Ecco The Dolphin: Defender of the Future

by Dreamcast

Product Details

• ASIN: B00004T4XI
• Item Weight: 8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,557 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Editorial Review

Ecco the dolphin has always played the part of Sega's more sedate mascot, providing a relaxing contrast to the hyperactive Sonic the Hedgehog games. Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future continues this tradition on the Dreamcast, putting the title character in charge of saving the world yet again. An alien force (creatively called The Foe) has abducted all the humans and most of the dolphins from earth, leaving only a tiny force of dolphins to restore things to normal. As Ecco, players must travel through an enormous underwater world, interacting with other sea creatures and solving puzzles in a quest to stop The Foe once and for all.

The Dreamcast's power is exploited to beautiful new extremes in this game. The underwater environments are filled with shimmering rocks, colorful plants, and outcroppings of coral. Families of turtles slip through the water in a stately line, while schools of fish dance in circles and translucent jellyfish sit suspended in the depths. The most amazing creatures by far are the dolphins--including Ecco--as they are rendered in perfect detail and benefit from incredibly fluid animation. This is one beautiful game, and the serene soundtrack adds to the overall atmosphere.

Unfortunately, the gameplay is about as shallow as the ocean is deep. There are many missions to complete, from dolphin races to killing teams of sharks, but there are so few controls that nearly all assignments are completed in the same way. Tasks become much harder as the game progresses, and the lack of direction given to players players needlessly adds to the difficulty. We wasted countless hours of trial and error trying to figure out what we were supposed to do--time that would have been saved had the mission objectives been clearer. Still, Ecco the Dolphin is an engaging way to waste time, thanks to its open environments and hypnotic beauty. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Absolutely beautiful environments
• Fluid animation

Cons:

• No way to save games in the middle of a level
• Repetitive gameplay
• The game slows when there are many objects onscreen at once

Product Description

Ecco, the bottlenose star of a nearly forgotten side-scrolling adventure on the retired Sega Genesis, has made it to the Dreamcast in Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future, and this time he's a 3-D dolphin in a hyperrealistic underwater world. Players will control Ecco as he is sent back into the past and tries to reinstate the paradise of his future. How? Evil forces have conspired to destroy the planet, and if Ecco can recover the stolen and scattered dolphin power, he'll be able to restore the harmony between dolphins and humans.

But there'll be time for that. First, you're going to have to learn to swim, eat, and think like a dolphin. Use different songs to communicate with other sea creatures and be prepared to defend yourself against predatory sharks. Later, go on to solve puzzles and work with others to accomplish your goals. The game features beautifully detailed seascapes, with creatures and plants that look and move realistically.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, but fishy, October 4, 2000

By 

Christopher A. Porter (Vicenza, Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ecco The Dolphin: Defender of the Future (Video Game)

Let's get one thing straight: This is easily the most realistic dolphin simulator on the Dreamcast today.

The graphics are, in a word, outstanding. When I got my first look at the undersea world (at the game's option screen, no less), my mouth was agape. Sunlight rippled on the colorful ocean rocks, jellyfish bobbed slowly in the gentle tide and bubbles lazily floated to the surface. It truly was beautiful. It's clear that the good folks at Sega did their research when it came to creating this undersea domain.

The animal models themselves are also well-done. Ecco looks and swims just like a real dolphin. Add countless sharks, fish, jellyfish, turtles and other undersea life and you have an entire ocean at your fingertips.

Enough rambling about the graphics, there's a game to play.

To begin with, I don't really care for the story. Sometime in the future, humans and dolphins work together to explore space. Some interstellar deity known as the Foe doesn't take kindly to that, and invades the Earth. Mankind, with its limitless intellegence and resources is forced to stand by while the dolphins take matters into their own hands. Er, flippers.

Naturally, you control Ecco in the 3-D undersea world. All of his moves from his 16-bit days are here. You can swim, swim really fast and sing songs. There are a few powerups, most of which let you swim even faster.

The controls are actually difficult to master. Getting Ecco to swim is easy, getting him to swim the right way (AWAY from the sharks) is harder. You'll die quite a bit.

Plus, the missions (several in each level) are rather vague. Generally, you'll enter a new area; a nearby crystal will give you a very general hint, and you're left to fend for yourself. You'll rescue other undersea life, battle currents, jellyfish and millions and millions of sharks. Have fun!

Seriously, a little more guidance would have been welcome. This is a huge game, and the levels are very large. Just figuring out where to go is the game's biggest challenge. Plus, once you get there, mind-numbing puzzles will plague you every step of the way.

Don't buy this game just because of its graphics. It's a very deep and involving game, and there's hours of fun available for people who have the time. The rest of us, however will just want to watch Ecco swim and jump in the calm waters of the opening level.

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most beautiful game environment yet created, July 26, 2000

By 

Eliot Kent-Uritam (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Ecco The Dolphin: Defender of the Future (Video Game)

Playing the demo of Ecco the Doplhin: Defender of the Future at E3 in May is what convinced me to purchase a Dreamcast. It is the best game I have seen or played for the system, edging out Jet Grind Radio, a great game in its own right. The graphics are superb, play control is intuitive, and the environment is immersive yet beautiful. Playing this game, you feel like you are a dolphin swimming in crystal waters, avoiding sharks, and (though the demo was't complete so I don't know for sure) saving the world. Sega and developer Appaloosa both deserve praise for this game, one where the avatar is not a gun-toting bi-ped, but instead a sleek aquatic mammal. I love sports games, fighting games, RPGs, and action adventure titles, but for most new games in these genres, you get the feeling you've played it before. Not with Ecco. Bordering on revolutionary, Ecco delivers a gaming experience freshly different and totally enjoyable. Sega should also be proud of this game as it showcases how fluid and graphically stunning games on the Dreamcast can be. Ecco is a must buy for any Dreamcast owner. If you aren't one already, become one, and get this game when it comes out.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful graphics and sound, but very high difficulty, May 30, 2001

By 

"neomurtle" (Acworth, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ecco The Dolphin: Defender of the Future (Video Game)

The Ecco The Dolphin games for Sega's previous systems have always been a relaxed and relieving alternative to the droves of violent action/fighting games. Ecco The Dolphin: Defender Of The Future for Dreamcast carries over the theme and atmosphere of the past Ecco games, and injects the formula with smooth and realistic 3D evironments. This has to be one of the best looking console system games ever. Once you get over the hypnotizing graphics and sound however, you will find there are some problems with this game. The control is precise and responsive, but some levels are way too difficult, and offer little information to help the player complete the next objective. Unless you are a seasoned gamer, you will be overwhelmed to the point of boredom with the longs hours you must spend in order to finish Ecco. This is not one I would recommend for the kids...a lot of patience and skill are needed to play this game. If you are looking for a game with tons of depth that will pass the time however, you've certainly found it. Even if it makes you pull your hair out from frustration, Ecco: Defender Of The Future is a great title to have to showcase the graphical abilities of the Dreamcast, if nothing else.