Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future

Reviews

Only a year after my research of Ecco games had it's last success with Ecco for PC, there was a new Ecco game published! I really wanted to get this one but I always wondered if I should buy the (in those days still-) expensive Dreamcast only for two games. Today I would buy them immediately since the price for them has really fallen deeply. And with the quality of this game it is nearly a present for everyone who would buy it now.

When I first played the game I was really amazed, even though I had to get used the controls. I haven't played many 3D games in my life but I got used to the controls pretty quick so one shouldn't get any major problems with that. The control of the dolphin is really smooth and you get the feeling of real underwater diving. Later you will even be able to control the camera to do some cool jump stunts, you will love it!

The best thing about this game are definately the graphics! Appaloosa used National Geographic magazines to make the thing look real, and it really looks close to reality. There are so many details of ocean's lifeforms, plants, swamps, different jellyfish, sharks, even the sand gets mixed up with the sea when you swim through it. There even palms and waterfalls to discover, and a lot more. The designers have surely outdone themselves on this game!

The further you get into the game the more science fiction you get since also this game is based on time travelling. Ecco gets into real fantastic worlds where he has to repair time and acts a lot with the dolphins of that time. Some or evil, some are really helpless and some even have only a low intelligence level. The game is based a lot on communication with dolphins and whales in this game and that makes it exciting and connects the player even more with the game.

The storyline itself is also pretty nice, although you might have to replay some parts to fully understand them. Though it isn't really that complex and doesn't have many turning points, but you can follow it and it's still exciting enough.

Also the music is really nice, it fits with the underwater scene very well again. Even though many prefer the old CD music I like this music just as much as the good old tracks. It's also very spherical, but has sometimes some choires in the background which sounds pretty nice to me. Also there are a lot more sounds than in the previous games which support the underwater feeling of the game.

I can only say to everyone who has a Dreamcast, buy this game. And it is actually also your chance to buy the Dreamcast with the game because of it being very low now. I still enjoy swimming through the stages and listening to the tracks, it's definately the best Ecco game yet.

Review by PsySonic

Some Screenshots:

Screenshots are © 2000-2001 by SEGA