| Blackfin's review; | |
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Players : One
VMU Compatible : Yes VGA-Box Support : Yes Video Modes Supported : 50Hz, 60Hz Internet Support : No Levels: 27 Developers : Appaloosa Interactive |
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Ecco the dolphin: defender of the future was a game that I had been waiting to get for a very long time. Right from the time the first screenshots were released I was absorbed by it. All together there has a huge amount of hype surrounding this game, does the final product live up to everything that the hype promised?
Well in one word. Yes! The graphics are incredibly lifelike, all the sea creatures look and more realisticly, even the water looks real enough to dive into! The music is good quality and suited to the game environments but not quite as good as some of the music composed for previous ecco games. There are enough huge levels in the game to occupy you for ages. Controlling ecco can initially be confusing but with practice the controls soon become easy and natural to use. The storyling is a masterpiece that will keep you hooked. Many of the favourite features from previous games (such as, ecco's sonar, glyphs, classic enemies such as sharks and jellyfish) as well as a host of new features (such as vitalits - used to expand you life bar) stops the game from getting repedative. The game does have it's bad points though. The game has a very high degree of difficulty (as in tradition with the older ecco games) that can easilly make the game frustrating, this game is not suited for people who are not good at solving puzzles and if you didn't like the previous ecco games I would advise you to stay well clear of this game. Most of the new features that have been added to the game (as compared to previous ecco games) work well enough but a few of them are downright annoying, (such as certain jellyfish - touch them and you are poisened and have to find a certain fish quickly or you die) People who don't take the time to learn how to control ecco well will find the game highly frustrating as well, (for example - you can get ecco stuck in corners that you can't easilly get out of unless you learn how to swim backwards) Ecco: defender of the future is a great game but it is not a game for everybody, if you are a person who doesn't have a lot of patience or isn't good at solving puzzles this game is not for you. If you aren't sure, you should try renting it first. Most people will find the game frustrating at first but if you persist and get the hang of the controls and the puzzles you'll find this to be a highly enjoyable game. |
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Pictures
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Video Previews
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| 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, | Full introduction sequence Footage of the first puzzle in the game Some passages in the fourth level |
| Reader's review - by Debaser | |
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As an old Ecco veteran from way back, *starting with the original Ecco The Dolphin for the Genesis*, I had high hopes for this game, as most of us did, I think.I sat drooling looking at the first screenshots months back, and all I can remember of the first movies I saw is coming to in a field a few hours later, muttering about sweet sweet graphics.But many games have looked good in the previews only to turn into horrible horrible nightmares.*May I present to you The Lost World and SaGa Frontier.*So did it escape the curse of The Overhyped ? Yes.............and no.But mostly a resounding YES. The graphics are freaking AMAZING.I'd venture to say they're the best in any Dreamcast game at the moment from what I've seen.This isn't Ecco, they've kidnapped a real dolphin and somehow trapped him in the program like some insane dolphin version of The Matrix for our amusement.Seriously though, everything, from the way the turtules move to how the Great White shakes you when he finally catches you *wince* is ultra realistic.The colour palate is beautiful, and, as in real life, you can't see very far underwater since there's plenty of murk, mud, and methane bubbles floating around down there.The only conceivable thing about the graphics I can see wrong is pop-up above water and in two levels *Shrine Of Controversy and Hanging Waters, respectively* either the sky or in the latter's case the ground look a little strange.*why is the Ocean completely motionless in Hanging Waters ? Hmmm...* The storyline, which was written by sci-fi author Davin Brin, is great, right up until the end cinema, which could've been improved on more than I can say.This is as close as us RPG fans are going to get to our favorite genre on the Dreamcast for now.There are dolphins of all stripes, good and evil, and they speak and behave such.And this is NOT a kids game, as things get a bit grim later on in the game, but I won't spoil that tidbit.The only thing I regret is that they didn't stick more closely with the original storylines from the Genesis games, as they were actually much better in some parts than this one. And on a side note,why change our favorite Alien-rip off monsters, the Vortex, to "The Foe" ? It's beyond me.I also found the Whales and the....*spoiler* later on seemed an awfully close to what the Four Dragons were used for in the Grindery level of Lunar :SSSC, but I'm sure it's a coincidence....... All in all a very solid entry to my favorite series, but it could've been better with the storyline and ending.And the major complaint : It was too short.I beat it in a week, including the two side-scrolling levels and Dolphin World championship, and I want more.When do we see a sequel, Appaloosa ? |
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| Reader's review - by Kimbit | |
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Since the days of my carefree
youth, when I was about 8 and was given Ecco: Tides
of Time for the Sega Mega Drive as a Christmas
present, I have been fascinated by Ecco and his
wonderful sense of mystery. After spending quite some
time completing this exceptional game, I began to
yearn for the original, and for my 10th birthday I
became the proud owner of Ecco the Dolphin for Sega
Mega Drive. I greatly enjoyed this game too, but was
in greater awe of its sequel, TOT. I decided that any
even more recent game than ToT must be really quite
something, and began scouring Games Stores in the
hope that there was an Ecco 3. But I was to be
dissapointed, still having to simply dream of the
wonderful game it must be. Slowly, as time crept by,
the Mega Drive became defeated by Sega Santurn, and
ended up dusty and broken at the bottom of my chest.
I did not purchase a Sega Saturn, and it was only
when, about six months ago, I decided to dig out the
mega drive and went on the internet to find out how
to finish Ecco 1, (I was stuck on Welcome to the
Machine), that I discovered news of an upcoming Ecco
game, DOTF and began begging for a Dreamcast so that
I would be able to play the game. Well now I have the
Dreamcast and DOTF, so what did I think?
DOTF has absolutely exceptional graphics, which has to be its strongest point. 3D, unlike the original side-scrolling games, it is sensitive to the traditionalist among us and has included 2 bonus side-scrolling levels. The plot is unoriginal, and though quaint, not a strong point of the game. The music is interesting and ranges from heart-racing to relaxing and calming. Sound effects are impressive, and novetive. Entertainment is high, and the range of scenery and level type vary enormously from beautiful calm oceans, to filthy polluted seas full of machinery, and from colourful dolphin lairs to water tubes in the air. The only thing DOTF lacks is a little of the atmosphere of the originals, but the graphics easily make up for this. When stuck, other dolphins wishing to play fish fetch or racing will allways keep you happy. An excellent game, with superb controls. |
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| Reader's review - by Paul G | |
| I've just been reading all the reviews of all the past Ecco games on previous consoles.I can't believe how complacent gamers have become.I've just been playing Ecco on the Dreamcast and I'm blown away by the gameplay, graphics and soundtrack. This is as good as it gets, people. Enjoy it! | |
| Reviews by other websites; | |
| sega2000.net | |
| segaweb.com | |
| DreamcastMagazine.co.uk | |
| videogames.com | |
| ign.com | |
| Sega X | |
| k-gaming.com | |
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