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Sega reinvents the wheel with the weirdest game... ever.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 14, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game may just possibly win the title as weirdest game ever. And yet, surprisingly, it works. The concept, in case you haven't discovered already, is that of a virtual pet. But not just any virtual pet-- a half-man, half-fish with a good ear and a sense of humor.

I hadn't heard any of the advance press about this game-- in fact, the first I ever heard of it was while stocking it on the shelves at my retail job. It grabbed my attention with the oversized box, which contains the DreamCast microphone, a small unit that plugs into the 2nd slot on the controller. (This does prevent you from using a tremor pack, but there would be no reason to anyways.)

The game's book is sparse on details on how to raise your "Seaman" from the zygote that you start with. But that's all in the fun-- in fact, you're better off to ignore the book and bulletin boards that might offer spoilers.

Voice-intro and advice in the game are provided by Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock), whose monotone, emotionless voice fits well. Don't be surprised if he mocks you occasionally.

Once you have raised your zygote to a fish-like creature, you can use the microphone to talk to it... at first, it will babble like a child, but will eventually develop a vocabulary and a sense of humor. Those with a keen eye will notice that Sega and Vivarium worked with Lernout & Hauspie, makers of "Voice Xpress" software in developing this game. A good move, as the voice recognition is surprisingly good for a console game system.

Graphics are of Dreamcast quality, but limited. All there is to see is the inside of a fish-tank, with limited movement. You can zoom in and out, but cannot get another perspective. The frame-rate also can get slow. But this game isn't about graphics.

The creatures require regular care (feeding, adjustments of oxygen and heat), just like the original virtual pets. So, don't expect to leave on vacation and return with living pets. The only way around this (if you want to cheat) is to adjust the clock on your Dreamcast, which controls the game. (A VMU is also required to play this game).

You may look at this game with a skeptical eye at first, as I did, but then find yourself playing with your fish-men at 2:30 in the morning and catching grief from Spock for doing so. That mere thought should prove how intriguing this game is.

Kudos to Sega for showing that they're still innovators. This is the strangest game ever, and I love it.

Seaman RULES

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 15, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I love this game. :)

If you want a game that's going to occupy your time for hours and hours, BUY THIS GAME. I just got it yesterday, and it's one of the BEST games I have EVER played. Ok, well, it's not really a game. But, it still rules :)

A review of Seaman :)

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 18, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Funny name huh. Well, that's what I thought, too, I still do. But that does not really matter in this game, because this thing interacts with you so much it asks for a name later in the game. I HAVE played this game and own it and think it is incredible. It is also very funny. If you are a very busy person do NOT get this game unless you like seeing Seaman die, over and over. But if you have a life but not an incredibly busy one I think this game is for anyone. Incredible voice acting. This is the most origanal game out. It even comes with the microphone. You must keep it alive by feeding, keeping the air up, and keeping the heater up. basically, check on it every 10 hours or so and it will live. I have been saying "it", but there are actually four of them. Worth getting, really. Especially, if you are a grouch, because it's very funny ("Why do you Americans think everybody in America Speaks English," was it's response to "Speak English,"). GET IT!

Lots of fun, but could be much more forgiving.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 29, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This is hardly what I would call a game. The virtual pet aspect is pretty weak. Seaman gets cold, you turn up the heat. Seaman needs oxygen, you turn on the bubbles. Seaman is hungry, you feed him a bug. Not too amazing. The main draw is the speech recognition. When Seaman asks you a question, you may be surprised about what he understands. Unfortunately, when he hasn't prompted you he rarely responds, and if he does he usually responds incorrectly. Seaman's philosophies are rarely deeper than what you'd see on Oprah, but it is funny to see how he tailors his analyses from your previous responses. If you don't cheat, I couldn't imagine keeping up with the slow pace of his development. I merely set the internal clock forward to speed things up. An option to play with a grown Seaman would have been awesome. In the end, it's kinda neat but you are bound to get bored with it pretty quickly. As a diehard I am satisfied but normal people would probably be better off with a more traditional game.

Seaman

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 03, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Seaman is a very cool game. I was very excited when seaman talked back, but three days later I got bored. He don't really likes to talk he always talk about the old stuff over and over again VERY VERY bossy. I suggest you rent this game for few day, it's not worth to buy it.

my brother liked it

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 07, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I got this for my brother for Christmas, and he enjoyed countless hours with the game. He likes games like Sim City a lot, games that you build up with patience. I would only recommend this to someone who has a high attention span, but if you do then you should enjoy this revolutionary game.

One wierd virtual pet

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: August 25, 2000
Author: Amazon User

To start, one word.. Weird. This game is just odd. A sort of virtual pet/friend, seaman at times can be enjoyable, then can be boring, or just downright freaky. The concept is interesting and done pretty well. You raise a small group of half fish/man creatures from eggs to something.. well lets just keep it at something. The voice recognition has to be the best out there, with no need to train it to your voice, I rarely had to repeat anything. For me it got boring, after about 10 minutes of talking to my fish he wouldn't want to talk about anything else until tomorrow, so I would have to wait until the next day to have anything new happen. And it seemed like no matter how good I treated my seamen, they all talked smack to me, putting me down and never once saying they liked me. It might be a good game for some, but only the die hard virtual pet lovers, for others this game is going to be boring. Rent it before you buy.it.

MY MEETSEAMAN.COM

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 8
Date: May 23, 2002
Author: Amazon User

FAQ
1.DO YOU OWN THIS GAME?YES I DO,AND IT IS GREAT.THIS IS A GREAT GAME FOR ONLY CHILDREN(NO BROTERS OR SISTERS)BECAUSE IT IS LIKE A REAL PET.
2.WHAT IS THE GAMEPLAY?THIS IS A REAL-LIFE GAME.YOU MUST FEED A ANIMAL,TALK TO IT,LET IT SLEEP,GIVE IT AIR,AND HEAT,ECT.AT FIRST,
YOU MUST HATCH AN EGG.AT FIRST IT IS A LITTLE WEIRD,BUT YOU`LL GET USED TO IT.THEN,ITS A BABY.THEY DON`T SPEAK,HARDLY.THE MAY SAY "HELLO",OR "SEAMAN",BABY WORDS.THEN IT MATURES.
3.WHAT DO YOU DO WHITH SEAMAN?LIKE A REAL PET,YOU TALK TO IT VIA
MICROPHONE.YOU FEED IT,CLEAN THE TANK(SIMPLY)AND YOU LET IT SLEEP.HE ASKS YOU VARIOUS QUESTIONS IN ORDER,LIKE YOUR AGE,SEX,
INFO OF YOUR LIFE,MOVIES,TV,COMEDY,RELIGION,ECT.(THIS IS ONLY HAPPENING AT MATURE MODE).HE TURNS TO A FROG ALOT LATER.YOU`LL SEE.
4.IS IT GOOD FOR SMALL KIDS?NO.AS THE "T" STANDS FOR TEEN,THERE
IS LAUNGUAGE,SOME SUGGESTIVE THEMES,AND COMIC MISCHIEF.MY AGE
RANGE WOULD BE 13 AND UP.(I AM 13,BUT I`M NOT ALLOWED TO USE
PASSWORD SIGHN-IN`S)
5.ANY OTHER NOTES?YES.IF YOU TRAVEL(2 DAYS AND MORE)YOU BETTER
TAKE YOUR DREAMCAST WITH YOU.IF YOU DON`T,YOU CAN`T FEED IT,AND
IT WILL DIE.(YOU CAN START OVER).
OVERALL,IT IS GOOD.LIKE A REAL HUMAN-FISH,IT IS LIKE A PET,ONLY
YOU CAN TALK TO IT,AND TAKE IT WITH YOU ON VACATIONS(MAYBE).

Seaman /finally!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 5
Date: August 13, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Here it is the much anticipated interactive manfish from the shores of Japan. I bought this game because I am having a child and I am anticipating this being a pleasant interactive experience for them. By the time they are old enough to play it though I will probably have to clunk down for the next version of this title. Here is a short review. PROS: Soothing sound effects and gameplay Leonard Nimoy as Narrator

Interactive Microphone Daily Gameplay

Humourour Dialogue with manfish Cons: Limited gameplay variation Graphics Somewhat Clunky Repeated Voice Interaction required*

I would recommend this title to those of you with enough imagination to make it entertaining. I am sure that the next version of this game will be amazing as this one seems it might almost be.

Not a game

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 5
Date: August 17, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This is a video pet and not a game. It plays very slow and when your Seaman is ready to talk, he is rude. There is very little enjoyment in Seaman. The microphone does work well and could be fun.

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