Ecco the Dolphin

The Good
Ecco the Dolphin (1992) is something of a cult classic video game that people tend to love or hate. The humble dolphin must explore the vast ocean where he will battle (as well as aid) sea creatures and H. R. Giger inspired space aliens, solve difficult puzzles and unlock ancient secrets. The Sega CD version features some incredible music that is probably some of the best tunes associated with a video game. This, along with the great animation, graphic, game play and storyline found in the Sega Genesis cartridge version makes this game a classic.

The Bad
The Sega CD features some incredible music that has to be heard to be fully appreciated. However, the game's graphics are still done under the 64 on-screen colors (out of 512) and their are only a few other additions to the CD version. This game is very hard and will require a tremendous amount of patience, precious timing and interest in science fiction, puzzle solving and philosophy. Many games have tried to mix arcade action with more intellectual, graphic adventuring and come up short. This game succeeds where most failed, but gamers need to be aware of what they are getting themselves into.

The Bottom Line
Ecco the Dolphin (1992) for the Sega CD features the great animation and graphics of the Sega Genesis version with amazing music, new passwords and a few other additions. If you own the cartridge version, then you will probably want to play this version for its music but will notice few other additions.

The Good
To be certain, my header is a strange way to introduce a game. But if you are able to find a copy of the amazing soundtrack that accompanies this game, you would understand my claim.

I'll get to that aspect in a second, however. Ecco is one of the Genesis' "unique" titles. Titles that you would never find on a Nintendo system, as this was the time of a very innovative Sega. Gamers are put into the role of a dolphin with slight telepathic powers on a quest to save his pod from an alien race from the future. The concept is definitely "out there" enough for a video game plot line, but the initial levels betray nothing of the sci-fi twist the story will take.

From the start, Ecco traverses a dark and somewhat barren ocean, speaking to other friendly sea life, and fighting more hostile sea predators. The graphics are beautiful in the game, as is the animation. Playing as Ecco, there is a sense of freedom swimming through the oceans and leaping into the sky. This is all marked with responsive enough controls for controlling an underwater creature.

The levels themselves are rich and detailed, with plenty of variety as Ecco goes deeper and deeper into the ocean, discovering the truth of what happened the day his pod disappeared into the sky.

Now for the music. The music for the CD version haunted me for years until I was lucky enough to find the soundtrack online. I remember just listening to it as I explored the levels. It so accurately conveyed the empty expanse of the ocean, the beauty of the sea, the loneliness of being alone in the game.... Very rich and new age in feel, and very dark and foreboding in the final levels.

The Bad
The controls are good, but there are some issues with controlling Ecco through the waters or in making difficult jumps. It is manageable, but frustrating at really crucial times.

The game does have FMV unlike its cartridge counterpart. However, the FMV is very grainy, even by the standards of the time. It would be totally unacceptable now.

Other than the brief FMV and music changes, there is very little that separates it from the cartridge version of the game, which was all to common for Sega CD ports.

The Bottom Line
Ecco the Dolphin, however you play it (Genesis, Sega CD, Sega Genesis Collection on PS2/PSP or Wii's Virtual Console), is a game that does not happen very often. Even the Dreamcast sequel does not fully capture how wonderful and original this title is. Incredibly unique and innovative for its time, the game still retains a sense of originality to it.

Few games struck me the way Ecco did, not even the cartridge version of this game. The music made the title seem all the more epic, all the more unique, and all the more special to me. It's one of those games that you can simply find joy in being the character (Super Mario 64 was another comparable title that made simply being the character itself fun), and that's a big rarity in a lot of games.

The original Ecco is making its comeback via the current generation's compilation packs and emulators. It's a worthy game, even without its beautifully haunting score. But it you manage to find a copy of the CD version's soundtrack, you'll understand why the Sega CD version was the one that was meant to be played.

The Good
If you're reading this, you probably know the story already. You're a dolphin who goes off on his own to find its pod after a turbulent underwater whirlwind, if we can call it that. From there, it's you again the deep big ocean.

And that's how it feels too.

I don't think I've ever gone through the whole game, but it doesn't matter to me. Everytimes you start a new game, you're sucked into this whole underwater world of solitude and isolation and strange myths. Something I've always loved, and found somewhat eerie, is that humans don't seem to matter at all in this game. It's not the surface-dwellers' world you're part of, it's all about the underwater kingdom and their extra-planetary concerns.

Gameplay? Oh, right... gameplay.

You could call it a platformer, I guess, but most of the time you actually have to jump out of the water and OVER platforms. This game is just beyond genres. Sometimes you just have to make your way through underwater mazes (watch it down there cuz you gotta catch your breath every now and then) and sometimes you have to help your fellow dolphins. You can communicate with crystals, or at least extract information from them, or to other mammals such as the aforementionned dolphins or with orcas. Oh and there's a whale too... a big, long whale, peacefully swimming in the cold waters. I was just awed by the size of that thing on my TV back then.

Of course, there some hazards to deal with. As I've mentionned before... air. You're a mammal and you like to breathe. Sometimes you'll need to surface and sometimes you'll need to find underwater pockets of air. So when you're exploring an underwater maze, things can get quickly claustrophobic. Not only that, but you'll have to cope with the usual baddies such as sharks, jellyfishes and some rather bitchy octopuses (you know how these things get). To discard these enemies (minus the octopus), you have your thrusty (haha!) nose to ram into your opponents or you may, in some cases, make use of your radar (after proper upgrading, of course.) Ahhhh yes, the radar. Now that's one of the reasons this game is so interesting. You don't have an in-game map per se, but you can get little segments of it by using your radar (Your name is not Ecco for just no reason you know.)

Sound is actually pretty good for a Genesis game. I especially loved the sound orcas make when you talk to them. But the music is... it's just amazing. It seems that there's always a song that's suiting for the current situation and it contributes extremely well to the overall ambience.

The Bad
Nada.

The Bottom Line
It's this kind of weird games the Genesis was good at churning out. The game is pretty straightforward and you're given very little explanation about what's going on. Great! I'm always ready to surrender to this kind of stuff. It's nice, simple and clean.