Customer Reviews

AquaNox

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Developer:Massive Development
Publisher:Fishtank Interactive

Aquanox is like an average space shooter, somewhat like Independence War 2:Edge of Chaos, but it is set underwater and doesn't offer the same 360 degrees of rotation that most space-shooters do; you can point straight up or straight down, but you'll never flip upside down. When in the midst of a fight, this might prove to be a little frustrating.
The focus of the game is entirely on combat, but there is a lot of scripting and numerous cutscenes. As for the graphics, they are nothing short of amazing. The scenery is top-notch detailed, so you'd swear you are in the dark blue depths of the ocean. Nothing was left out in the visuals that is available with today's technologies, everything is in there: realistic dense underwater canyons, undersea life that ranges from big fish to the smallest plankton all exceptionally well animated and detailed, hi-tech cities that are textured to perfection, and the best lighting effects that are native to the deep underwater locations. Looks like Aquanox will be the next rendering technology monster, with its krass' engine, no doubt about it. What's scary though, is Aquanox system requirements, even though the minimum is not as high, the optimal would be somewhat a "dream machine".

Ok..I origionally reviewed this game after having played through single player and had some fun with a friend of mine with multiplayer. The singleplayer was so-so as far as action goes. The story is very linear (e.g. NO choices to be made) and the acting is painfully bad. I mean it really stinks. However, I did have fun with multiplayer so I gave the game high marks based on that. MAN! would my eyes be opened!

I came to learn that this game has serious multiplayer problems. First of all there is a real paucity of servers. The ones that are out there are based in Germany and have high pings and are usually empty. If you do manage to get into a game you experience lag if there is one person in the game with a ping higher than 150..come on! With any other game out there 150ms aint too shabby. Here it makes the game stink for everyone in the session. People appear to zoom all over the place, you cant get pick ups, shots fired from nowhere kill you. Patches to date have not addressed this problem and the developement team doesn't seem to be working on the problem. So at the moment multiplayer is pretty much not playable.

I wanted to love this game. I really did. It has some redeeming qualities but not enough to overcome the problems. I will keep it installed and now and then look for new patches, but for now its just going to collect dust.

Aquanox is a great game combining the FPS and RPG genre with a twist. Its like an RPG in the sense that you talk to so many NPC's and your missions are kinda like the quest in RPG's. It also is oviously a FPS because of the way the game is played making this game somewhat of a combo. The think that amazed me most about this game was the graphics. Ive played many games with great graphics, Alice, Halo, Giants etc... but NOTHING has been as pretty as this game. The detail is amazing on all the terrain and vehicles. Also the multiplayer aspect adds alot and makes the replay value go up. Aquanox is a great game for ne FPS fan.

The premise of Aquanox is pretty interesting. Because of the destruction of our planet's atmosphere, humans are now forced to live deep underwater, in the oceans of the world. You are Flint, a mercenary with ethics and issues: your sub, along with all of it's equipment has been stolen. Now, you have to take on pretty much any mission that will get you some credits, all the while you're trying your best to track down the bastards that stole your submarine.

The graphics are OK given the date of release of the game but I'm not a big fan of the soundtrack, way too "heavy", to the point that the screaming male voice gets annoying and you end up turning the volume down.

The game is cheap nowadays but still my recommendation to you is to just go for Aquanox 2. Much better.

First off this game is beautiful, awesome graphics and great water effects. Very nice story line, actors arent all that good, but when you turn the voice off and read the subtitles, happiness is. The gameplay in this game is great, gripping action and awesome battles, ships and weapons are very nice too. Great game and a must buy for FPS fans out there, like me. The soundtrack is very atmospheric, goes in with the game. So overall this is a kick ass game, and it's fun for just about anyone to play.

Neither does "Aqua Nox 2". I was looking forward to playing this on a modern system. The publisher told me they are working on it, but I don't hold much hope for that. Too bad. Lost money on software, again.

When are game developers going to realize it takes more than graphics to make a great game? "Eye candy" is all this game has to offer. The game play was just so-so, certainy nothing you can't find in just about any other shooter with the exception of being able to move in all three dimensions (no loop or roll though). The "story" is lame and uninvolving. The accents and voices the "actors" use are so bad I had to turn the sound off during dialog. There is simply no reason to buy this game with so many other much better choices out there.

I really liked the concept - a society forced to live deep under a mostly dead ocean; but the gameplay needs work. In Aquanox, a mixture of underwater combat and trading, you fight for pay that you use to upgrade your ship.

The one thing that struck me about this game was the interface; it reminded me of Elite, an old favorite. The control setup has a bug in it however, the game likes to reset your joystick settings, but proper setup is crucial for a successful sortie in your sub.

I agree with most of the reviewers about the voice acting: it's really goofy. Some actors are really good, others are terrible. The sub combat phase of the game is fun, although not very innovative. The weapons are fairly fun to use, I liked polishing off enemies with torpedoes.

In conclusion: Its worth the discounted price, but don't expect anathing new.

The game was easy to install. It's easy to learn, nice interface. The graphics are great, nice water effects. You can even see plankton if you wish. Good sound effects and music. The first mission has cool techno music. The game will run in most Windows formats. It did crash to my desktop a couple times. It's a very fun game I would highly recommend it. Only if you have a good enough system though. The system requirements are minimum and not recommended. If your system can handle it, it's well worth it.

Aquanox is one of those games that makes you wonder if some game designers have any idea of what their competition is making. It's like getting dressed without looking in the mirror. I look at terrific games like Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, Half Life, or even The Sims and this game just can't hold a candle to them. (Probably because it takes place under WATER.) With all the time spent in my ship and never really going into the docking stations visited, I got downright claustrophobic. Air! Air!

Pros:
The graphics were nice.
The game setting, underwater, is original.

Cons:
Horrible voice acting.
The feeling that you are watching a filmstrip when the rest of the world is watching DVDs.