Product Description

From the collaboration between famed game developer Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Q Entertainment) and leading Korean developer Phantagram comes the Xbox 360-exclusive Ninety-Nine Nights, an epic fantasy-action game.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4815 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Microsoft
• Released on: 2006-08-25
• Rating: To Be Announced
• Platform: Xbox 360
• Dimensions: .26 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review:

In a nutshell:
The first major Japanese action game hits the Xbox 360 as you face down thousands of warriors at once with just a sword, a few special moves and some of the most outrageous graphics ever seen in a console game.
 
The lowdown:
With the Xbox 360 still not a proven success in Japan, Microsoft are always looking for new games to appeal to an oriental audience. Taking its cue from the massively successful Dynasty Warriors series this game pits seven different characters against whole armies of hundreds of warriors at a time. Depth of gameplay is not rely a forte here but the game does makes some important improvements to the basic formula with more aggressive enemy artificial intelligence and the ability to control allied troops. Much of the actual combat involves just jabbing madly at the controller but the awe-inspiring imagery this provokes is generally enough to help you forget how shallow it all is.

Most exciting moment:
The entire raison d'être for this game is its stunning battle effects and magic attacks. A simple swish of your sword cuts giant rainbow coloured swathes through the enemy as you juggle them in the air and smash them to the ground. Power up a special attack though and you’re treated to a gigantic fireworks show of flying bodies and crackling magic.

Since you ask:
Although the game is developed by Korean team Phantagram, most famous for the Kingdom Under Fire series, the game has been overseen by legendary Japanese producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi who has been responsible for classics such as Space Channel 5, Rez and Lumines.

The bottom line:
Not the stand out game you may have been hoping for, but still a fun action game.
HARRISON DENT

Manufacturer's Description
From the collaboration between famed game developer Tetsuya Mizuguchi of Q Entertainment and director SangYoun Lee of leading Korean developer Phantagram comes the Xbox 360-exclusive Ninety-Nine Nights. The title is a fantasy action game for Xbox 360 that allows players to experience an immersive and emotional story though the eyes of good and evil while they fight among hundreds of fellow soldiers through an epic adventure of fantasy and action.

In a struggle between light and dark, a new world order is established after the destruction of the mysterious power stone. Warriors are destined to battle in a place far beyond their imagination, as a magnificent story unfolds from multiple perspectives.

Unparalleled action and gameplay. In Ninety-Nine Nights, players destroy entire armies with precision and speed unlike that offered in any other game. Each playable character will feature his or her own strengths and weaknesses as players attempt to choose the right combination of magic and might to overcome their adversaries. With more than 100 weapons to master and the art of several forms of magic, players enhance their attacks and become true deadly forces amid stunning next-generation effects.

Massive immersive battles. With hundreds of combatants on-screen at once, players wield their armies with precision and skill in massive-scale battles against ever-evolving virtual opponents. Each on-screen virtual character is a threat as opponents with unmatched AI will react and attack of their own volition, testing the skills and fortitude of even the best gamers. Ever-changing weather, terrain and structures contribute to the dynamic battles as well, leading to unique and surprising changes in gameplay.

Compelling and engaging storyline. In Ninety-Nine Nights, players must decide upon their path and choose the side of either good or evil in the struggle for the Stone of Union. In the epic and emotional campaign, gamers play through a fabulous fantasy realm with unparalleled depth. Each character has his or her dedicated plotline that ultimately intertwines with that of a larger story. Players can experience seven views of the story through the eyes of each character they choose to play.

Customer Reviews

The ultimate cure for boredom
Being a big fan of the Dynasty and Samurai warriors series of games I was quite eager to try this one out.
The first thing you notice about this game is that it is absolutely beautiful. The colours are bright and vibrant and the character designs are spectacular.
There are 7 playable characters in total, each with their own storylines and mission objectives. However you can only play as Inphyy (the woman on the front cover) to begin with, but two other people are unlocked shorly after and the rest follow as you complete all of the characters missions.
When I started playing this, I felt overwhelmed by how satisfying it is to kill masses upon masses of goblins and orcs. In this game you can total up several thousand kills in each mission and thousands of hit combos. You attack by using and combining X and Y, and as you defeat enemies they drop red orbs which add to a meter that allows you to unleash a powerful series of attacks for a short period of time (similar to the musou attck in the dynasty/samurai warriors series) Furthermore, killing enemies with this special attack makes them drop blue orbs which adds to another meter. And when this blue meter is full, make sure there are loads of enemies around you because your character unleashes a massive attack that kills everything within range. Every time I use that move and kill hundreds of enemies with thousands of hit combos it is as satisfying as when I used it first time.
So, combat is fantastic, however I find that some of the character move quite slow and this can be annoying because some of the maps are quite large and you need to explore them because you find weapons and some items this way. Also, at times the character voices seem a little grainy as if they used a poor quality microphone to record the voice actors. Another bad point is that there is no online play, but I found the game was really fun the way it was.
On the other hand, some of the music in this game is incredible as it really creates a sense of epicness to the game. The music that plays in the opening screens of N3 is beautiful, if you have the patience, listen to it all the way through.
When you finish a mission you are given a ranking. I found it very addictive trying to achieve the A and S ranks on the levels. It's good because it is not ridiculously difficult to get these rankings but it still poses a challenge, therefore if your intereseted in getting the highest rankings you can then there is some replayability value for you. The same goes if you like training up your characater to the maximum level. Each character goes up to level 9. It's not that many but it takes a good while.
As well as this there are bonus features to unlock by completing the missons, these include character profiles and artwork.
I would reccommend this game to anyone who is maybe looking for something new to play. I was glad when I started playing N3 because, for a while I was quite bored with some of the games I had. I must admit, if you are looking for a good storyline and a game that you can be attached to the characters, this is NOT for you. This is just a fun, easy to get into game that doesn't really take too much brain power. So if you want a game that you can just switch on and get right into the action buy Ninety Nine Nights!

Orby!
N3, Ninety Nine Nights... first impressions were awesome. Being hit with the graphics and scale and overall presentation for the first time is a truely awesome experience. I didn't put the game down 'til i'd finished with the first character (out of 6 or 7) Imphyy, and so I proceeded to play as character 2, Aspharr. I quickly lost interest... moved onto chacter 3, interest went further away from me.

The problem with the two characters after imphy is that after their combos they stand still and sort of pose for a second, during this time enemys will strike, this gets very frustrating.

The game (after Imphyy) does have a few major problems. The boss', as mentioned by other reviewers, are rediculously unbalenced... blocking most of the time and dealing death out in about 3 hits. These arnt challenging and gripping, they just get tedious very quickly, especially when you'll be facing the same boss multiple times as different characters.

Once you've had a run through with one of the characters the 'wow' will wear off, and you'll find yourself facing the same situations again and again.

Overall, it's impressive looking, the first character is ace... but it seriously lacks depth and doesnt really offer anything new after the first hour or so.

Not all that it could have been, but very fun.
This could have been one of the best games of all time, but sadly it isn't. The game has the graphics, it is very fun and it has the best soundtrack of all games released in 2006.
However the game fails to live up to what it could've been. Gameplay is very fun, but it does occasionally get repetitive, combos don't feel as fluid as say Ninja Gaiden, there are no checkpoints, which can be irritating on levels which can take up to 45 mins to get through, and the story is broken appart into five or so different perspectives and is very poorly explained in the cutscenes.
Yet despite all of these flaws the game is undeniably the second most fun game on the 360 (Dead Rising is the most fun) and every single level gives you immense satisfaction in completing.
I would recommend that you buy this game if you enjoy a challenge and if fun is more important to you than innovative gameplay, but if not don't.