Wow, so here’s the thing. Waiting for that new game? Yeah, might take ages. Or never? I mean, remasters could pop up next April or who knows, even further down the road. But hey, fans of Ecco the dolphin — that side-scrolling ocean explorer — they’re all dreaming. But can they swim past those ridiculous challenges? I mean, seriously, this franchise is known for being tough. Even in Ecco: Defender of the Future. It’s like playing a third-person, or is it third-dolphin, thing? Anyway, Annunziata didn’t work on that one but it nailed the vibe: eerie yet cozy music, lurking monsters, and a learning curve steeper than my aunt’s lasagna. But here’s my personal beef: I’ll never get to be a dolphin. Like, ever. Sad, right?
Anyway, Annunziata kinda gets it, saying he dreamt about living as a dolphin. He told Xbox Wire, “I figured it’s as close to a person as all the whales.” Makes you giggle, doesn’t it? Big-brain guy, clearly, with his big-brain ideas. He thinks gamers are loaded with “higher than average IQ” and have a real-world-impacting kind of love. And I’m like, sure, why not? It’s all about ocean love and awareness. Being a Pacific Islander, he’s just soaking in ocean appreciation like seaweed in miso soup.
Imagine, he says, a culture that vibes with the ocean’s rhythms over generations. Humans helping ecosystems instead of draining them dry. Like, syncing with ocean cycles, learning from the blue depths. Anything that brings people and the ocean closer? Jump right in, he insists.
And oh, by the way, the entire original squad’s back to develop remasters of Ecco and Ecco: Tides of Time. When? No clue. Release dates are like invisible dolphins right now.