GameTap writes: Endless Ocean gets summed up pretty succinctly by the boat's captain early in the game: "What do you do? Well, that's the easy part. Mostly you just hang out and dive when you feel like it!" And that's about right. While most companies tasked with building a diving game would add a lot of game elements--unlocking new areas, successfully completing jobs, earning new equipment, leveling up your diver's abilities--developer Arika foregoes most of this. Instead the world is pretty much open from the get-go, aside from a couple of really deep areas that require special equipment. You do get new pieces of equipment, but they're mostly cosmetic. You get various email requests, such as taking customers on dives or taking underwater photos, but it doesn't really matter whether you do them or not.
Pros: Marine educational benefits; incredibly relaxing; mostly simple controls.
Cons: Highlights the Wii's graphical shortcomings; no minimap; could have had more variety in environments.
