Ecco the dolphin has been a long running franchise and ever since the first one was released here in USA, the game has stunned me and was just absoloutly deep and full of adventure. With the "Secret Password" at the end of Ecco the Dolphin: The Tides of Time, I always expected an awesome sequel to use this password to unlock a secret level or a cheat. Well finally Appaloosa has released this game, but for some reason...it's not a sequel. It has nothing at all to do with old game series and well, that just flat out sucks. Now, it took me awhile to get into this game after the dissapointment I had when I found this terrible news out, but afterewards, I realized that it ended up being a great game after all. The games story line is a little mediocore at first, dealing with humans and dolphins understanding eachother for 500 years. They took off into space togethor leaving only a few dolphins behind for protection along side the Guardian. If you played the original ones, this is the equivalent to the Asterite(but not as cool). Well when the game takes off, you will notice that it is a beauty. Everything moves how it should, sounds like it should and looks exactly how it should. Its a graphical masterpeice and only gets better and better as you slowly progress through the game. I say slowly because when it comes down to it, even the veterans of Ecco's difficult quests can become so frustrated in trying to figure out what to do next. Clues are given to you in each level, a little more than there were in the Dreamcast release, but none the less the game still proves to be far more difficult than most games released to date. The controls are amazingly accurate with all of Ecco's old abbilities such as his turbo swim, his charge, his sonar and now he can even do a trick to make himself stay on the surface. This seems a bit odd but is often a comical relief from the stress, although alot of the frustration would make you rather ram Ecco into rocks until he has brain damage. This version tries to make things easier for you by allowing you to press the R3 button to point Ecco in the right direction but the game never once tells you that you have this abbility so you have to discover it on your own and it really doesnt help that much anyway. Another update to this title is the Map you get when you hold the sonar button down. It was in the old Ecco games but for the Dreamcast release, it was excluded. Throughout the game you will fight boss's such as sharks, aliens, and everything in between and if only they would have tweaked the story line into being a sequel, Ecco fans would have praised this game. Thats not to say that its a bad game by any means because I enjoyed this experience thoroughly and never once had any problems besides trying to figure things out. Overall, if you are a fan of the Ecco series, you will definitly enjoy this title and if you are a new comer this is a great way to get things started for you. But if you are just one of the pick up and play people, you may find things to be rather difficult as you most likley wont be able to even pass the second stage.
Other Helpful Reviews for Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future
If you like animals, get this game! I am really into animals and nature and this game is very realistic! You actually get to experience what it's like to be a dolphin. There is a storyline where you have to help other... Read Full Review
Great game! I love marine life and aquatic animals. This game is just fantastic and a must-have for PS2 owners. I wish they made more games like that in the future. I loved fighting sharks, evil dolphins, a crocodile, as... Read Full Review
