Ecco: The Tides of Time
Sega Genesis
Nostalgia Factor:
As a kid I was a big fan of the original Ecco the Dolphin. I don't know why, but I never ended up buying its sequel: Ecco: The Tides of Time. Instead, I only rented this game for one weekend. And what a weekend it was.
Right off the bat, this game drew me in. It wasn't just the improved graphics and the more forgiving gameplay - it was the game's story. Immediately you are thrown into the action in Ecco 2. Everything moves much faster. Time traveling dolphins from the future? You run into them in your first five minutes of playing.
Not only was the story great, the levels were more varied, and there was a lot more creativity in the design of some of these levels. I'll never forget my first time whipping through water tunnels above the ocean, or my first time aboard the alien ship, jumping out of the water and experimenting with the area's crazy gravity.
Growing up, I ALWAYS considered Ecco 2 to be the superior Ecco game. Because I never actually owned The Tides of Time, it wasn't until just recently that I actually had the chance to sit down and play Ecco 1 and 2 back to back.
Look at what I said in my review of the first Ecco, which I gave the final score of an A:
"The only reason I don’t give it an A+ is because I still have to play its sequel, and if memory serves me right I enjoyed the sequel much more than I did the original game. So as much as I love this game, I know that it can get even better. And for that I am really excited. I CAN’T WAIT to play it."
I posted this review a little over a month ago. Even then, I considered Tides of Time the superior game. And then I played Tides of Time. And you know what? I didn't like it as much as I did the first Ecco. In fact, it wasn't even really that close.
What happened? How could I have misjudged this game so much as a kid? How could my memory be so faulty? Read on and I shall explain.
Story:
When you sit down to play an Ecco the Dolphin game, it is important to know what you're getting into. Aliens, time travel, a dolphin destined to save the Earth. It probably sounds really horrible to the average person, but it really isn't as bad as it sounds. It is quite interesting actually.
Ecco 2 picks up where the first game left off. Ecco suddenly loses the powers granted to him by the Asterite, and quickly discovers that the Asterite has been killed. He is brought to the future by time traveling dolphins, where he learns that in this timeline the Asterite is still alive. Ecco is informed that when he used the time machine in the first game, he split the timeline in two - one where dolphins evolve and live in peace, and one where the Vortex Queen kills the Asterite and the Vortex take over Earth.
Ecco goes back to save the Asterite by reassembling its pieces. His journeys take him from the ocean depths to the dark Vortex future, where the final pieces of the Asterite have been taken. Once reassembled, the Asterite gives Ecco his powers back, and Ecco leads his pod on an attack to destroy the Vortex once and for all.
You think the game is over here, but it is not. In fact, when I first played this as a kid I am not even sure I discovered the game's "real" ending. If you keep playing after the final credits roll, the Asterite tells Ecco that he must destroy the time machine to prevent any time splits from happening again.
Ecco returns to Atlantis and finds that the Vortex Queen is still alive. She uses the time machine to travel back to prehistoric times, but finds that she is no match for the creatures of that era. Forced to survive in such a harsh environment, the Vortex evolve into arthropod insects.
Rather than destroy the time machine, Ecco uses it to send himself... somewhere. The game never tells us where he went. Real responsible, Ecco! Just ignore the Asterite and leave the dangerous time machine there for someone else to fuck things up in the future. Good job!
My theory: he returns to the "good" future to chase after some futuristic flying dolphin tail. I mean, can you blame him? Get it, Ecco!
Gameplay:
Basic gameplay is the same as it was in the first game, so if you are an Ecco veteran you should have no problem picking this one up and playing it.
There are some variations added to this game to diversify the gameplay. Most notable are the 3D stages where the camera changes to a behind the back view as you try to steer Ecco through some fast travel rings. While these stages are for the most part pretty easy, occasionally you'll encounter rings located above the water that are very hard to jump through. Additionally, you can use your sonar to kill enemies in front of you but you have to be careful as if you hit a ring with your sonar you destroy it and can not collect it anymore.
Ecco 2 also offers you the ability to morph into other animals as you progress through the game's story. You can change into a bird to fly over impassable cliffs. You can turn into jellyfish and sharks to navigate the harsh ocean wildlife. Towards the end of the game you can even morph into a school of fish as you make your way through the bowels of Atlantis. In a fun little twist, dolphins become your enemy when you morph into these sea creatures. What were once your allies you now find yourself running for your life from.
Aside from that, this is pretty much the Ecco you already know and love (or hate). You swim, you charge, you use your sonar, you push things around and you solve puzzles. The level variety introduces new gameplay elements like the ability to swim through above-ground water tunnels and to flop yourself around on dry land much easier than you could in the last game. Makes some of those tough jumps a lot more manageable.
There are a few things I didn't like about this game, but I'll save that for the end of my review, where I usually bitch about the game before I give it its final score. Why change the formula now?
Graphics:
I have to give credit where credit is due. I am very impressed with this game's visuals. For a Sega Genesis title from the early 90s, Ecco 2 looks phenomenal!
There's so much color everywhere, and it pops pops pops. The art is great. The detail poured into the ocean and its creatures is top of the line. The animations are wonderful too. The people who made this game could have easily just kept the look of the original game and went with it. but they made things even purdier this time around.
The stage design is great too. You go more places in this game than you did in the first title, and the variety of the stages and their backgrounds is quite impressive.
Sound:
The first Ecco delivered an amazing soundtrack and its sequel does not disappoint. As soon as the game loads up, you're introduced to one of my favorite tunes from the entire Ecco series and it sets the tone for this game immediately.
I won't lie and say that this game has as many memorable tracks as the first title, but its quality is still pretty impressive. I didn't notice many (if any) changes to the game's sound effects but that is a good thing in my opinion. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Overall:
There is a lot to love about this game. The music, the story, the graphics, the sound effects, the gameplay. It takes everything I liked about the first Ecco game and amplifies it tenfold. It is no wonder I liked this so much when I was a kid. So why don't I like it as much NOW?
Simple, the game is too easy. You heard me, too easy. The first Ecco the Dolphin is legendary in its difficulty, to the point where people bickered and complained about it. I think the makers of this game must have heard those complaints and dumbed down its sequel to make it more accessible to people who gave up on the first game. But I don't want easier! I want a challenge! Too many of these stages are laughably short and easy. There are stages I beat in one or two minutes, and that is not an exaggeration. I missed the dogged difficulty of the first game, and the feeling of relief and satisfaction that would wash over me when I'd make it through a particularly challenging level. That feeling is sorely missing from this game.
Sure there are some tough levels to be found here, but most of the challenges from these levels stem from unfair frustration rather than genuine difficulty. The Medusa stages? Ugh. The Moray Abyss? Ugh. Dealing with the unpredictable gravity situation aboard the Vortex vessel? Ugh. I'm all for a challenging game, but it is like they knew that this game was too easy so every once in a while they'd throw in an unfairly difficult stage just to make players curse and throw things.
Another complaint I have is the repetitive nature of some of the stages where you have to collect the Asterite parts. It would be one thing if you just had to collect a few pieces to bring him back to life, but you literally have to find EVERY missing Asterite orb, and the thing is freaking huge. It becomes a big grind that slows things to a halt in the middle of the game, and it is the reason it took me nearly two months to slog through this game after finishing the original Ecco in less than a week.
If you can overlook these shortcomings, you will find a very enjoyable and well-crafted Genesis game. Ecco 2 is beautiful to look at, and even though I haven't played it since I was a kid, it left a lasting impression on my life. I nitpicked a lot, maybe even too much about this game. I don't want you to give you the wrong impression. I DID enjoy Ecco 2... but the original was much better.
I will admit, I was wrong. All hail Ecco 1.
Final Score:
B
If you liked this review, check out some of my other game reviews:
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