Seaman - Sega Dreamcast

According to legend, this strange creature is the discovery of scientist Jean Paul Gasse. The weird-looking beast was documented to have an almost grotesque look about it, as it had the body of a reptile and the face of a man. Yet it was able to talk and reason with the doctor as well as your average human. And while the good doctor was laughed into obscurity after trying to explain his discovery, you have the opportunity to raise a Seaman from egg to its fishlike state and beyond.

Not only must you keep Seaman well fed and warm, you'll find that conversation (via the included microphone) with Seaman is a must. The scaly inquisitor will probe into your personal life by asking about your age, marital status, and favorite music, among other things. Also, if treated well this creature will spew its (usually sarcastic) rantings on pop culture, the Internet, and even reality itself. There's even a touch of sexual innuendo that may raise a few eyebrows. I doubt your goldfish ever did that.

The speech recognition is far from perfect, but there's no doubt that the gimmick almost always causes a smile when you realize how long you've been conversing with a fish and just how many words it does respond to. The simplistic graphics often make Seaman look like he's swimming in space rather than in a huge tank, but this game makes no claim to break new ground in graphics--it's the speech recognition that is most noteworthy. Star Trek veteran Leonard Nimoy acts as narrator, bringing all of the emotion of Spock (read: none) to his performance--yet somehow it works.

Since the Seaman can starve or freeze if not tended to regularly (raising this thing will take weeks), it might be a good idea to invest in another Visual Memory Unit to store the status of Seaman's habitat and your performance.

It's hard to say just how much "game" is actually in this title. Rather, Seaman offers an interesting life journey through birth, growth, death, rebirth, and change. Seaman offers a unique Dreamcast experience that is both disturbing and fascinating. --Mark Brooks

Pros: A very ugly fish that talks--how cool is that? Seaman can recognize quite a surprising number of words with the included microphone, and he talks back Easy to play Sarcastic wit (read: very American) and humor can be good for a few laughs Cons: Speech recognition is inconsistent (often words are completely misunderstood) Graphics are suitably simplistic but never really deliver the feeling that Seaman is swimming in water Probably doesn't taste good with chips