Endless Ocean

Okay, so it doesn't win the award for most action-packed adventure on Wii, but it is a beautiful, innovative and very different kettle of fish. A breathtaking experience. [Christmas 2007, p.46]

A charming and unique experience. Gamers with an open mind toward design will find a lot to admire here. It may even make you question what makes a game a game.

It’s something worth experiencing even if you end up coming to the conclusion that it isn’t for you, your gaming perspective will have been broadened.

If you’re looking for something that’s different and is completely about exploration, then you’ll enjoy what Endless Ocean has to offer.

More a learning tool than a game, Endless Ocean will appeal best to anyone interested in marine wildlife or gamers who cannot resist "collecting them all."

Strangely enough, Endless Ocean is a very well made game. The problem lies in something else: as a game, Endless Ocean isn't very entertaining.

Endless Ocean's underwater atmosphere is soothing and relaxing but it lacks a crucial element: fun. [Feb 2008, p.84]

A wonderful game. The exploration just kept me going to different areas, marveling at the graphic quality of all the sea creatures. Just incredible, and a wonderful game for relaxation.

2026 still one of my favourite, super atmosphere, hope we get a remake, VR would be nice

This game is fun and at the same time relaxing. The graphics are smooth and the missions are fun! The controls are great! This game is a bit flawed but give it a try please!

Endless Ocean has something for both casual gamers who want to have a relaxing time and dedicated completionists. The Good: Believable creature models and environments; you're free enough to play it at your own pace; great original music score. The Bad: Terrible human models; barely a real "game"; cheesy new age songs. Endless Ocean is an underwater diving simulator and as such it does a good job in accomplishing its first "directive": to deliver some relaxing undersea exploration experience without lots of "whys" and "hows" for the casual player. Those who like marine biology or just want to have a nice ease playtime will be easily lured into it by the nice representation of fishes, big mammals (including whales and seals), birds, crustacean and pretty much every other possible sea-related life form. Of course, the Wii is far from being a graphics powerhouse by any means but well-choosen textures provide a nice final result in this front--except for human models, which are just empty plastic shells. -.- More than that, the game even shines in the memorable occasions it offers you the opportunity to face--and interact with--huge beings like the Atlantic Northern Right Whale or the Giant Squid. (Achieving this degree of epicness by creating some truly breathtaking moments without cheap graphic tricks is something Arika should be proud of.) The objectives in the game aren't really compulsory, so you'll get several "quests" to perform every now and then--people asking for guided divings, fish photos for magazines--but they can just be ignored and you'll be fine anyway. You can't die either, so it's totally on the easy side to fit the casual "Blue Ocean" (no pun intended) market Nintendo aimed so well in this generation of consoles. On the other hand hardcore gamers tend not to dig Endless Ocean for the very same reasons, but if you're the completionist type there are plenty to unlock and uncover (and there's a good chance you'll feel compelled to do so): a fauna encyclopedia to fill in (and creatures change depending on where/when you dive), a map to unfold, historic relics to scavenge, secret places to find, a major local legend to clear up (and ultimately "beat" the game) and more. It's easy to mistake Endless Ocean for another careless shovelware Wii release, but one couldn't be more wrong in this case since Arika took the hard route by really trying to offer something for everyone--and succeeding.

I would say this game is a good resource for education and understanding of the underwater world. Where this game lacks is unfortunately in excitement and once the initial game mechanics and wow factor of the underwater experience wears off it does become very repetitive and at times too slow paced to hold attention for long. The game does shine in the slow paced tranquility of exploration and creates very nice environmental effects, sounds and visuals to immerse people into the underwater experience. Overall, I would say that whilst they have created an interesting concept, lasting appeal is likely for enthusiasts of the subject or for younger players who just want too swim around and see nice fish and marine creatures. I am also a fond swimmer and interested in marine animals, but I think what this experience does is just make you want to do the real thing rather than play it, and anybody with opportunity to do is likely not sitting playing a game about it.