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Ecco The Dolphin: Defender of the Future




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All About...
Ecco The Dolphin: Defender of the Future
Preview

"Good God man! I'm a mammal, not a fish!"
Originality is extremely hard to come by -- a fact that gamers can tell you better than anyone. But beneath the endless mountains of me-too shooters, fighters and racing titles exist a chosen few -- games that attempt to uncover new ground and effectively create their own paradigms. The original Ecco the Dolphin on Genesis was one of those games and -- much to our delight --its 128-bit sequel is too.

Developed by the fine European blokes over at Appaloosa, Ecco's story is a very simple one: His mission is to restore the former dolphin/human paradise, save the planet from self-destruction and win back his future (all in a day's work for any Dolphin worth his salt, really). In an effort to recover the stolen dolphin-power that has been scattered throughout time and space, the bottle-nosed protagonist travels through mysterious and breathtaking underwater worlds filled with puzzles, friends, foes and danger.

Ecco is playable on many levels -- a sign of great game design. The freedom to swim through the vast oceanic landscapes, exploring the beautiful environments and uncovering their hidden treasures, is truly engaging, and provides a respite from normal videogame fare. A large part of Ecco's immediate appeal is its Tony Hawkesque trick-a-liciousness. Bursting through the surface and performing 360s, spins and other assorted maneuvers -- and then seeing how large (or small) a splash Ecco can make upon re-entry -- is an experience not to be missed.

While this is all well and good, a truly great game needs so-called 'meat' as well ("Uhhh -- dolphin steaks anyone?"). Thankfully, Ecco delivers on this front: The game's structured play ranges from simple puzzles (such as freeing a trapped baby whale, battling sharks and talking to whales) to larger, more complicated quests.

Just as in previous titles, Ecco can talk to other sea creatures via his sonar, and interaction with NPCs (read: fish and underwater mammals) is an absolutely necessary part of the game. It takes only a few minutes to get comfortable with the game's excellent control, which makes the adventuring part of the game extremely playable (not to mention the exploration and tricks). The game uses many in-game cutscenes to tell its story, which propels things along quite nicely.

And then there are the graphics. This is, without a doubt, one of the most visually stunning games ever developed. The undulation of the moving water is brilliant, and the level of detail in the underwater environments is simply breathtaking. Being able to swim up to a patch of coral and examine it so closely such that you can observe its actual texture is truly amazing, as are the waterfalls, caves and lush vegetation growing all around you. The effects -- such as sand springing up when you skim the ocean floor and realtime shadows -- add to the game's visual appeal as well.

Ecco could very well become one of Dreamcast's true shining moments, and everything we've seen thus far hints that it will. If the adventuring element can become as cohesive as the rest of the game, Appaloosa and Sega may have one of those rare gaming gems on their hands. Keep your fins crossed.


- Evan Shamoon

 
Preview: 4/10/00
Oh to be under the sea ...
 


5/19/00
Dolphin Dreams
Swimming With The Fish ...
Apaloosa?
Star Of The Show
Space Debris?
Earth Ho?
???
4/10/00
They Call Him Flipper
Plotting A Course
Divers Go Down
Sea Me?
Angel Fish
Glow Fish Sticks
Postman And Dolphin
Heady Goodness




"This is, without a doubt, one of the most visually stunning games ever developed. "

Screens

What's with the damn horse? There's no horses underwater! (Except Seahorses which are, in fact, not horses.)

Ecco needs to breathe air -- or he will come to your house and punch your puppy.

Hey, we just realized where the horse comes from! It's Apaloosa!

Stats
Est. Release Date 8/15/00
Developer Apaloosa
Publisher Sega of America
Genre Action Adventure
Players 1


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