Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future

THE BAD:
Purple clue crystals.
The altered start positions for some of the levels.

SUMMARY:
...It's still not as rnjoyable to me as the Dreamcast version. Don't get me wrong, I love the game and the job that they have done bringing it to the PS2 is incredible, I just feel that they have dumbed the game down too much for people in order to make it easier. This to me means that the achievement of completeing a game means less when it has been altered in this fashion.

Of course this version follows the same story as the DC version, which is that an evil force called 'the Foe' tries to take control of the Earth by travelling back through time to prevent the golden age of man and dolphin from happening. Ecco tags along for the ride and now has to try to restore the gifts stolen from The Foe to correct the timeline and make sure that the golden age goes ahead.

The levels go from (sometimes) peaceful clear blue waters of the Isle Of Tranquillity, through the cloudy and poisoned waters of Man's Nightmare and onto the more organic feeling levels of Dolphin's Nightmare, and finally ending up in the extremely alien Domain Of The Foe, where not a single living thing exists apart from The Foe themselves. Each world has been created to offer a suitable atmosphere, and combined with the in-game music gives a very real sense that id you do not stay on your toes then you wil end up as shark bait, or worse.

To broaden my picks for the good points, on the DC version you had to use a combination of various buttons and left or right to accomplish a certain move. On the PS2 this doesn't happen as then have put all these special moves on the right analog stick, and even worked in the L3 and R3 buttons as well. Big thumbs up for making such great use of the PS2 controller.

For the DC players, once the game was completed they had a nice little credits movie with some images of The Foe at various design stages, but us PS2 players have been spoilt with the addition of The Gallery. by collecting the vitalits for each level (usually 5 per level, but at least 4 levels with just 1) it will reveal a piece of concept art for that certain level. Also in the gallery we have a large shell organ which will play any track from the various levels of the game. There are also hidden secretsa within the gallery, so it offers a challenge in itself. Congrats to Sega and Co for adding this great item to the PS2 port.

Time to explain the bad points. It was decided to add a series of Purple clue glyphs that showed a small movie that gave the gamer a clue as to what to do. The only trouble with this idea is that on the PS2 you are spoonfeeding the player, and as a result they do not *think* to solve a problem, they just find another purple crystal, run the movie and bingo. This to me is a very poor addition to the game and removes a lot of the challenge of the game. Another part that annoys me is in Atlantis Lost where you need to find the 5th gem for the guardian. it is now impossible to miss as they have put Ecco into auto pilot mode as soon as you are heading the correct way. this offers the player no challenge, and requires ni skill to complete.

I made reference in the bad points of the nbew start positions. A prime example of this is Perils of the Coral reef (second level). On the DC version you start in the same pool as the racing dolphins, and the levels progresses on from there in a fairly fluid (no pun intended) motion. On the PS2 version you start next to the dolphin who knows the shark song, so you have to go back to go forward, and as a result it makes the level loose that natural progression that was so evident in the DC version. Maybe some folks like it the new way, but I would have to disagree with anyone who finds this new start position any easier then the original position.

My final point for this review is the music, as it adds a whole new dimension to the game. Each piece of music captures the feeling of the level. Listen to the backing track for Shrine Of Controversy and you will hear the sorrow that the music is trying to portray that is so evident in the level itslef. Tim Follin has done a great job to compliment the game with such a great musical score.

In closing i would like to say that Ecco on PS2 loses the .5 for not allowing access to the two 2D levels until you have completed th game. I persaonally would have liked to have seen the original way of entry kept as the 2D levels gave a nice break from the storyline a bit, and let people enjoy some classic style gaming on a next-gen console.

I am still glad that I have Ecco on PS2, and am grateful for the addition of the Gallery. That is an excellent bonus that puts game one up on the DC copy, but the changes to gameplay outweigh the wonders of the Gallery.

THE BAD:
nothing at all!

SUMMARY:
I played and beat the two previous Ecco game for sega Genisis, and eagrly waited the next one. When i saw it on the shelf at the store i bought it right away. I can tell you this. I wasnt dissapointed. Everything in this game lives up to the ecco series.
I have played through most of it. (im still stuck at one part near the end) and I have been stunned by the graphics, the music and the gameplay. The controls are difficult to get used to, and if you are used to the old 2d ecco, you might even be disoriented. especially when you turn to avaid somthing, and end upside down. However once you get the crontols, wich the game gives you a few stages to paractice them, the game is consuming.
You start out at your home bay (like all ecco games). there is an attack by the foe and the guardien is destroyed. (like in both ecco games) you have to go find out what happened and stop it. Simple enough. well not really. you help rebuild the guardian only to find that the foe takes all of the abilities and virtues for the dolphins. You have to go through 3 different realities to get them back. First a world dominated by a long extinct mankind (dolphins are stupid animals and are exploited. when you gain two of the lost abilites (intellegence and ambition) you go to a world dominated by selfish and mean dolphins. After gaining the 3rd ability (compassion. you go to a world dominated by the foe (who has humility). you must defeat the queen and get it back.
also there are a few bonuses. If you beat the game you get to play two 2d stages, and there is a hidden soccer game. Also you can acsees the image and media gallery, which you can see concept art (by collecting vitalits) and hear game music and see the movies.
All in all i love this game. and i am eager to beat it. It's as chalenging as the others. and innovative as new games. If you liked the other games, i recomand buying this one. though i dont recoment renting it. unless you have a looooong time to sit down with it.