Ecco

Ecco the Dolphin creator Ed Annunziata settles lawsuit with SEGA

by

Ecco

Creator of the Ecco the Dolphin series Ed Annunziata has settled a recent lawsuit regarding to SEGA and the ownership of Ecco the Dolphin series. The series was originally developed by a company called Novatrade International (later Appaloosa Interactive), about a dolphin named Ecco who travels through time and space to save his friends from a race of evil aliens, using elements such as the controversial practices of John C. Lilly and Pink Floyd albums as inspiration.

After the bankruptcy of the company Appaloosa in 2006, the Ecco the Dolphin name would be obtained by SEGA for future usage. Because of Ed no longer having access to the series, he tried to create a spiritual successor in 2013 called The Big Blue on Kickstarter, which failed to reach it’s financial goals. After the failed Kickstarter, he shifted focus on getting back the Ecco the Dolphin name from SEGA.

A recent update claims that the lawsuit has been settled between Ed and SEGA. However despite this, neither party have commented on the matter. Whether or not this will effect the Ecco the Dolphin series in the future is unknown. Maybe there might be a revival in the future, and we’ll get to swim in the mysterious seas once again as everyone’s favorite time traveling dolphin? Only time will tell.

[Source: Venture Beat]

14 Comments

Alpha build of Ecco II: Sentinels of the Universe leaked

by

Ecco the Dolphin is a familiar face for SEGA fans, appearing in 4 different games and gaining a bit of a cult following due to it’s bizarre and surprisingly dark premise of a dolphin traveling through time to save his comrades from evil aliens. What many people didn’t know is that there was a fifth game in the series that was in development, acting as a sequel to the Dreamcast game Ecco the Dolphin: Defenders of the Universe. The game titled Ecco II: Sentinels of the Universe started in development sometime in 2001-2000, around the time the Dreamcast was on it’s last legs, with the build leaked in particular being made on February 19th, 2001. The game did not reach far into development, not receiving press coverage of any type and being silently cancelled when SEGA started to move away from the console business, though Ecco the Dolphin: Defenders of the Universe receiving mixed reception may of also contributed to the cancellation.

Continue Reading ➜

6 Comments

Is a new Ecco the Dolphin game in the works?

by

Could another Ecco the Dolphin game be in the works? The designer of the original SEGA Genesis titles, Ed Annunziata, is pushing for a new title and so far signs are looking good! Scott Foe, a consultant on mobile and social games who worked with SEGA during the Dreamcast years, got Annunziata a meeting with SEGA to discuss reviving the franchise. Annunziata tweeted:

Ecco fans, I need you to follow & tweethank @scottfoe, he convinced SEGA to meet with me now chances of a new Ecco the Dolphin x100!

If that news wasn’t good enough, Annunziata later tweeted: “Spencer is on board! (puttn’ the band back together!) :)”. Annunziata is referring to Spencer Nilsen, the man who composed the beautiful music for the original SEGA CD and Genesis games, as well as the American Sonic CD soundtrack. Could it truly be happening? A new Ecco game? While SEGA is being very careful when it comes to big budget disc releases, releasing another 2D Ecco title as a digital download is surely doable. Just look at Sonic 4, and another Ecco isn’t so crazy in that realm. Better yet, get Christian Whitehead to work on rereleases of the first two titles to accompany a new game. While we all speculate, enjoy some Ecco music after the break. Thanks to ROJM for the tip!

Continue Reading ➜

16 Comments

Years of the Dreamcast Part 1: Genesis

by

Years of the Dreamcast is my first stab at autobiographical writing. It is long and is largely a tribute to the Dreamcast’s effect on my life. For those of you brave enough to read a bit about my boring life, my hat goes off to you. I hope you enjoy reading about my Dreamcast experience, and are willing to share yours with the community as well.

Believe it or not, I didn’t really get into gaming with the SEGA Genesis. Or the SNES. Or any other old school console for that matter. Sure, I PLAYED games on my Genesis and Game Gear back in the day, like Sonic, Lion King, and Ecco, but as soon as the Genesis croaked in 1996 I nearly left gaming all together in favor of other interests, including something that got me to buy a Genesis in the first place: Archie’s Sonic comics. I completely passed over the 32 bit generation, something I now sincerely regret given SEGA had some of its best games during that era.

It wasn’t until 2000 that a game console again caught my interest: a SEGA Dreamcast in a Target demo kiosk. I had been playing the N64 and Playstation in kiosks for years, and as much fun as I had had with them, this new system, this Dreamcast, felt like something special. The game on display, Sonic Adventure, was immediately playable. There was no wandering around or collecting of trinkets required to progress: an entire level was immediately opened up to me after the title screen.

Continue Reading ➜

1 Comment

Is that a SEGA arcade in your pocket?

by

A little over a month ago I went to my family cabin in northern Minnesota. It had been nearly seven years since I had last been there, and yet when I went back to the same bargain warehouse that I had been to back in 2003 I found the exact same SEGA Tiger LCD handhelds that I had seen hanging on the pegs all those years ago. Guess nobody wanted them.

The Tiger SEGA Pocket Arcade line hit stores during the Saturn years at a time when the clunky old Tiger handhelds were on their way out. Tiger, it seemed, was struggling in a world of Game Boy Colors and was attempting to use the names of big name SEGA Saturn console titles to sell cheap little flip open handhelds. I’m going to assume Tiger failed as a good number of these were found at an overstock warehouse, marked down from $15 to $8 to a final $4.79.

Click here to read more!

7 Comments

SEGA Mega Drive Digital Download – Series 1

by

Here is a trailer showing off the first batch of direct to drive downloadable Mega Drive (Genesis) titles for PC.

Games shown include Golden Axe, Altered Beast, Ecco, Gain Ground, Vectorman, CrackDown, Space Harrier 2 and my personal favourites Shinobi 3 and Comix Zone.

Each classic SEGA titles will be available from £1.99/€2.49/ AUS$3.49 which is dirt cheap and a real bargain even if you own them already.

5 Comments