This game is just what I was hoping it’d be: it offers improvements on the graphics seen in the first game, but the game play itself is just as tranquil and soothing as it was in the first “Endless Ocean”. There’s no waiting around or need to “unlock” anything before you get introduced to the cool and intriguing sea creatures you’re hoping to encounter. I opened it and started playing yesterday, and, after logging about two to two and a half hours of playing, I’ve already encountered a leafy sea dragon, a whale shark, a weedy sea dragon, a tiger shark, batfish, humpbacks, West Indian Manatees, Manta rays, humphead wrasses, and California fur seals, just to name very few of the beasties I’ve “swum” with.

The game now offers the option of using the Classic controller, in addition to the traditional Wii remote, and the tutorials for each are very thorough, and make game play very easy. I don’t know if I’ve just gotten better with navigating through the water without so many superquick flips that disoriented me in the first game, or if the creators just opted to make the controls less hyper-reactive, but either way, it’s definitely an improvement.

I do wish that the game creators had opted to add a few human voices in with the new characters, as opposed to just sticking with the captioned speech bits, but they didn’t, and it’s really not a big deal. I have to say, while I’m mentioning cons, that I found the opening credits listing creators, editors, CGI folks, etc., to be quite self-indulgent, but the graphics have been improved enough that I can forgive them for doing it, since you’ll only be subjected to it until you save your game for the first time! ; )

Really, if you liked the first one, I honestly can’t imagine that you wouldn’t love this one. If you’ve never played the first one, and are looking for a different, non-violent, soothing game play experience, at the release price of thirty bucks, I just don’t think you can go wrong. And, for those of you that’re able to score the box that includes Wii Speak (which is the one that I got), you can either look at it as having gotten a thirty dollar Wii Speak for free, or as having bought a Wii Speak and gotten a pretty sweet brand-spanking new game for free. It’s a win-win, either way!

Have fun “diving”!

One issue though is the jacket is a little thicker than the old clear ones, and seems to block charging with the Nyko inductive charger (Wii Charge Base Induction Charger), as of December 2009 anyway. If you actually use the jackets and have an inductive charger, you might want to wait for this to get resolved.

I have not yet tried the Wii Speak feature, nor cooperative online play. I don’t believe either feature is necessary to enjoy the game, though they may be nice extras.

In summary if you liked the original, I expect that you will like the sequel even more. If you like role playing and quest driven games, you will probably enjoy this. It is a nice way to unwind, as opposed to the typical more frantic game. This is a single player game that all ages can enjoy.

I popped it in and was pleasantly surprised to hear a beautifully relaxing song playing in the background. The visuals are equally as peaceful. Another reviewer said it was like a “massage”. I agree wholeheartedly. I’m a massage therapist and give and receive many relaxing massages. This was the next best thing. The lights in the house happened to be off when I started the “game” and I found myself feeling so very peaceful…I didn’t want to stop.

I can also agree with others that this game isn’t for most teens. No blood, no violence, no increased blood pressure and heart rate. Just beautiful scenery, peaceful audio, and a go-at-your-own-pace story/game line. So far I’ve made friends with a dolphin, taken a ride on a whale shark, fed hundreds of tropical fish, started an album of beautiful photographs I’ve taken of my adventures, and all while living on an island on in the South Pacific. And I’ve only just begun!

The motionplus add-on is a must if you play games such as Wii sports resort, EA sports active, Wii fit etc. that rely almost completely on motion tracking for gameplay. Playing fitness games without them can be frustrating when you are waving your controller frantically trying to get a response, while your character is in a world of their own. However, you can easily get away without the motionplus in other games like Metroid or The Legend of Zelda, but it’s still a welcome addition nonetheless.

The controller works fine and has given me absolutely no problems so far. If you’re considering skipping the motionplus to save some money, my advice is not to do so. Most of the newer games are almost required to have the motionplus and it seems to be a trend that will continue well into the future as long as the Wii console remains viable.

Bottom line is that this is a worthwile investment if you need an extra controller for your Wii console.

At least, I thought it was until I realized that the induction chargers would not work through the black jacket on the motion plus or on the “regular” jacket. Taking off the jacket to charge the battery = more chances for little hands to wreck the thing. Leaving the jacket off is an option, and the one we’ve been using, but the remote’s going to look a lot less cool all scratched up, never mind that the jacket would hide the rechargeable battery pack. So, I went from thinking this was really a cool thing to thinking meh. My son feels pretty much the same, but he’s glad to be able to have three friends play at once instead of having to take turns.

UPDATE: Since writing this review I have learned that the energizer induction chargers will work with the skins for these. Very good information! I have a less expensive induction charger and don’t plan to upgrade any time soon, but for those who are in the market, I would recommend the energizer now over the cheaper one that I have.

no more! the matte finish on the back make the controls more comfortable to a surprising degree. it was a doubly nice surprise since i didn’t know about the matte finish. if you play without a jacket or skin, this is a serious bonus.

another shock was how clear the wiimote’s speaker sounds, compared to my originals.

the one tiny downside — i’m using rechargable wiimote packs, the kind that comes with new battery covers. since these are white and glossy, they ruin the look and feel of the black wiimote. hopefully Energizer will make ones that match at some point, but for now i’ll stick with AAs

as for other accessories, the black wiimote & nunchuck look really darn cool in the white Zapper gun …

This is a game that builds your underwater imagination and gives you true adventures. Movies and video games teach our kids that there is no adventure without stuffing every moment with action and explosions. Instead of shoving entertainment down a kid’s throat, this game brings back memories of exploring the woods behind my house when I was younger and creating my own experiences. Those who’ve already been brainwashed into modern movie ideology might find it too dumb because of it’s lack of violence or their type of “action”, but imaginative kids will have exciting trips into underwater worlds!

It’s fun to play, and the only violence is when a shark or something attacks (and you subdue them in a non-violent way). I could swim for a few hours in the area I’m in now and not cover the same ground twice! The little bad I can say about the game is really irrelevant compared to the good!

The good:

-large areas to explore with lots of stuff to find.

-goals and freedom. A better non-violent sandbox game than animal crossing! (ok, low violence)

-while the graphics won’t knock your socks off, they’re great wii graphics.

-I like the relaxing music. A lot of people say it’s new-agey, but I think of new-agey being all synthy and blobus. But it just seems to be relaxing music that fits the pace of the game.

-$30. I mean really, this is a full game being released at a budget price.

The bad:

-The story isn’t so amazing.

-No spoken text.

The not sure yet:

-There’s some fantasy in the special tool you have to heal and calm fish and the story has some supernatural influences. At first I thought I thought the stuff took me out of the reality of the game, but the story and the tool are starting to grow on me.

-You don’t swim very fast. But this both relaxes you and adds more tension to when you’re low on air (even though there isn’t much of a penalty to run out of air).

-Haven’t had time to try the multiplayer, but I hope to soon! I’m sad that you can’t complete the game co-op online, but it still sounds cool.

A small note is that I was concerned because the box’s ESRB rating says “mild suggestive themes” for playing with my nephews and nieces. I looked it up on the ESRB website and the mild suggestive theme is: “And a collection book containing information about constellations and legendary Greek gods includes the following passage: ‘Apollo, god of the sun, was deceived by the raven, who acted as his messenger, into believing that his lover had been unfaithful to him.’” So there seems to be no real “suggestive themes”.

I’ve only had this for today, so I know my review is only based on the beginning of the game. I promise to update in a week or so when I’m much deeper into it. But, I do suggest you pick this up while it comes with the free wii speak since the wii speak is currently $16 alone. $30 for both is a steal!

Dive & Relax. Leave the world behind you and become on with the underwater realm.

The locales are beautifully designed, the fish, whales, dolphins and the rest of the marine life move in a very realistic fashion. The missions are pretty simple and most have an educational parameter but it is mostly about exploring at your own pace. Well, you do have to mind the oxygen level…

The underwater sounds are very well made and placed whereas the background music is a soothing companion. All in all ENDLESS OCEAN: BLUE WORLD is an excellently designed and produced diving-simulation game.

This is a game that will bring you home early, it will put a smile in your face and it will relax you like no other game.

I cannot emphasize this enough: this game is DIGITAL MASSAGE. It soothes your nerves, relaxes your body and puts you in a very easygoing mindset.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

Nevertheless, with two white controllers, I really didn’t need any more. That is, until the black one finally came out.

I was initially baffled upon spotting the device because I hadn’t heard anything about its release, and just happened to stumble upon some at my local Target. I asked the nearby clerk, “When did these come out?” but he didn’t know (apparently they came out a week prior to this review). I rushed home and placed an order for the Wiimote and Nunchuk through Amazon.com (price-sensitive, I wanted the best deal; I could wait for Amazon.com to deliver).

The black Wiimote feels and functions superbly. Sure, it’s the same as the white one albeit differently colored, but the blackness just gives it a supreme look–in my opinion, at least. The front side with the majority of the buttons has a glossy finish, which emits a radiant shine, whilst the back side with the battery door has a matte look and feel. The gloss may get dirty in the long run with fingerprints and skin oil, but for now it’s staying shiny. The black rubber jackets may eventually attract dust and lint, but, again, for now they’re as clean as can be.

Also, and this may just be the fact that it’s still new, the speaker sounds louder and crisper than my other Wiimotes’ speakers. I thought I accidentally had it on a louder setting, but when I checked my Wii it was the same setting as my white ones, so I figured Nintendo improved the sound chips.

In this package you get the Wiimote, MotionPlus, batteries, wrist strap and two rubber jackets–one to hold the MotionPlus and one to hold the Wiimote without (which I’m currently using for New Super Mario Bros. Wii). Plus, you end up saving on this bundle over the white set, which can only be purchased separately as of this review. On Amazon.com, you’ll end saving $5 or so.

All in all, it’s the same ol’ Wiimote, but in black. It has that new, stiff button feel, which I personally like, but give it some time to break in.

If you like black, opt for this controller. This is my “special” one that no one but me will use; friends and family can use my other white ones.

Oh, and Nintendo has some blue and pink bundles coming in February 2010 (but with white jackets and MotionPluses).

First of all, moving your characters around on a battlefield isn’t done in an exact way like in grid-based strategy games; you can move your characters anywhere within a projected circle, and you can often move them several times in the same turn. You can even hop on top of other characters (including enemies), items on the field, etc. Under slippery terrain conditions your characters could go sliding across the field – and off of ledges – if you aren’t especially careful. Fortunately in most you cases you can press the cancel button and try placing your character any number of times, and placement is KEY since attacks are performed within a three dimensional area whose effectiveness is determined by width as well as height.

Secondly, characters aren’t simply placed where you want (with some limitations) before the start of a battle; all of the “warriors” at your disposal are “phantoms,” and – as such – have to be “confined” to objects on the battlefield. It’s this particular quirk that REALLY sets Phantom Brave apart. Let’s say that there’s a rock and a weed nearby; confining a phantom to the rock would replace it with the selected character (ready for battle) and change their stats according to the benefits and drawbacks of said object. One benefit of confining a phantom to a rock (and stat-changes vary from rock to rock) would usually be a decent increase in total defense, and a drawback would usually be a notable decrease in speed. If you, instead, confine that SAME character to the nearby weed, that character would normally see an increase in the intelligence and resistance stats, while suffering a decrease in attack; so you have to choose your phantoms AND the objects you confine them to with care.

And here’s where the game gets a little crazy: you can pick up – and then throw – pretty much anything and anybody. Not like the look of that particular enemy? Well, you can just pick them up (under most circumstances) and throw them off the side of the field map. Like the weapon that one enemy’s holding? Well, assuming you have a phantom with a decent “steal” stat, you might be able to walk right up to that enemy and snatch the weapon from them. Admittedly, I get my weapon’s taken from me more often than I steal them from enemies, and sometimes the thief simply tosses my cherished item out of bounds so that no one can use it. That’s the sort of game this is; it’s often difficult to predict exactly what an enemy will do or even what strategy will be most effective. I’ve defeated higher level enemies with much lower level phantoms thanks to a quick grab and a toss. However, you can’t always be certain where thrown items (and enemies) will land – especially on fields with a slippery surface.

There’s plenty more to tell about the gameplay of Phantom Brave: different phantom classes and abilities, leveling up weapons and objects, combining characters and items, generating random dungeons… But instead of writing a game manual, I’m going to describe what it’s like to play the game with the Wii’s unique controls. I (briefly) attempted to play the game with just the Wii-mote, but it was somewhat difficult to use the directional pad to select points and targets on the map. The Wii-mote/Nunchuk scheme works much better for me, and I have little trouble commanding my troops with the precise analog stick. I believe that the classic controller can also be used to play the game, but I haven’t tried using it. There’s no use of the pointer and motion controls, but I think that was to be expected since this release of Phantom Brave is essentially a Playstation 2 port with some added content. Overall, the game is fairly easy to control if you look for on-screen icons that indicate which buttons should be pressed and just spend a little time messing around, and if I remember correctly, the initial stages of the game serve as a sort of tutorial to help you learn the basic ins-and-outs of gameplay (an opportune time for the aforementioned messing around).

In conclusion, I’ll say that Phantom Brave: We Meet Again is one of the most (if not THE most) unique, creative, endearingly quirky, and FUN tactical/strategy RPG’s I’ve ever played. It’s sure to provide me with oh-so-many hours of continued gameplay, and I can certainly see myself going back for more and more.