Ecco the Dolphin: Defender
of the Future Written on 08.17.2000
Ecco the
Dolphin was one of the franchises created by Sega during
the 16-bit Genesis era. For anyone who remembers that
series of games, they will probably tell you that the
first noticible thing about Ecco was the extraordinary
animation. The second thing they may tell you is that it
was a slow game. However, Ecco did find a following in
its ethereal gameplay and soothing music, as well as its
somewhat high difficulty and sci-fi hint towards the
later levels.
Appaloosa Interactive has returned to bring Ecco back
to a current Sega system in their recent Dreamcast
release, Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future. The
overall gameplay feel, while 3D, still seems true to the
original games, and in these advanced times, Ecco does
seem different than anything on other systems.
In an age full of 3D shoot-em-ups and action titles,
Ecco is swimming against the tide with a game that could
be categorized as adventure, action, or puzzle! However,
will the broad 3D gameplay style garner new Ecco fans
with this 128-bit update, or is this just a weak attempt
at updating a classic?
Visuals:: If anything, Defender
of the Future is a beautiful game with some
all-too-familiar camera problems. The animation of the
animals that inhabit the underwater world is stunning;
fluid and lifelike, truly drawing you into the
environment. The visuals themselves are great, with
sharks looking fierce, dolphins looking friendly, and
turtles looking apathetic.
The actual environment is what really is stunning.
Your jaw will drop once you get some of the "light" fish
to swim with you through a dark underwater tunnel. The
glow of the walls and the fast frame rate help you to
lose yourself in the game. The realism in the title
increases the surprising suspense of the experience,
having you question what's just around the corner!
The only detraction to such a beautifully detailed
world is the camera. There are three cameras in the
game: one is right behind Ecco at all times, one is
behind Ecco in a very flexible manner, and one is an
overhead cam (mainly used to see your overwater flips
and tricks). The problem is, coupled with the game's
sensitive controls, the cameras can sometimes make it
difficult to understand where you are. All in all, this
game is visual sugar, soured a bit by the camera
direction. A little more tweaking may have prevented the
"dizzying" problems that occur at times, but it may have
more to do with the control than anything (as you'll
read later on).
Audio:: As beautiful as the
visuals are, Defender of the Future really impressed me
with the quality of the audio, in all aspects. We'll
break this section into three aural parts: environmental
sounds, music, and sound effects.
If you ever smiled at something in a movie or in a
book just because something was "done right," this is
the aspect of Ecco that will make you do that. That is,
the environmental sounds are just so impressive. At
parts of the game when the music takes a backseat and
these sounds take over, your heart rate will go up and
the suspense will be kicked up several notches. The
bubbling sounds of the deep, the underwater waves, the
distant animal sounds, and more come together to make
you smile at just how "into" the game you get after just
a few minutes in the water.
The music is also great; if anyone remembers the
Q-Sound enhanced music of the original games, you'll
remember that the music was, if anything, calming and
soothing. Defender of the Future is no different, with
its mixture of what I'll call "new age-water type-echo
sounding goodness" (look for that category at your
record store's shelves). The music in the environments
will shift as danger or safety comes into scope. At its
best, the music will act much in the way Jaws' theme
does: uncertainty at what's coming up, tension
increasing as you see the shark in the distance, and
pow, a nice blast when you get eaten (and yes, you will
get eaten). At its worst, the music provides a decent
background that doesn't detract from the game.
The sound effects seem to be the only way in which
the game's audio is lacking. While the environmental
sounds and music work well to draw you in, the sound
effects could just as easily take you out ...that is, if
you're an audio buff like me. I couldn't help but notice
the lack of sound effects when there "should" be sound
effects. For example, when Ecco crests the surface of
the water, even when Ecco swims, sound effects that (in
my opinion) should be present, are not. However, most of
the world is not as picky as I am in this category, and
even to me, this slight negative is not nearly enough to
take away from the overall accomplishment of Appaloosa
in this field. Well done.
Gameplay/Control:: The gameplay
is what will make or break this title for most people;
it seems this is a game you will either like or hate
after just a few minutes into your first mission. If
you're expecting an underwater Rayman 2, you've come to
the wrong place. Ecco is largely not an
action-packed game, and to me, that's great; there are
enough of those in the market. Instead, Ecco is a
soothing adventure that will really rack your brain with
the missions.
No, Ecco is not an easy title; never was, and it
hasn't changed with this update. Much like Seaman, you
have to go into this title with some saintly patience
and a passion to explore and explore ...and explore. To
me, the audio and the visuals make this an enjoyable
experience, but when the difficulty gets up there, it
will be easy to get frustrated.
Some of the missions are just puzzlingly difficult,
and require some luck and maybe even some guide-help.
Scattered throughout the sea are information crystals
that will help you in your quest, but sometimes this is
not enough. Just remember every communication you
encounter with fellow dolphins and other undersea
creatures, and utilize the songs you receive from some
of them to your advantage.
Now Ecco is not all puzzler; it does have action, but
it's not what you think. Again, some people may be
looking at this like Sonic Adventure, but it is so much
more like the Resident Evil series. The action that
comes in when fighting sharks with your thrust (B) gets
the blood pumping, especially because it looks so
realistic, and that "look behind you!" music doesn't
help calm you down! This is a game that will make you
jump at times, and it has plenty of opportunities to
make you return to a normal state.
Much like Pilotwings 64's Birdman bonus level, Ecco's
ability to just swim and chill, jumping out of the water
and doing some flips and tricks, will alone make many
people enjoy this title off the bat. If you're into
calming titles, Ecco is it. If you're into suspenseful
titles, Ecco it it, too. So is Ecco perfect?
The difficulty really gets too high in later levels,
and you will be itching to use a guide after awhile.
Also, the controls to move Ecco are pretty sensitive,
with the dolphin sometimes turning too sharply or
flipping back a bit too far. You will have to temper
your thumb to really enjoy this title, and thankfully
you have the pre-game Aquamarine Bay to help you do
that. However, the learning curve is pretty high, and
fickle gamers looking for a quick lesson to become an
expert will be disappointed.
Overall, Ecco is fun, but I'm the same guy who spends
a ton of time flying and looping through the first stage
of Nights over and over again. This game can bring you
that kind of break from life, transporting you to an
underwater environment unlike any other, unless you live
in The Bahamas.
Extras:: No real extras to talk
about. Basic options menu and saving structure.
Overall:: Ecco, it's good to
see you on the Dreamcast. With multimedia splendor, this
dolphin makes a great (ahem) splash on the system we
love. For those who are looking to get into a quick
action game, Ecco is most certainly a rental. The
difficulty and slow pace of the missions may not be too
many people's cup of tea. However, for those of us who
like open-ended adventures that require a good amount of
time (and maybe some guide perusals), Ecco is a solid
title, so long as you can handle the control learning
curve and shaky camera system. For the patient, this $40
game is a steal, if not for the adventure, then for the
impressive demonstration of Dreamcast's power!
Score:: 7.5/10
|
Ecco the Dolphin: Defender
of the Future (2)
Written on 08.25.2000
Brilliant,
fun, addictive and classic are the first words that come
to mind when describing this epic masterpiece. In fact,
the only thing keeping me from giving this game a
perfect score is a few minor nitpicks that took very
little away from the overall gaming experience.
The story is a familiar one for fans of the original
series: Ecco must save Earth from evil while swimming
about in a fantastically rendered oceanic environment.
In this iteration, Ecco must defeat an ancient alien
race known as "The Foe". Travelling back and forth
through time while learning new skills and abilities,
solving puzzles is the main focus of gameplay.
Visuals:: This is the best
looking game on any system. This includes anything shown
on the PS2 at this years E3. There are a few Dreamcast
titles later this year that might give it a run for it's
money, but as of right now this game is king. Moving at
a constant 30 fps with very little slow down, brilliant
lighting and the best textures seen in any video game,
there is very little you can complain about. The
"fogging" might have been better had it been pushed back
about 20%, but it actually suits the atmosphere of this
aquatic adventure fairly well.
The sea life is animated in extremely life-like
fashion and the vegetation has amazing variety. Every
creature appears almost completely rounded due to the
high polygon count which litters this title and Ecco
himself is practically photo realistic.
Level design is the key to any successful adventure
game, and Ecco has 30+ of some of the best I've seen.
You'll swim over waterfalls, through caves, cavern
labyrinths, lost cities and even through a couple 2D
genesis-style levels which simply look incredible.
Audio:: The sound effects are
great. Every creature-type has it's own "song" and Ecco
has sonar and chirping sounds which seem pretty
authentic. Soothing background music plays throughout
and it is some of the best to come around in a while.
The only problem is that the audio tends to loop quite a
bit on some of the longer levels which can sometimes
take a long time to complete. The audio during the cut
scenes definitely adds momentum to what can sometimes
seem like a slow paced game.
Gameplay/Control:: Control is
nearly perfect. Everything is intuitive and well laid
out. The only glitch is that sometimes you might get
caught between a couple of rocks which can take a few
seconds to free yourself. This is a rare occurence
though and didn't frustrate me at all. Some of the water
jumps can take some patience, but rarely do you have to
try anything more than half a dozen times.
This game plays fairly slow, punctuated by moments of
fairly intense action. For example, when you happen upon
a large group of ferocious sharks. Similar to a Resident
Evil title in it's ability to surprise you, most gamers
should feel comfortable playing this title. Don't take
the slow pace as a negative thing. It is wonderful and
fairly addictive to roam around the various levels
taking in all of the visuals while completing your tasks
at a pace you feel comfortable with.
This game is hard. It does require some patience and
I don't recommend it to anyone with a low tolerance for
story and adventure. With that being said, you'll find
yourself more and more competent as the game progresses
and the game doesn't really get cooking until about
level 8. You will learn Songs of Fish, Turtle, Shark and
Ray. You will earn gifts of Vigor, Endurance, Air and
Stealth. You will love this game the more you play it.
Extras:: This game has the best
extra anyone could hope for: the ability to go back and
play any level you want after you complete it. The save
points are extremely common and you don't have to redo
anything you've already done if you don't want to.
Amazing. I wish the makers of Shadowman and MDK2 had
also realized the obvious value of these features. Other
than that, there isn't any other extras of note.
Overall:: If you like adventure
games: go get this game now! Even if you don't, you will
still find something to like in the visual department.
This is a Dreamcast classic. The first since Crazy Taxi
some six months ago. If I had to pick one game of the
summer that you had to get, this would be it. With 60+
hours of gameplay, you won't find a better value.
|