Okay I played enough Endless Ocean 2 to give some impressions.
This game reminds me of Okami without the boring stuff. So no inane dungeons, no sorry excuses for puzzles, no annoying mini-games. Just the good part, the relaxing exploring. The exploring is really 3 dimensional, you see a big chasm and you can dive right in and see some strange fishes at the bottom.
I just finished Valka castle and that stuff was awesome. There atmosphere, the music, the fishes, all were awesome. Exploring a fully submerged castle was soooo gud. There is also plenty of side missions to do. Uncover Ocean maps, surfacing and walking on islands and find a stray dog and some penguins. Heal some animals by blasting them with electricity (yeah, I know, does not make any lick of sense). Fighting against a white shark that is the size of a Megalodon. And I actually saw the Benjamin Button jellyfish!
Sometimes, okay pretty much all the time I get distracted and just forget about my mission. Sometimes the game will force you yo move on, buy you really need to go out of your way to do that. The most annoying thing is your oxygen. The alarm bells will suddenly make you panic and break the relaxing atmosphere. And the music when white sharks attack is panic inducing. So definitely not for Leo.
All in all an awesome game. Perfect after a hard days at work trying to make transport arrangements for the Germans. A perfect game to play after work. Relaxing, atmospheric and addicting. Oh and people who have problems with the music and die in a fire.
How long doies the oxygen last for? I don't think I ever run out of it on the first one.
You almost had unlimited oxygen in the first one, the management is different in this one. Your oxygen consummation(?) depends of:
your level in diving (your level increase with time spent in water and distance done)
the depth (more deep you dive, more oxygen you use)
the cold
the attacks (one attack cost you one bar)
and of course your equipment.
On the whole the firsts dive may be quite short. I think I had some 10 minutes dive in the beginning. That was quite frustrating. Now I can dive for a very long time in any places.
Yeah, I was not happy at all either. >_< But it gets better really quickly. My average diving time is around 20/25 minutes and I got that after a few dives and a few hours in the game.
Actually it's called Cybonic. The red round glasses looks weird though. I also like the ninja suit even if I wont wear it under water, it's way too weird ^^
I wonder if there are some different suit for male and female character except bikinis of course.
There's......... there's a ninja costume? I got the sword as a tank but there's an actual suit
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees.
Mekere said:
Yeah, I was not happy at all either. >_< But it gets better really quickly. My average diving time is around 20/25 minutes and I got that after a few dives and a few hours in the game.
Yeah once you get some cash you can upgrade your equipment and stay under as long as the first game. The first time in Valka castle was annoying though as I had to resurface several times.
What the hell is the point of having Craig Harris of IGN US review the game if he never "got it"? He gives it a lower score than the original.
When the original Endless Ocean came out in 2008, IGN's editor-at-large Matt Casamassina had nothing but praise for it in his full review. And thanks to an early release of Endless Ocean: Blue World in Europe our UK team handled the review of the sequel and gave it nearly the same kudos that Casamassina gave for the first game. I'm not so sure I'd go as far with the praise. Oh, don't get me wrong: Endless Ocean: Blue World subtly improves over the original and this follow-up is clearly the better game, but I'm just not blown away with the overall concept as it failed to engage me in the same way it did my coworkers. At the very least it shows just how "not for everybody" Endless Ocean really is.
I totally understand that Endless Ocean has its fans, but I can't say in the exact same club. I appreciate what the game does and how well the game does it, but the overarching concept just never resonated with me with the same impact it had on other reviewers. Still, for a game that encourages casual exploration and marine appreciation, Endless Ocean's a nice change of pace.
Actually it's called Cybonic. The red round glasses looks weird though. I also like the ninja suit even if I wont wear it under water, it's way too weird ^^
I wonder if there are some different suit for male and female character except bikinis of course.
There's......... there's a ninja costume? I got the sword as a tank but there's an actual suit
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees.
Yes, there is a whole ninja suit along with the sword ^^ I don't remember where I got it, probably Nancy after some salvaging level increase.
Still no idea of the utility of the items with present icons in the inventory? The roses, jewels and stuff?
Actually it's called Cybonic. The red round glasses looks weird though. I also like the ninja suit even if I wont wear it under water, it's way too weird ^^
I wonder if there are some different suit for male and female character except bikinis of course.
There's......... there's a ninja costume? I got the sword as a tank but there's an actual suit
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees.
Yes, there is a whole ninja suit along with the sword ^^ I don't remember where I got it, probably Nancy after some salvaging level increase.
Still no idea of the utility of the items with present icons in the inventory? The roses, jewels and stuff?
Where's phisheep when you need him eh? He must have at least 500 hrs logged by now right?
I'm glad the 1up review pointed this out. It's probably the only negative to the game compared to the first.
Blue World is a great sequel: There's lots more to see and do, with refinements all around, from graphics to gameplay. It's what anyone would expect, after all. But all of that comes part and parcel with some flaws. More background music would have been nice, as the game is oddly silent compared to the first, and keeps "epic" music cues to a minimum. Similarly, there's no longer a way to select music freely, or add your own via files from an SD card.
So for those of you who played the first, what would you say of the comparisons to the first game? I would say they are different enough to complement each other.
If I were to pick one I would have to say that the sequel just goes OTT, improving just about everything but the first game actually has a few things over the sequel.
1. The Music
Not only is there better music from Hayley Westernra, you could listen to it whenever you wanted. Also with SD card support you get to play what you want, when you want.
2. Zooming (during normal swimming - not focus or zoom mode)
As in once you click on a fish, you can use the plus and minus buttons to zoom in. In the sequel, if you have a small fish, you cannot zoom in for a better look unless you bring out the camera and start fiddling about.
3. Focus mode
In the first game you could zoom into any and every surface in the game. It completed the feeling of immersion and allowed you to look at vegitation without having to pick spots.
4. The locations
Yep, the locations like the coral forest, the many caves of mermaids cave or marige atoll just top most of the locations in Blue world. Cortica by its nature is linear and by its nature the icy seas are devoid of colour and variety. Gatama atoll isn't exactly anything we didn't see in the first game either and the abyss in Blue world comes off as disappointing compared to the first game.
5. An uninterrupted experience
The first game was almost zen like. There were no interuptions and you could more easily appreciate the beauty and wow moments. In the sequel there is so much stuff to do you are always focusing your mind on something else, or being interupted by events or people talking to you etc.
However, if I were to list what the sequel has over EO1, the list would be much larger and more significant. Feature for feature the sequel wins hands down.
How long doies the oxygen last for? I don't think I ever run out of it on the first one.
- your level in diving (your level increase with time spent in water and distance done)
- the depth (more deep you dive, more oxygen you use)
- the cold
- the attacks (one attack cost you one bar)
- and of course your equipment.
On the whole the firsts dive may be quite short. I think I had some 10 minutes dive in the beginning. That was quite frustrating. Now I can dive for a very long time in any places.Major :/ for that.
There's......... there's a ninja costume?
I got the sword as a tank but there's an actual suit 
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees.
Yeah once you get some cash you can upgrade your equipment and stay under as long as the first game. The first time in Valka castle was annoying though as I had to resurface several times.
Endless Ocean: Blue World IGN Review IGN USA NOW SUCKS BALLS
Endless Ocean Blue World Destructoid review Blue World is a charming diversion and comes recommended to anyone looking for something unlike anything else out there
1up review Endless Ocean 2 It's an A!
Giantbomb quick look at Endless Ocean 2
Endless Ocean 2 - Kotaku review Endless Ocean Blue World is a huge surprise...one of the best role-playing games encountered on the Wii.
Gamesradar review Endless Ocean Blue World a real sense of achievement when you find your way through an underwater maze and chance upon something truly spectacular
What the hell is the point of having Craig Harris of IGN US review the game if he never "got it"? He gives it a lower score than the original.
When the original Endless Ocean came out in 2008, IGN's editor-at-large Matt Casamassina had nothing but praise for it in his full review. And thanks to an early release of Endless Ocean: Blue World in Europe our UK team handled the review of the sequel and gave it nearly the same kudos that Casamassina gave for the first game. I'm not so sure I'd go as far with the praise. Oh, don't get me wrong: Endless Ocean: Blue World subtly improves over the original and this follow-up is clearly the better game, but I'm just not blown away with the overall concept as it failed to engage me in the same way it did my coworkers. At the very least it shows just how "not for everybody" Endless Ocean really is.
I totally understand that Endless Ocean has its fans, but I can't say in the exact same club. I appreciate what the game does and how well the game does it, but the overarching concept just never resonated with me with the same impact it had on other reviewers. Still, for a game that encourages casual exploration and marine appreciation, Endless Ocean's a nice change of pace.
Yes, there is a whole ninja suit along with the sword ^^ I don't remember where I got it, probably Nancy after some salvaging level increase.
Still no idea of the utility of the items with present icons in the inventory? The roses, jewels and stuff?
Where's phisheep when you need him eh? He must have at least 500 hrs logged by now right?
I'm glad the 1up review pointed this out. It's probably the only negative to the game compared to the first.
Blue World is a great sequel: There's lots more to see and do, with refinements all around, from graphics to gameplay. It's what anyone would expect, after all. But all of that comes part and parcel with some flaws. More background music would have been nice, as the game is oddly silent compared to the first, and keeps "epic" music cues to a minimum. Similarly, there's no longer a way to select music freely, or add your own via files from an SD card.
So for those of you who played the first, what would you say of the comparisons to the first game? I would say they are different enough to complement each other.
If I were to pick one I would have to say that the sequel just goes OTT, improving just about everything but the first game actually has a few things over the sequel.
1. The Music
Not only is there better music from Hayley Westernra, you could listen to it whenever you wanted. Also with SD card support you get to play what you want, when you want.
2. Zooming (during normal swimming - not focus or zoom mode)
As in once you click on a fish, you can use the plus and minus buttons to zoom in. In the sequel, if you have a small fish, you cannot zoom in for a better look unless you bring out the camera and start fiddling about.
3. Focus mode
In the first game you could zoom into any and every surface in the game. It completed the feeling of immersion and allowed you to look at vegitation without having to pick spots.
4. The locations
Yep, the locations like the coral forest, the many caves of mermaids cave or marige atoll just top most of the locations in Blue world. Cortica by its nature is linear and by its nature the icy seas are devoid of colour and variety. Gatama atoll isn't exactly anything we didn't see in the first game either and the abyss in Blue world comes off as disappointing compared to the first game.
5. An uninterrupted experience
The first game was almost zen like. There were no interuptions and you could more easily appreciate the beauty and wow moments. In the sequel there is so much stuff to do you are always focusing your mind on something else, or being interupted by events or people talking to you etc.
However, if I were to list what the sequel has over EO1, the list would be much larger and more significant. Feature for feature the sequel wins hands down.