<s>
Ecco	B-Application
the	I-Application
Dolphin	I-Application
is	O
an	O
action-adventure	O
game	O
originally	O
developed	O
by	O
Ed	O
Annunziata	O
and	O
Novotrade	O
International	O
for	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive/Genesis	I-Operating_System
and	O
published	O
by	O
Sega	O
in	O
1992	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ecco	B-Application
the	I-Application
Dolphin	I-Application
was	O
republished	O
digitally	O
via	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
in	O
2006	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
,	O
Steam	B-Application
,	O
iOS	B-Application
,	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
Online	I-Application
+	I-Application
Expansion	I-Application
Pack	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
first	O
installment	O
in	O
the	O
Ecco	B-Application
the	I-Application
Dolphin	I-Application
video	O
game	O
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
character	O
is	O
a	O
bottlenose	O
dolphin	B-Application
who	O
travels	O
through	O
time	O
to	O
combat	O
hostile	O
extraterrestrials	O
in	O
Earth	O
's	O
oceans	O
and	O
on	O
an	O
alien	O
spacecraft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
features	O
of	O
the	O
gameplay	O
are	O
based	O
on	O
actual	O
dolphin	B-Application
habits	O
:	O
one	O
button	O
causes	O
Ecco	O
to	O
sing	O
,	O
allowing	O
him	O
to	O
speak	O
with	O
other	O
cetaceans	O
and	O
interact	O
with	O
certain	O
objects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
His	O
health	O
is	O
measured	O
by	O
a	O
separate	O
meter	O
(	O
above	O
the	O
air	O
meter	O
)	O
;	O
it	O
is	O
depleted	O
by	O
enemies	O
or	O
when	O
his	O
air	O
meter	O
runs	O
out	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
is	O
recharged	O
by	O
eating	O
fish	O
,	O
"	O
singing	O
"	O
to	O
clams	B-Application
,	O
or	O
,	O
later	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
singing	O
to	O
special	O
statues	O
or	O
glyphs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
opens	O
with	O
Ecco	O
,	O
a	O
bottlenose	O
dolphin	B-Application
,	O
as	O
he	O
and	O
his	O
pod	O
are	O
swimming	O
in	O
their	O
home	O
bay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
leaving	O
the	O
bay	O
,	O
Ecco	O
swims	O
around	O
meeting	O
other	O
marine	O
life	O
including	O
other	O
dolphins	B-Application
who	O
tell	O
them	O
they	O
have	O
felt	O
the	O
storm	O
and	O
the	O
entire	O
ocean	O
is	O
in	O
chaos	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Asterite	O
tells	O
Ecco	O
to	O
go	O
to	O
the	O
sunken	O
ruins	O
of	O
the	O
city	O
of	O
Atlantis	B-Application
,	O
where	O
he	O
can	O
use	O
the	O
time	O
machine	O
left	O
behind	O
by	O
the	O
Atlanteans	O
to	O
retrieve	O
the	O
orbs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ecco	O
travels	O
to	O
the	O
sunken	O
city	O
of	O
Atlantis	B-Application
,	O
where	O
he	O
discovers	O
an	O
ancient	O
library	O
filled	O
with	O
Glyphs	O
,	O
giant	O
crystals	O
filled	O
with	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Atlanteans	O
fought	O
a	O
long	O
war	O
with	O
the	O
Vortex	O
,	O
which	O
only	O
ended	O
when	O
the	O
Vortex	O
fired	O
a	O
beam	O
at	O
Atlantis	B-Application
,	O
sending	O
the	O
city	O
into	O
the	O
depths	O
of	O
the	O
ocean	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
Queen	O
is	O
defeated	O
,	O
she	O
spits	O
out	O
Ecco	O
's	O
pod	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
dolphins	B-Application
make	O
their	O
collective	O
escape	O
back	O
to	O
Earth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
existence	O
of	O
Ecco	B-Application
the	I-Application
Dolphin	I-Application
had	O
been	O
heavily	O
rumored	O
throughout	O
the	O
industry	O
before	O
it	O
was	O
finally	O
revealed	O
by	O
Sega	O
in	O
1992	O
as	O
a	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive/Genesis	I-Operating_System
exclusive	O
,	O
then	O
simply	O
known	O
as	O
Dolphin	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
deciding	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
game	O
based	O
around	O
dolphins	B-Application
,	O
developer	O
Ed	O
Annunziata	O
carried	O
out	O
research	O
on	O
the	O
subject	O
and	O
was	O
particularly	O
inspired	O
by	O
the	O
book	O
Sounding	O
by	O
Hank	O
Searls	O
which	O
explained	O
how	O
the	O
creatures	O
use	O
echolocation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
But	O
Sega	O
's	O
director	O
of	O
marketing	O
Al	O
Nilsen	O
suggested	O
the	O
name	O
Botticelli	O
the	O
Dolphin	B-Application
,	O
citing	O
the	O
popularity	O
of	O
characters	O
named	O
after	O
Italian	O
artists	O
,	O
like	O
the	O
Teenage	B-Application
Mutant	I-Application
Ninja	I-Application
Turtles	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Panicked	O
,	O
Annunziata	O
turned	O
to	O
his	O
boss	O
Clyde	O
Grossman	O
who	O
suggested	O
Echo	O
,	O
which	O
alluded	O
to	O
the	O
dolphin	B-Application
's	O
echolocation	O
ability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Being	O
of	O
Italian	O
descent	O
,	O
he	O
chose	O
the	O
spelling	O
Ecco	O
,	O
because	O
it	O
can	O
loosely	O
mean	O
"	O
I	O
see	O
"	O
in	O
that	O
language	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
seeing	O
with	O
sound	O
"	O
is	O
what	O
echolocation	O
enables	O
dolphins	B-Application
to	O
do	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ecco	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Tides	I-Application
of	I-Application
Time	I-Application
(	O
1994	O
)	O
features	O
a	O
level	O
called	O
"	O
New	O
Machine	O
"	O
,	O
named	O
after	O
"	O
A	O
New	O
Machine	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
two-part	O
song	O
on	O
Pink	O
Floyd	O
's	O
1987	O
album	O
A	O
Momentary	O
Lapse	O
of	O
Reason	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive/Genesis	I-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
late	O
December	O
1992	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Versions	O
for	O
the	O
Game	O
Gear	O
and	O
the	O
Master	O
System	O
were	O
also	O
released	O
;	O
they	O
feature	O
different	O
levels	O
from	O
the	O
other	O
versions	O
and	O
a	O
special	O
intro	O
featuring	O
a	O
whale	O
song	O
,	O
and	O
dolphin	B-Application
noises	O
for	O
the	O
title	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Game	O
Gear	O
version	O
has	O
a	O
dolphin	B-Application
"	O
SEGA	O
"	O
on	O
the	O
SEGA	O
screen	O
and	O
dolphins	B-Application
laughing	O
on	O
the	O
title	O
screen	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
a	O
new	O
soundtrack	O
by	O
Csaba	O
Gigor	O
and	O
Gábor	O
Foltán	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
wider	O
color	O
gamut	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
enhanced	O
Sega	B-Device
CD	I-Device
version	O
that	O
features	O
new	O
and	O
redesigned	O
levels	O
and	O
an	O
alternate	O
Red	O
Book	O
audio	O
soundtrack	O
,	O
composed	O
by	O
Spencer	O
Nilsen	O
,	O
was	O
also	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
CD	I-Device
version	O
was	O
only	O
released	O
in	O
a	O
compilation	O
(	O
along	O
with	O
Ecco	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Tides	I-Application
of	I-Application
Time	I-Application
)	O
,	O
titled	O
Ecco	B-Application
the	I-Application
Dolphin	I-Application
CD	I-Application
,	O
on	O
February	O
24	O
,	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sega	B-Device
CD	I-Device
version	O
was	O
later	O
ported	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Windows	B-Application
port	O
was	O
further	O
enhanced	O
with	O
higher	O
resolution	O
graphics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ecco	B-Application
the	I-Application
Dolphin	I-Application
,	O
along	O
with	O
Ecco	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Tides	I-Application
of	I-Application
Time	I-Application
and	O
Ecco	B-Application
Jr.	I-Application
,	O
can	O
be	O
found	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
game	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
Collection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
few	O
titles	O
released	O
included	O
Ecco	B-Application
the	I-Application
Dolphin	I-Application
,	O
Columns	B-Application
III	I-Application
and	O
Shinobi	B-Application
III	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ecco	B-Application
the	I-Application
Dolphin	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
Europe	O
and	O
Australia	O
for	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
on	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
's	I-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
console	I-Operating_System
on	O
December	O
8	O
,	O
2006	O
,	O
for	O
800	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
Points	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
later	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
November	O
28	O
for	O
800	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
Points	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
December	O
2	O
for	O
600	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
Points	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ecco	B-Application
the	I-Application
Dolphin	I-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
on	O
August	O
15	O
,	O
2007	O
,	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ecco	B-Application
the	I-Application
Dolphin	I-Application
is	O
part	O
of	O
Sonic	B-Application
's	I-Application
Ultimate	I-Application
Genesis	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
for	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
,	O
along	O
with	O
its	O
sequel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
3D	O
Ecco	B-Application
the	I-Application
Dolphin	I-Application
is	O
a	O
port	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
as	O
part	O
of	O
Sega	O
's	O
3D	B-Device
Classics	I-Device
line	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Along	O
with	O
stereoscopic	B-Algorithm
3D	I-Algorithm
graphics	O
and	O
the	O
option	O
to	O
choose	O
between	O
Japanese	O
and	O
international	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
the	O
port	O
also	O
adds	O
'	O
Super	O
Dolphin	B-Application
Mode	O
 '	O
,	O
which	O
decreases	O
the	O
difficulty	O
by	O
giving	O
players	O
invincibility	O
and	O
unlimited	O
oxygen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
eShop	I-Application
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
June	O
26	O
and	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
Europe	O
on	O
December	O
12	O
,	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ecco	B-Application
the	I-Application
Dolphin	I-Application
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
games	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
Sega	B-Application
Genesis	I-Application
Mini	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
,	O
a	O
soundtrack	O
album	O
combining	O
music	O
from	O
both	O
Ecco	B-Application
the	I-Application
Dolphin	I-Application
and	O
Ecco	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Tides	I-Application
of	I-Application
Time	I-Application
was	O
released	O
,	O
under	O
the	O
title	O
Ecco	O
:	O
Songs	O
of	O
Time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
version	O
became	O
a	O
bestseller	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
reviewer	O
for	O
Next	O
Generation	O
called	O
the	O
PC	O
release	O
"	O
little	O
more	O
than	O
a	O
conversion	O
from	O
the	O
yesteryears	O
of	O
the	O
16-bit	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
24	O
in	O
their	O
Top	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
Games	O
of	O
All	O
Time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Complex	O
ranked	O
Ecco	B-Application
the	I-Application
Dolphin	I-Application
number	O
44	O
in	O
their	O
"	O
The	O
Best	O
100	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
Games	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1995	O
,	O
Flux	O
magazine	O
ranked	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
CD	I-Device
version	O
100th	O
on	O
their	O
Top	O
100	O
Video	O
Games	O
,	O
they	O
praised	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
atmosphere	O
,	O
eerie	O
music	O
,	O
sad	O
dolphin	B-Application
song	O
and	O
the	O
rich	O
underwater	O
look	O
concluding	O
:	O
"	O
Proof	O
that	O
you	O
do	O
n’t	O
need	O
explosions	O
,	O
fatalities	O
or	O
a	O
celebrity	O
endorsement	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
great	O
game.	O
"	O
</s>
