E3 2001 Preshow ReportAquaNox

AquaNox is making an appearance at this year's E3 show at the Fishtank Interactive booth. AquaNox is the sequel to Archimedean Dynasty, which was published by Blue Byte in 1996. The game takes place 15,000 feet under the ocean in the future. After a devastating global nuclear war, survivors have to settle underwater to escape the harsh land. But even after an exodus because of a huge war, people still can't live in harmony. During political unrest in the underwater empire, a rockslide opens an entrance to a cavern where ancient gods and monsters had been imprisoned in ages of old.

You play as Emerald "Dead Eye" Flint, a mercenary submarine captain who has many abilities and lots of connections in the underwater realm. You will explore underwater cities, strange life forms in the deep ocean, and interesting underwater landscapes. Flint's abilities will be instrumental in your survival as you encounter rogue human factions and the ancient creatures. You'll sneak into enemy territory with stealthy methods like drifting through enemy waters with your engine turned off. You'll also have to use your skills to dodge torpedoes, reefs, and tentacles in the more than 30 missions. You'll have an arsenal of more than 40 different vehicles, all with many upgrades and weapon types. The game offers several multiplayer modes such as cooperative and deathmatch for up to eight players on a LAN or the Internet.

AquaNox is one of the first games to be optimized for Nvidia's GeForce3 line of graphics cards. It is 70 percent complete and Fishtank Interactive is showing off the work in progress at E3. Massive Development hopes to have a playable demo of the game for visitors at the show. You will be able to challenge the ancient gods when the game is released in September 2001.