In an age where the videogame industry seems overwhelmed by an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" attitude, it's refreshing to see developers who are willing to try new things. Unfortunately, there aren't nearly enough of them; for every Samba De Amigo, you'll find two more Tomb Raiders and Mortal Kombats. Still, innovation does exist, and there are developers that understand the value of it. Sega is one of those companies, responsible for games like Samba De Amigo, Space Channel 5, and Jet Grind Radio. Each game possesses a unique charm, something that makes them stick out amongst the tired sequels and sports updates.
Enter Seaman, the first console game ever to utilize voice recognition. More a pet simulator than a videogame, Seaman's premise is simple: hatch and raise Seaman, watching him evolve and conversing with him all the while. It doesn't sound too terribly involving, but it actually is. Not only do you converse with Seaman, but you also have to feed him, adjust the oxygen level to a proper setting, and keep an eye on the heater (we wouldn't want our lovely little Seaman freezing to death, now would we?).
You start the game with nothing more than a tank of water, eleven food pellets, and an egg. After placing the egg in the tank, you'll be directed to change the heater and oxygen settings. Once the eggs hatch, you'll have eight mushroomers in the tank. At this point, you should notice a nautilus at the bottom of the tank. Once you see the nautilus eat a few mushroomers, don't panic; this is essential to Seaman's evolution and survival. Checking on Seaman should be a daily chore; if you go a week without playing the game, by the time you come back, Seaman'll be dead. But how is that the case, you ask? How can Seaman die like that? Well, the game runs in accordance with the clock inside the Dreamcast console. In other words, this game runs on real time. Also, when the game is not running, the VMU file keeps track of time. So if you go a day in real life without playing Seaman, when you come back, it'll be like you skipped a day in the game. This is important, especially considering that you're virtually raising a living being here.
The bulk of Seaman's gameplay revolves around tank management and conversations with Seaman. While this is quite effective given the game's purpose, it does make Seaman incredibly boring every once in a while. I mean, once you've set the heat and oxygen and you've fed Seaman, all that's left is to talk to him. Problem is that Seaman sometimes doesn't want to talk. And even if he does, there are things that he won't understand. There are moments in this game where there is nothing to do, and Seaman can get boring occasionally.
Still, Seaman does get credit for its voice recognition capabilities. Even early on in Seaman's life, he's saying things. The day he hatched from the dying nautilus, I heard him say, "Everyone speaks English. What's the point?" Sure, there are things he doesn't understand (mostly pop culture references and the 'f' word), but considering that this is a brand new genre in the console world, there's little to complain about. Also, after a few days, you'll be able to give Seaman a name. Once you do, he'll log that name into the VMU and won't answer to any other name (other than Seaman; he always answers to that). Below is one of my more memorable conversations with Seaman:
Me-Hello Seaman.
Seaman-Hey fuzzy.
Me-How are you?
Seaman-What's up?
Me-I asked you first.
Seaman-No thanks, fuzzy. Maybe later.
Me-What?
Seaman-Eh?
Me-You're confusing me.
Seaman-The word is "grotesque."
Me-You're scary.
Seaman-Like the spice?
Me-What the f***?
Seaman-Tell me, do you like yourself?
Me-Yes.
Seaman-That's good. It is very healthy to like yourself. In fact, I bet you like yourself at least twice a day....
Me-eeeewwwww
Seaman-Wow. You're a freak.
Me-Look who's talking...
Memorable conversation #2:
Seaman-OK, we've established that you like yourself. But nobody's perfect--well, except for maybe me--so what is the one thing you don't like about yourself?
Me-My impatience.
Seaman-Your butt?
Me-No, my impatience.
Seaman-What's wrong with your butt? It's in the right place, below your back, above your legs. And it has two cheeks. It's a perfect butt. Oh well...
Me-Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight...You're a freak, Seaman.
Seaman-I'm a super freak.
Me-OK, I'm going now.
Seaman-Come back soon, fuzzy.
Sometimes you'll get frustrated if Seaman has trouble understanding you, but if you stick with it and speak clearly, it will get easier. One way you can tell if he understands you is look at your VMU after saying something. If you see a "!" then he understands you. If you see "???" then he doesn't. An interesting note is that he never responds to "Nintendo" or "Sega," but when you say "Sony" or "PlayStation," he'll say "Hmmmm, that name sounds familiar..."
Seaman also possesses a good deal of intelligence. Throughout the game, he will ask you questions about yourself. He will remember the answers and at the end of the game will give you an analysis of your life. His analysis of me was a little off, but maybe that's because I wasn't exactly truthful with him to begin with. He will give you in-depth commentary on such things as the Internet, religion, and relationships. His intelligence is quite impressive; you'd never think that a half man/half fish knew so much.
Lastly, Seaman doesn't like you. In fact, he hates you. He is a very intense individual in person. He gives you sarcastic comments half the time, and he loves to make offbeat sexual innuendos out of your comments. Still, even though he doesn't like you, this actually enhances the experience with a good dose of humor. Another funny instance: lift Seaman from the tank. If you keep him out long enough, you'll hear him sing, "I come from Alabama with my banjo on my knee." This is roll-on-the-floor-laughing funny.
There really isn't much to this game in terms of graphics. I mean, think about it: all you have is a tank of water, a heater, and Seaman. Despite the innate lack of environment, what is presented looks good. The contents of the tank are rendered well, and Seaman sports some impressive textures (for gills and scales, etc.). What's really odd is that slowdown shows up on occasion. After the mushroomers have evolved into Gillmen, you'll have multiple beings swimming in the tank. When they all gather in one area, the game slows down. It gets annoying, but you get used to it after a while.
But sound is this game's real strength (other than its innovative nature). The narration is provided by Leonard Nimoy (Spock from Star Trek), and it couldn't be better; his speeches before you begin playing are very helpful and you'd be very wise to heed his advice. Also, Seaman's voice is done pretty well; he's easy to understand and you'll notice his voice get deeper as he matures. The bubble noises may get annoying, but overall, this game sounds really good.
In the end, is Seaman worth the time? Yes. Sure, it may get boring sometimes and you will definitely be freaked out more than once, but if you have the patience, you'll find Seaman very entertaining and rewarding (almost as rewarding as finishing Final Fantasy IX). Action gamers may not like this game, but you have to give Sega credit for wanting to try something new. If you're tired of Tomb Raider 17 or Mortal Kombat 8, then give Seaman a try; I can pretty much guarantee you'll enjoy it.
What do you get if you cross a fish and a man You get Seaman a salty wise-guy with an ocean-full of attitude. As you raise him from an egg to adulthoo...More at eBay
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