody reading has played NiGHTS Journey of Dreams on the Wii or has a comment on other games that you feel have been ruined by the Wii control scheme, let’s discuss in the comments section.

I like the Wii controls for games like Wii Sports bowling, tennis, boxing and golf. They work pretty good for Zelda Twilight Princess too and other some other titles. I didn’t care as much for the controller setup for Brunswick Bowling on the Wii. I wonder if the Gamecube controller would work for NiGHTS Journey? The Gamecube controller can be used to play Gamecube games on the Wii. Anybody reading try this with NiGHTS Journey?

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