Ecco makes his long awaited 128bit appearance, but can he swim again to success?


When Ecco The Dolphin erupted on the Sega Genesis and Sega CD over a decade ago, it made a huge splash. It mixed adventure, action, puzzle solving and at the time (gorgeous graphics) to an already great playing game.

10+ years later, Ecco is back in 128bit glory. The game boasts unbelievable graphics, sweet music and spot on gameplay. So does it succeed? Well, if you remember Ecco The Dolphin, you remember it was strictly a 2D game. Ecco: Defender of The Future is 3D, so there was a significant risk taking away from what made the original so good. Thankfully, Ecco: Defender of The Future DOES live up to the Ecco name, the only problem you'll have is figuring out what to do when you turn it on.

High-res 3D graphics with unreal lighting effects.
Orchestrated and ambient soundtrack.=
Rendered ocean environment adapted from countless videos, photographs, and other resources.
Huge Worlds

Graphics: Take a look at the screen shots! Yes they are from the game! Defender of The Future does for Dreamcast what Mario64 did for the Nintendo64 visually. I was amazed how good this game looked from the start. In my opinion, Ecco is the best looking Dreamcast game to hit the shelf. Ecco himself is the star of the show, just controlling him and watching this mammal swim is a visual treat within itself. The other magnificent creatures like the killer sharks and other fish life make you feel like you're visiting an oceanographic institute. As boasted by Sega, the lighting textures are fantastic, and that they are. As you push Ecco deeper to the ocean floor, the lighting slowly diminishes and really makes you feel like you are underwater. The amazing blend of colors and bubbly environments truly take you to places most of us will never see up close. I can't stress the fact that this is the most detailed beautiful game to ever hit home. Simply stated, the more you play, the more you will appreciate the time Sega spent on the detail alone.

So is there anything wrong with the graphics? Actually, no, but there are some frame rate issues that need to be known. When things get busy, Ecco's fluid movements falter. Everything slows down and the screen simply shakes choppily. However, most of the time, its not bad enough to the point of messing up the gameplay. It still amazes me how a 128bit system still has frame rate issues, but I suppose I can understand because of the visuals this game offers.

Control: I have fun just swimming around and talking to the other ocean life, but that's not what this game is about. Just like the original, Ecco has two life bars, one for oxygen and the other for hit points. If Ecco takes a hit, you'll lose some energy. But most of the time, you will be focused on your oxygen levels, so be sure to come up for some life saving air after a few explorations in the deep sea.

Defender of The Future is probably 70% adventure and 30% action. Adventure meaning, you're going to have to do tons of exploring and solve many puzzles. Personally, this turned me off a bit. I don't mind using my head, but some of the puzzles are just annoying to figure out and the massive levels don't help your solving skills either. It's simply too big and too easy to get lost! So what I'm trying to say, buy the strategy guide - unless you want to find yourself buggin' trying to figure out what to do. The key to success is swim swim swim and check every nook and cranny! Some puzzles don't need to be solved to continue on, but if one is mandatory, you need some major patience, because most of the puzzles are just annoying.

Ecco has a variety of moves to perform. The basic swim is performed by pressing "A". The faster you press the button, the faster Ecco goes. The action sequences comes into place when the enemies are near. The sharks are Ecco's main enemy and it is imperative to either avoid them or learn an attack technique to keep them at bay. The sonar button is used for communication and is EXTREMELY helpful when you're stuck. The whales and the other dolphins give Ecco guidance and sometimes give some much needed advice. The other dolphins are the most helpful and should always be approached when you need some advice.

Sound: If you're blessed with a home theater or at least some decent headphones, take my word for it, crank this game up. The music is very moody and fits every environment perfectly. The orchestrated music is plentiful and is one of the most relaxing scores you probably ever heard on a video game. Some of the other stand out stuff is the sounds from the ocean itself. Whale-song, dolphin chatter, the sounds of bubbles lifting to the ocean surface, all good my friends.

Final Call: I can't put this game down. Even though levels are frustrating and the lack of any set destinations are annoying, I still love to watch Ecco and the other ocean life. Everything including the sound and the graphics make Ecco one of the must have Dreamcast titles to get this year. The puzzle solving and humongous worlds are a bit much for the casual gamer, but if you are up for the challenge, you'll be happy to go swimming with Ecco anytime.

The Good and the Bad:
+ Graphics set a new standard for Dreamcast.
+ The sound including the music, sound effects and ocean echoes fit the game perfectly.

- The gameplay is monotonous and requires a lot of backtracking. Sega should have focused more on the action rather than the puzzle solving.
- Those annoying sharks.
- Occasional slow-down and inconsistent frame-rates when things get busy on-screen.
- Casual gamers will be turned off by the extreme difficulty.


Reviewed by: John