Endless Ocean

Endless Ocean (known as Forever Blue in Japan) is a scuba diving adventure game for the Wii.[3] It is published by Nintendo and was developed by Arika, who've worked on their spiritual prequel Everblue, another scuba diving adventure game. It was released in Japan on August 2, 2007, in Europe on November 9, 2007 and in North America on January 21, 2008 – after it had been planned for an October 2007 release.

Endless Ocean
North American cover art
Developer(s)Arika
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Akira Kurabayashi
Masaki Tawara
Platform(s)Wii
Release
  • JP: August 2, 2007
  • EU: November 9, 2007[1]
  • AU: January 17, 2008
  • NA: January 21, 2008[2]
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

A sequel entitled Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep was released in Japan on September 17, 2009, Europe on February 5, 2010 and North America on February 22, 2010 with the title Endless Ocean: Blue World.[4][5]

Plot

Endless Ocean places the player in the role of a scuba diver exploring the Manaurai sea,[Note 1] a fictional setting in the South Pacific, in search of sea life and sunken treasure[6] under the guidance of an assistant named Katherine Sunday.[7] In the sea, they will encounter a number of marine species ranging from smaller fish and penguins to massive whale sharks, manta rays and sperm whales. The range of marine wildlife in the game is extensive and includes many common and rare species. The player will also encounter dolphins and other cetaceans that can be trained to perform certain behaviours and become companions on dives. Species such as sharks are also present; however, they pose no threat to the player. The player also has access to a large aquarium that they can populate with species they have identified. The sea's various locations provide a means for the player to experience general diving, cave diving, deep-water trench exploration, wreck diving, and other activities that might not otherwise be possible in a single real-world setting.

Late in the game, Katherine tells the player about how her father tried to look for a unique whale called the White Mother and never came back. The player and Katherine set out to find the White Mother, which entails seeking out the four types of whales present in the game (humpback whale, North Atlantic right whale, sperm whale, and blue whale) and placing motion sensors on different points of the map. Eventually one of the sensors is set off, and the player witnesses the White Mother, a large albino blue whale, as Katherine remembers her father.

Music
Early Forever Blue screenshot montage

The song "Prayer" composed by Secret Garden and performed by Hayley Westenra is featured in the trailers for Endless Ocean and in the game itself. Westenra also contributes several other songs including her rendition of the Maori folk song "Pokarekare Ana".[8] Players are also able to transfer their own MP3 music files to an SD card and listen to them while playing, providing a customizable soundtrack for the game.[9] This is the second game on the Wii to provide such a feature, the first being Excite Truck.

Soundtrack

Reception

The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[10] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 10/10, 8/10, 9/10, and 8/10 for a total of 35 out of 40, praising the open-ended exploration aspect of the game, the scale of the play area and its soundtrack.[14][23]

Endless Ocean had sold at least 50,000 copies in Japan.[24]

Technical issues

On August 10, 2007, Nintendo issued a product recall in Japan after a major bug was found in copies of the game that has released eight days before.[25] Nintendo re-released the game in Japan with the bug removed. The bug caused the screen to go blank and caused the console to freeze when the player put one or more bowmouth guitarfish into the aquarium. The exploration mode is not affected by this bug.

Sequel

A sequel entitled Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep was released in Japan (as Forever Blue: Call of the Ocean) on September 17, 2009, and in Europe on February 5, 2010. The same sequel is called Endless Ocean: Blue World, which was released in North America on February 22, 2010.[4][5]

See also

Notes
  1. The sea is called Manaurai in the European version, but is called "Manoa Lai" in the US release.

References
  1. rawmeatcowboy (August 21, 2007). "Official European dates for Super Mario Galaxy, Endless Ocean, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles". GoNintendo. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  2. rawmeatcowboy (September 23, 2007). "Nintendo updates release list - Endless Ocean bumped to 08, and more". GoNintendo. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  3. Juba, Joe (January 2008). "Endless Ocean". Game Informer (177): 95. Archived from the original on January 12, 2008. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  4. "Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep (Wii) News, Reviews, Trailer & Screenshots". Nintendo Life. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  5. Bailey, Kat (October 1, 2008). "Nintendo Reveals Punch-Out!! Wii, Sin and Punishment 2, And More". 1UP.com. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  6. Gantayat, Anoop (August 2, 2007). "Endless Ocean Playtest". IGN. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  7. In the US release, the assistant's name is spelled "Katherine" (sometimes called “Kat”).Walker, Torrey (January 24, 2008). "Endless Ocean". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  8. しおのれ (August 1, 2007). "[Wii] Endless Ocean JPN - Play movie". YouTube. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  9. "Forever Blue: plus d'images". JeuxFrance. July 5, 2007. Retrieved July 13, 2007.
  10. "Endless Ocean for Wii Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  11. Concelmo, Chad (January 22, 2008). "Destructoid review: Endless Ocean". Destructoid. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  12. Edge staff (January 2008). "Endless Ocean". Edge (184): 88.
  13. Welsh, Oli (November 22, 2007). "Endless Ocean". Eurogamer. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  14. "New Endless Ocean(aka Forever Blue) video, New Age music confirmed - Oct 29 release!". NeoGAF. July 11, 2007. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  15. Melick, Todd (February 2008). "Review: Endless Ocean". GamePro: 84. Archived from the original on February 16, 2008. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  16. Thomas, Aaron (January 29, 2008). "Endless Ocean Review". GameSpot. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  17. "Endless Ocean Review". GameTrailers. February 5, 2008. Archived from the original on February 10, 2008. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  18. Nicksarlian, Greg (February 11, 2008). "Endless Ocean - WII - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on February 21, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  19. Kolan, Patrick (January 15, 2008). "Endless Ocean AU Review". IGN. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  20. Casamassina, Matt (January 22, 2008). "Endless Ocean Review". IGN. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  21. "Endless Ocean". Nintendo Power. 225: 87. February 2008.
  22. Dahlen, Chris (January 27, 2008). "Endless Ocean". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on January 31, 2008. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  23. Jackson, Mike (July 26, 2007). "Forever Blue a Wii sleeper hit?". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on December 2, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  24. "Media Create Sales: 09/22 - 09/28 (Software)". Chart Get!. October 1, 2008. Archived from the original on February 11, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  25. ""Forever Blue" recall!". Feet Over Head. May 10, 2008. Archived from the original on May 10, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
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