ECCO THE DOLPHIN: DEFENDER OF THE FUTURE (DC)
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Ecco returns for the next-gen reunion

By WILLIAM BARKER

A long time ago when the Earth was young, a dolphin named Ecco was born. At this time in history Humans and Dolphins were the two most important species on the planet. They co-existed in a state of harmonious merriment.

These two species lived in accord with one another, playing table tennis and swapping Pokemon cards. But not all was peachy - from far, far away, a race known simply as the Foe decided they didn't like the look of the Earth.

This prompted them to attack the planet.

Stepping into the game as a first timer I was simply awestruck by the visual quality. A huge fan of the original Ecco games from the 16-bit glory days, one expects a certain level of detail and animation, but this - this is art!

The way Ecco moves and interacts with the huge environments is quite simply beyond belief. He travels with lithe, almost elastic movements. His skin looks soft and cuddly, though in actual fact he probably smells like a carrion side-salad. He is, of course, a construct made completely from polygons but to spot this, players will have to pause the game and scrutinise him very closely. It's possible the Appaloosa team used motion-capture to recreate the amazing sense of realism in Ecco's movements, then again…

The environments, aquatic life and even the seaweed look the part too, plus there are currents, underwater caverns and plenty of other sights and sounds to get completely and utterly lost among. Imagine all this gaming goodness and I hadn't even started to play the game yet - gadzooks! Ecco can back flip, mc-twist, pull off indie-nosebones and a little something this gamer likes to call the double-sided, spine-shattering dorsal whack.

The acoustics complement the package as well. Possibly on par with the amazing visuals, the way everything meshes, it's like business people talking about how something works and why its so good. They lie a lot and also use buzz words. Yeah, it's a synergy of aesthetically pleasing features.

Tim Follin composed the score and he did a most splendid job. The music really puts you in the mood for some insanely beautiful sub-aqueous adventuring. Ecco is just so hip. Even his high-pitched chirping is well modulated. Playing Ecco is an audio/visual treat, something that even gaming nazis will delight to - its non-violent nature and fantastically good looks make it an indulgence, like me.

To progress through the game players will need their wits about them. The cryptic puzzles can impede progress and apart from other characters, who will give you quests along the way, there's not much else to give you clues as to the direction of your crusade. Granted, the info-crystals are a good source of truth, but oftentimes they can be vague. Vague as in supermodel, like, um, you know, hehe!

The controls are responsive and precise, partly due to the smooth frame rate. This makes getting around a memorable experience. Ecco has more than his fair share of moves too, most of which will be taught to players along the way by other aquatic animalia. Basic controls include sonar, which is essentially dolphin speak or "fish-quacking". There is a dash button used for quick acceleration plus it can do damage to enemies if used correctly.

The majority of game time is spent on exploration and this is by no means a bad thing. As mentioned before this game is a pleasure to delve into. The first mission, for example, was to help out a whale. Her calf had gone missing and you must search all and sundry until you find the little tacker. While there are a few mundane objectives here and there, for the most part the game is exciting. The subject matter alone decrees that this game can't be formulaic in mission structure so the setting enforces this.

Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future is a truly captivating game. From the Newtonian-style physics to the amazing water effects, the Follin score and the sculpted gameplay, Ecco is a class title from beginning to end. Progression can get a little vague at times, but for the most part this game is different enough to warrant closer inspection. It's original and it's Sega at its best.