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Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future for PlayStation 2
Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future for PlayStation 2 is an underwater adventure in which you play a dolphin trying to restore an altered future. Humans and dolphins initially live together, until an alien enemy threatens Earth and its history. You swim through coral areas, caves and strangely transformed seas. The space above and below you constantly matters: one passage may lie beneath a rock, while another route requires a leap out of the water.
Sonar helps you communicate with other animals and obtain clues from crystals. New songs influence creatures including fish, rays and turtles, giving them a role in puzzles. You dive towards hidden passages, avoid sharks and use a quick charge to attack or overcome currents. Along the way you watch both health and air. Breathing at the surface or finding an air source is therefore part of exploration.
This PS2 edition includes a compass and a guide towards the next objective. Collectible Vitalits unlock gallery extras, including images and music. You play alone using a DUALSHOCK 2 controller. With a PlayStation 2 memory card in slot 1, the game saves progress automatically at certain points. Manual saving is also possible: return to the main menu using Exit, then choose Manual Save in the Player Menu.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 2 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future for PlayStation 2 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future
Appaloosa Interactive created Defender of the Future as a three-dimensional take on Ecco's underwater adventures. The game first appeared on Dreamcast in 2000 and came to PlayStation 2 in 2002. Where earlier Ecco games showed their caves and sea currents from the side, here you had to learn to swim in every direction. The developers retained sonar, puzzles and the need to breathe, but built the environment around that freedom of movement.
Science-fiction writer David Brin supplied the story. In a later interview, he explained that Appaloosa already had much of the gameplay material and imagery when the studio asked him to create a coherent narrative around it. The collaboration brought intelligent dolphins, alien threats and different futures together. Tim Follin's music gave the sea areas their own sound. The adventure thus moved between recognisable marine life and unusual environments revealing the consequences of the altered history.
For PlayStation 2, guidance during exploration was expanded. The compass shows important elements nearby, and an objective aid makes Ecco point towards the next task. The manual also describes a library where you can reread recent hints. Sony handled the European edition, while Acclaim released the game in North America. This conversion belongs to the period when Sega games were also appearing on other consoles and gives Ecco a distinct place among the PS2's action adventures.
Similar games for PlayStation 2
Like Ecco, Jaws Unleashed for PlayStation 2 puts you in the body of a large sea creature swimming in three dimensions. Both games come from Appaloosa Interactive and feature attacks, underwater obstacles and environmental tasks. As a shark, however, you focus on destroying boats and attacking humans and animals. Ecco places more emphasis on communicating with marine life, reading clues and solving puzzles during a science-fiction journey.
Finding Nemo for PlayStation 2 shares Ecco's underwater world, encounters with fish and search for safe routes past dangers. Here you follow the Pixar film's story and play familiar situations involving Nemo, Marlin and Dory. Routes and tasks are more closely defined by individual film scenes. Ecco pays more attention to freely moving through the depths, sonar and air management. Exploration therefore involves different decisions, even when both games send you through caves and past hostile sea creatures.
Everblue 2 for PlayStation 2 also centres on discovering what lies hidden beneath the surface. As a human diver you explore wrecks, search for treasure and improve the equipment you use to descend. Your diving supplies help determine how far you can go. Ecco uses an animal protagonist with sonar and jumps, linking its underwater puzzles to a changing future. Everblue 2 places more emphasis on recovering objects and relationships with people on the island.
Primal for PlayStation 2 resembles Ecco in its combination of strange worlds, environmental puzzles and new abilities that open passages. There you switch between Jen and the gargoyle Scree; Jen's different demon forms determine how you tackle obstacles. Some areas also involve swimming. Ecco keeps its entire adventure with one dolphin and builds almost every problem around movement through water. Primal gives more space to conversations, exploring on land and cooperation between its two protagonists.
ICO for PlayStation 2 shares Ecco's search for a route through an unfamiliar environment, where observation and spatial awareness matter. In ICO you guide Yorda through a castle, move objects and work out how she can pass obstacles. Ecco makes you think within a freer three-dimensional aquatic space and uses animals and sonar in its puzzles. The castle adventure centres on protecting a companion; Ecco's journey is about understanding a changed underwater world.
