Did Ecco the Dolphin scare you?

[Bad Jim]

the plot seemed like something the dev team came up with while they were out drinking. I just couldn't take it seriously.

Back then, I was impressed if a game actually had a plot at all. Fuck, remember those days?
The average video-game story was pretty much "Uh, you're the hero, and there are monsters. Kill the monsters".
Ecco actually had a rather advanced plot for its day.

It's not that the plot had no depth, it's just that the whole 'space aliens emptied the sea in five seconds" thing seemed very far fetched and difficult to believe. Especially the idea that a dolphin can fight a force that can empty the sea in five seconds. Contrast with, say, Desert Strike (middle eastern dictator has nukes and plans to use them), where the plot is short but at least believable enough for FOX news to state it as fact.

And don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the game. I did complete it after all. I've been ignoring silly video game plots since the early 80s but still playing.

 

[Myndnix]

Yes. That game's later levels are like a claustrophobic nightmare.
The sequel was even worse at times.

But it's about a dolphin. It's so deceptive...it's almost diabolical.

 

[Something Amyss]

Watched the speed run, still missing the scary.

 

[Realitycrash]

Watched the speed run, still missing the scary.

Well, the speed-run is LESS scary because he always knows what he is doing and where he is going. If you do not, it becomes far more claustrophobic.

 

[Nomanslander]

I know exactly what you (OP) are talking about. Ecco is one of those games I was barely able to get past the first level, and not because of the difficulty. There's something about that game that built up a lot of dread the first few minutes of playing it that got me to drop the game way before I could literally say I gave the game a chance, and I think it has a lot to do with most of what's been said here.

First off, there's this sense of vulnerability given the fact I'm playing a dolphin. Unlike some machismo spewing gun totting psychopath (the majority of game protagonist) - the fact that I'm an animal that I could develop more sympathy towards compared to the latter case - it felt unnerving playing one. I don't want to get Ecco killed; I like dolphins generally more than I could like people, and that's why it was difficult for me.

Now there's more to it than that.

Another thing is just about every game I've played where surfacing to breath was the gameplay has always been unnerving for me. From games like Sonic the Hedgehog, all the way to Metal Gear Solid 2 and being responsible of EE in the swimming portion; that whole "most surface for air" gameplay has always been some of the hardest bits to play through. Now take Ecco where it was always a factor in the gameplay, and well... there you go!

And finally... and I'm not sure about anyone else over this matter... but... the ocean scares me. This is an entire game that takes place in the one place someone like me could feel the most vulnerable, and given the fact I'm playing an innocent creature like a dolphin, well... it was all just too much for me.

 

[holy_secret]

I thought I was the only one. I haven't played it since I was a few years old, and I am still not sure if Ecco is an alien robot who's swimming around in the sea filled with monsters and creepy music.

 

[Nadia Castle]

I never owned the megadrive version but dear god did the Dreamcast version freak me out. The first level boss was a Great White Shark (Already one of the scariest things in sea) with the power up you needed hidden inside its mouth! And how do we beat it? Oh by getting it to chase you through a narrow gap, now we'll just switch the camera angle to the inside of the sharks mouth as the huge gaping teeth get closer and closer and closer before shutting....

*Shudder* It was all the worse since up to that point the game had just been a lovely looking and sounding bit of eye candy with beautiful environments and a calming sounding, then BAM your fighting a chainsaw with fins....

 

[thegrimfandango]

I used to play Ecco on the megadrive a lot. Running into the blue whale always scared the pants off me.

 

[superline51]

Now that I think about it, I have never liked any sort of underwater game/level ever since I played this game. Thanks Ecco.

 

[Judgment90]

as someone who didn't grow up with Sega, I never played Ecco.

I don't really see why it would scare me, tbh.

 

[Tanis]

Ya know, until I started reading some of these posts it didn't occur to me how SCREWED UP this game (series) is.

Yeah...didn't really bug me at the time, but now.
Well, huh.

 

[Icaruss]

Nope,He bored me actually.Oddly enough Abe from oddworld scared the piss out of though.

Ya know, until I started reading some of these posts it didn't occur to me how SCREWED UP this game (series) is.

Yeah...didn't really bug me at the time, but now.
Well, huh.

and what he said.

 

[Chemical Alia]

Welp, I just played the game again for a few levels (gonna try to finish it). Got to the second ice level, ran out of air NOWHERE near the surface (which is practically all sealed off with ice), and got smashed by a block of ice seconds before I drowned. All to the tune of the second creepiest music track in the game!

 

[shrekfan246]

Yes, fucking yes! It did! D:

And that music. Oh god that music...

To this day I've never completed that game.

HNGH.

I owned Tides of Time and for the longest time didn't know it was actually the second game. To answer the question presented in this thread: Yes. I can't really speak for the first one to my young self, obviously, but the second one was so incredibly difficult and practically surreal.

I remember this one time I was just messing around on the password screen and accidentally ended up putting in the password that warped me to the Tube of Medusa.


Fuck me.

 

[Icaruss]

Yes, fucking yes! It did! D:

And that music. Oh god that music...

To this day I've never completed that game.

HNGH.

I owned Tides of Time and for the longest time didn't know it was actually the second game. To answer the question presented in this thread: Yes. I can't really speak for the first one to my young self, obviously, but the second one was so incredibly difficult and practically surreal.

I remember this one time I was just messing around on the password screen and accidentally ended up putting in the password that warped me to the Tube of Medusa.



Fuck me.

LOL,the internets truely fucked me up,I keep expecting that giant jelly fish thing to tentacle rape Echo.

 

[shrekfan246]

LOL,the internets truely fucked me up,I keep expecting that giant jelly fish thing to tentacle rape Echo.

I'm not sure if I would be surprised or not to find that in the game. It's a pretty messed up franchise. Sad that it died out with the Dreamcast/PS2 game.

EDIT: Quote derp. Whoops.

 

[Froken Keke]

I've never really been scared by the games, but there are times where you jump on the first play throughs. Like Big Blue being placed at the end of a long ice tunnel, which sort of makes him come out of nowhere. Or the Vortex Larvae, when they suddenly turn around screaming at you.

But those are nice additions to the game, it adds to the lonely exposed atmosphere to have crazy shit pop up and surprise or murder you.

 

[Clobersaurus15]

I've always been a bit freaked out by the vastness of open water, imagine seeing the same thing in every direction, in 360 degrees if you're underwater, not knowing which way is up or down, terrifying.

I know this isn't even remotely represented in the Ecco games, but something about the bleakness of the levels and the soundtrack always brings up those feelings for me, guess I've got an overactive imagination.