Dreamcast

Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future

Unless you don't read English you will have noticed that I thought this game is hard, but there is nothing wrong with a challenge. So what if it takes you four months to beat this game! Get it! Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future has an "Everyone" rating that will undoubtedly appeal to the younger kids, too bad they won't get that far without being a card carrying member of Mensa or using a walkthrough. This is a cool, hard game and should be a staple game for any Dreamcast library. The feeling of relief you will have when you figure out a tough quest is unparalleled in videogame-land. With its fluid controls, phenomenal graphics, and "challenging" quests, no self-titled gamer can afford to not have this game spinning in his or her Dreamcast.

Servie avec des graphismes somptueux, Ecco est loin de décevoir le regard. La qualité des textures employées a été rarement observée sur le support surtout qu'elles sont tout aussi riches que le sont les fonds marins... Le luxe de détails qui recouvrent les décors sont splendides et on a l'impression d'avoir mis la tête dans l'aquarium du salon en permanence, la sensation d'être mouillé en moins. Pareil pour les animations de tous les êtres marins qui ont été reproduits à l'identique et les oscillations d'Ecco sont un ravissement. La Dreamcast étant réputée pour ses effets de lumière et de transparence, Ecco s'en donne à cœur joie. L'eau et les reflets qui illuminent la faune aquatique sont du plus bel effet.

Overall, Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future is a very well-made game. Fans of the original game will be proud. A few small issues keep it from excellence, but with great presentation and control to go along with plenty of challenging gameplay, Ecco still looks like a winner.

Ecco the Dolphin isn't for everyone. If you like to boot up a game for an action-packed twenty minutes at a time, look elsewhere. However, those that enjoy a slowly paced game experience will find it enjoyable. The game contains sufficient depth and length to give patient players a satisfying and rewarding experience. Some of Dreamcast's recent titles, such as Seaman and Space Channel 5, have been idiosyncratic in their own way, and Defender of the Future helps to further this trend. In the end, Ecco holds up the standards of creative execution that Sega has set for its flagship titles and simultaneously makes clearer the potential for artistry in video games.

Overall this game isn't a disappointment; just a little fine-tuning would have been nice. It does seam a little rushed, but it sure won't disappoint anyone, especially fans of the series. A great game to select for renting, or even buying.

Een schitterend spel dat niet echt lang kan boeien. De puzzels zijn soms te moeilijk en onlogisch en af en toe weet je niet wat je moet doen. Grafisch gezien is het echter een toppertje waarmee de Dreamcast een boel respekt afdwingt.

There's really not much more that can be said about Ecco. The sounds of the oceanic creatures are as well-done as the graphics, and the soundtrack is a light, lilting accompaniment that blends into the background much like elevator music. Lovely to look at, sometimes tedious to play, Ecco the Dolphin is truly a game for patient adventurers.

Spelets frihetskänsla smittar av sig och det är skönt att vara djupt där nere i en värld som för stunden känns helt problemfri. Appaloosa smickrar spelaren med undervattensscenarier som aldrig tidigare har beskådats i spelsammanhang, och låter tonerna förföra den som vill omslutas av lugnet. Känsla och atmosfär är alltså inte Ecoo the Dolphin: Defender of the Futures problem, det är spelets avsaknad av vitala äventyrsinslag som drar ner betyget. Men när man fritt styr Ecoo och synkroniserar simningen för att sedan kasta sig över vattenytan för att utföra en frivolt glömmer man lätt bort det.

Other people may be easily drawn into Ecco's world with their senses tantalized by the overwhelming sense of being underwater. However, the vast majority will find that Ecco simply doesn't offer enough to the player and will tire quickly of the repetitive missions far too quickly. Pass on this one unless you're some kind of dolphin nut, and in that case alone this is a must have.

Sorry, but I refuse to jump on the Ecco bandwagon this time - I don't care what the magazines say. Yes, the graphics are some of the best ever seen in a video game, and yes, the sound effects and music are sensational. But once you get over that, you're left with some very frustrating gameplay thanks to confusing objectives and ultra-high difficulty.