A question for the insomniacs amongst you - what exactly does it take
for a character in a videogame to rise above the dross and become a
'mascot'? Looking back on the golden days of 'old-school' gaming, it's
clear to see that while the best have kept getting better (Sega have
Sonic, Nintendo have a fat Italian plumber and Sony have... err...
help?) so many greats that could have been contenders fell by the
wayside. One such unlucky loser is Ecco The Dolphin. Despite
starring in no less than three incredibly popular games on the
MegaDrive, he was cast aside to be turned into several 'Boil In The Bag'
meals... until now that is.
 |
Peripherals
Support >Memory Card >Dual
Analogue >Multi-tap |
Call
it luck, call it fate or call it a desperate attempt to revive a dead
franchise but Ecco is back and he's ready to kick ass (or flip out, as
the case may be) with the best of them. As with all their home-grown
talent though, Sega have taken great care in producing a game that both
entertains AND uses the abilities of the Dreamcast to the full. Take our
word for it - as soon as you see Ecco The Dolphin in action,
you'll be dribbling more than a group of sex-starved blokes at the
annual 'Miss Wet T-Shirt UK' tournament. Hmmm, minty.
Fish Supper
Unsurprisingly for a game where you get to take
control of a 8ft long earth-saving dolphin, the story line is typically
eco-friendly. It's the future - hunger, war and Bobby Davro have all
been wiped out and the human race lives in peace and harmony with every
living creature on the planet... especially dolphins. Unfortunately
though, not everything is well. The forces of evil, in a way that only
evil forces know how, have devised a method of going back in time and
preventing the human/fish union (ewww...) from ever coming to fruition.
In sending a boat back to create all kinds of fishy havoc though, Ecco
is accidentally drawn back with it and is therefore the only person
aware of the dangers facing the world. He is... the Defender Of The
Future! Ooh, dramatic isn't it?
In any case, that's how it is - being the only person/dolphin capable
of stopping the evil tyrants from carrying out their plans, you get to
explore over 30 stages of swimming/flipping/puzzle-solving action in
your quest to save the world. In keeping with a similar style to that of
the original Ecco games, the premise is a simple one; you get to
swim around and talk to the other fish-like inhabitants of each level,
trying to work out what it is that each one of them needs your help
with. Puzzles are the name of the game here; from saving a baby whale
trapped under a pile of rocks in Crystal Bay to playing Nose Ball with
one of the more unfriendly dolphins late in the game, you'll certainly
have your work cut out for you if you want to make it through to the
final confrontation with those forces of evil...
Fish Fingers
Of course, in using the power of the Dreamcast
Ecco has managed to surpass his previous MegaDrive outings a million
times over. By watching hours of videotape showing deep-sea dives and
dolphin expeditions, developers Appaloosa Interactive have managed to
come up with a world that is as real as you can get (without someone
walking in and throwing a bucket of sea-water in your face). The amazing
graphics are what is going to strike people about Ecco The
Dolphin - despite the fact that it's more than just a pretty face,
you know that gamesplayers all over the world will be picking their jaws
up off the floor when they see it in full flow...