#ecco the dolphin dreamcast

[sentinelsofuniverse]

Hi y’all :)

Long ago I created a Pinterest board with some pictures I found that remind me of Sentinels of the Universe (and Ecco in general), so please check it out if you’d like! :)

[ecneir]

Atlantis Lost

[posthumanwanderings]

undefined

Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future (Appaloosa Interactive / Sega - Dreamcast / PS2)

[bubblepopspit]

~25 years of SEGA Dreamcast~

9.9.99

[archoneddzs15]

Sega Dreamcast - Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future

Title: Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future / エコー ザ ドルフィン ディフェンダー オブ ザ フューチャー

Developer/Publisher: Sega / Appaloosa Interactive

Release date: 25 January 2001

Catalogue No.: HDR-0103

Genre: Action Adventure

The classic 2D game which I always thought looked crap no matter what the magazines said comes to the Dreamcast in beautiful 3D. The game certainly is a beautiful one that's for sure but how does it play? Controls are a bit loose for my liking, however, you do get the feel of being underwater which is probably the most important thing. The game basically consists of you completing many mini-missions that lead you from one to another. Personally, I'm not a fan of Ecco but don't let me tell you it's a bad game because it's certainly not.

By the way, the graphics on the introduction are amazing!

[infini-resonnant]

8.15.22 alternate version of this ecco art

[kurhl]

Vantagens de ser um golfinho.

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 14/04/2024

Thwâmpröck Desert

Season 8 No Album Release (Read More) Thwomp Desert (OST Version) - Mario Kart Wii

Ripped by Madinstance

So you know how yesterday's post was about a ripper with a very clearly defined niche of work, with Jamangar and Locked In The Underground? And earlier in the week I was covering the sheer prowess of ripper Madinstance, the raw power he exudes with I will Never be a Redneck? And just a few more days before that, where I talked about how much Mario Kart Wii's music means to me with Sweatpants Select? Well amidst my lineup of possible future posts, I slowly realized how perfectly Thwâmpröck Desert fit all three categories - a great way to end the week, and another Season 8 rip to boot.

Madinstance is an exceptionally skilled ripper, that much I hope I've made clear over my past posts on him. But with a few exceptions from time to time aside, he's also a ripper with a rather particular focus - a lot of his greatest rips, such as Every Mob Wants to Rule My World, Fell From a High Place (Reprise) and M​-​O​-​O​-​G City, are all focused on paying respects to Minecraft and its legendary original composer C418, wheras recently Initial Deluxe (I've Just Raced on this Course Before) appears to reveal a newfound love for the Mario Kart series. You may think at first thumbnail glance that Thwâmpröck Desert is an extension of that, a rip of a Mario Kart game, but there's one more field of his expertise that I'm yet to cover on here. C418 is beloved by many, yes, but within those privy to video game music history, particularly in the chiptune community, few composers are as revered and celebrated as the Follin brothers, Tim Follin and Geoff Follin.

To VGM aficionados, they need no introduction - but then, its those same aficionados who would know such things as that Robocop on Game Boy of all games has amazing music, as I discussed in Viva La Robocop. Most others, those who are primarily video game fans, will simply choose their favorite composer based on their own favorite games. That's completely valid too, of course, many long-running franchises like Kingdom Hearts, Sonic the Hedgehog, Dark Souls and so forth have key people composing for them that are incredibly distinct, to where you KNOW what a Kingdom Hearts game will sound like, what a Dark Souls game will sound like, and so on. Yet what makes the Follin brothers so fascinating in contrast, is that their soundtracks were attached to all kinds of games from all sorts of places: Ecco the Dolphin on Dreamcast, Silver Surfer on NES, Pictionary on NES, Plok! on Super Nintendo - practically the entire spectrum of games of the 80s and 90s, from shovelware to all-time classics, the Follins contributed to. Yet to them, the individual game quality hardly mattered! Be it Pictionary or Plok, Tim and Geoff Follin composed every soundtrack like it was their life's greatest achievement, creating full-on chiptune prog-rock in games that had NO business going that hard (I know that's a bit of an overdone and reductive turn of phrase, but really - PICTIONARY???) The brothers knew how to make any platform they were working on positively sing, and their obscure weirdo games have become titans amidst VGM enthusiasts as a result. An underdiscussed side of video game history, still cherished by a specific subset of nerds yet today.

Which, then, brings us back to Thwâmpröck Desert - an arrangement of one of Tim Follin's most insane pieces, the title screen music for NES game Solstice. It deserves a listen all of its own - the way it fakes you out with the most barebones little ditty of all time before switching into a rock masterpiece is an absolute work of art, and the piece just keeps growing from there, at once impossibly layered yet incredibly cohesive. Madinstance LOVES ripping the Follins' work, he's made a name for himself in part for ripping the SNES game Plok! in particular during Season 6 and Season 7, yet even still I was unsure how well Thwâmpröck Desert could really work. Its not a rip of a Follin composed game like the aforementioned Plok! rips - its arranging this impossibly dense piece of music into a song that already sounds like the violin version of pure, yet elegant, panic. Yet I suppose that also makes it the perfect fit for the Solstice title theme's sheer density - and when actually listening to Thwâmpröck Desert, its hard to imagine that Thwomp Desert ever sounded any different.

It's just - GAAHH!!! Its fucking mind-boggling how good it sounds, how this odd song I'd barely thought about from Mario Kart Wii wound up being the perfect template to arrange Follin's music into. The melody's string instruments are perfect for the Solstice title theme's pure distilled chaos whilst still capturing that sense of elegance and flow, and the most quirky instruments still present in Thwomp Desert add a delightful texture to the arrangement. I have to pause it every 10 or so seconds I listen to just process all that I've heard - the percussion, lead, backing, the progression of the song, its all handled absolutely masterfully, I cannot BELIEVE this was just dropped on us on a normal tuesday! I will Never be a Redneck was at least a season premiere!!

Whew...well, alright, I hope you get the picture - The Follin brothers' music fucking rocks, and I am SO glad that a ripper as amazing as Madinstance has taken it upon himself to pay regular tribute to their work. Games like Mario Kart Wii are leagues more mainstream than the games that the Follins typically worked on, and the idea of SiIvaGunner getting less VGM-savvy viewers to find out about these legendary composers - it just makes me really happy! Madinstance's rips are bangers to be sure, but much like Beautiful! ~ Curveball of Sean Kingston, like Beyond the Floating Isles, like Gate Happy: they're bangers that can also open up a whole new world of musical interests to viewers like you and I. And isn't that just the coolest way for SiIvaGunner's art of subversion to live on in?

(oh, also, its called Thwâmpröck Desert because the Solstice NES game takes place in "Kâstleröck" and I just found that very funny)

[sparkylurkdragon]

Expansions on these available upon request, of course.

[glittertomb]

Current Obsessions 🌟🍂🌻 Spooky Season 2022

Writing my first personal post in a while is making me realize that I haven’t done one of these in ages so here goes.

The cryptid podcast I mentioned that I was listening to is Out There:

The host is a cinnamon roll queer boy who shares witness accounts and then invites his hilarious friends and family members to talk about which cryptid stories they find believable or bogus. There’s an Instagram page as well where you can follow along with the visual evidence that accompanies each of the stories. The audio is all over the place as he switches between story-telling and interviewing, but I kinda love that it’s unpolished, unrehearsed, and feels like a cozy hangout.

Basically all I do these days is embroider & listen to weird podcasts so here are a few more: Coffee & Cauldrons, Freaky Folklore, -ologies, Uncanny Japan, Oddities, & Your Magic (big faves bolded). I listen to all of these on Spotify.

And if you like cryptids, perhaps you’ll enjoy this bizarre film I watched recently called Cryptozoo:

It took me a bit to adjust to the rotoscope-esque art style and the weirdness of the opening scene, but suddenly I was absorbed into this bittersweet story about a woman creating a sanctuary for misunderstood creatures (and even my friend turned completely around in his computer chair and stopped playing elden ring for the first time in months to watch). The climax is particularly visually chaotic, so if you’re someone like me— who occasionally loves being overwhelmed by colors, details, and movement— you will be obsessed. Watch now on Hulu!

The spooky game I mentioned I was playing is called Evil Tonight:

In the game, you wander around an abandoned arts academy, fighting evil mandrakes and blood-stained victorian ghosts, solving puzzles, discovering hidden passages, and piecing together clues from tattered journal entries. Bursts of lightning make the game a little more challenging as the scenes will become brightly illuminated and then cast back into shadows. Plus, some of the enemies are almost invisible, so there’s a spooky lil treat for you. But don’t worry, I’m a big pansy when it comes to horror games (or even when the sharks would attack you in Dreamcast’s Ecco the Dolphin omg) and I’m enjoying myself. I bought it for my switch on a super sale for like $2, so look out for those sales!

I mentioned in my personal post that I was listening to Hundred Waters, but they haven’t created new music in a while. They are absolutely magical if you haven’t discovered them, so definitely give them a listen (I love everything they do but my favorite song is Boreal). Here’s a beautiful and haunting piece just perfect for spooky season:

In terms of current music I’ve been playing Florence Welch’s latest album all summer! And Bjork just dropped her new album, so I’m sure that will be a new obsession. 💜

Also I ate these today:

The junior mints are kinda silly cause like, who bites their mints in half to see the color haha, but the raspberry and orange sour patch zombie kids are v v tasty!

And soon I will post my embroidery projects!

Bye, I hope you like these!

[sentinelsofuniverse]

Ecco SotU: 'Holy Forest' inspo.

More on my Pinterest:

[ecneir]

Hanging Waters

[posthumanwanderings]

undefined

Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future (Appaloosa Interactive / Sega - Dreamcast / PS2)

[gorbagegorl]

i only played it for like 5 minutes when i was 3 or something but ecco the dolphin on dreamcast stuck with me forever. "you have wandered your way into an enclosed space underwater. you can't find the way out. you are running out of air. the dolphin is in danger." scared of natural bodies of water forever

[archoneddzs15]

Sega Mega Drive - Ecco the Dolphin

Title: Ecco the Dolphin / エコー・ザ・ドルフィン

Developer/Publisher: Novotrade (Appaloosa Interactive) / Sega of America

Release date: 30 July 1993

Catalogue No.: G-4106

Genre: Action (so the cover says)

Dare I say it?  Why the hell not, aye? Ecco the Dolphin is dull! There, I said it.  When this game was released the gaming press (or at least in the UK) was creaming over this one. Why? They hailed it as an all-new gaming experience. Where? All you do is swim from one place to another avoiding jellyfish, sharks, and so on while trying to find your friends.

Really, why is this game so popular? Yes, I can understand why the Dreamcast game is popular but not this Mega Drive or any other 16-bit version. Maybe it's like Chu Chu Rocket for the Dreamcast (another game I can't see the popularity in), one of those games you either love or hate.

[blazehedgehog]

i have fallen down the rabbit hole of game collecting and i own a good few systems now. i'm curious about getting a dreamcast but i've been putting it off because i kind of expect myself only to get the two Sonic Adventure games on it. (i have a Wii so i could always get their gamecube ports, even though sadx is quite bad)

do you think a dreamcast is worth the investment? i know i'm probably missing some obvious hits on the platform

I still think SA1 (obviously) and SA2 play best on the Dreamcast.

As for other Dreamcast games, hm. There are a handful of games that never really came to other platforms, including:

Cannon Spike, the home console port of Capcom's top down arcade shooter. You can play as Cammy and Mega Man. It's fun but not incredible (like all arcade games, there's about 20 minutes worth of content).

Chu Chu Rocket, which probably needs no introduction. It had a GBA port, which is also pretty good, but you can't beat the Dreamcast original.

If you ask me, Crazy Taxi also plays best on Dreamcast, unless you have access to an arcade machine with a wheel (though the Gamecube version is probably fine). And Crazy Taxi 2 has yet to see release on any other platform (unless you count Crazy Taxi 3 on Xbox, but that's a different beast).

Blue Stinger and Illbleed are sort of legendary games that never left Dreamcast. I think even fans of these two games would agree they're not very fun, but they are deeply interesting and very weird.

I think D2 was practically a launch title for the Dreamcast and one of the first multi-disc games. People talked about it a lot at release but don't anymore. I have no idea what it's like, outside of it being a horror game.

Floigan Bros. is absolutely miserable. Peter Moore said it was going to be Sega's "Super Mario Bros." I think. It's a point and click adventure game and was going to be episodic. Only one episode ever came out. But it's so bad it's worth owning.

Since I've already recommended games of questionable quality, I suppose it's worth pointing out that Sonic Shuffle has also never left the Dreamcast.

It came out on other platforms, but I think the Dreamcast version of Rayman 2 is considered to be the best one. Other versions have weird changes or missing features, whereas the Dreamcast version is apparently the best of all worlds.

I think the Dreamcast is also home to the only console ports of Sega Rally 2 and Zombie Revenge. The latter is basically a House of the Dead Beat'em'up.

Metropolis Street Racer is also a Dreamcast exclusive, and while older racing sims aren't usually sought-after, I had fun when I revisited this last year.

Super Magnetic Neo is also unique and probably worth looking in to.

As is Super Runabout: San Francisco. Had fun with that one last year, too.

Which is to say nothing about Soulcalibur.

The Dreamcast version of Skies of Arcadia seems to have better visuals on Dreamcast, but a worse difficulty curve and less content. Pick your poison.

Games that may also be worth looking in to that I am not super familiar with: Cosmic Smash, Fighting Vipers 2, Headhunter, Maken X, PenPen Tri-Icelon, POD Speed Zone, Psychic Force, Stunt GP, Toy Commander, Sword of the Berserk, Confidential Mission, Tokyo Xtreme Racer 1 & 2, Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future, Fur Fighters

Don't forget unreleased games: Half-Life, Propeller Arena, and a Dreamcast prototype of Toejam & Earl III.

Other Great Dreamcast Ports: Dynamite Cop, Street Fighter III: Third Strike, Marvel vs. Capcom 1 & 2, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Capcom vs. SNK 1 & 2, Mark of the Wolves, Last Blade 2, Guilty Gear XX, Mr. Driller, Powerstone 1 & 2, Project Justice, any of Capcom's "For Matching Service" games, Dead or Alive 2, Ikaruga, and Bangai-O.

My only concern with collecting Dreamcast stuff is that the console has a tendency to burn itself out after enough time. The GD-ROM laser doesn't last forever (I know mine is on its last legs) and it is basically impossible to service. Most people seem to go the route of installing an SD card loader or something.