For any gamer old enough to remember classic Sega Genesis, we’d wager a guess that one of the most beloved memories from those days are the countless hours spent navigating the intricate worlds in one of the best games ever made for that system. We mean, of course, none other than the eternally awesome Cool Spot. Once those memories run their course, however, most would undoubtedly also remember the massive and beautiful worlds of Ecco the Dolphin. There’s at least one gamer out there that couldn’t give up on everyone’s favorite dolphin (suck it, Flipper) and according to a recent post on Polygon, unearthed a playable version of an Ecco game that never got released.
Originally slated for the Sega Dreamcast, Ecco II: Sentinels of the Universe was going to be a follow up to the Dreamcast (and later, Playstation 2) title Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future. Stills, footage, and information on how to make the prototype game playable if you still happen to have a Dreamcast was recently uploaded to The Hidden Place, a community dedicated to the preservation of video game development.
The game was never finished, and the prototype doesn’t contain any sound or music which kind of makes it a bit creepy. However, despite our fond memories of cetacean adventures, Ecco’s exploits were never as happy-go-lucky as we’d prefer to recall. They were full of ever-present dangers like getting stuck in underwater caverns only to slowly run out of air and the all-too-often threat of shark attacks. Beautiful as they were, the games (at least for me) were a cause of many a jump-scare as huge, looming beasts and obstacles came on screen far too quickly as you dashed around. Not to mention that the original game was about defeating an ancient alien menace that showed up to harvest and eat your friends and family every 500 years. Yeah, you forgot about that, didn’t ya?
It is our hope that the news of this game never making it to market results in developers rekindling their love of this once proud, powerful, and pastel porpoise (yeah, he’s a dolphin, but that alliteration was fun) and decide to make a new game one of these days. Imagine the beautiful worlds that could be created on a modern gaming engine!
What are some of your fond memories playing the various Ecco titles? Did you accidentally break your Sega Game Gear like I did when I threw it away in terror as I found the blue whale? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
Images: Sega, Hidden Place
