Greenskull
June 20th, 2008, 03:54 PM
http://www.readyuplive.com/postpics/1485c0afa52b7e.jpg (http://www.readyuplive.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=147)
When I first heard about Sea Life Safari, I knew I would instantly love it. Curious by the screenshots of it, I read some previews. After reading, it occurred to me that the game was essentially Pokémon Snap but underwater and without the fuzzy little creatures that scream their own names and shoot lightning at you. Knowing this, I purchased the game as soon as it was available.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
My first impressions of the game? Too cutesy and too simple. But since I just invested 10 bucks in it, I thought I might as well keep playing. After all it didn’t seem like too bad a game. After playing for some time, I was hooked. Level after underwater level; I pushed onward, snapping pictures of every unique and interesting sea creature I could find. <o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
If you haven’t played Pokémon Snap, the game works like this: You are on a pre-determined track on which you need to take pictures of all the unique sea life in the level. You press the left trigger to zoom, and the right trigger to snap a photo. At the end of each dive, you are graded on your performance. The old guy that grades you is a tough critic. To get all 3 stars on a photo, the subject needs to be close, centered, and in an interesting pose. On each level you have a special object which you can throw with a press of the B button. The objects range from sound emitters to glow sticks. When thrown near a fish, it reacts to it. Some fish do a dance while others yawn or sneeze. The behaviours of the fish sometimes take you out of the experience. The game would be much more immersive and interesting if the fish just behaved like normal fish. <o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
While on the topic of the look of the game, let’s talk about the environments. The environments are surprisingly detailed. There are swaying plants as far as the eye can see. Some are even interactive! If you throw your item at a sea anemone, the yellow tubes will retract back into the plant. There are also little sea creatures to populate the world. There are small schools of fish and tiny snails all around the watery atmosphere. My only complaint here is that since you don’t get points for taking photos of those small creatures, it is sometimes confusing as to what you are supposed to take pictures of.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Although my opinion on the cutesiness changed, the game is still pretty simple. Luckily, there are a few things the developers did to make it more interesting and addictive. Each level has 10 golden shells for you to collect. You need to first find them (which can prove quite a challenge on the later levels) and then throw your item at them. Since it would be impossible to hit them right on, you just need to throw it in their general area. Also, you need to have a certain amount of stars from taking photos to unlock the next level. The last two levels are tough for that. You need a lot of 3-star photos. Unfortunately, once you are done the game and have every achievement (which won’t take you too long), there isn’t much replayability. I guess if you really wanted to you could go back and try to get 3 stars on every single creature. But other than that there’s not much to do.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Overall, Sea Life Safari is a fantastically fun underwater photography game. Even though some things could have been done better, the game is still very addictive and very entertaining. It is perfect for when you need a break from all those Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4 all-nighters. When Sea Life 2 comes out, expect to see me playing it the first day.
<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
<o:p>Final Score:
8/10
</o:p>
When I first heard about Sea Life Safari, I knew I would instantly love it. Curious by the screenshots of it, I read some previews. After reading, it occurred to me that the game was essentially Pokémon Snap but underwater and without the fuzzy little creatures that scream their own names and shoot lightning at you. Knowing this, I purchased the game as soon as it was available.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
My first impressions of the game? Too cutesy and too simple. But since I just invested 10 bucks in it, I thought I might as well keep playing. After all it didn’t seem like too bad a game. After playing for some time, I was hooked. Level after underwater level; I pushed onward, snapping pictures of every unique and interesting sea creature I could find. <o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
If you haven’t played Pokémon Snap, the game works like this: You are on a pre-determined track on which you need to take pictures of all the unique sea life in the level. You press the left trigger to zoom, and the right trigger to snap a photo. At the end of each dive, you are graded on your performance. The old guy that grades you is a tough critic. To get all 3 stars on a photo, the subject needs to be close, centered, and in an interesting pose. On each level you have a special object which you can throw with a press of the B button. The objects range from sound emitters to glow sticks. When thrown near a fish, it reacts to it. Some fish do a dance while others yawn or sneeze. The behaviours of the fish sometimes take you out of the experience. The game would be much more immersive and interesting if the fish just behaved like normal fish. <o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
While on the topic of the look of the game, let’s talk about the environments. The environments are surprisingly detailed. There are swaying plants as far as the eye can see. Some are even interactive! If you throw your item at a sea anemone, the yellow tubes will retract back into the plant. There are also little sea creatures to populate the world. There are small schools of fish and tiny snails all around the watery atmosphere. My only complaint here is that since you don’t get points for taking photos of those small creatures, it is sometimes confusing as to what you are supposed to take pictures of.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Although my opinion on the cutesiness changed, the game is still pretty simple. Luckily, there are a few things the developers did to make it more interesting and addictive. Each level has 10 golden shells for you to collect. You need to first find them (which can prove quite a challenge on the later levels) and then throw your item at them. Since it would be impossible to hit them right on, you just need to throw it in their general area. Also, you need to have a certain amount of stars from taking photos to unlock the next level. The last two levels are tough for that. You need a lot of 3-star photos. Unfortunately, once you are done the game and have every achievement (which won’t take you too long), there isn’t much replayability. I guess if you really wanted to you could go back and try to get 3 stars on every single creature. But other than that there’s not much to do.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Overall, Sea Life Safari is a fantastically fun underwater photography game. Even though some things could have been done better, the game is still very addictive and very entertaining. It is perfect for when you need a break from all those Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4 all-nighters. When Sea Life 2 comes out, expect to see me playing it the first day.
<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
<o:p>Final Score:
8/10
</o:p>