Story:
Endless Ocean is relatively non-linear, but there is a story to it. Your partner, Katherine, has some tasks for you to complete to help with her research of the area, and will also yammer on about her "life mission" which leads to the climactic main quest. Of course, not only doesn't this storyline last particularly long, it's also pretty easy to ignore if you want. (Though why you would, I don't know) There are also miscellaneous quests that come through via E-mail that involve giving tours of specific locations to diving tourists looking to see one particular kind of fish or photography assignments. Of course, right from the start, the game makes it clear that you can choose to ignore these. And each task also reminds you to take your time and not to feel obligated. The whole attitude is very laid back. No rush. No worries. Just swim around and enjoy yourself. Heck, one of the optional activities is to simply recline on the deck of your boat and look out at the horizon. Seriously.

Graphics/Sound:
The graphics are hit or miss for the most part. Big hit under the water, big miss above. Under the waves, the scenery is breathtaking, and the fish are varied, colorful, and perfectly animated. Light streams through the surface of the water illuminating decorative coral reefs, and the effect is dazzling. Arika really achieved what they were going for here. On the other hand, up on the boat, you and Katherine animate stiffly, and look relatively bad. It's clear that the developer really put the emphasis on the undersea sections, and didn't put half as much effort into the rest. Luckily, you spend most of your time underwater. As for the music, oftentimes you will only hear your own breathing and bursts of bubbles, but the new age stylings of Hayley Westrena also add a little flavor. The music is appropriately dramatic when you discover a new location. Of course, if you don't like it, you have the option to load up an SD car with your own MP3s and play those instead. (Although I found it a little off-putting when I tried it, because I didn't have anything appropriately subdued.)

Controls:
Endless Ocean uses only the Wiimote, although I sometimes found myself wishing the Nunchuck could've been used to move. There's no way to swim backwards. You simply nudge the Wiimote around to aim yourself and press the B trigger to swim. You have various tools to interact with the ocean life, such as food, a whistle, a pen, and a camera. The camera can be used for fun, or for the previously mentioned assignments. The swimming is not fast-paced at all, but then again, nothing about this game is. You move along at a deliberate pace that lets you really take in the scenery. On the surface, you move about your boat and interact with things using a point-and-click adventure game approach. It's awkward, but serviceable. Again, life is better under the sea.

Gameplay:
Endless Ocean really is less of a game than an experience. But that's not to say there's nothing to do. The various assignments will keep you busy enough, but there's also a whole lot of fish to catalog and learn about, dolphin friends to find and train as well as a bunch of treasures to unearth. In fact, after I finished the story, I found that I'd barely found 1/3 of the treasure, and there were still areas on the map left unexplored. (There's also an aquarium that you can stock with the specific fish of your choosing to swim among, but I never really saw the point when the open ocean is so much more visually interesting.) There's a lot of replayability here, with all the collecting, but also because it's just fun and relaxing to take a dive. I can totally see myself popping this into my Wii every so often after a hard day at work to unwind. I would've appreciated a little more variety in the underwater locations, though. It's pretty much the same coral and sand everywhere you go. And while there are some unique sea creatures hidden in secret locations, the majority of the fish you encounter are incredibly common and will be seen over and over again. Of course, repeatedly interacting with them to unlock the new information in the database had me actually learning. I know, right? Endless Ocean is almost educational. I've actually gotten so I can identify certain tropical fish on sight. Go figure. So any game that is this much fun and makes you accidentally learn stuff can't be all bad, right? There's also an online component that allows you to go on Nintendo WiFi and hook up with friends to dive together. I'd love to let you know how that worked out, but nobody I know bought this game, so I had no one to dive with. So hopefully this will inspire some of you to pick up Endless Ocean and give it a shot. At $29.99, it's definitely worth it, if you think this is the kind of "game" you might like. And if you do, let me know so we can exchange those annoying friend codes and go for a swim!