AquaNox Preview

The ocean floor is home to an epic war.

Welcome to the oh-so-charming 27th-century world of AquaNox and its protagonist, the grizzled mercenary Emerald "DeadEye" Flint. After Earth has been rocked by nuclear warfare, you're stuck trying to make a quick buck seaside like most survivors. Humans have migrated into the watery depths and have established cities and vast empires where giant squids and sunken treasures traditionally made their home. Amongst a world of surreal submarine flora and fauna, titanic battles will rage between the monopolistic Entrox corporation and monstrous Lovecraftian creatures known as bionts, freshly released from their eternal slumber. And naturally, you'll be thrust right into the middle of all of this.

If unfortunate innocents don't have a choice regarding participation in this conflict, at least recent builds reflect that it's a battle well worth fighting. Heavy on both action and plot development, comparisons could easily be made to the Wing Commander series. Gameplay is divided into three main activities: equipping a vessel, conversing with NPCs, and of course fighting swarms of enemies. While essentially a first-person shooter in a spaceship simulation's clothing, AquaNox retains elements of both, at the same time owing full allegiance to neither. Therefore both action and space-sim fans will cover familiar yet enjoyable ground as they plow through more than 30 huge single-player missions.

Bionts, such as this squid, are just as formidable as the Entrox enemies.

Project Manager Wolfgang Walk is quick to note that the game isn't merely a clone of previous Origin games, however. "This is 3D action with a huge storyline," he explains. "Unlike other futuristic battles where up and down doesn't really matter, you're in a much more defined space, where you have an environment to relate to. This means you need much more skill to survive--and have much more fun during battle. We also believe that the player finds it easier to relate to mankind on Earth at the edge of extinction than to a civilization that has already charted every corner of the universe--where, if you're honest, most of the locations aren't exactly places you would risk your life for."

And risk your life you will, many times over. Alone or with intelligent wingmen who operate independently of player control, budding heroes face down some novel scenarios. Whether cruising through Gotham City's sunken streets hunting foes while a postapocalyptic Statue of Liberty looks on or using currents to move silently past turrets or mines, potentially fatal mishaps lurk around every corner. Be grateful then that weapons and items are upgraded steadily throughout the journey. Head-on conflicts are unavoidable, though steps can always be taken to minimize danger. Luckily for strategically minded players, several paths lead to victory for each objective assigned. Granted, plot development is purely linear and most events are scripted, but quick-thinking captains who devise unique approaches to troublesome problems will find their insight rewarded.