The creators of Lumines and the creators of Kingdom Under Fire collaborating on a massive-scale fantasy-themed beat ‘em up? "Yes, please," was the response of gamerdom when N3: Ninety-Nine Nights was announced as one of the platform-defining titles for the Xbox 360. Now that it's seen the light of day, though, Ninety-Nine Nights is the first real disappointment in the 360's software stable. The game, so highly touted for its hot, hot graphics, isn't a let down on that front, but N3's gameplay is stale enough to warrant a comparison to Kingdom Hearts 2.

The Dynasty-Warriors-alike sports a huge amount of on-screen enemies, lots and lots of detail, some fluid animations, and a generous draw distance considering all the other factors just mentioned. The recipe is there, but the end result is severely lacking in seasoning.

Just like Kingdom Hearts, though, much of the combat in N3 boils down to hitting a button over and over again. N3 is all about the combat, much of which boils down to hitting a button over and over again. Every so often, you hit a different button to perform a special attack. Dashing into the fray and doing nothing but tapping the attack button over and over (not even moving) can rack up a pretty impressive combo. In the beginning, yes, it's tons of fun, but the fun wears off quickly, and levels become tedious, repetitive affairs. To make mattes worse, the seven playable characters in Ninety-Nine Nights don't offer anything unique once they're unlocked, either.

The final nail in N3's coffin is its total lack of Xbox Live support. After being spoiled by Kingdom Under Fire, the lack of online multiplayer stings significantly.

Ninety-Nine Nights is an object lesson in placing production value over entertainment value. Graphics enthusiasts and rabid Dynasty Warriors or Kingdom Under Fire fans may not be able to stay away, but gamers on the fence can be content in going one more night without it.

Score: 60%

Sep 2, 2006 | 0 comments
Jeff Stolarcyk