Hey there, Culties. Time for another "Armageddon Review." I decided to get this game, because it really interested me, just like ocean wildlife itself does. So, without further ado, please welcome my review of:
Release Date: January 21, 2008 (North America)
Genre: Adventure
Platform(s): Wii
Mode(s) : Single player, online two-player
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
WARNING!!! THIS GAME IS NOT FOR EVERYONE!!! If you absolutely crave fast-paced games with action, like Call of Duty 4, Halo, Legend of Zelda or various other games, then this game might not really be for you! However, if you are not afraid to kick back and relax or play casual games, this game is worth checking into.
POINT OF GAME: This game is meant to be a relaxing game. Kick back, get away from it all and enjoy the ocean in all of her beautiful and mysterious glory. You play as a scuba diver and along with your assistant (who can’t swim.*snickering*), you dive down and discover various forms of marine wildlife in all their virtual reality glory in a game environment that is the ocean bay surrounding the fictional island of Manoa Lai. Dive, discover, learn, and relax!
GRAPHICS (8/10): Almost all the graphics while in the ocean look fantastic. The sea creatures look awe-inspiring and the environments range from beautiful coral reefs to the darkest depths of an ocean abyss. You may even discover a few ruins while you’re down there! However, some areas are not that spectacular, mostly just sand floors and the great ocean blue beyond. The animations of the sea creatures look great, almost real, especially in the abyss area! Shadowing effects at night with your flashlight make the creatures look even more real! The same cannot be said for the humans, however. Their lips don’t even move when they talk (a gaming trait that should be extinct by now), even if there is no spoken dialogue, and there is a huge lack in variety of how they just look. Some people have the exact same hair color, no real variety. But, overall, the graphics are just to die for.
Many of the game environments look tranquil and serene...SOUND (6/10): The music is mostly Hayley Westenra and other typical ocean-themed music. It works, it really does. It may not be for everyone, but, even though I mainly listen to rock (more specifically, metal) I found that I liked this music. It really is soothing. And hey, if you don’t like it, you can play whatever music you like in-game via San Disk! The rest of the sound is somewhat average. You rarely hear any obviously noticeable sounds while underwater, save for your character’s breathing through scuba gear, and dolphin sounds and just plain sloshing water around you. You have to listen closely to get a feel for it, which is something that I know a lot of people won’t have the patience to do.
Others may not look AS spectacular, but some make up for it with a host of larger creatures, such as this Humpback Whale (or Blue Whale, it's kind of hard to tell with this picture...)CONTROLLING AND PLAYABILITY (7/10): The controls are mostly okay, but sometimes a bit cumbersome. Many times, you hit the wrong button while in first-person view. Navigation controls are okay, just hold down B and point at the screen and the diver will go in that direction. The games’ difficulty is not that hard, after all, this is a casual game we’re talking about here. There are, however, a few annoying restrictions while playing, like not straying too far from your boat. While that may be a rule for safety in real life, in a video game, it is quite annoying that you cannot stray too far.
ENTERTAINMENT (9/10): And who said educational video games weren’t fun??? You have to interact with the various marine creatures in the game, like feeding or touching them, in order to learn some interesting facts about them (they are all true, believe it or not!). While that whole idea may seem a bit silly after a while, you can never really get bored at watching the wildlife in action. The AI of the sea creatures is perfect! They act almost exactly as they would in real life (by almost, I mean, sharks can get annoyed by you, but will never attack you. In real life, despite the huge majority of sharks being harmless, they would retaliate if you annoy them to an extreme degree). You can also make your own aquarium, which can include the fish that you discover and learn about. While some of the games’ less than spectacular environments may degrade the experience a little, overall, the game will have you glued to the TV with its awe-inspiring visuals that are fun to look at. You can even train dolphins! I admit, this game is a lot of fun, but it may not be for everyone!
Believe it or not, I actually hope to meet these guys face to face one day...while in a shark cage, mind you.REPLAYABILITY ( 2 out of 5): Since there’s no real plot to the whole story, save for the assistants’ role as a minor love interest if you’re playing as a male character, there is no real need to replay the game all the way through. Just keep playing on the file you have. The game is meant to make you relax.
THE GOOD:
- Majority of the graphics look spectacular!
- The controls are mostly solid and the learning curve is rather fast.
- Fun entertainment
- Soothing music
- Interesting way to learn about marine wildlife.
THE BAD:
- Sound effects are sometimes a little hard to catch.
- There are some less than spectacular environments
- Not for gamers who crave fast-paced action and blowing the hell out of everything with rocket launchers.
THE BOTTOM-LINE: This game is a whole lot of fun. This game, I will admit, will not be for everyone, especially those who crave fast-paced action. However, this is a game that is, at the very least, worth checking out. If you haven’t played this game yet, try it out and you can either thank me for saving you money by just renting or you can hate me for making you spend an additional $8 or so to rent it instead of buying it right off the bat. But this is a game that people can enjoy, especially if you’re into marine biology or other things. I really enjoy playing this game.
FINAL SCORE: 7.5/10
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