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going into the ecco the dolphin series completely blind was one of the best moments in video games *spoilers*
- Thread starter Deleted member 12790
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Ecco the Dolphin creator settles lawsuit with Sega, possibly paving way for series’ rebirth
We're thrilled to announce the return of GamesBeat Summit Next, hosted in San Francisco this October, where we will explore the theme of "Playing the Edge." Apply to speak here and learn more about sponsorship opportunities here. Ed Annunziata has settled a lawsuit with video game publisher...
venturebeat.com
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Thanks so much for opening this thread. I never got far (only saw later levels with the help of cheat codes) but loved this series. I remember sometimes starting the games only to listen to the music, and still listen to the music during focused work sometimes.
I hope they are already working on porting these games to current-gen consoles. Did anything get announced or hinted at?
I hope they are already working on porting these games to current-gen consoles. Did anything get announced or hinted at?
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Ecco 1 and 2 are on Steam, and Ecco 1 is on the Sega Genesis mini.
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Man, I've been listening to all this music since you posted this, this is all fantastic. I'd never heard of this group before, this is just like ecco music. Thanks so much for pointing this out.
There's just nothing else in gaming that comes close to the kind of tone and atmosphere that Ecco possesses. These games evoke such strong feelings for me. It's magical and serene, foreboding and terrifying.
Sadly, in general, underwater gameplay isn't often done well in gaming. But they mastered it in Ecco, and nothing has matched it yet.
Uggh, I would give almost anything for a sequel to Defender of the Future.
Sadly, in general, underwater gameplay isn't often done well in gaming. But they mastered it in Ecco, and nothing has matched it yet.
Uggh, I would give almost anything for a sequel to Defender of the Future.
I posted a thread about this a few years back, but anyone know who actually owns the Ecco IP now??
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I assume you know about sentinels of the universe? No plot ever given besides the 6 playable levels and the name.
But holy crap the name alone makes your mind race. Sentinels of the Universe sounds like an incredible title, I wonder where they would have taken the series if it had been finished.
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No one is actually sure. Sega owned it for years, but Ed annunziata sued them to try and get the IP back, but it was all settled out of court and neither side has ever commented on what the outcome was. So no one knows who owns it. It had been assumed Sega lost the rights, as the PS4/Xbox One ports of Sega Classic Collection removed Ecco 1 and 2 compared to the older Steam release, yet Ecco has also shown back up on recent Sega products.
More than likely, it's some form of joint ownership, like how Sega and Treasure together own some of their games, with a licensing agreement that lets Ed Annunziata use the property. He's been trying to make an ecco sequel for decades (note: he had nothing to do with DOTF).
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On the one hand, I always wonder if Sega should have advertised more what these games actually were, because I bet a lot more people would have been interested. On the other hand, spoiling the surprise would have made the twist in the game much less shocking. Going in expecting one thing, and getting something completely different and, IMO, much more interesting made a much larger impact on me than I think it would have had otherwise.
But it is weird that their advertising, box, etc, never once hinted at the real nature of this game. Certainly bold.
But it is weird that their advertising, box, etc, never once hinted at the real nature of this game. Certainly bold.
Thanks for this thread. I had seen a few summaries about how insane this game got, but this one really laid it bare.
I think it would actually make a very interesting novel series...
I think it would actually make a very interesting novel series...
You've never heard of Vangelis? Seriously? Dude is one of the most famous composers ever. He did the Blade Runner soundtrack, he was the inspiration for some of Donkey Kong Country 2's music, and composed the most famous Olympic theme in the world:
I don't know if there's a way to advertise Ecco The Dolphin accurately in a 30 second commercial or mag ad. I remember the commercials. I just don't know what else they could do.
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It would actually work well as a novel. Much of the story in the game is told through text, and the games have a very unique manner of speaking that just seems straight up interesting. I dig the terminology they use, it makes it feel like the world they built is deep with lore. I would devour a book written entirely in the style of Ecco's text screens.
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Honestly, something like this:
With maybe a small outline of a dolphin swimming up from earth towards the xenomorph.
I beat the Sega CD version of Ecco a bunch of times, no idea how many. When I was playing it was summer and I was living in a non-air conditioned apartment. The music instantly made the place feel cooler.
I never beat Tides of Time. I should fix that some day.
I never beat Tides of Time. I should fix that some day.
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Sega CD, by far. Like, some people might like the music in the genesis version better, but the Sega CD version hands down irrefutably plays better. The Sega Genesis versions are straight up unfair, and some levels in the game can take a very long time to complete, like 20 minutes, only for you to die at the very end and have to redo the entire level. The Sega CD version has check points and is re-balanced to be more fair.
The music in the game is just redbook audio, so if you had the Sega CD version but for some reason like the Genesis music better, you can just replace the music on the CD by ripping the disk into bin/cue to iso + wave, then replacing the audio with wav rips of the Genesis music, then reburning the disc. The Sega CD has no copy protection so doing this is perfectly fine.
I'd actually say the PC version is the best to play, though, because it improves the art, yet also includes all the changes from the Sega CD version including the new soundtrack. Compare:
The PC version has a patch to work with modern windows (and it works in Linux with Steam Proton/wine, too).
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considering he exists in the stream of time by the end of the series, define "now"
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LULHonestly, something like this:
With maybe a small outline of a dolphin swimming up from earth towards the xenomorph.
this is the one i remember lol
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guarantee you the ad I described would have at least caught people's attention lol
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they're actually very good for the system. They lose a lot in visuals, but the level layouts are virtually the same and almost the entire game is there. Outside of the loss of visuals (they're super ugly compared to the genesis) you are basically getting a full real-deal ecco game, with all the story beats and everything. In terms of feel, they play just like the genesis/sega cd versions.
they are straight ports of ecco 1 and 2.
I had NO idea Ecco was on the Game Gear and Master System. I forget just how many franchises made their way onto the 8-bit systems. What's with the three copies of Tides of Time on the right? Only thing I can tell is the different ESRB rating on the them, and the blue banner on the left of the right most one. Curious as to no Ecco Jr.?
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Oh hey, one thing I forgot to mention here, that infamously Open world Jaws PS2 game?
It's built out of Ecco the Dolphin lol
It's built out of Ecco the Dolphin lol
Brilliant write up! Well articulated and engaging. I also have fond memories of playing through the Megadrive version as a kid (on goodness knows how many rentals...) The Vortex twist and undersea horror has me shook even now - not sure how I handled it back in the day.
What's the best way to play the Sega CD version right now? Sure would be fun to go back to this classic.
What's the best way to play the Sega CD version right now? Sure would be fun to go back to this classic.
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For modern gamers? Probably a Mega SG, with a MegaSD with your CD ripped to it. A much smarter option would be to grab the Windows 95 version off of ebay, where it goes for just a few dollars, then install that with the modern patch.
Nice, thanks for the quick reply.
I could always grab a Megadrive Classic, but would prefer not to tear hair out at the classic difficulty.
I got this game for my tenth birthday from my mom for my Mega Drive back in 1994. We played it together and I still know how shocked we were by the events unfolding before us. Man it was a fantastic experience.
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IIRC there are a few rom hacks out there that translate the JPN version of ecco the dolphin, so you can get the Sega CD improved difficulty, but run it on a stock genesis. You could use that to patch the version of Ecco 1 on the Megadrive classic.
Alternatively, you could just change the language setting on the megadrive classic. If you boot up in japanese mode, the version of ecco on the megadrive classic changes to the japanese rom, with all the fixes I mentioned (although it'll be in japanese).
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It comes from talking about what I like, it's genuine passion. The trick is I only really post on subjects that grab my attention or I feel compelled to speak about. If it's something i don't care about, I tend to ignore the subject.
I wasn't able to beat the Mega Drive version. Years later, I was able to beat the PC 'Fixed and Enhanced' version.
It's crazy that Sega puts emulated versions on Steam instead of the native 90s ports.
It's crazy that Sega puts emulated versions on Steam instead of the native 90s ports.
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to be fair, it's really cool that the emulated version is on steam, because Sega added in Steam Workshop support so it supports mods. The mods are actually romhacks that people can upload. The steam version of Ecco the Dolphin has official romhack support from Sega, managed through the slick steam UI instead of having to patch the rom with a utility.
Just went and searched on steam, here's the workshop mod people should look into:
Revision 01 is the japanese version that has been translated into english. Just a note, you can actually apply the workshop mod, then go into your steam folder and take out the rom, and put it on a megadrive mini or a MegaSG.
Ecco is $0.99 on steam, btw. You can also play the game in VR, which puts you in a virtual bedroom playing on a virtual CRT:
As you buy Sega classics on steam, they get added to this central hub program, and fill up on your "virtual shelf" with boxes.
That is cool. I wonder if someone could ROMhack the native PC version in? With that sweet soundtrack and 640x480 goodness.
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Not possible to up the resolution or color count, but there are indeed many romhacks which will add CD audio music to standard games. That said, nothing like that exists for ecco, because a native Sega CD version exists.
I played these games (1 and 2 at least) a few years ago, knowing the twist because otherwise, I remember the reviews but hey, it didn't really look all that intriguing (ohh the octopus wooow).
However, I wonder that in none of these reviews were the Aliens mentioned, nor even it being not what it looked like. I wonder if these reviewers didn't get very far (which, considering how fucking hard it is, it's completely possible) or if they were all in the plan of keeping it a secret.
Great games.
However, I wonder that in none of these reviews were the Aliens mentioned, nor even it being not what it looked like. I wonder if these reviewers didn't get very far (which, considering how fucking hard it is, it's completely possible) or if they were all in the plan of keeping it a secret.
Great games.
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I've definitely seen a few reviews over the years where it's obvious that the people playing never got into the game. Like screw attack, remember them? That asshole Craig went off for multiple reviews about how "IT'S A GAME ABOUT BEING A DOLPHIN, ALL YOU ARE IS A DOLPHIN HURR" and would never mention the actual part that people laud.
Haha, thanks! I really like you dig it so much!
Just for you to know, Vangelis (not a group, a man from Greece) is the same one who composed Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner soundtracks... and many more I don't remember now. Besides that, he has many other albums. The older ones are more in the lines of synthwave or experimental music and later ones are more symphonic, new age.
It is a bit more different than Oceanic (and Ecco ost), but just listen to this
Annnd I'll stop hijackin your thread, lol. I just really love letting people discover musicians I love.
Played a bit as a kid. The shit was too hard for me to make it past the first couple levels. Had no idea the story went crazy like this.
Damn spoilers OP smh.
Damn spoilers OP smh.
Always appreciate your threads. Always brings back memories. I never played Ecco back in the day but I always remember it from game magazines. It's odd how I never ended up getting it.
How did you get the colors and lighting like that? They changed it after the console release. On "Fantastic," the colors are oversaturated and playing on the tv is awful most of the time because of the saturation. And the desk lamp keeps the entire room lit up. It used to look so good before that although the crt was a little desaturated.Ecco is $0.99 on steam, btw. You can also play the game in VR, which puts you in a virtual bedroom playing on a virtual CRT:
As you buy Sega classics on steam, they get added to this central hub program, and fill up on your "virtual shelf" with boxes.
The JP MD version comes with all the level design and balance changes? In that case that's my ticket right there as I'm fine with the language. Plenty of other good reasons to get a MDC, so I'll put it on the Christmas list :)