Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future

"A Game of Epic Proportions...Ecco the Dolphin."

Back when I was but a wee lad, my parents decided to get me another gaming system besides my aging NES. A video game system not made by Nintendo? How weird! It came with three games...Sonic the Hedgehog, Madden '92, and Ecco the Dolphin. While both Sonic and Madden were unbelievable, ground-breaking games, Ecco had a certain charm and flair that none of the others could match. It truly immersed you in a watery fantasy; full of life, color, and pretty bubbles. When I heard a sequel was announced for the Sega Dreamcast, it pained me to no end. I had no Dreamcast. It hurt, but I refrained from buying the DC simply for one game...and then, a light shone down from the heavens, delivering Ecco the Dolphin : Defender of the Future onto my Playstation 2.

It was all I could ask for. The same feelings were invoked within me as I navigated the incredible environments. The plot of the game is somewhat simple, but not too disappointing; in the future, Man and Dolphin have joined together to fight a mysterious alien force, the Foe. The Foe starts to gain an upper hand, as Ecco must fight to protect his world, and later, worlds of altered timelines to stop the invaders. Interesting locales dot the game, from a sunny cove off of a beautiful island to Atlantis itself. You better believe Ecco's gonna earn some frequent flipper miles here.

Although the game remains largely unchanged from the Dreamcast version, the game has definitely been enhanced. Ecco himself is a wonder to control; he moves exactly as a dolphin should. Though performing a triple flip with a twist out of the water is completely unnecessary, you'll be busting 'em out all over the place. Gameplay is certainly intuitive, however, some strange uses of the shoulder buttons turn me off a bit. Graphics are beautiful; the water effects are amazing. From crystal-clear beaches to murky caves, the game never stops the visual onslaught. One of the primary reasons to beat a level is to see the beauty of the next. One level, later in the game, Hanging Waters...WOW. Unbelievable. The game also shines aurally, with the right amount of bubbly sound effects and trance-like, tranquil beats to never get old. Ecco's sonar is particularly impressive.

It's time to break out the strategy guides on this one, though. Though a handy map feature and compass were introduced into the PS2 version (Press L3), the game can still be very vague and unclear as to what your objective is. Levels can be HUGE, and almost impossible to find your way around. The 2-D maps can't possibly display a 3-D area very well, and two very different places may show up as almost the same spot on a map. Matters become worse when you're trying to find a moving target. Battles can be interesting, as Ecco is helped along in the game by various ''Songs'' and skills. Different sea animals teach Ecco these skills, usually to help beat that one level and seldom-used the rest of the game.

Despite these flaws, Ecco is a joy to play. Slight collision problems and unclear objectives hamper our dolphin friend, but this game should definitely be given a try. A game of decent length, Ecco also features two hidden levels in pure 2-D, giving old-school gamers like me a healthy dose of nostalgia. Let's face it, guys...save the world, or save some trapped fish caught in a net? Ecco kicks the crap out of Flipper. 'Nuff said.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/21/02, Updated 10/23/02