Nintendo Wii News | The Ocean Becomes Endless this November in Europe

By Adam Riley 26.09.2007 7

Whilst Nintendo has now delayed Endless Ocean (Forever Blue in Japan) over in the US until early next year, Nintendo of Europe has given us a pleasant surprise and revealed the Afrika-developed Wii exclusive will be hitting this territory sooner than expected.

Have you ever wanted to explore the bottom of the ocean or learn more about aquatic life? Now you can from the comfort of your living room with Endless Ocean on Wii! Discover the beauty of the sea and take part in various activities such as swimming, exploring marine life or cataloguing tropical fish with this new Touch! Generations title. Endless Ocean launches across Europe 9th November 2007.

The beauty of Endless Ocean is that players can do as much or as little as they like. The relaxed and calm atmosphere of the game gives divers the freedom to explore special locations such as shipwrecks and underwater ruins, discover and interact with sea-life, complete fish logs or simply relax in the soothing environment.

The game opens with players onboard a diving boat, with a crew member who provides advice and tips on finding the best locations for fish and helps players advance the storyline. Players must assume the role of the diver, opting to go into the water to explore sea-life at their own pace utilising tools such as a camera or fish bait. In the cabin on the boat, divers can access the fish log to check out the fish that have been spotted, as well as carry out missions like photographing marine life. These missions unlock content, such as new items to use underwater, or different diving gear that can be used to customize the diver.

Navigating their way through the depths using the Wii remote, players guide their character using the pointer's cursor, visible as a bright blue dot. When players wish to interact with fish or plants they can highlight them with the pointer and press the A Button. By doing so, players discover new species and build up their fish log. What's more you can also befriend companions like a dolphin which will become your partner and with whom you can train and swim with.

For players really looking to kick back and relax Endless Ocean features several soothing modes. On the deck of the boat is a deckchair that allows the player to sit and watch the sea. Alternatively in the aquarium section of the game players can select fish they have seen and add them in an aquarium for a closer inspection. What's more this game even doubles up as a tranquil screensaver if the Wii Remote is left untouched. The relaxed setting is further heightened with a tranquil soundtrack from New Zealand songstress Hayley Westenra.

If players prefer to dive with a buddy, the Wii's unique WiFi Connection Service allows players link up with their friends. By exchanging friend codes, two players may dive and explore the ocean together. In this co-op mode they have access to all the tools that can be used in single player mode, as well as an additional mode of communication controlled with the D-pad. With a fish logbook to complete, items to be salvaged and collected and the ability to listen to your own MP3's via the Wii SD Card slot while you dive, Endless Ocean provides hours of entertainment.

The game should be coming without any hitches this time as well, since the game-breaking bug that was present in the Japanese game (hence a recall and subsequent hit on overall sales) has now been removed. Keep your eyes open for this little gem when it hits Europe on 9th November for around

Box art for Endless Ocean
Developer

Arika

Publisher

Nintendo

Genre

Simulation

Players

2

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  8/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  8/10 (4 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now   

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Comments

Well there's something new...

Really liking the look of this. Smilie I'm thinking of going into marine biology, I love stuff like fish and whales. Smilie The Pok

as well as an additional mode of communication controlled with the D-pad.



Seriously, is it so hard to enable Voice chat? Smilie

I don't even really care about this game, but I can already see the writing on the wall for Battalion Wars.


( Edited on 26.09.2007 16:33 by Jacob4000 )

Another one to buy for me. Shame they couldn't get voice chat sorted out, but it wasn't in the original release so I didn't expect it here. I still hold out some hope for Battalion Wars 2, as we've not really seen much of the online side as of yet. Not seen much of it full stop, really...

The end of this year is superb for Wii. Metroid Prime 3, Endless Ocean, Mario Galaxy and Zack and Wiki all within weeks of each other, and then there's the possibility of NiGHTS being worth buying as well. My bank account weeps.

I will still get this despite the huge lack of something, it still looks very relaxing and fun in a strange way. I need some "alternative content" unlike WarioWare.

This is Nintendo's way of apologizing for the late releases of Paper Mario, Metroid Prime 3 and Smash Bros.

While the US get to battle in brawl, we get to look for fishees.

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