Publisher: Sega
Developer: Novatrade
Size: 1 CD
Memory Usage: None
No. of players: 1
Official Ad: Yes
Snatched it up for: $24.99, complete.
Ecco's back again, to save the world, again....underwater, again. More incredibly hard adventures await Ecco as you travel through time, shape shift and swim your way to destroy the Vortex once again. Fans of the first will definitely dig it.

What's it all about?
Like part one, you swim about the ocean solving puzzles, navigating trenches and and avoiding harmful sea life. In addition to swimming in the water, Ecco can now move high above the ocean in these wild "sky tunnels"(air currents that Ecco can "swim" through like they were filled with water). New additions to the gameplay include a first person-like viewpoint as you race your way to certain areas, making sure to swim in and out of the "sea rings" as you go, and Ecco's ability to now transform into different forms in order to make it through levels.
Graphics - Just like the original, they are damn nice. A few of the more notable scenes would be the new sky tunnels, with a gorgeous view of the planet below, and let's not forget the rendered movies hidden in some glyphs! The only real sore spot would be the ring races. They are a bit on the choppy side, which is upsetting as they pretty much just ported the original cart's code rather than make use the Sega CD's hardware scaling capabilities.
Sound - Fucking phenomenal. Like the original's soundtrack, the music on this disc is a gift from the gods. Those who couldn't hang with the tranquility of the first's, you'll be glad to hear this one is quite a bit more upbeat. The sound effects....are pretty much just there...nothing too memorable, but not that bad either.
Control - Smooth...no other way to explain it. No matter what form you're in(shark, jellyfish, etc.), you can get around with no problems.
AI - Not a whole lot to discuss...I mean, some enemies seem to attack you if you get close enough, others make it their business to destroy you. It's not really the AI that makes the game hard so much as the level design and tasks set forth for you to complete...
Replay value - Low. The game is so fucking hard, you won't *ever* want to come back and go through it again. The good news is that the journey is really long, so you'll get your money's worth out of the disc before shelving it.
Tips for better gaming experiences:
Have a FAQ handy...you *will* need it.
My rating: 78(out of 100) - A nice break from the non-stop action of most titles. It'll begin to wear on your after a while, if the hardcore difficulty doesn't drive you away first.
EGM gave it: 8, 8, 7, 7, 8(out of 10)
VideoGames gave it: 8(out of 10)
GamePro Gave it: 5.0(graphics), 4.0(sound), 4.0(control), 4.5(funfactor)(out of 5)

JD's anti-dolphin review: This damn dolphin gets TWO games and I still have to be content with chasing Bel around the house!? Where's the justice? I want a game, it can be called CatAttack or something...come on people! At any rate, the game was a little too primal for me....I need something more pushing bricks around the bottom of the ocean to wet my whiskers.

The Tubes of Medusa are incredible!
Jump you bastard, jump!
Time for a choppy race through the rings...
The rendered re-enactments of part one are amazing.
Gameplay Videos:
City of Forever History Glyph - 15:54, 203 megs

Immediate Streaming - YouTube
Description: The complete series of "History Glyphs" that show Ecco's journey through the first game. Seven in all, these mini-movies are all gorgeously rendered and great way to catch up with the story so far, or remind you of everything you went through in the first game.
Note: You'll need the most recent Divx codec to watch these videos. Also, slowdown and jumps in the playback may not necessarily be the fault of the game so much as the method I am using to record them. If you are having problems watching the videos in your browser, just right-click and download them to your hard drive...
Rendered Sealife :
Use the following code to instantly start on the last level, City of Forever: WSSXZKVA
Right at the start of the level is a glyph, that when shot with Ecco's sonar will show you *all* of the rendered movies depicting Ecco's first adventure. This, along with the soundtrack are worth buying the game for, even if you hate the game.

The midi interpretation of "After the Storm" from Ecco the Dolphin CD, was made by Stacy Anne Christiansen. If you're not into it, just turn it off.