Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep

Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep
European cover art
Developer(s)	Arika
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Director(s)	Akira Kurabayashi Masaki Tawara
Producer(s)	Ichirou Muhara Hitoshi Yamagami
Designer(s)	Ichirou Mihara Masaki Tawara
Platform(s)	Wii
Release date(s)	JP September 17, 2009 EU February 5, 2010 NA February 22, 2010 AUS February 25, 2010
Genre(s)	Adventure, simulation
Mode(s)	Single-player Cooperative multiplayer
Rating(s)	CERO: A ESRB: E10+ OFLC: G PEGI: 7
Media/distribution	Wii Optical Disc

Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep (FOREVER BLUE 海の呼び声, Forever Blue: Umi no Yobigoe, lit. Forever Blue: Call of the Ocean), known in North America as Endless Ocean: Blue World, is a scuba diving video game for Wii and the sequel to Endless Ocean, previously released for Wii in 2007. It was first revealed at a Nintendo conference held on October 2, 2008. The game was released as part of the Touch! Generations series of games in the United Kingdom and Europe.

Gameplay

The player encounters a hostile caiman.

Adventures of the Deep features improved graphics and larger explorable areas than the previous game. Adventures of the Deep allows players to travel to six different diving spots around the globe, including new polar and river locations.

The ability to dive with a dolphin as a companion returns from the first game, and players will now also be able to ride them to move quickly through the water. Players can also sell salvaged treasure for money that can be used to buy items to decorate their private reef and aquarium. Potentially dangerous creatures such as sharks and crocodiles will now elicit a warning for players and may even attack them; players will be able to drive them off using a new tranquilizer-like tool called the Pulsar which calms them down. The Pulsar can also be used to heal any creatures the player finds that are unwell.

There are legendary creatures to be found in various regions of the game. A select few play a role in the game's storyline and can be interacted with at any time afterwards, but most require a special condition to be met before they can be found.

Adventures of the Deep features online cooperative multiplayer that allows players to communicate using the Wii Speak peripheral, with which the game will also come bundled for a short time. As with the first game, players will also be able to take pictures during their dives; the pictures can now be saved to an SD card.

Plot

The story of Adventures of the Deep begins in the fictional Paoul Republic (Pelago Commonwealth in North America) in the South Pacific, where the player (who may choose either a male or female character), currently studying folklore at university, takes a break to find out more about the "Song of Dragons" and becomes part of the R&R Diving Service (known as the L&L Diving Service in the North American version), whose aims range from collecting lost cargo to taking photographs of rare species of fish. The plot centers around a woman called Océane Rouvier (in Europe; Oceana Louvier in North America), whose grandfather, Jean-Eric Rouvier (also Louvier in North America), is the head of the service, and who will serve as the player's diving partner through the course of the game. Océane lives with her grandfather following the death of her father, Matthieu (Matthias in North America), who founded the R&R Diving Service alongside Jean-Eric and who was investigating the existence of the Song of Dragons before his death.

Oceane and the player discover the lost Valka Castle, which supposedly sunk under the waves, in the Aegean Sea. They find a tablet made of lapis lazuli and take it to the aquarium professor Dr. Hayako Sakurai, who offers to translate it for them if they go to the ice flows of Northern Canada to help study polar bears. They do so before travelling to the Weddell Sea to investigate reports that the Song of Dragons has been heard from inside a large, hollow iceberg. Inside, the group find a lost and tired spectacled porpoise, which helps to guide them out of an oncoming blizzard. The group (now the player, Océane, Dr. Sakurai and a salvage expert who goes by the name of GG) travel to the Amazon River and find an ancient tomb underneath the Spirit Falls. Inside, the group find a tablet leading to the Red Sea, where Océane's father's submarine broke down, leading to his death. Inside, the final piece of the Dragon Flute is found, which helps the group to discover an underwater Egyptian temple. After some investigation, the group come face to face with a large Goblin Shark, which they must calm down in order to escape. After inserting the Dragon Flute into various statues, a door opens and a whale by the name of the Singing Dragon appears. It destroys a door in the area which allows the team to collectively enter the area thought to contain the Pacifica Treasure.

In the aftermath of this, more Singing Dragons and the whales out in the island's ocean start destroying the temple. The group is left with less than ten minutes to escape from the temple before it is destroyed. Following this, the Singing Dragons and the whales stop attacking the temple, leaving it badly damaged but still intact. Once outside and back on the boat, after everyone thanks Jean-Eric for guiding them through the temple, he says that he lost all connection with them from the start. With everyone confused, Océane remarks that her father can finally rest in peace, thinking it was him who helped them escape. However, the group must leave without much of the treasure and have to pay 1,000,000P (the game's currency) for the excavation of the Cavern of the Gods.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	79.37%
Review scores
Publication	Score
1UP.com	A
Edge	7 out of 10
Eurogamer	7 out of 10
Famitsu	36 out of 40
Game Informer	7.5 out of 10
Game Revolution	C
GamesMaster	80 out of 100
GameSpot	8.0 out of 10
IGN	7.0 out of 10
Nintendo Power	7.5 out of 10
Nintendo World Report	9 out of 10
Official Nintendo Magazine	74%
VideoGamer.com	7 out of 10
Cubed3	9 out of 10
IGN UK	8.0 out of 10
Nintendo Life	8 out of 10

Famitsu magazine was the first media outlet to review Adventures of the Deep, doing so shortly before its release in Japan. They gave the game a score 36 out of 40, one point higher than Endless Ocean, with all four reviewers giving the game nine points each. Eurogamer called it a "genuinely peaceful and relaxing experience", though comparing it to "a light adventure holiday for the over 60s." Official Nintendo Magazine was slightly more critical of the game, calling the game "batty ... but hardly enthralling" and also "sickeningly sweet". They also complained about the lack of thrill involved in the game, which resulted in the game getting a lower score than its predecessor.

External links

• Official website (Japanese)
• Endless Ocean: Blue World at Nintendo.com
• Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep at Nintendo.co.uk
• Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep at Nintendo.com.au
• Endless Ocean Wiki