IGN.com
July 30, 1999

News
Games
Reviews
Previews
Features
Hardware
Codes
Release Dates
Letters
Q & A
Email Us
Gamestore

 Platforms
PC
IGN64
PSX
Dreamcast
Pocket
Online

My IGN
Log In/Register
Contests
IGN Mail
IGN Link
Newsletter

Help
Site Map
Site FAQ

Affiliates
DC Swirl
Dr. Dreamcast
FGN Online
Game Sages
GameFAQS
Gaming Age
Sega Web
Sega Zone
Total RPG

Affiliation
Advertising Info
Staff Info
Recent Press
Affiliation
 Marketing


Search EBWorld.com




  Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future
 


     
screenshot 1
Ecco will face all forms of danger in his quest to defend the universe.

Game Info
Publisher
Sega
Developer
Appaloosa Interactive
Genre
Adventure
Origin
Europe
Number of
Players
1
Accelerated
YES
Force
Feedback
YES
Release
Q2 2000
Peripherals
Analog
Memory Pack


screenshot 2
Experience the massive environments created by Appaloosa


Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future

The Defender of the Future? more like "Game of the Future!"

July 30, 1999

If you ask me, people are a bit too eager to give Sega a hard time. Despite all the justifiable knocks on the Sega CD, they forget that one of the company's biggest let-downs also played host to one of it's greatest gaming moments in Ecco the Dolphin. Luckily, Sega has realized what a gem they had in Ecco, and have the gang at Appaloosa toiling away at a brand new title, Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future, which should take our aquatic adventurer to depths of gameplay and visual brilliance never before seen on the Dreamcast.

The absence of one of the original Ecco's founding fathers, Ed Annunziata, who has since started his own effort with AndNow on a Dreamcast iteration of Chakan, left many concerned as to the viability and consistency of sequel. A quick look at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, though, and all doubts were demolished upon seeing one of the most impressive demonstrations on the entire show floor. In what can only be described as one of the most brilliant, breathtaking expositions of gaming intensity I have ever seen, this new Ecco walked away from E3 as the game of show in the minds of many an editor. Beyond this, Ecco convinced countless others more as to the promise of not only the game, but also the Dreamcast itself. We managed to catch a glimpse of the project recently, and here's what we found out.

First and foremost, this game is easily the most beautiful thing on Dreamcast this side of Namco's Soul Calibur, and is one of the most impressive things I have ever seen on any platform. Never before have I sat in such awe of a game's overall sense of presentation. Unlike many of the DC's early games, this is what I think of when I think of the term next-generation, and the more I see, the more excited I get. I'm not sure what variety of super-powers are possessed by the art team over at Appaloosa, but let me say that the overall look of Ecco will floor you. Forget the likes of Aquanaut's Holiday and SubCulture, this is what an underwater environment was meant to look like. Amazing textures, complex near-alien environments, and a god-like lighting all combine to create one of the most realistic, engrossing worlds ever conveyed in a video game. And the models! If you haven't seen Ecco and Co. in motion yet, you really need to put on a bib, download the movies included with this preview and prepare to drool, because this is pure candy. Appaloosa plans to both optimize the game's frame rate and flood the sea with life so that the illusion is even more convincing, and we can't wait to see the scope of their vision when it reaches it final stages!

Speaking of stages, the game will not contain levels in the traditional sense. Instead, Ecco will be split up into worlds, but not ones that require any linear progression to complete, and will present gamers with an unbelievable amount of geography to cover. Even Producer Gergely Csaszar is continually amazed by the game's size: " I would have never imagined that by the end of the QA testing, our tester will be able to play through the original Genesis version in 40 minutes. Yesterday, it took me over four hours just to speed-swim through all the stages we have built for the Dreamcast version so far, without actually stopping to play the game. By the time we build all of the stages it will probably take a day of swimming to see all the areas in the game."

Due to the fact that Appaloosa has kept the story pretty close to the cuff as they don't want to ruin the overall experience by letting too much out too soon, we're not too sure what will be taking place in each world. But, you can be sure that the game will have a heavy amount of adventure and RPG elements thrown into the mix to keep things interesting. Personally, I could just swim around and look at the fishies, but from what we're told, we'll be too busy solving puzzles and embarking on quests to get too lost in the moment. Hopefully the game will see an adequate balance of both gameplay and exploration, because this one almost begs for a bit of frolicking.

One thing's for sure - Appaloosa will have their hands full taking the series into the 3rd dimension. From what we have seen thus far, Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future is well on its way to doing just that. Wi/th the game headed your way some time next year, expect as much news as we can possibly bring you between and then on this ground-breaking Dreamcast phenomenon. 'Till then, look out for those tuna nets!

-- Brandon Justice, IGNDC



 
Current Media





Copyright Affiliation Networks