Please login to submit a screenshot

"An Average Game, but Campy Fun"

Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis is essentially an underwater version of another Xbox game, Superman: The Man of Steel. As in that title, you fly (or in this case, swim) around large open environments and engage small groups of enemies. Some of the levels attempt to vary this task by including civilians to rescue, buildings to protect, or bombs to destroy, but for the most part, you're just hunting down the bad guys. In a way, this makes the game a 3D equivalent of the kind of side-scrolling beat-em-ups which used to dominate the old 8 and 16-bit systems.

The story begins with Aquaman's advisor warning of a looming threat to the undersea kingdom of Atlantis. Aquaman prepares to meet the coming storm, but soon begins to suspect a greater conspiracy at work behind the invasion. Meanwhile, our first clue that something is screwy in Atlantis occurs as soon as the cutscene begins to play.

Instead of an animated sequence, the action is storyboarded ala comicbook panels. Fair enough, considering the source material. However, instead of artwork, the panels are still frames (which appear to have begun life as an animated sequence) with thought balloons added to provide the dialogue. This lowbudget approach actually lends the game a kind of goofy charm, and ironically is probably better than if they'd actually included the animation. There's a certain B movie quality to seeing a still of a city under attack with ''BLAM!'' superimposed on it; or, my personal favorite, a giant sea monster devouring a submarine beside a large ''CHOMP!'' Best of all are the sequences in which no text is present, and you sit watching still images of building exteriors.

Once the game begins, it's fairly obvious that the programmers decided to use the murky undersea setting to their graphical advantage. The sunken cities lack any great detail, although it is a nice touch to watch passing aquatic life or submarines blur as they disappear into the depths. The real problem with the levels is the lack of diversity. Since the game takes place entirely underwater, more variety would've definitely kept the levels from seeming quite so bland and repetitive.

The game's controls are easily learned and help keep the battle for justice from becoming an exercise in frustration, unlike notorious superhero games such as Superman 64 or Batman: Dark Tomorrow. This is fortunate, as Aquaman has a full range of motion and about two dozen combos, all of which you will end up employing to keep things interesting before it's over. As you progress into the game, you unlock more advanced combos and a couple of these provide a noticeable exception to the smooth controls. These combos actually require you to enter a 10 (and reportedly 12!) button sequence to pull off the move. After giving these a try once or twice, you'll swear the programmers just included them to see if anyone would attempt them. Thankfully, the coolest-looking moves are among the easiest to execute.

In addition to the combos, Aquaman can call upon other sea life to come to his aid. There's just nothing like zapping an opponent with telepathic rays, then watching as a dolphin or hammerhead shark swims into the foe to carry him off.

The end result is an average game that definitely lacks polish, but does have its moments of cheesy fun- from the hokey cutscenes to the sight of Aquaman surrounded by a school of mermen from the Black Lagoon. Fans should easily be able to justify the retail price of $19.99, and will likely find enough incentive here to work on unlocking a few of the bonus characters: Classic Aquaman, Tempest, and Black Manta.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 08/13/03