Battle Engine Aquila

Words can’t begin to describe the loyal following fans of Japanese anime have for stories involving powerful mechs fighting against the forces of evil in a futuristic setting world where things are looking pretty bleak for civilization.  And while this theme seems to have been done to death already, Battle Engine Aquila for the Xbox is still a thrilling mech ride.

The story revolves around Hawk, the character you play, who just happens to be the best (and fastest) forklift driver in a futuristic Earth-like planet called Allium.  In this world the polar ice caps have melted, leaving only a few areas of dry land as well as a few survivors (sounds suspiciously like a certain Hollywood bomb starring you know who).  The survivors formed factions--the Forseti (the good guys) and the Muspell (the bad guys)--that have been fighting over sections of dry land for years.  Yet despite a ceasefire, the Muspell’s plans to dominate the world have lead them to resort to dirty tactics and launches a massive strike against the Forseti.  As their only hope, the Forseti forces recruit Hawk and puts him behind the controls of their only powerful mech known as Aquila that can actually transform into a flying fighter.  Your job is to help the Forseti as war erupts before your very eyes.

The game takes you through a training mission in order for you to become accustomed to the controls.  As a first-person mech simulator, Aquila’s controls are actually very easy to manage.   In Walker Mode, the mech moves across the terrain easily and has the ability to dodge incoming missiles swiftly by double tapping the right thumbstick.  It also has powerful range weapons that can be shot rapidly (although the gun does heat up this way) or holding back the shot to be released as a powerful burst.  In Jet Mode, though, the controls are a lot trickier since the game turns into a flight/combat simulator that makes landings a bit awkward.  The only let down about Jet Mode is that the Battle Engine runs on energy and the energy used during flight is limited so if you’re fighting high above and the energy is depleted, be prepared to drop out of the sky.

There are missions aplenty here and are directly tied to the story, which you will see by all the cut scenes featured in the game.  The game has a total of forty-three missions (and that’s not including the Evo Missions that are just variations of the normal missions and the two-player multiplayer games) that span through eight episodes.  The missions have primary and secondary objectives that have you defending Forseti bases as well as carrier ships trying to make it to their destination.  You are also sent to attack enemy ships and keep them from landing or join your allies as they fight back wave after wave of enemy tanks, jets and even squads of foot soldiers.  Completing the objectives allows you to move on to the next level of each episode.

The game does make good use of the mech transformation feature and you’ll know exactly what situation calls for Walker Mode and what calls for Jet Mode.  Certain characters will communicate with you and tell you where you need to be.  Then again the Battle Line Indicator shows you where on the map the enemy is so you can come up with your own battle strategy . . . just as long as you don’t forget the primary objectives, which is something that’s very easy to do in this game.

Visually, Battle Engine Aquila is great looking in some places and not-so great in others.  For example, the backgrounds found in this game are amazingly rich in details and even the sky looks wonderful from up in the sky or down on the ground.  Then again, the textures found in the ground, especially the grassy plains that looked amazing from far away, are actually flat and weak looking.  Still the explosions are something else to look at and even more so when it’s an enemy structure you just blew into pieces. 

You might expect a game that piles on enemies and fiery explosions to sound spectacular and--surprise--it does.   Weapon fire can be heard throughout the battlefield and when you damage enemy vehicles, they explode phenomenally and shattering into metallic debris.  When a missile is heading toward you from above, it really does sound like it’s coming from up above.  The voice acting is decent and the dialogue is delivered without being cheesy in any way.  The game’s score is also outstanding, although sometimes absent.

Battle Engine Aquila has its share of weak spots here and there, but its action-packed levels and nifty extras will keep mech fans more than happy.  If you enjoy a solid first-person, arcade-styled mech shooter, then this is definitely the game to buy.  And while there’s no Xbox Live support, the multiplayer fun has enough split-screen action for you and a friend.  Not bad at all, huh? 

 
Gameplay: 8.2
Having played both Robotech: Battlecry and Gun Metal, the controls in this game just feel a lot more solid and thankfully this gives gamers the opportunity to concentrate on the action rather than making heads or tails of complex controls.  While this game is purely an action-packed shooter, strategy is the main focus so you’ll find yourself moving from Walker Mode to Jet Mode fairly often.

The mission objects also don’t pile on one after another, but it is still easy to lose track of what you were asked to do since it’s fun just destroying tanks and killing foot soldiers by the dozens with a single burst blast.  Many of the objectives require you to give your fellow troopers a hand in fighting back the Muspell and there are even times when you are given a wingman to help you out.

Graphics: 7.2
Battle Engine Aquila has a lot of things going for it in the graphics department.  For one thing, the backgrounds are alive with details such a trees you can knock down just by walking over them or the sky with its amazing sunsets.   It’s astonishing to see enemy carriers land and drop off tanks and dozens of infantrymen that march across the field to join the massive battle.  Then again, up close, even that impressive communication tower looks awfully pixilated.

The game is also packed with animated cut-scenes, most of them looking pretty decent but not really impressive either.  The special effects, though, make up for this by showcasing some really awesome explosions that pack quite an impact.

Sound: 7.8
The game’s sound also does a great job of displaying some great special effects noises such as explosions and the sound of your own weapons.  Enemy tanks and structures explode loudly and rain down nicely.  If you have a good sound system hooked up to your console turn the volume up; you’ll love the Dolby Digital sound in this game.

Still, the game doesn’t feature a soundtrack that is present throughout the action sequences.  The score that is there is done right and it compliments the good voice acting.  Thankfully the characters’ dialogue doesn’t sound forced in anyway and, despite the accents, is never cheesy.  Although the use of accents does raise a question: Why does everyone sound like they come from England and Texas?

Difficulty: Medium
The powerful enemy AI makes the game something of a real challenge, especially when the enemy forces decide to launch an assault on Forseti bases.  This is also a game where you have to watch your ammo gauge so you can’t really get too trigger-happy.  You also have to watch you Battle Engine’s energy gauge, especially if the energy depletes over a body of water--water, for some reason, means instant death for you and your mech.

Concept: 8.0
This is certainly a first-person mech shooter that is done right and while the story and objectives aren’t anything new, it still manages to be quite entertaining.  It also adds a number of extras that you get to unlock including the Evo Missions that become available when you complete a level’s secondary objective.  The Evo Missions are basically the same level only “evolved” to the point that they add an altogether new challenge.  The many secrets found in the game are also worthy of gamers’ attention as well.

Multiplayer: 8.0
Thankfully the game’s designers realized that this is the type of game that would benefit from some multiplayer levels and sure enough the game offers some great split-screen multiplayer fun for two players.  You can play against a friend in Skirmish mode where a friend can join the Forseti forces while the other takes up with the Muspell.  There’s also Versus mode, which is basically one-on-one combat in a tournament arena in a fight to the death.  Or you can play a co-op game in Cooperative mode where you and a friend can team up and go up against the Muspell forces.  My only gripe is that there is no Xbox Live support for this game--it truly would have put this game over the top.

Overall: 8.2
Despite some rough spots in the gameplay, there is no denying the fact that this is a fun and addictive action game that will keep you (and even a friend) busy for awhile.  And while the game isn’t completely innovative--in fact, you’ll feel as if you played this game before--this is one of the most solid and entertaining mech games out there.