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Some new Seaman 2 videos have been posted, highlighting the unexpected ways a game can be emotionally engaging and interactive beyond the use of your hands.

The new videos (originally posted on GameTrailers) remind me of the most memorable revelation Shigeru Miyamoto gave during his Game Developers Conference keynote speech. He talked about how whenever he is designing a game he always tries to picture the player's face. He wants to evoke emotions plainly visible: delight, surprise, awe. It may seem obvious, but most discussion involving the quality or value for playing a game centers on gameplay mechanics and graphics, rather than the emotional component.

I've never been interested in the idea of virtual pets. I hadn't played a single "pet simulator" until a couple of years ago. Somehow I had decided I wanted a different experience, and I remembered my roommate playing the original Seaman, so I dug up the Dreamcast, found the special microphone that attaches to the clunky controller, and began my journey.

I don't know how somebody didn't tell the makers of Seaman that the name might not be such a good idea for English-speaking audiences. Anyway, the game was a little-known masterpiece. You got to speak to the Seaman, and he would learn about you, combine the information, and ask some startlingly relevant questions about you or give nice little insights on your life. It was the first time that a game experience felt truly unique to me. I felt like that weird man-faced fish and I had a connection.

I'd get worried if Seaman looked like he wasn't feeling well. I got excited when he gave birth. But the most emotionally engaging moment was at the end, when Seaman evolves enough to leave his cage. When he said goodbye, I actually felt a bit sad, and realized I would actually miss him. No game has ever been able to have that emotional impact, at least in my gaming experiences.

Seaman 2 hasn't been officially announced for an American release. I don't know if the original was successful over here, but I'd bet that it could be a hard sell. Perhaps it is too far ahead of it's time, as surely we'll be seeing more games in the future involve learning AI and voice recognition as a central interactive component. Let's hope Seaman 2 makes it's way over here and convinces skeptics like myself to join the Friends of Seaman club. Below is the most schoolgirl-filled video of the bunch.

Hey, thanks: Joystiq

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