The Official Endless Ocean 2 thread: A humpback whale is about to ram us!

[gamingeek]

US Boxart


U.S release

22nd Feb

$30 and if you order quick you can get wii speak bundled free with a limited number of copies.

http://www.amazon.com/Endless-Ocean-...5043094&sr=8-1


Euro Boxart


Euro release:

5th Feb Full price

Cheapest at game.co.uk at £25



ABOUT

Journey into the blue once again with this Wii game where players get to explore the ocean and interact with its sealife.

Endless Ocean 2 builds on the ocean experience first introduced with Endless Ocean. While the last game emphasized relaxation, this one is designed with more adventure in mind. Divers might find themselves escaping from or calming down attacking sharks, exploring shipwrecks or finding treasure. Endless Ocean 2 also has more creatures and improved graphics designed to fully immerse players in an ocean environment that they can freely explore at their own pace.

Endless Ocean 2 supports online co-op two player using the Wii Speak peripheral. You can also visit each others aquariums and take a tour of the island together. You can save images to SD card but there is no SD card MP3 functionality like the first game. The music is mainly by the group Celtic Woman.

SISTER THREAD

http://thevgpress.com/forumtopics/en...ge-13_318.html

Since I''ve been doing the Endless Ocean 2 thread at thevgpress for the past 8 months you will find a lot more info there, including every screen posted, previews etc, import impressions.

Tracklist: Ave Maria Carrickfergus Dulaman Isle of Inisfree Nella Fantasia One World The Last Rose of Summer The Prayer The Soft Goodbye

VOOKS REVIEW

http://www.vooks.net/article-1369-En...ep-Review.html

"Endless Ocean 2 is much improved over its predecessor. While strides haven’t been made graphically or in the audio department, the way the game is played has been enhanced so much, and most of the niggles with the first game have been addressed. You can play by following the storyline or exploring and doing whatever you want - that’s the joy of Endless Ocean 2. Well done Arika."

8.5

CUBED 3 review

http://www.cubed3.com/review/802

"Arika has taken the core of the first Endless Ocean and developed the idea for Adventures of the Deep so considerably that it has easily become one of the exemplar products on Wii, full stop. Its serene, peaceful nature lulls players into the world, whilst it is the great depth of content within that keeps players gripped for hours at a time. This is certainly an experience that should not be missed out on"

9/10

Endless Ocean 2 IGN UK review

http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/106/1065380p1.html

"Like a beautiful underwater Animal Crossing, 2007's Endless Ocean was pretty much the complete antithesis of the hectic, violent modern videogame. Gentle, relaxing, open-ended, it was the perfect stress reliever. A gorgeous and hugely atmospheric game that soothed away your cares by sending you out to explore the secrets of the deep blue sea at your leisure.

Two years on, developer Arika has delivered a sequel that not only improves on everything that people loved about the original, but delivers a much more structured and engaging experience right from the beginning. Although many players loved the pressure-free sandbox design of old, others failed to appreciate its charms precisely because of this lack of direction. With that in mind, it's perhaps no great surprise to see that Adventures of the Deep immediately goes a lot further in giving players a greater sense of purpose from the outset."

8.0

Eurogamer review


"It's a genuinely peaceful and relaxing experience, with a wonderfully becalmed atmosphere, subdued beauty, and an earnest, innocent attitude - all of them rare properties in games. Even the MIDI muzak and folk warbling of the soundtrack strike the right note, and in this context, the repetitive and simple gameplay has a quietly hypnotic quality. Give it a break, and you'll give yourself one too."

7/10

NINTENDO LIFE REVIEW

http://wii.nintendolife.com/reviews/...f_the_deep_wii

8/10

OFFICIAL NINTENDO UK MAG REVIEW

http://www.officialnintendomagazine....e.php?id=14977

74%

Vooks Impressions/videos
http://www.vooks.net/story-18828-End...ns--video.html

Game People review
http://www.gamepeople.co.uk/family_w...lessocean2.htm


http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/en...he-deep-review

Endless Ocean 2 Beneath the Surface trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbwHZjr6JUQ

5 NEW PICS FROM NINTENDOLIFE
http://wii.nintendolife.com/games/wi...ep/screenshots

FAMITSU REVIEW
Forever Blue 2: Umi no Yobigoe (Endless Ocean) (Wii, Nintendo): 9 / 9 / 9 / 9 - (36/40)

Trailer 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVh66msv3lE

Trailer 3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8CcnCK63bI

Gametrailers trailer and experience vids:
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/ja...ss-ocean/55453

New videos from Wii folder
http://wiifolder.com/2009/09/gamepla...-ocean-2-pt-1/

Ocean exploration 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eR058bo_6w

Overworld Island preview video
http://wiifolder.com/2009/09/video-t...and-overworld/

User videos
http://www.youtube.com/user/GAF77iM

Thanks Will^

Website updated with new pics

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/r4ej/album/index.html

Screens of croc and ice diving
http://www.famitsu.com/game/news/1227541_1124.html

Also new pics here, direct captures.

http://thevgpress.com/forumtopics/en...e-9_318_9.html

New screens:
http://thevgpress.com/forumtopics/en...oow_318_4.html

Here's also a new (?) gameplay video.

http://thenintendo.com/2009/08/endle...screens-video/

Things to notice:
- don't need to pet fishes anymore to get information (seemingly)
- only one infotext (seemingly)
- export photos to SD card (YES!)
- thx Motorbass


- Wii Speak support for online diving
- you can dive in rivers and under the polar ice
- "dangerous" situations can now occur underwater
- you can hold on to your dolphin for fast swimming
- search for treasure with sonar tool
- improved graphics overall
- bigger underwater world to explore
- thx hamzik

- the aquarium feature will return
- polar bears, penguins and other animals will now have a place to be displayed alongside the aquarium
- new character customization including face, hair, suit style / color, flippers, oxygen tank and more
- you can now collect plant life
- small overworld island that you can walk around
- expect more cut-scenes, character interactions, and story development
- finding treasure is now more important
- map once again becomes charted as you explore

[Anony]

amazing

one of the games where i wish it was in hd

[Count Dookkake]

This beautiful-looking sequel signifies the triumph of the non-game over the non-magazine.

[VAIL]

amazing one of the games where i wish it was in hd

Facepalm.gif


It looks fantastic, very much looking forward to it

[gamingeek]

amazing one of the games where i wish it was in hd

I think it looks pretty special as it is.



I also liked how in the first game and this one you can essentially inspect any surface in hyper detail with the focus mode.

More stuff here:

http://thevgpress.com/forumtopics/en...oooow_318.html

[SteelAttack]

Nice. Very nice. EO is one of the games in my Wii collection I'm most proud of (even though I have neglected it for a long time) and I'll be glad to get the sequel.

And yeah, one of the guys you mentioned does suck balls. The one that is not me.

[SovanJedi]

Awwww, that's nice.

[Malio]

Looks neat. Don't know about Day 1, but will probably get it eventually.

[dragonfart28]

I screamed like a little girl inside.

[gamingeek]

Nice. Very nice. EO is one of the games in my Wii collection I'm most proud of (even though I have neglected it for a long time) and I'll be glad to get the sequel. And yeah, one of the guys you mentioned does suck balls. The one that is not me.

Indeed!

[spidye]

amazing one of the games where i wish it was in hd

amazing. first reply

[gamingeek]

I screamed like a little girl inside.

It was so cool when the whale took a gulp of fish.

I'm wondering about the music though. Are we going to get SD support, I think not. But are we going to get vocal operatic music or just tracks by the in game composer?

[GWX]

Amazing. Seems like the animations and the behavior of the animals are even better this time around :O Can't wait.

[basik]

This beautiful-looking sequel signifies the triumph of the non-game over the non-magazine.

[Anony]

just saying, it's one of those games that benefits from a higher resolution and some AA
if you look at those screenshots, they are all AA'd and looks alot sharper

and yes, i had endless ocean one

[Amir0x]

fishies!

[MattyGrovesOrMe]

I hope they pack the vitality sensor in with it so Nintendo can collect data on just how relaxed they are making me with their fishy ambiance...

[maxmars]

:) Very good!

[CTLance]

Oooooh yes. I want to print every frame of that video and roll around in the printouts.

[Baiano19]

I am loving the scenes, but wtf with this music?

This is nothing like EO's OST.

[d+pad]

Sigh. I wish this was coming out this year (in NA) instead of sometime next year, but I'll happily snap it up whenever it hits the store shelves. The original is one of my most-loved Wii games - and one of my most-recommended Wii games, too

[poppabk]

amazing one of the games where i wish it was in hd

Normally I hate that reply, but in this case I can understand. It would be nice to have a game like this, done with the technology of crysis, but there just isn't the market there. Hopefully this game and the relative success of its predecessor allow this type of non-game to remain around. Its sort of a shame that the ability to render amazing detail, fluid animation, realistic lighting etc is often limited to producing post-apocalyptic cities and alien spaceships in action games where exploration means finding a new cover point.

[Haunted]

That does look pretty good.

[zigg]

Purty.

I don't like to sound like a broken record, but is this one supposed to have more places to explore than the first one, too?

[J-Rock]

This will be mine. Really enjoyed the first one. Nice that this supports WiiSpeak too.

[Metroid Killer]

Can't wait to get my hands on this. EO was such an incredible game!

[M3d10n]

There's a scuba-diving game on the PS3 already so those crying for HD can stop spoiling the thread.

[Flakster99]

Greatly enjoyed the 1st EO. Woohoo!

[Koomaster]

Will happily support the sequel; the first is one of my favorite Wii games. ^____^

[blu]

ahh, the fun of interacting with marine creatures.

good barracuda. down, down!

[Serph]

will definitely get this. I loved the first one. Sooooo relaxing.

[sevenchaos]

This does look good. Never got around to playing the first one but I have played quite a bit of Aquanaut's Holiday and that was awesome.

[timetokill]

Looks fantastic My girlfriend is really interested in this so I might get it for her.


One of these days the "wish this was in hd" will become a bannable meme

[pvpness]

Looks very nice. I loved EO and I'll be snagging this one immediately. I'm not too keen on the idea of 'danger situations' though. Sharks are the only thing in the world I'm actually afraid of, even in digital form. :*(

[birdchili]

better be custom soundtrack support here...

looks great, of course.

[Jaded Alyx]

Nice.

Needs some Hayley Westenra though.

[Anso]

I miss Arika's old Everblue games. Can't believe I haven't picked up the first Endless Ocean yet, zen gaming is sex.

[Stumpokapow]

better be custom soundtrack support here...

doubt it very highly

[evilromero]

Now that is a trailer. I love it and it looks even better than EO. The movement of the smaller fish has been vastly improved. Definitely hope this comes out in the US soon.

[Marvie_3]

I'm really looking forward to EO2. I just wish it was coming out sooner.

[Unicorn]

Cannot wait.


too bad they can't combine this gameplay with the RPG elements of Everblue 2 on PS2.


Studio's older game, but it was a lot more in-depth with gear; if only it had the freedom laden gameplay it'd be my favorite relaxing game.

[Xavien]

It looks so relaxing, sometimes when playing EO1 i just want to jump into the screen and relax in the water with fishies all around. This gives me the same vibe.

Awesome

[birdchili]

doubt it very highly

why are we going backwards with this again?

a game like this should support sd card music or (preferably, actually) a proper interactive soundtrack.

[zigg]

why are we going backwards with this again?

Nintendo is waiting for the development of an even more obscure music file format before restoring music-playing functionality to its titles.

[Phife Dawg]

Looks like EO allright (which is a good thing of course), seems there are more fish around this time. Looks pretty lively.

Normally I hate that reply, but in this case I can understand. It would be nice to have a game like this, done with the technology of crysis, but there just isn't the market there. Hopefully this game and the relative success of its predecessor allow this type of non-game to remain around. Its sort of a shame that the ability to render amazing detail, fluid animation, realistic lighting etc is often limited to producing post-apocalyptic cities and alien spaceships in action games where exploration means finding a new cover point.

Get Aquanaut's Holiday on PS3 then. Apart from that EO is a game with a story, missions and an ending. Of course you can just explore for yourself but if that would be the criteria for it being a non-game GTA would be one too.

[Emotions]

Day 1 !!!!

[3pheMeraLmiX]

If only adventure games had this much life and detail in the environment. Would completely suck me in.

[hamzik]

That was beautiful. The graphics are definitely looking better, especially the animations have been improved. I want this game now!

I don't like to sound like a broken record, but is this one supposed to have more places to explore than the first one, too?

I'll post these snippets of info from my other thread again.

- Wii Speak support for online diving
- you can dive in rivers and under the polar ice
- "dangerous" situations can now occur underwater
- you can hold on to your dolphin for fast swimming
- search for treasure with sonar tool
- improved graphics overall
- bigger underwater world to explore

[Mekere]

Great, I loved the first one and I'm sure I will love this one too. I can't wait ^^'

[Mr. Pointy]

Fuck yeah Endless Ocean! Almost my GOTY of 2007.