CGR Undertow - ECCO THE DOLPHIN for Sega Genesis Video Game Review

[BetterThanBfour]

I never failed to cry when I had to make Ecco jump too high and that hurricane came to suck up all of his friends.... it was like shooting Old Yeller to me.

[SuperFartinggirl]

I have this game on Sega Genesis Collection for the PS2 as well as the second one and Ecco Jr. The music haunts me alot. This is a very good game to play.

[DarkLuigi4321]

I want dolphin sandwich with fries and coleslaw

[billpage]

cool

[murdocgorillaz222]

Got a re-release of this game and some others (including Fatal Labyrinth and Sonic & Knuckles) on a 50-in-1 console and I must say, out of all the games, I quite love this one!

Have got a little suicidal over it though... exploded my brain, and what with all the speed-swimming into jellyfish...

The fact that you can't save/insert passwords on this particular console after I was playing for HOW MANY HOURS and exited...! But that one's not the games' fault.

[RoyStantz]

As you know, Stuttering Craig hates Ecco the Dolphin. This has been some running gag for his website ScrewAttack, who love to beat up a short-lived video-game series that I'd actually take over Sonic any day of the week. After several criticisms for his thoughts on the first Ecco game, Craig's response was a highly sarcastic view on the sequel Tides of Time.

To summarise it: "Oh man, I'm so sorry for bashing Ecco. This game is actually good for all of this awesome stuff. No, Ecco sucks."

[EkajTheSwordsman]

@RoyStantz Ecco is a fairly clunky, mediocre game. It was a nice experiment, but the glitches, hit detection, and controls bogged the game down. I don't think its puzzles were terribly brilliant, either. Mario, Zelda, and Metroid often had far more involved and intricate puzzles. Ecco had an atmosphere unlike anything else, but it doesn't stand the test of time.

[MrAids5000]

this game terrified me. when you jumped out of the water and the entire sky turned red and everybody died it scarred me for life.

[greanbedhead2]

i was about 6 when i played this on the genesis, i remember not having a clue what to do, but what i remember most of all is the feeling of emptiness that ensued after playing this game. i would get so lonely after watching the black and blue seas, and listening to the looping 8-bit song... just every aspect of this game messed with me psychologically... i am without doubt, to this day, scarred...

[FS3K]

I had proper no idea this game was about aliens and time travel! =| lol

I just remember not getting what to do in the levels xD but then again I was way young at the time xD

[DouglasMeloche]

Easily my favorite video game franchise next to Sonic the Hedgehog and Starfox, Of course, a few nights in prison would probably be healthier for your psyche than trying to beat this game.

THE MOST FRUSTRATING THING is how many throwaway levels, that really serve no purpose other testing your sanity, that stand between you and the actual story.

After the first two levels that mention Big Blue, I was actually excited to find him. Three Levels after that, I WANTED TO KILL HIM!

[unak78]

This is still one of my alltime favorite games. It took me close to a year to finally beat it. But I'll never have a gaming experience like that as long as I live.  Very engrossing.

[fiddlebender88]

I never ever beat the undercaves level.... and so a friend of mine told me all the passwords to the levels and I would write them down on a paper. Yes, a paper! There was no internet.

[KingDavid73]

this game kinda scared me, too, as a kid

[KingDavid73]

I loved this series as a kid... I eventually beat it, but it got haaaarrddd, and crazy at the end

[TheEquineWorld]

SPACE DOLPHINS RULE!! :D

[infinidominion]

this was one of the games in my orthodontists waiting room back in the day along with Road Rash and stuff. Easily the best waiting room ever back then. Some piece of shit child stole all of the games at one point though. hopefully he was eaten by a dolphin and run over by a motorcycle.....at the same time :)

[matacksthedude]

the sega CD versions good for the collector types, has nicer cd quality sound.

Ive seen this youtube video where some guy plays the final level and fights the end boss. its looks freaking terrifying and damn near impossible. Luckily little kids could never make it to that level anyways.

[KingDavid73]

"This game is really hard, and kind of freaks me out" ... agreed! The music / sounds are creepy, and the enemies / levels get pretty creepy as well later in the game. I had this for the Game Gear back in the day (same game, but w/ Master System graphics), which I beat after having it for a couple years, then I rented the first 2 for the Genesis when I was a kid also... and beat those... after lots and lots of frustration.

The games are unique, but hard, frustrating, and a little scary.

[Kahalasama]

This guy's the best reviewer of the undertow team.

[catclaw357]

@Kahalasama Agreed.

[catclaw357]

2:30 No wwonder I'm no good at this game, I was checking ebay, not Craig's List.

[MAT0R0]

This game should be remade for the Xbox Arcade and PSN, since both consoles over awesome controllers.

[virusalert996]

@PointlessAndAwesome Sorry your right, that episode was hilarious!

[DanDaManZ06]

this game sux i never liked it...

[rifleviejo]

@DanDaManZ06 Sucks cuz you never liked it? so your opinion is a fact? who are you piece of shit white cracker

[DanDaManZ06]

@rifleviejo no it is my opinion of this game. I tryed it on many occasions and i never enjoyed the experience playing this game. How much fun can you have playing a dolphin jumping threw hoops. There are much better games out there for the sega Genesis. Usted es más ignorante entonces cualquier persona blanca que ha cumplir.

[rifleviejo]

@DanDaManZ06 Next time you want to insult someone in spanish make sure you actually understand the lenguage motherfucker!

[rcreek1]

@DanDaManZ06 Some people like games they don't have to think about where they just shoot at crap... and other people like games that actually have a good storyline and adventure aspect - such as Ecco. Apparently you are the first kind.

[pippo17173]

Who would've thought a dolphin game could be a hit.

[fsmetal]

I would support ecco with lasers and flame throwers

[DeltaPhi79]

Test the limits of your sanity eh??? Just like Geometry Wars: Galaxies and Metroid Prime II on Hard Mode. :D

[EvtheNev]

I loved this game, and recently bought Sonics Ultimate Genisis Collection for the PS3, bt to be honest, as a kid i never had a clue what to do it this game, i just thought it was awesome jumping out of the water!

[OnThatPowder]

@EvtheNev i have it on the ps3 collection too :-D

[IMAK3N0V1DS]

@EvtheNev same here 

[MartinRyleOShea]

@EvtheNev I didn't have a clue

[Dpika1849]

@EvtheNev Same experience here, wish I still had the Genesis w/ the CD drive, I was a little kid when it was sold.

[CitroenC407]

It took me MONTHS to beat this game... one of the most original games ever made though. I loved Ecco on the Megadrive (yes I'm Irish so I use the European name :)) and, subsequently, on the Dreamcast. In fact Ecco on the Dreamcast is one of my favourite all time games.

New Ecco for PS3/360 anyone? Or perhaps HD remakes of the original games for their respective Online Stores? Something like they did with Earthworm Jim for example? I'd love to see that.

[EvtheNev]

@CitroenC407 im Irish too man & i hear ya completely! Speaking of Earthworn Jim id love a remake of that! Like the egadrive version!

[CitroenC407]

@EvtheNev - There is one available for Playstation Store and on the XBox Online Store :) That's why I mentioned it :) It's an excellent remake too! You should check it out!

[virusalert996]

@CGRundertow You should check out the Dreamcast version of Ecco, it has analog!

[toPoFworsT]

I played through this and the game gear version back in the day, I just loved this game.

You probably just didn't have it back in the day, did you?, because compared to the gameplay on some NES games (including really hard ones), you're really bad at this one ;-)

[Zoey2k1]

THe SEGA CD Version is unbelieveable, especially with the music score. but yea, this game is also extremely difficult. Still a fantastic game! good times (til i died halfway in the game )

[cyclo1224]

ecco is hard

[BenAndJoshInc]

this is a pretty game for a genesis o_O

[xnoob5893]

I still have this game for the sega.

[nintendoraikiri]

XD this game scared the heck out of me as a kid! Just as much as Golma did from OoT

[WakeAsGun]

I'll also add that I HATE that screech when you get hurt. Luckily they got rid of it in Tides Of Time (except for when you die).

[WakeAsGun]

I love this game. It kicked my arse as a kid though. The second one is even better.

[maniacchris]

it's like metroid but with fish.

[YoManRuLz1]

I kinda want to play this now.

[quicksaund]

Yay! I've been asking for this review. I'm glad Kevin reviewed it.

I agree about this game being creepy, the sounds are so haunting lol

[WeShallC]

Man I wanted this game as a kid, now I look at it and am like meh.

[papatoony]

Forward thinking.

[vestibual]

Urgh I hated this game. These games were prioritised instead of vectorman and alex the kidd!!

[pichupokemon1010]

i dont get this game....

[Newbpwn3r180]

side scrolling shooter with eco firing lasers and flamethrowers at evil squids...thats something Mark would say

[ArwingFighter]

cool

[APC0812]

god, i hated this game... i tried playing it when i was a kid, but i never made it trough the second level. i either drowned or got killed by spikes, jellyfish etc.. years later, when i found out what the ending looked like, i was just WTF... aliens?!

[VonSeux]

this game is indeed scaring!

nice mechanics too

[uSCOTTpwnd]

MY CHILDHOOD

[SusakeKes]

the f*cking aliens at the end of the game gave me nightmares when i was a kid...

i will never forget "the machine"

[DamianSix66]

I was about 16 smoking a lot of weed going to raves every weekend and popping pills and i used to love playing this to chillout , it was dead peaceful and one of my many favourite games from the 90's .

[TheFloodFourm]

@DamianSix66 farout

[mariopianofreak]

just thought wtf when i saw this

[djklink20009]

this game was hard as hell i had to use save state on an emu to complete this

[dioseolo]

One of my favorite games from childhood.

[321cheeseman]

Damn good game, with a surprisingly decent story, but hard as all hell.

The sequel has better graphics and music, and the controls and gameplay also seem to be much improved. It's still really hard though.

I'd love to see a new 2D game in the series.

[robotfreshpies]

They need more penguin based games

[Guernicaman]

A classic indeed.

[MrAmonkey7]

cant really say im a fan

of this i dont like underwater games

still have to respect it's atempt

at creativity. great review

[donutplay]

what a classic ecco was such a badass

[RobbanFoxer]

nice review i will gladly check this game out on my genesis collection for the psp when im bored.

[Goken02]

hard to believe I got to the end of this and the sequel back when I was just a kid I doubt I could do it now.

[joesking]

love this game!

[skulljoint]

ow snap 240p

Thats the true OG

[joesking]

@skulljoint no it's not 240p :S

[skulljoint]

@joesking Guess you werent as lucky as i was at that time.

[bucketbot96]

Classic game room= awesome=mind control

[FrostBiteLogos]

i remember this game. i have it on PS2