AndNow's gorgeous oceanic creation delves into the world of intelligent mammalians

Okay, so you hear the words videogame and dolphin in the same sentence and you immediately think Ecco the Dolphin. Good, you played games on the Mega Drive. Now, wipe that thought from your head, dolphin brain, and think about sound for a moment. Few games have used sound to maximise gameplay (although The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time does come to mind). Virtual Ocean is sure to bring a whole new meaning to the way gamers use music, songs and sound to affect their games.

"The ocean is two things simultaneously: it's a really gorgeous environment and it's also very dangerous, alien and life-threatening," said Ed Annunziata, AndNow's President. "So, when do you see something so pretty and so deadly at the same time? It's a very compelling dichotomy. The whales and dolphins in Virtual Ocean have evolved songs into spells that can do any number of things."

In Virtual Ocean, each whale species has a unique set of songs and can acquire new ones to grow in strength and knowledge. As an orca, dolphin or humpback whale, players can fight against predators, save friendly whales and talk with others via 'whalesong'. According to AndNow, a text-to-whale speech translator enables users to hear each other, send messages and even images to one another. Whalesongs can protect you from attack, heal injured friends in the pod, capture food and even solve puzzles. What's more, when predatory sharks, the biggest threat to your existence, appear, players can use whalesongs to blast them with sonic waves.

"Virtual Ocean is basically a role-playing game with an action interface," continued Annunziata. "It's the kind of game that's so hauntingly beautiful that once you've seen it you'll be compelled to play it."

AndNow have plans for Virtual Ocean to support single and multiplayer modes. As an adventure game that's playable over the Internet, something the PlayStation 2 is geared toward, it's possible that numerous players can join in. While AndNow haven't actually determined the amount of players, those who join in will find that exploration and community are the central elements that compel players to reach the ‘end’.

Courtesy of IGN.com