14th February 2008, 11:21 AM
Quote:I don't see any long-term replay value, though, so I couldn't see myself spending $30 or $50 or whatever on it.
It's only $30 and I've already spent 5 hours playing Endless Ocean, but I'm still a long way from getting everything out of this game.
Quote:(this is Ecco, not Endless Ocean, though I'd be impressed if Endless Ocean was also the result of exhaustive research)
From what I've seen of the game, Arika probably did a ton of research. There are hundreds of different fish, marine mammals, and birds for you to find and all of them have three pages of information each. You get more information about an animal each time you find it. All the animals move very realistically and all the enviroments, especially the areas where it lets you zoom in on something, are very detailed.
Quote:They added scores to the game, right? Remember, it's not fun unless your progress is noted by numbers!
There are scores for the diving tours you give, but I don't remember anything beyond that. You can keep track of your progress by the map, which shows all the places you've been, and your encyclopedia which tracks all the fish you've found.
Quote:On the debate: I guess this is more of a simulation than a game, but simulations aren't really new in the world of consoles, so I don't see the big deal.
EGM didn't like it because you can't die.
Sometimes you get the scorpion.