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Preview: Ecco the Dolphin - Defender of the Future
When Sega announced a new Ecco game, I was thrilled. I feared they might say goodbye to our amphibious hero, but with Defender of the Future, Sega has rejuvenated one of their best franchises. Developer Appaloosa has done quite a job with the title, and has created an amazing aquatic environment, complete with what looks like some thrilling gameplay.

Appaloosa has hired David Brin (of The Postman and Startide Rising fame) to create the story. Aliens have kidnapped Ecco's family, so he must foil their plans and find his kin. It seems Brin was a big Genesis Ecco fan, and thought that the Dreamcast would be a fine canvas for his creative outlets.

Mentioned before, the graphics are outstanding. Rays of light shine through the water surface, wonderous color lighting abounds on the screen, and many unique creatures occupy the ocean environment. The animation is also superb. The crew at Appaloosa has used what they call ReactoFlex animation to mo-cap and create animations. Ecco moves so fluidly and dynamically, you almost forget that it's only a game. It's that good.

Getting help from other dolphins was a key part in the Genesis series, and it's coming back in DotF, but with a much more elaborate set of options. Appaloosa has recorded a lot of dolphin chatter with their VoiceAccord technology, and you can expect a lot of complex communication between Ecco and his buddies.

Although in early stages, the levels in DotF are very nice indeed. Appaloosa has created a level editor that allows them to create some of the most intricately elaborate stages ever. "Our goal was to have an easy to use tool set for building the game part and an interactive realtime engine which allows us to run the game instantly as soon as we have completed some tuning." producer Gergely Csaszar says. What all this means is that Appaloosa can whip up stages in hours, a process which would otherwise take days or even weeks. Also, Csaszar disclosed that the game will be divided into four 'worlds' which will serve as hubs for smaller levels.

Newly released footage shows DotF in motion, and the results are a mixed bag. There are some extremely cool parts, like Ecco having to deal with a giant squid. The graphics and animation are outstanding, even eclipsing the likes of Shen Mue and Dead or Alive 2, but the frame rate stutters and the draw in distance is a little close. Considering that the game has quite a while until release, these problems can be alleviated, and Appaloosa is working hard to ensure that the frame rate is up to par in the final game.

From the looks of things, Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future is definitely a title to watch for. With still another six months until the release, Appaloosa has the opportunity to iron out the kinks and deliver what is shaping up to be one of the Dreamcast's best games.

--- ElDuderino