Before publishing Endless Ocean, Nintendo had a "blue ocean" strategy of reaching
out to non-gamers: casual players, the elderly, and everyone else who was
scared off by online deathmatches and controllers with more than one
thumbstick, but would flock to games that were accessible, low-key, and fun. Endless
Ocean tries hard to be one of those games.
As you embark on one diving mission after another, the game takes pains to let
you know that you can take your time floating around, and tackle the story
whenever you get around to it.
But while the slow pace promises a fish-tank-like
serenity, you're quickly goaded into beating as much of the game as possible,
by collecting every sea creature, finishing all the subplots, or at least
unlocking the next piece of equipment, so you aren't stuck floating around the
same few lagoons. Add clunky dialogue, cornball mythologies, and a few curious
mechanics—you learn about the fish by petting them, which is the first thing grade-school fish fans
are told not to do—and you have a strange, sometimes awkward experience.
Rather than focusing on intuitive controls and a streamlined concept, Endless
Ocean is an obsessive's
collection-and-exploration game in a deceptively calm wrapper.
Beyond the game: If listening to the
android karaoke soundtrack deliver the world's worst version of "Shenandoah"
doesn't float your boat, the game will let you swap in your own mp3s.
Worth
playing for: The
game would make a better time-waster if the graphics were more eye-popping and
luminescent, which is a problem with the visual style, rather than the Wii's
processing power. But the encyclopedia that lists every fish you've found
displays them with charming animations and brief factual blurbs.
Frustration sets in when: Be careful giving this to
your older relatives who loved Wii Sports or Brain Age: The controls and options
are less intuitive, and contorting yourself in a tight cave to zoom in on a sea
slug can frustrate players of any age. (At the same time, it's all too easy to
imagine a couple of new addicts in a nursing home, using walkthroughs to unlock
each costume and bragging about how many fish they've collected.)
Final
judgment: A
chill-out session better suited to gamers than grannies.