Any update of an old-school game is a big event for us gamers that remember when the Atari 2600 was the coolest thing on the planet. Its always hit or miss with the remakes and updates, but every once in a while you get a game that surpasses the original or more commonly one that provides a nostalgic, albeit flawed experience. Such is the case for Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future a port of the Dreamcast game of the same name. Its a pretty looking game that sounds great, but plays poorly due to touchy controls, lousy cameras, and vague objectives.

For those of you who dont know, Ecco was a major star back in the days of the Sega Genesis and Sega CD. Ecco was a friendly dolphin who also had a knack for saving not only his fellow dolphins, but humans as well. The game featured wonderful music, creative level design, and some top-notch graphics, which resulted in it being a big seller for both systems. Jump ahead about 10 years and Eccos back once again to save the world, at least thats what I think have a look at the story and see what you can decipher.

At the dawn of the 30th century, after five hundred years of unity and fellowship, dolphin and man set out from the Earth to explore the great unknowns of space. But where man and dolphin founded a civilization of peace, others based theirs on strength, conquest, and domination. And, even as man and dolphin went out from Earth, a sinister Foe cast envious eyes upon it. For the Earth was a prize beyond measure, a pristine world to be cherished or exploited.

But the Earth was not defenseless. The mighty Guardian the greatest creation of dolphin kind shielded it with its power. Undeterred, the Foe persisted, probing for a moment of weakness they were certain must come.

It was in this time that a dolphin named Ecco arrived at the Isle of the Guardian, seeking to learn from the scholars of peace, but destined to be the only hope and champion of the Earth.

Apparently the developers had to go to an outside source to find somebody to write this horrendous story, but fortunately, you can sort of ignore the story elements of the game and pretend they never happened.

Eccos strongest asset is its visual presentation. Being that youre a dolphin, a good portion of the game takes place you guessed it, underwater. Its no small task to create a lifelike underwater environment, but the developers, Appaloosa, have done a very nice job. Realistic coral and rock formations compliment the vast levels that are filled with whales, sharks, jellyfish, fish, and other dolphins. Particularly noteworthy is the awesome lighting effect that creates the illusion of light passing through the surface and onto the sea floor, making it dance around as the water moves.

Ecco himself is composed of enough polygons to make him look and move very realistically. You can tell that the team did a lot of research on real dolphins to get Eccos moves down correctly.

Not everything is rosy with the games graphics however. The camera, while much improved over the Dreamcast version borders on atrocious when in any confined area. The draw distance isnt as far as it needs to be, especially since the levels are so large and spread out. Its difficult finding anything at all when your visibility is only a hundred yards or so.

Just like it did on the Genesis, Ecco: DotF sounds excellent. While the composer from the original games does not do this music, its very good, and fits the game nicely. The games sound effects all sound lifelike, whether they are from a dolphin, or one of the giant whales that youll encounter in your journey. For some reason, there are lots of bubble noises in the game, which is odd since Ecco doesnt seem to have any Scuba gear. Its there to remind you that you are underwater, but comes off as rather silly.

While it has its moments, Eccos gameplay comes off as feeling better suited for two dimensions rather than three. The game involves a lot of tedious going back and forth in levels that are difficult to navigate thanks to the dolphins ability to go up and down as far as he can go forward or backwards and left or right. Again, the problem has been addressed since the Dreamcast game by adding a radar, and the ability to point Ecco towards his next objective, but it can be maddening trying to get where you want to go.

The camera may not be able to keep up with Ecco, but the controls always can. Moving him around is simple and taught with a brief tutorial at the beginning of the game, although for some reason the elder dolphin tells you about a move but doesnt say how to perform it. Eccos got his sonar back, a charge attack, and the ability to turn quickly by using the right analog stick. Why that move is mapped to the right stick and not the shoulder buttons is anybodys guess.

The gameplay elements involve tons of exploring along with objectives like saving a whale baby, fighting sharks, and collecting Vitalis. How much fun you have with the game really depends on how much patience you have. The save points are way too far apart, and the levels are huge, making a short game session almost impossible. That said, there are some interesting level designs, and some of the challenges are less maddening than others.

While I dont often come out and say it, I found this game to be frustrating beyond belief, but keep in mind that Im somewhat of an impatient person. There are just so many little things in the game that can screw you up, like running out of air, and not being able to find something in a huge level, that the game wasnt very fun. However, if you are laid back, and things like these dont bother you, the game might be worth a look.