Tobriand said:
I do remember the ending song and just how cheesy that was. I also remember being surprised at how short the game was (I seem to recall only four levels, though I could be very mistaken there), but seeing as I got it for £10, that wasn't too big a deal for me. Definitely a game I'd enjoy playing again, though
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There were in fact 9 levels. There were 4 'main' levels which were different depending on weather you played as Elliott or the girl (I forget what she was called). The levels were set in the same areas but were laid out completely differently. I think there may also have been a couple of different bosses. After playing through the 4 levels you had to tackle the final zone, which was identical for both Elliott and the girl.
Playing as Elliott was the 'easy' way. Playing as the girl was the 'hard' way.
And the challenge was not simply completing the game, it was scoring an 'A' on every level!
Gamers were also treated to Christmas NiGHTs completely free. I believe it was on the front of the official SEGA magazine. It featured the first level of the game in Christmas decking (providing you were playing between 1st December and 1st January). It also featured an advent calender style system. After completing the level each day between 1st and 24th December you were entitled to a new treat. Some of them were crap, like pictures of NiGHTs, but some were pretty decent. There was a level where you played as sonic on the ground. There was also the complete second section of Elliott's third level which looped around endlessly. The point being that it this was the only section where it was possible to have an unbroken chain, and by looping round endlessly you were able to make as big a chain as you could concentrate for (think I managed something like 150. Can't remember it was so long ago now).
I think the game also had special decking if you played it at Easter. I can't remember 100% for sure.
With innovation like that it pained me to see people flock to the PS and it's ultimately dull (IMHO) catalog. Still, SEGA made as many mistakes as they came up with innovative ideas (if not more!) and they paid the price. The Dreamcast didn't really feature anything particularly innovative that I can remember. I bought mine years after they went out of production and that was for two reasons only (Daytona and Sega Rally).
Along came XBOXs and PS2s and PS3s. Games put realism in the way of playability. The amount of controls multiplied and you had to learn games before playing them.
Still at least the Wii is around now, and games are finally becoming innovative and fun again! I may even get myself one, after Pandora.