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Mellow, interesting, pretty.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 201 / 203
Date: January 23, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game for my 7-year-old since he loves learning about fish, but my action-game-addicted 12-year-old also loves it. The games has defined goals, but it is essentially an exploration game. You can't lose or die as far as I can tell. You spend most of your time swimmming around, looking at and interacting with various marine life while a soothing New Age score plays in the background. My younger one hates the music, but he can listen to his MP3s on an SD card while playing. There was a lot of reading for him at the beginning, so 7 is about the lower age limit on this game unless your younger child is precocious and reads very well or you want to help them with it.

This is not an action game, but you "collect" information and specimens, photograph them and make friends with dolphins. You occasionally lead tourists on dives and interact with the cute marine biologist who can't swim. Missions, which usually arrive by e-mail accessed on board your dive boat, give some structure to the game, but they are laid-back and not time-limited so you can explore at a leisurely pace.

The controls are simple, requiring only the Wii-mote and the graphics are good, though not jaw-dropping. The sea floor environments and lighting/water effects are well-rendered and the marine life is quite detailed.The whales and rays do present a certain "Wow!" factor and the ocean world seems vast.

All-in-all, I would recommend this game as an experience. It is relaxing and will be intriguing to anyone who is interested in aquatic life. It's a welcome change of pace from violence and frenetic cartoon action and it is educational. I like that my kids spend time immersed in a virtual world that celebrates the wonders of our planet and focuses them on co-operation and co-existence instead of always conflict and violence. It may be a bit slow for those who like constant challenges or non-stop action.

fun and rekaxing

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 24 / 29
Date: January 23, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game clearly states that you can't win,or lose. The point is to swim around and discover the ocean. I bought this for my son because it looked fairly easy to operate, turns iyt when I was playing it I had to fight him off because he had so much fun playing it. This is not an action packed game, so if that is what you are looking for, DO NOT BUY IT. For every one else I highly recomend the purchase. Have fun

Endless Ocean, Endless Fun?!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 13 / 15
Date: January 24, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I just got this game the day it came out and I was really excited as I don't have the time and resources to actually go diving too much anymore. This game helps to fill the void, a little. It's great fun to discover new fish and spots. The change of seasons and day/night feature is really cool, and there is nothing like seeing something coming out of the dark depths and all of a sudden a Huge Whale brushes by you as you look on with amazement. The graphics are pretty good, just a little choppy. I am going to be getting the 480p cables and I hope it remedies a little. So far the only real big complaint I have is that I can't seem to get my own music MP3's to play on a shuffle, they will only play one song on repeat until I go back to the boat and physically change it myself. If anyone knows how please write it in a review! Overall if you are looking to do some hunting and killing and see some extreme action - then this is not the game for you, but if you are looking for a relaxing pick up and play interesting game, and if you have ever been diving or wanted to go out diving then give this game a try!!!!

If You Want Something Relaxing....

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 10
Date: January 24, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Then this is the game for you. If you want action, look somewhere else. This is the perfect video game for after a stressful day of work....you swim around and interact with fish and explore the enviroment. The music is relaxing and the graphics are impressive for a Wii game. Very detailed...you can even see sunlight reflecting on the sandy bottom. Sound effects are relaxing too, as you always have the constant sound of breathing through a regulator.

I have a 42" LCD tv but I'd imagine it wouldn't be as impressive on say a 27" tv.

Dive, Discover, Dream - Exactly!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 82 / 83
Date: January 25, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Absolutely beautiful game. The underwater visuals are incredible from the sea floor, hidden treasure, coral, caves, sunken ships, schools of fish, dolphins, manta rays, whales, and much more. Sunlight from above will also filter down below the surface. Day also turns to night and you can go night diving where you may find different types of sea life.

Now, when you are on the boat, it's a different story. The visuals look incomplete. The boat, character, water and skyline all have a "unpolished" look to them. Also, your character apparently has something shoved up his or her rear as you walk around the boat "stiffly". But, this is all minor stuff as you will be underwater most of the time so, it's not a big deal. Again, the underwater world is absolutely a joy to the eyes.

The music is nicely done and very relaxing, but you can load up your SD Card with .MP3 files and listen to your own music while on the ship or diving below. That is a very nice feature and I believe only the second developer to implement this feature on the Wii so far.

You will also be able to customize your character by changing your diving wear and equipment.

The game is totally laid back and you can pretty much do whatever you want, when you want. But you aren't completely on your own. There are definitely specific things to accomplish if you want to. You will receive emails from people wanting you to investigate a specific underwater location, find a special fish or hidden treasure, take photos or even to go along with you as a diving guide. Many of these result in rewards such as new equipment and gear. You actually should accept the first few email requests as it's the only way to get the underwater pen and camera and to unlock the Wi-Fi Connection gateway.

You will help a dolphin early on in the game and he will then become your partner and you can go on dives together. The dolphin will actually help you find hidden items on the sea floor. You can also have the dolphin do tricks up above while you are on the boat. It looks like you can have up to 3 partners to play with. I've only found the dolphin so I don't know what the others will be.

I haven't tested the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection feature, but you can have a Wii friend come over to your boat (or you can go to their boat) and you can go on dives together. Looks like that can be fun. You can communicate with various pre-set greetings and commands or use an underwater pen to draw or communicate (like a whiteboard). It would of been nice to have built-in voice chat capability.

This is a refreshing addition to your Wii library and I think everyone should own this game. It's a very unique and refreshing experience.

Immersive Experience, I'm Hooked! (No pun intended...)

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: January 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Endless Ocean is far from 'boring' as some gaming critics would have you believe. From the several hours I've already played, I felt like there was plenty to keep me busy (and I've barely scratched the surface). Yes, it's certainly not an adrenaline pumping adventure, but that's not a bad thing. It's an exploration experience... it doesn't try to be something it's not, and this works beautifully.

The educational aspects of the game aren't forced down your throat either. (You gain facts on each creature as you meet and interact with them.) You can choose to read the descriptions at any time, or as far as I can tell, never at all. The animals and treasures you discover get collected back on your boat so you can read and look over them at your leisure. This is definitely a bonus if you're a junkie for collecting everything within a game. Adding to your collection of info and items also gives a sense of accomplishment after each dive.

I think Endless Ocean offers a healthy dose of wonderment and fun. I look forward to discovering everything else the game has to offer... I've already experienced a lot but the game promises much much more. (i.e. night diving, finding/training more animal companions, exploring the rest of the island waters, completing its occasional objects, discovering hidden treasure, etc.)

The game has its share of imperfections yet they are minor enough that they don't ruin the overall experience. My major disappointment is actually the price. While the discounted MSRP of $30 might lure in skeptics and casual gamers, I'm afraid it might have the opposite affect on other players. There's some kind of stigma attached to cheaper games... it's harder to take a title seriously when it's being undersold right from the start.

I hope a lot of people will give this game a chance regardless of any prejudice. I recommend it to anyone (young or old, casual gamer or serious player) that is looking for a unique experience. Even if you're more inclined towards task-oriented action games, still give this a try. It's nice to have at least one game to come back to at the end of the day that offers you the opportunity to unwind and the freedom to play as you please.

Diving in a World of Dreams

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: January 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Endless Ocean is possibly one of the most innovative games of the year, and it comes to us from Arika, who has given us forays into tropical waters before.

To start off you are given a boat and a crewmate named Katherine. She's a hydrophobe studying the ocean with your help and diving expertise. You can just straight dive, give underwater tours, or unleash your camera on some wildlife. During dives you also can interact with creatures, gaining yourself dolphins to train and specie data in your notebook. There is also no life bar and no danger of death, this serves to make the game both relaxing and educational.

Traditional gamers will struggle with the lack of listed goals, but this is a game more about exploration and education than accomplishments. There is no offensive language or content of any kind, only a handfull of specie may be frightening to young players and even then I'm talking VERY young. The controls work very well and little movement is really involved. All this wrapped in a [...]$ game with Wifi connectivity that lets you train dolphins with a friend or cooperate on dives.
I'd recommend for parents, gradparents, children, teachers and all lovers of the ocean.
The negatives are that it could have more species and areas but hopefully we'll get a sequel somewhere down the line. All in all a five-starred game!

Completely Different

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: January 29, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Games like this (and No More Heroes, Zack and Wiki etc.) are the reason why the Wii was built and why I picked one up in the first place: innovation. In a world of games where every shooter or strategy game is just like the last, games like this are few and far between. Thanks to the wii's technical limitations, small development firms can create such gems at budget prices for gamers.

Endless Ocean is essentially about the feeling of diving. It may sound boring and frankly looks boring if you are watching somebody play it, but the experience is completely immersive. I thought looking at the data on fish or examining rock formations would turn me off eventually, but with every new discovery it becomes more engrossing. The addition of mp3s was one of the best choices for this title. The soundtrack by Hayley Westenra is quite suitable, but when you put on some epic music (like the intro from Ghost in the Shell: Innocence or Berserk) it becomes something completely empowering. The same goes for the boat. The music for the boat is absolutely terrible until you put your own track. The best comparison to this game is probably Rez (the classic PS2 and DC shooter). In that game you have the feeling of floating to the music, and although you are not shooting anything here, the feeling is quite similar.

Lastly, although this may seem like a simple game, it will turn most children off. If anything, it is for adults who are curious about ocean life or simply seek a peaceful game experience. So buy Endless Ocean now. After all, make the most of your Wii. If you're just a Nintendo fanboy who bought the system for all the franchises, then I feel bad for you since most major first party titles have been released. If you are everybody else, you've come to the right place.

Hypnotic and addictive!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: January 29, 2008
Author: Amazon User

A peaceful, serene and strangely addictive diving simulation game, where you basically just "identify" sea creatures by interacting with them. The addictive part comes from the way you collect these identified specimens in your "encyclopedia" each time you identify one. It's like collecting baseball cards: the desire to fill your collection is hard to resist. The visuals are stunning, and it's amazing how exciting it is to discover some new form of sea life around every corner.

As others have noted, pretty much everything that takes place on the deck of your boat is of lesser quality and slightly silly. It's disappointing that there's no voice acting, just a character that "mimes" talking while dialogue appears on the screen. That shortcoming hardly seems fitting for a console game in 2008. It seems more like old Playstation 1 quality.

However, once you're in the water, the visuals are beautiful enough to make you forget that minor complaint. The in-game music by Hayley Westenra is hypnotic and uplifting, making underwater vistas take on an almost spiritual quality. At one point, when I found an elusive manatee in a secret sunlit cave, the music suddenly changed and I was practically ecstatic for a few minutes!

Even my daughter, who's only three and a half, enjoys finding sea animals (with my help) and interacting with them. Overall, I recommend this game to anyone of any age who wants a unique, pretty, and relaxingly open-ended gaming experience, with some cool surprises along the way. I've logged over 15 hours on the game so far, and there's still more to discover.

Gloriously Relaxing

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: January 30, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This is pure stress relief in a video game. The underwater graphics are stunning and very detailed, the soundtrack is beautiful and there is a really sweet feel to the interaction with the sea critters. They love being petted, and it is a delight to see them react. This is a real treat for anyone who is an animal lover. I am amazed at the educational aspect of this game as well. Not only do you learn to identify fish, but their behavior seems very realistic.

The best thing, though is being able to swim with the dolphins. What a treat. I highly recommend this lovely game experience.

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