ECTS 2001: Sony shows off Ecco the Dolphin PS2

At a press reception held after the second day of ECTS 2001, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe showed off a great deal of its upcoming PlayStation and PlayStation 2 lineup, including the titles it plans to copublish with Sega. One of those titles is a port of Appaloosa Interactive's Dreamcast game Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future.

The work in progress on display played roughly the same as the Dreamcast version, though the control currently seems slightly jumpier than the Dreamcast release's. Graphically, the game looks similar to the Dreamcast version of the game, with crisp textures and excellent animation. However, like many PlayStation 2 games, some of the edges in the game appear a little jagged. Hopefully Appaloosa will have time to clean up the graphics before the game is released.

The game will contain a few improvements on the Dreamcast version, the chief one being the inclusion of a bubble compass that can be toggled on and off. The compass will point you in the direction of your next objective, a welcome change from the blissful yet frustrating wandering that dominated the original version.

No plans have been announced regarding a US release for the PS2 Ecco. We'll have new information as it becomes available.