Sega Nerds

Ecco: Tides of Time released for Virtual Console

Posted by Hudson. Filed under News, Nintendo Wii, Retro, Virtual Console. Tagged with Sega Genesis Collection.

Today sees the release of Ecco: the Tides of Time for the Wii’s Virtual Console. Everyone loves dolphins, or at least don’t actively hate them. Especially when they save the world from freakish alien invasion and consort with Atlanteans and a giant talking strand of DNA which apparently started life on earth or something, whatever. Sometimes, though, people get frustrated with dolphins.

The Ecco series is known for a number of features, including slick presentation, surprisingly fluid controls, crazy weird storylines (time traveling dolphins), and being intensely difficult. Really, really difficult. Like kick-your-ass-to-the-curb, wail-on-you-with-a-bat difficult. Tides of Time adheres pretty closely to this formula, with a few deviations from its forerunner. New features included the ability to transform at points into a different species (including Ecco’s prey and healthbar mainstay, a school of fish) and more innovative puzzles such as tailing other dolphins around the ocean, a feature that would later be used again with mixed results in the 3D Ecco: Defender of the Future for the Dreamcast.

Ecco: Tides of Time is a solid, well put together game. However, like all games in the cetacean series, it requires a lot of patience to truly enjoy to the fullest. If you want a deep puzzle solving experience and aren’t afraid to get your feet wet, Ecco won’t disappoint. Of course, you’ll be even less disappointed if you just buy Sega Genesis Collection for the PS2 and PSP, which has among its now numerous A-list Virtual Console titles both Tides of Time and the original Ecco, along with the mercifully easy Ecco Jr.

Ecco the Dolphin: the Tides of Time is not recommended for the Virtual Console unless the low low price and 27 other titles up for grabs in the Sega Genesis Collection hold absolutely no appeal for you.