It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 3:47 pm

All times are UTC




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 1 post ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: Wii - ENDLESS OCEAN (aka: Forever Blue)
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 6:12 pm 
Offline
Level: 78 Chump
HP: 12910 / 40346
12910 / 40346
MP: 19263 / 19263
19263 / 19263
EXP: 18622 / 18735
18622 / 18735
User avatar

Joined: Sat May 10, 2008 11:51 pm
Posts: 18622
Location: Bradford, UK
XBL Gamertag: Blokeh
PSN ID: Blokeh
Steam ID: Blokeh
Wii system code: 2445-8086-3386-0718
ENDLESS OCEAN (aka: Forever Blue)
Nintendo Wii
1 player

So what do we have here then? A scuba diving sim. What? A game about scuba diving? Surely not. I mean, come on. The Wii is meant to be the home of fun games, of party games, of games that are meant to get people together and making an ass of themselves! How in the hell is a game about scuba diving going to get my pulse racing and my parents looking like a set of epileptic idiots?

Oh, I can imagine the previous paragraph being echoed across the world. After games like Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, most Wii owners will be so high on adrenaline now that only the frantic fun of Super Smash Bros Brawl will give them any comfort. And this is where the genius of Endless Ocean comes into play, for while it is possibly the most relaxing game in the history of games, it also has it's own fair share of "Holy poop on a stick that is awesome!" moments.

The story behind the game is simple, if not laughable. You're a scuba diver on a boat with a woman who can't swim. Seriously. But it's okay, cos she's a marine expert and you're going to be her eyes, ears and hands below the waterline. When you start the game, you'll be asked to create your diver. Unfortunately, you only have 3 skin tones and 2 hairstyles to choose from, so almost everyone will end up with a poor version of RE4's Leon as their diver. So far, so.... well, so bad.

But then you get thrown into the water for your first dive, and the beauty of it all hits you. It's almost as if - and I hope this is the case - Arika have skimped and scraped on the above-water sections on the game to ensure the below-water sections are spot on. The first time you see your first school of fish glimmering in the water-refracted light will take your breath away. Getting closer means you can investigate them and "stroke" them. Doing so will unlock information on that fish. Initially, you get their name, but keep going and soon you'll have a veritable encyclopedia on each and every fish in the game - of which there is hundreds. The more fish you stroke, the more get added to your database, and I'm guessing that completion of the game comes when you've filled all 3 entries for all the fish in the game, but that isn't going to happen in a short space of time. That will take almost forever.

Image

Swimming itself is childs play. Aim in the direction you want to go and hold "B". If you aim and press the "-" button, you will auto swim, which is nicer on the finger muscles. Initially all you can do underwater is swim around, stroke fish and throw out the occasional bit of food to attract the more timid fish, but the more you progress the more tools you unlock. A pen for marking places of interest, a camera to take snapshots, a whistle for calling your dolphin partner (more on this coming up).... there's plenty to see and to do while you're submerged.

As you swim around the seabed, you will see many different creatures, from small fish to squid, crabs to sharks, each one highly detailed and beautifully animated. The first time you turn around to see an adult sperm whale swimming past you will have you wide-eyed and screaming "HOLY FREAKING HELL THAT IS HUGE!" as you see each tooth, each barnacle, every wrinkle, floats inches from your face. The sunlight shining through the surface of the water realistically refracts as it shines down, hitting and reflecting off of the fish that swim through the light. And when you first encounter the underwater caverns and reach the central chamber, you will literally be unable to speak in the presence of it's digitised wonder. Thankfully, you will have the camera at this point, so you can preserve your feeling in virtual celluloid.

Image

Every now and again, you may see a sparkle on the sea bed. Get close and press "+" and you may uncover treasure. One of the first things you find is a Dolphin Medal, which seemingly attracts dolphins. Within minutes, you have an aquatic friend following you about that will hunt out treasure and other things of interest, such as hidden creatures in dark crevices. Finding more and more treasure will get your crewmate in contact with offshore scientists who will reward your finds with new equipment such as a deep-deep sea diving suit for exploring previously inaccessable depths.

Image

The music in the game comes from Hayley Westenra, a young female vocalist from New Zealand, and is the most fitting music of any game ever. That's not to say it's perfect, because it isn't. Its just that her soft vocal style matches the fluid movements and the slow moving beauty of the aquatic life that surrounds you. But if you'd prefer to dive to the sounds of Slayer or The Kaiser Chiefs, then the option to play MP3s from your SD card is also present - the second game on the Wii to have this option (Excite Truck being the first). The relaxing sound of the ocean is always present above deck, and is replaced with the sounds of being submerged in deep water while diving, along with the realistic sounds of air and bubbles escaping from your tank as you explore the ocean.

Image

Another welcome addition to this game is the ability to go swimming in someone else's waters via Nintendo Wifi. Sure, it means yet another bloomin' friend code, but once you're there you can explore to your heart's content, even conversing with your host or visitor using a preset configuration on the D-pad. It's nothing too spectacular, but its a nice diversion, as is the "partner training". Here you train your dolphin partner to perform stunts such as flips, tailwalking, singing, all of which is meant to improve their treasure hunting abilities and their obedience to you. I'm not too sure whether this works or not, as it seems my dolphin always does what I want anyway, but again, it's a small diversion.

Image

But that's not to say this game is as breathtaking and beautiful as I'm making it sound. There are quite a few annoying niggles that will put a few people off the game.

The first is the shoddy boat-based part of the game. You walk around the deck as if you're young woman in a 19th century finishing school for girls - arms down by your side, head straight and not moving, walking very awkwardly. It's very badly animated, but thankfully you're not often on deck.

The second is the draw rate of the scenery while you're underwater. Sure, if you're diving for real you can only see a part way into the distance, but in Endless Ocean, it would seem that all the water more than 15 feet away from you is dark, murky and polluted. Luckily this only tends to happen in the large, open areas of the ocean and not the caverns you explore, but I expected more from a 7th generation machine.

The last bad thing about the game is one that will affect most people playing this game - it's so goddamn slow! If you're expecting action, you're gonna be out of luck here. You cannot die in this game. There is no time limit on your air, even sharks will simply swim by you, and you can return to your boat at any time by selecting the option from your menu.

So why should you get this game? Well, there's no denying that it's a freakishly beautiful, serene, open-ended work of art. While it isn't as colourful as Galaxy or Metroid, it is as close to diving as you're going to get without going near water. Unfortunately, it's nowhere near as fun as actually diving, and unless you're committed to this game it will most likely end up on your shelf or even being traded in for something else.

But if you can see past the slow start and the lack of action, you will be rewarded with one of the most polished and breath-taking games you will have ever played. I defy anyone to visit the central chamber of the Mermaid's Cavern and NOT lose the ability to form a coherent sentence.

Image

Ratings
Graphics: A
Sounds: B
Gameplay: A
Replayability: B

Overall score: A-

_________________
Image

╔══════════════ ೋღ☃ღೋ ══════════════╗
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Repost this if ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ you are a beautiful strong black woman ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ who don’t need no man ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
╚══════════════ ೋღ☃ღೋ ══════════════╝


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 1 post ] 

All times are UTC


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Blue Moon by Trent © 2007
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group