Endless Ocean

"It's like scuba diving, but without the danger."

Endless Ocean. Scuba diving translated into a game sounds pretty boring, eh? Maybe to you. I wasn't sure at first glance either, but after spending time with the game, I can say it's one of the freshest and one of the more fun of 2008 so far. So, let's start, shall we?

Controls - 9/10: Can't play a game without working controls, hm? The controls in this game work quite well, despite what other reviewers have said. You have wiimote only controls here, no nunchuck used. You use the pointer to turn and, well, point. We'll get to that later. Anyway, the B button is used to swim/walk (on your boat). The control pad is your tool menu. A investigates and such. There's buttons used for the map, autoswim, zoom, etc, but if you play the game, all these will be described at the very start. Overall, the controls work well. Only complaint is how often the 1 and 2 buttons are sometimes used.

Graphics - 8/10: Alright, I'll get the worst part of this over with first. The above water graphics look horrible. Blurry, jaggy, all around bad looking, pretty much. Lucky you, you barely spend your time above the water. Below water, the graphics are beautiful. Rays of light, all the details on the animals, detailed environments.... It's really quite beautiful. For a Wii game, that is. Not quite up to Super Mario Galaxy levels, but still good.

Sound - 10/10: This is an area where the game shines. Not only do the sounds above and below water sound very nice, but also the music was wonderfully done, although there is a pretty low amount of tracks on the game, but that's made up due to the ability to use your own custom soundtracks off of an SD card. Diving to Slayer, anybody?

Story: There's really not much of a story. There's some stuff about researching the underwater life and such, but not really too much there. Not rating this part.

Gameplay 9/10: Most important factor, imo. Gameplay is a must in a game, right? Luckily, it's very good in Endless Ocean. The main part of the game is simply diving and swimming around. There's some little missions where you'll take someone diving looking for something or taking some pictures, but those aren't too big, although they earn you some now outfit options. You can explore the whole map right after the tutorial, which only takes a few minutes. Okay, I lied. You can explore all of the areas shown on the flat map, but there's areas where you'll need special upgrades, such as one used to dive into an Abyss. Also, there are other upgrades, like new tools, or one that allows you to go on night dives. There's also TONS of wildlife to see, tons of fish, there's crabs, birds, seals, and more. And I'll tell you, seeing a blue whale for the first time is absolutely stunning. Some creatures only come out at night, or in certain seasons. Also, with the zoom function you get not-too-far in, you can zoom in on coral and other parts of the environment, to find treasure and animals. You can also find treasure, to get new abilities or just to have. You can get a dolphin partner to swim with. Also, there's a wi-fi co-op mode, for playing with a human partner. Overall, the gameplay is great, and I'm sure I'm missing some. This game is massive, really, and will last you a lot of time.

However, I've got to warn readers, this game won't be for everyone. If your someone who can't take something slow and calm, and like a more action-filled genre, I suggest Call of Duty 4. If you think this sounds like your game, or you just want something new, you can't go wrong for only $30.

Overall score: 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/24/08

Game Release: Endless Ocean (US, 01/21/08)