New York Nights: Success in the City (or just "New York Nights") is a game developed and released by Gameloft for the Mobile Phone (which was released in 2005). Due to its success, it was later released for the iPhone (which was released in 2009). It has very cartoonish 2D graphics and is very much like The Sims video games. A sequel, New York Nights 2: Friends For Life was later released (for the Mobile phone). A spin-off entitled Miami Nights: Singles in the City was also released and was intended for the Nintendo DS. This game is part of the Night series by Gameloft.
The cover art often shows 4 people (2 males and 2 females) seen standing right next to each other as they see tons of cash floating in the air in the middle of Times Square. However, a different cover art is shown on the Japanese version of the game.
Publisher's Summary
New York Nights for iPhone / iPod touch: 1st trailer! - Follow us at http://twitter.com/new_york_nights for exclusive info and gifts! The best selling social simulation game on mobile finally arrives on iPhone and iPod ...
iPhone Version
Your arrive in Manhattan fresh off the plane with a little more than the shirt in your back. Find friends, find profitable employment and hopefully true love.
'"Dream big in the city that never sleeps!"
Mobile Version
For as long as you can remember, you have had only one desire: to leave the small town in Alabama where you grew up and take on one of the most glamorous and exciting places in the world: New York City! Guess what? Your dream has finally come true! You have enough cash to see you through forty days, so establish yourself in the Big Apple: make friends, find a job, and start yourself on the path to becoming rich and famous. Who knows, you might even find true love! Remember, time is always ticking away, so if you haven’t made a name for yourself in forty days, it’s right back to square one!
'"Work, live, date and make it big in the city!"
Plot
The plot centers around a playable character (male or female) that has left his parents from Alabama and tries his/her luck in the city that never sleeps. The character only has 40 days and during this period he/she has to make new friends, find a job and find true love or else he will lose the game.
Gameplay
iPhone Version
- The player only taps on the screen to point the area where his/her avatar will go.
- To chat with non-playable in-game characters, the player has to tap the interaction button prompted whenever near to another character. There are lots of interaction that can be done, the player can chat, flirt, prank, etc.
- There are lots of activities that can be done depending on which place the character should go. These activities result to addition or subtraction of the character's attributes. This version has 16 attributes.
- The player gets to visit the many famous landmarks of Manhattan.
Mobile Version
- The player can use the D-Pad or the Num-Pad to control or move his/her avatar.
- To chat with non-playable in-game characters, the player has to come close to the character and press ok (D-Pad) or 5 (Num-Pad) when prompted to talk. Just like the iPhone version, there is also a heavy amount of interaction that can be done.
- There are lots of activities and actions that can be done like eating pizza, getting a tan, etc. These actions contributes to the 4 attributes of the character.
- The player visits facades which are commonly found in NYC.
Version Differences
The games differs from the iPhone to the mobile version in many ways:
- The iPhone has a more realistic or real-life storyline which involves the character's connection the non-playable characters while the mobile mainly focuses on the challenge.
- There is much more detailed graphics in the iPhone version than the mobile one.
- Character Customization is more detailed in the iPhone than the mobile.
- The iPhone version is more advanced than the mobile version.
Reception
Due to its success which reached to 4 million downloads, New York Nights received generally positive reviews from gaming companies such as IGN and Pocketgamer who gave the game an 8.8/10 and 8/10 points respectively. It also became subject to many game reviews.
“There is always something to do, it's easy to play (...) and advance the story, and the game has a wonderful sense of humor.†-IGN
“Attractive, funny and definitely worth a fling - just don't tell the wife.†-Pocketgamer (8/10 silver award)
Other game reviewers such as GameSpot Asia gave the game an 8.2/10 reviews, iFans.com also gave it an 8.2/10 saying that the game was "GREAT, especially for those gamers who likes The Sims 3. "
Slidetoplay gave it a 3.0/5 and PCmag gave the game a 4.5/5 reviews saying that the game was "Excellent...Just as long as you go home and take the subway before 3:00am".
References
Reviews
- iFans
- iLadyPod
- Gamespot Asia
- Slidetoplay
- PCmag.com
Official Websites
- For the iPhone
- For the Mobile phone
- iTunes