Having spent most of the winter and spring away from home, I am rather a Johnny come lately type for any video game releases in the first half of 2010. However, I’ve had some of the summer to catch up and wanted to post a few thoughts I had on a somewhat different title, Endless Ocean: Blue World. This Wii game is a sequel to Endless Ocean. Like the original, you play as a scuba diver and get to explore various pretty underwater areas using the Wii controls. I’m not going to re-review the entire game (you can go check out GamerDad’s reviews for the original game and the sequel if you need) but I wanted to comment on a few aspects of the series that make them somewhat unique.

While I was out of town I opened up my game library to several of my friends. Endless Ocean: Blue World was a moderate hit among several parents of younger kids. Obviously, this title doesn’t have much violence to worry about (although there remains a fairly decent reading requirement) but there are a couple other aspects that I wanted to address. The first is the music. It is really quite good (GamerDad mentions in his review that his wife was fond of it as well). It is always nice to have a game with a good soundtrack. With the somewhat slow, exploration-oriented pace of Endless Ocean, it is even more important. Thankfully, it enhances the experience nicely, adding a bit of drama while remaining unobtrusive most of the time.

The often calm background music reflects a fairly sedate game play experience. While this can be a negative for anyone looking for edge of the seat, nail-biting action it can also be a very positive thing. Due to its focus on exploration rather than action, Endless Ocean is one of the few video games that could be played by an easily excited child without turning them into squirrelly mush. It is a game that could be a candidate for that necessary calm-down period before a nap or bedtime (of course, I’d personally recommend reading a good book with your kid just before bed).

Games that provide an entertaining experience without (constantly) driving up one’s adrenaline are rare. Dining exclusively on spicy hot wings is a good way to mess up one’s palette (and digestive tract). In the same way, there is room in the gaming world for an entertaining game that is not another twitch based game. Endless Ocean: Blue World may have its own ups and downs, but it falls within a very underappreciated category of games and is worth a look for anyone who is willing to perceive video gaming as more than hair trigger button pressing.

Tags: Game Reviews, Misc