Written by: Wickett

The Wii has brought many casual games to the table, Endless Ocean being one of them. It released in America January 21st 2008, and has received good reviews from other sites.

Backdrop:
You are a diver on a boat called the "Gabbiano" in the Manoa Lai Sea. Along with you is a marine biologist named Katherine Sunday. (Kat can't swim, which explains the life jacket she is wearing). At times you will wish you could throw her overboard, but then again she can be very helpful and is necessary in the game. Your goal is to explore and learn everything you can about what lies in the sea.

                       

Story Mode:
This game doesn't have much of a story line. It's not that it's bad, it's just that it's non-existent. This game truly is more for simple enjoyment and relaxation. At some point in the game, you do go on an adventure to find a mystery animal, but it can be done in short order, and is nothing to write home about.

Gameplay:
Gameplay is simple. You use the Wii remote to move your diver around and that's it, no nunchuck involved. The gameplay is slow and smooth, as you guide your diver around coral and fish to look and study. To interact with an animal, simply get close to it and press "A". There are 3 ways to interact with the animals. 1, you can poke them by pressing "A". 2, you can pet them by holding down "A" and moving the remote side to side. 3, you can also grab them by pressing "A" and "B" at the same time. You can also use the grab to pick any artifacts you may find.

Online Play:
Online Endless Ocean is surprisingly fun. It's pretty much no different then 1 player, but it's fun to have a friend of yours right there in front of you. You can dive together, sit around on the boat, or train dolphins that have befriended you. There have been a few instances when slow servers have made it difficult to connect, but for the most part, it's not bad.

Graphics:
For it's price, you can't expect much in the way of graphics, but you may find yourself a little surprised. Character movement on the boat isn't anything spectacular, but some of the fish and creatures you come across are pretty stunning. Along with some pretty nice looking coral and sand, it can make for some beautiful scenery.

Extras: 
There are several extras in the game that are pretty fun. Sometimes divers will send you an email saying they'd like to go diving with you somewhere. You never have to accept, but if you do, once they arrive at your boat there will be a specific fish or animal they are looking for. Take them for a dive, the better you do, the better the rating. Some of them will give you a prize. Another fun side job, is training dolphins. You will run across pods of dolphins in the game. Each specie of dolphin has something different to offer as far as behavior. If you spend enough time with them sometimes they will follow you back to your boat, so that when you arrive at your boat you may find a dolphin behind your boat. You can also dive with your dolphins as well, and they will come in handy when finding artifacts. You can keep up to 3 dolphins, if a fourth one comes along you may switch out with another one. There are a few more small extras as well, but it would take awhile to cover them.

My overview of the game, is that Endless Ocean is the best casual game I've ever played. It can entertain all audiences. For the price, it's quite a bargain. The only 2 things that could easily be improved are graphics and online play, but then again, the point was to make a game with a cheaper price tag.

8.9/10.0