Try to Contain Your Excitement over Endless Ocean: Blue World
Posted on Feb 16, 2010 by Lori in Wii
I don’t usually do preview pieces, let alone ones for soothing underwater Wii titles, but bear with me for a bit…
Ever since my nephew received a Wii from Santa this Christmas, my focus has shifted slightly. Sure, I’m always on the lookout for co-op titles for all consoles (and for all ages) but, when a press release finds itself in my inbox for a family-friendly game that sounds potentially educational, I now actually read it.
Today’s tidbit from Nintendo extolled the virtues of Endless Ocean: Blue World, a sequel to 2008’s, um, Endless Ocean. “The plot involves Oceana, a girl who investigates the ‘Song of Dragons,’ which her father, a prominent ocean explorer, sought before his death,” read the rather succinct summary of this iteration’s storyline.
Here’s the requisite selling quote: “‘Endless Ocean: Blue World gives Wii owners the chance to take a round-the-world vacation from the comfort of their living rooms,’ said Ron Bertram, Nintendo of Canada’s vice-president and general manager. ‘With exotic locations and hundreds of new marine animals to encounter, the game’s adventures are as vast as the ocean itself.’”
And here’s the nitty-gritty: I think my nephew might like it because he can control the temperament of large marine animals with the Pulsar tool, though I daresay that he would prefer to create an army of gigantic, wet minions to do his more nefarious bidding. My sister will enjoy the fact that it’s educational (in fact, we were reading a book about crocodiles when I came to visit last Friday, so the subject matter is quite timely). I, on the other hand, am all about the loot; apparently you can salvage items and sell them for coral gewgaw to bling up your own underwater pad. And if I can’t make it out for a visit, we can hook up via Wi-Fi to do some online-co-op exploring (as long as we both each have copies of the game and, optionally, Wii Speak™ microphones).
I’m not usually interested in games that, diplomatically put, don’t exactly fit Dave’s and my usual gaming profile, but I’ve been thinking about things a little differently lately. Though I’d love to see more Wii titles that appeal to the older kids (like No More Heroes), I’m starting to realize that a lot of the older kids (like those of us old enough to buy our own console) might have children of their own, and it may be prudent to seek out family-friendly titles that, diplomatically put, don’t suck.
So will Endless Ocean: Blue World suck? I don’t know but, despite the fact that it’s not out until February 22, it’s been getting some relatively favourable reviews over at Metacritic (at the time of this posting, it’s ranged between 70 and 90.) But if it keeps up its score, dropping thirty bucks on it may not be such a bad idea if it tricks the kid into (heaven forfend) learning something.
