Final Thoughts: Endless Ocean
And with those lyrics from New Zealand chanteuse Hayley Westenra, so begins your journey within the fictional Manoa Lai Sea. As most people are probably aware by now, Endless Ocean isn't so much a game as an experience. While there is a basic story line, it's mostly just an excuse to lead the player to all of the areas in the sea and teach them to use their equipment on an incremental basis. While you're following this story to its end, and forever thereafter, your main goal remains the same: explore the sea and interact with the many creatures that live in it. That's all there is to it. So yeah, this game is most definitely not for everybody. Going in, I wasn't even sure it was for me... but it only cost $30, so I bought it on impulse the day I went to pick up No More Heroes. And actually, I became so addicted to Endless Ocean, it wasn't until two weeks later that I even opened up No More Heroes (if that tells you anything).
Endless Ocean should appeal to people who have one or more of the following: a need for mindless relaxation, a love of exploration, an interest in sea life, an affinity towards collecting things, or a fondness for the color blue. I happen to fit into all of those categories. Add a phenomenal (and beautiful) soundtrack on top of that, and this game pretty much owned me from the moment it loaded. The graphics within the ocean itself (water, fish, coral, etc.) are spectacular for a Wii game. Thankfully, the game displays in widescreen, and I must say it looked especially vibrant and beautiful on my TV. The feel of the underwater segments (exploring, interacting with and learning about the various creatures) is amazing. It really sucks you in. In contrast, the feel of the on-boat segments is a bit underwhelming. The character animation is clunky and the graphics are not quite in the same league as their underwater counterparts. This small misstep is by no means a game-breaker, but it is somewhat disappointing. All in all, the entire package is simply outstanding as a $30 product and is definitely worth a look if you are at all curious.