Story: Bear with me, this is one hell of a story for a platformer. Back in the original Ecco, you're swimming along happily when a gigantic storm pulls your pod (family) up into the sky and out of sight. What?! After much investigation and getting grapevine info from varying orcas and dolphins, you are able to track down an organism that has been around since before the dinosaurs, the Asterite, living in an abyss deep underwater.
This giant creature made up of globes, forming the shape of a DNA strand, informs you that the "storm" was a dying alien world called Vortex feeding upon the Earth, as occurs each 500 years. He also tells you that if this continues, all life on Earth will be harvested. The Asterite gives Ecco amazing powers, and using a time machine left in the ruins of Atlantis (which was destroyed by Vortex during a war between the two planets), Ecco travels back to the time of the storm and this time follows his pod through a gigantic biomechanical tube in space to Vortex to confront the queen of the hive. After defeating her, he returns to Earth with his pod. The Vortex Queen, still alive and realizing that there is no hope for her planet (it could no longer produce food), follows the dolphins through the tube back to Earth. She sinks into a deep abyss and begins creating a new hive. If she is not stopped, the Vortex will do the same to Earth as they did to their home planet-turn it into a wasteland. At first, Ecco is none the wiser. But when his powers mysteriously vanish, he learns that the Vortex Queen killed the Asterite, or so she thought. Upon rebuilding the Asterite globe by globe, Ecco is told that Vortex Drones from one possible future for Earth, the "Dark Vortex Future", have the last remaining globes he needs to give Ecco the power he needs to defeat the Queen. He must then travel to this dark future to restore the natural flow of time. I know that's a lot to swallow, but if you play the games straight through, it starts to make more sense, I assure you.
Graphics: Two words: Holy shit. The graphics in this game exceed those of any 16-bit game. The level of detail expressed in every aspect of the game is incredible, even by today's standards. From the tiny nooks and crannies in coral reefs, to fragments of ancient shipwrecks, to the alien biomechanical detail of the Vortex hives (Machines), everything is perfect to the tiniest detail. Even 2D sprites have been drawn in such a way that makes them look 3D. It would appear they even used 3D models to render the sprites. Absolutely amazing! [ SCORE: 10/10 ]
Sound: The music is creative and catchy, and the instruments are so clean and perfect that you will wonder if the Sega Genesis is really producing the music. Sound effects are sharp, clear, and well-sampled, and closely match what they should really sound like. The only real annoying thing is the sound Ecco makes when he takes damage-it can get a bit annoying if you're hit numerous times in a row. [SCORE: 9/10 ]
Gameplay: You can swim in eight directions, charge and swim more rapidly, and use blasts of sonar. This sonar bounces off objects and gives you a clear image of what is around you, even out of your field of vision-it identifies enemies and items, obstacles, goals, etc. The game is a mix of action and puzzle-solving. You will need to fight off hordes of enemies while trying to unlock the obstacle that is in your way in travelling between oceans, or time periods. Yes, time periods.
Artificial Intelligence is well-done and believable. Sharks are agressive, Jellyfish won't bug you if you don't bug them. Schools of fish scatter in all directions as you near them. Dolphins jump and play as they do in real life. Vortex Drones follow you relentlessly even once you leave them behind you by hundreds of feet. And with all this going on, the game rarely slows down. The action is story driven, so you'll keep playing just to see what is going to happen next. I've beaten this game tens of times, yet I keep coming back for more. It's really that fun. [SCORE: 10 / 10 ]
Difficulty: This game has three difficulty modes. In the Easy Mode, you won't have to play some of the optional tougher stages. In Hard Mode, you need to play extra stages. In Normal Mode, you get somewhere in the middle. The puzzles are challenging but the game will give you hints here and there, or rather, the Atlanteans will. They're trying to help out Ecco with information left behind in crystals called Glyphs. These will give you tips that will point you in the right direction. Even if you are good at the puzzles, you'll need to master fighting and evading your enemies, negotiating quick maneuvers, dodging currents, and making split-second decisions on which way to go in the Machines (hives).
Originality: It's a game where you play a super-intelligent dolphin and fight off an alien invasion of the oceans. How much more original can you get? It's one of those games that makes you think, "I wonder how much of the R+D budget for this game was for crack." It is a sequel, though, so one point off. [SCORE: 9/10 ]
Overall: Ecco 2: TOT is an intriguing, beautiful, and challenging game that pretty much anyone will get a kick out of. It's got puzzles, action, insane graphics, great music, and an awesome overall design. This is definitely a game that proves you can't judge a cartridge by its label. Well, wait, the label's good too. Um, I mean, you can't judge a clam by its .. uh, shell? No, people collect those . . . can't judge a hardened military facility by its omnidirectional heat-seeking machinegun turrets. Wait, no.
How much more room do I have here? Can I try one mo . . .
SCORE: 48/50 (96%)
Formula: Graphics + 2*Gameplay + Sound + Originality
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