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Review of Seaman on the Dreamcast

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 24 / 36
Date: March 27, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Seaman is quite literally the most innovative game that any company has come up with. Nintendo were at one point going to release a game called Pikachu Genki Dechu, but I haven't heard anything about it for ages so I am lead to believe it won't come out. I played the import Japanese version and it is so much fun. You talk to some sea creatures and you can have a conversation with them. The voice recognition system really works! As yet, you have to wait till and English version comes out. I was only able to find out how fun this is because I am fluent in Japanese. If not, there is no point even bothering, but if you can it is the best game in the entire world. It is the only game on the Dreamcast that Shigeru Miyamoto can bring himself to play. Therefore it must be good. If you can speak Japanese, buy it on import straight away, if not, buy it as soon as it comes out in the US.

SEAMAN GOOD! FIRE BAD!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 27
Date: July 13, 2000
Author: Amazon User

First, let me warn you. I have NOT yet played this game. Any information that you find incorrect in this review is completely my fault, not Amazon.com, Vivarium, Inc., or SEGA Enterprises, Ltd.'s.

OK, folks, I've done a LOT of research on Seaman, and have done my best to seperate fact from rumor. Seaman is a fish-man thing with a human face and legs [somewhat]. There is a green-tipped microphone that goes into your VMU slot so that later on you can talk to and train your Seamen. They first start as eggs that you have to drop into the tank. Then those hatch into sperm-like creatures called mushroomers. Then, by freak accident, they become baby seamen, or "gillmen", and eventually grow up to be adult seamen. Sound easy? Well it isn't. For one, you have to have a LOT of patience. And for two, you set the temperature and oxygen in the tank and if you don't set them just right, it could mean death for seaman. And third, your seamen will age even while the game is turned off, meaning that if you neglect seaman for awhile, you could find him floating at the top of the tank the next time you turn it on. This game has voice recognition built in. It can recognize over 5,000 words and phrases. It can also remember what you say and use it against you! Even though I haven't played it yet, I preordered it [through Amazon.com, of course!] and I highly anticipate it and recommend it to you. It definately deserves 5 stars.

Artificial Intelligence Becomes a Reality

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: August 12, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game is simply mind blowing!

It supercedes "videogames", it is something different entirely.

It is more like a pet. A virtual pet, you have to take care of it, but it actually has a life of its own and you can talk to it and it talks to you.

The game takes a while to get into and it is boring at first but once your fish mature and learn to talk it becomes one of the most amazing feats of technology I've ever seen.

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 / 3
Date: August 14, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Hey guess what, this is not a game. I purchased this on the first day and it was a waste of money. This is more along the line of a digital pet, that has a bad attitude. This may sound good, but there is no entertainment value or fun in this "game". You will spend a lot of time watching small creatures float that have not learned to talk. Once they do grow and learn to talk, all you will hear is complaints. It is even hard to feed them and keep them happy. The microphone that is included in the game works well and is the only fun part of it.

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 :)

Patience and love are virtues!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 17, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game almost a week ago, and I haven't touched any of my other Dreamcast games since. I don't really know why, either. All I know is I'm fascinated by Seaman. First off, let me just say that you need two things to enjoy Seaman, patience and an understanding of what you are about to undertake.

When you turn on Seaman, you are greeted by the great Leonard Nimoy. He updates you on your progress each time you begin the game. It's a beautiful touch, which always makes smile. You are given a virtual aquarium at the beginning of your adventure, some food, and a Seaman egg. You have control over the lights in the tank, the air quality, and the tank's heater. These all create a nice, simple interactive environment right away, although it would be nice if you could turn the heat down as well as up. As it is, if your water gets too hot, all you can do is wait for it to slowly drop. So with all this ready, you drop your Seaman egg in the water and begin your Seaman's life.

I'm going to skip ahead some. There are steps to raising your Seaman which I won't go into here. Learning for yourself how to raise your Seaman is most of the fun of this game. In fact, if I could go back, I would even start the game without having read the instruction booklet. Anyway, the real fun begins when your Seaman has grown up and starts talking to you. It's almost eerie when he starts asking you personal questions and responds accurately to your answers. You'll be calling all your relatives to share the experience with them. You'll even get a chance to name your Seaman.

I'm having so much fun with Seaman, and I haven't even had it a week. The only problem I have seen is with the voice recognition system. A lot of times, your Seaman won't understand you and will either stay quiet or just look at you and say, "What?" But it hardly takes away the fun of the game. All you need is patience. Now, I'm going to go check on my Seaman. Buy this game right now!

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.

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!

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