A more focused story arc, much more stuff to do, an expanded roster of sea life, new tools, crazy new locations...
So check it out! This game is AMAZING! It's the sequel to the first game Endless Ocean released back in 2008. I should start by saying that these games are not for everyone, but the folks at Arika have really made a great effort in expanding it's audience this time around. With a more focused story arc to follow, much more stuff to do, an expanded roster of sea life, new tools, crazy new locations and some new characters, this game hits the spot on almost all fronts. I am a nature lover and animal lover as well as a hobby photographer so as you might imagine I'm a little bias.
The game begins without wasting any time. Within the first 5-10 minutes you're underwater going through the basic controls with your dive partner, Oceana (yes that is actually her name) and helping reunite a baby humpback whale with it's mother. From there you're asked to describe yourself with some pretty limited options and to enter your name all while heading to your home-base, Nineball Island. Once at the island, you're given the run down of the different areas used for all the various game options, ie, changing scuba gear, develop photos, save game, train dolphin, etc. This time around you're even given the option to purchase things for your island such as beach lounge or a camp fire or telescope.
In fact this time around there are a number of places you're given to 'make your own'. Besides the island on dry land, you're given the task of getting an aquarium up and running by populating it with various sea life that you've discovered during your dive time. There's a massive Main Tank capable of housing even the biggest of whales as well as the Small World Gallery to display smaller animals from various locations. Then there is the Marine Life Annex which is where you can display different land animals that you've discovered. Besides the aquarium you are also given your own Private Reef with which you are free to decorate with items you buy such as coral, seaweed, clams, etc. This is pretty cool because you don't place any fish in your reef. You simply decorate it and come back to find which fish and other creatures have inhabited your reef. I notice there is a counter in the bottom right corner of the screen with 200 marked as a milestone of some sort. I've only gotten my fish population to a little over 100 so I'm not sure what to expect at the 200 fish mark. Maybe a larger reef? Either way, all of these features are a welcome diversion from the other main activities from which to choose.
Once you're ready, you can dive right in, literally at which point it seems the different quests available never seems to run dry. Right now, even after I think I've completed the main story, I've still got a book full of quests to complete and I can't wait to get in and continue. Every time I've played this game, I have a "wow" moment. Whether it's my first encounter with a majestic humpback whale or stumbling on beautiful orca swimming about, there's always some eye candy waiting to be found. The graphics out of the water leave a lot to be desired but once underwater, the magic happens. The textures and models of every single creature is absurd. Take a photo of these creatures and adjust the focal length, and behold some really amazing things. The lighting effects are well executed and the water refraction on almost all surfaces is convincing and sometimes surreal.
I can confess that I have a very short attention span when it comes to gaming. I'm not one of those crazy, must collect every coin and find every secret kind of guy, but this game changes that in me. I have yet to find myself getting bored. This is due in part to the fact that there are so many things to do as well as the fact that there are over 300 species of animals to discover in this game. I'm over 15 hours in and I'm still finding new creatures in new locations. It really is awesome.
One thing that is a little overdone in the game and is probably my only gripe is the music. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the occasional Celtic song performed by angelic voices but this game is saturated with it. I do remember in the previous title, being able to choose and create your own custom soundtrack. Why they omitted that feature in the sequel is beyond me. Granted, Celtic music does seem to fit the atmosphere perfectly but there are times you might find yourself turning the volume down on the music, thankfully they DID include that option.
In the end, I obviously love this game. It's this simple. If you love nature, relaxation, the sense of discover, animals, oceanography or photography, you'd be really missing out on something amazing in this game. GO GET IT!
If you're more oriented to action adventure, FPS games then I can probably guarantee this is not the game for you, perhaps a rental?
Either way, my view is that everyone should at least experience this game once. There aren't very many out there to compare it to and that is always the type of game that I search out. Something that's different that I can relax with and enjoy the progression at my own pace. Throw me a camera and I'm hooked!