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[thorns]

http://gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox360/games/features/45804.shtml

Gamepro: What's the story?

Tetsuya Mizuguchi: This is a story about Ninety Night Nights. It's intriguing. [laughs]

The shattering of the crystal in the intro sequence is a metaphor for the break in peace. Before the incident, humans and other races lived peacefully, and being launched into war they now they face doubt and chaos . After the crystal breaks, the world is changed--I can't reveal specifics yet as we're creating the scenarios right now. It's a multi-angled game--you can choose from a variety of characters, and use powers from nature--like magic--to beat the soldiers. You experience the drama of families and friends engulfed in war, and will understand about 10-15% of what's going on in the world from each character. So if you play every single character, you can then understand what's happening in the world, what exactly is "Ninety Nine Nights"--and what the secret is in the world.

GP: Can you tell us anything about the combat? It looks very Medieval European with swords and spears for weapons.

SL: It's a fantasy setting, but not a typical Medieval fantasy--it's infused with Mizuguchi's philosophy of a fantasy world. In actual fighting they use magic, and there will be castle sieges, with castles collapsing. It's not the simple magic you'd see in most games.

TM: The effects will be fantastic ...we just need time. [laughs]

GP: Is it an action-RPG?

TM: No, action strategy. Phantagram has been known for good games such as Kingdom Under Fire, and we're working together to make a new type of action strategy game that's 70% action, 30% strategy, and 100% drama ...so that means a 200% game [laughs].

GP: Is it like Dynasty Warriors where you fight large armies of warriors?

TM: Dynasty Warriors has you fight against hundreds, but this game will have thousands. I think 20,000 soldiers can be in the field, so it'll be like a real war.

GP: Will there be any online?

Sangyoun Lee: Right now we really can't explain the details--but we will do it.

TM: We'll be really aggressive in pushing online features, but can't go in detail about it right now.

GP: It says in the video "Choose your side wisely"--what are the different sides?

TM: This is a surprise, so I can't say or else I'll ruin it. In a sense every war is same, where the question is raised "what is justice?" One side thinks they're in the right, and if you play the opposite you'll get a different impression--all based on the same facts and events.

Movies can never do that--they has to follow a straight line. The game is set from many points of views, something that only can be done in the video game medium.

 

[bitwise]

it really sounds great.

 

[Shaheed79]

This game is going head to head with Heavenly Sword for PS3 in selling me a next gen console. I love what I see in 99 Nights I just wanted to see more of the combat without that huge uneccesary explosion at the end but if that Heavenly Sword Demo was even close to how the final product will play I'm going with a PS3.

 

[Wunderchu]

BTW, I think that "20,000 soldiers" number is very likely a typo, and the real number is 2000

i.e:

The game's visual engine is capable of displaying up to 2,000 characters on screen simultaneously.

[source: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/613/613350p1.html ]


.. even so, 2000 is a lot of units at one time.....

 

[DarkCloud]

20'000 units in a battle with a max of 2k on screen maybe. Sort of how you can wind up with a body count of 999 in a Dynasty Warrior game but there's never more than 50(?) or so units on screen at one time.

 

[Wunderchu]

20'000 units in a battle with a max of 2k on screen maybe. Sort of how you can wind up with a body count of 999 in a Dynasty Warrior game but there's never more than 50(?) or so units on screen at one time.

... what you say could be a possibility, IMO...

 

[Ghost]

It most likely is 20,000 on map with 2,000 on screen, KUF has a similar thing.


Actually this game sounds a hell of a lot like kingdom under fire (i know its phantagram, but i though Mizuguchi would be doing more than just putting his skin on their game).

 

[TTP]

You will be able to do music sessions hammering the 2000 skulls that'll lay on the ground after each battle.

j/k

 

[The Abominable Snowman]

Mizuguchi's stamp on this game = the battle system. It's actually a bit less KUF strategy and a bit more action, or so I heard.