Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis

Aquaman is a classic case of a game that's come to the party with too little, too late. Trying to ride the wave of comic reincarnations is admirable, but the developers needed to come up with something either original or addictive to compensate for not being first to the party. As it stands, Aquaman tries an awful lot to be like Spider-Man, but it doesn't have enough gameplay, graphical or audio punch to stand on its own two feet. And not just because most Atlanteans are mermen.

Aquaman is a classic case of a game that's come to the party with too little, too late. Trying to ride the wave of comic reincarnations is admirable, but the developers needed to come up with something either original or addictive to compensate for not being first to the party. As it stands, Aquaman tries an awful lot to be like Spider-Man, but it doesn't have enough gameplay, graphical or audio punch to stand on its own two feet. And not just because most Atlanteans are mermen.

Let’s face it, Aquaman isn’t exactly the most beloved superhero in the DC comics’ universe. In the long line of superheroes that range from Batman to Superman, he’s the hero who is called upon when the forces of evil decide to take to the ocean. Yet comic book fans have to admit that when it comes to battling underwater, no costumed hero comes close to Aquaman. Now, Aquaman: Battle of Atlantis for the Xbox puts you in the role of the champion of the deep blue sea in his own adventure that will either prove that the battling mariner can be as cool as a shark or as dull as, well, tuna.

Overall, this is a very poor effort by TDK. Subpar graphics and sound and repetitive gameplay add up to a game that is refreshingly only 21 levels long, with each level taking no more than ten minutes, if that. Still, I doubt you’ll stay interested long enough even to get through that. If you do, your reward is more characters to play through this repetitive game with. I would caution against buying this game at all. If you are a diehard Aquaman fan, though, you may get a little fun out of it.

Overall, this is a very poor effort by TDK. Subpar graphics and sound and repetitive gameplay add up to a game that is refreshingly only 21 levels long, with each level taking no more than ten minutes, if that. Still, I doubt you'll stay interested long enough even to get through that. If you do, your reward is more characters to play through this repetitive game with. I would caution against buying this game at all. If you are a diehard Aquaman fan, though, you may get a little fun out of it.

When you start with a game license that features a superhero best known to most twenty and thirty-somethings as "the guy who called the whales" on the 70's cartoon The Superfriends, the warnings sound early on the potential bad game meter. This incarnation of Aquaman is based on current DC Comics mythology rather than the slightly effeminate version of the character seen on TV (weren't all the Superfriends effeminate?) so he looks tougher. Unfortunately his toughness only means he's going to be pummeling similar foes over and over again in a monotonous game that bears his name.

There are two truths that separate Aquaman from, say, Spider-Man. The first is that people actually like Spider-Man. He's popular. People read and enjoy Spidey comic books and they also flock to the theaters to see him in blockbuster feature films. Aquaman, well -- he wears flamboyant tights and can swim. The second glaring difference is that Activision's videogames based on Spider-Man are well-made. Oppositely, Aquaman's new console videogame adventure is -- like the underwater King himself -- a huge letdown.

When you start with a game license that features a superhero best known to most twenty and thirty-somethings as "the guy who called the whales" on the 70's cartoon The Superfriends, the warnings sound early on the potential bad game meter. This incarnation of Aquaman is based on current DC Comics mythology rather than the slightly effeminate version of the character seen on TV (weren't all the Superfriends effeminate?) so he looks tougher. Unfortunately his toughness only means he's going to be pummeling similar foes over and over again in a monotonous game that bears his name.

I will say one thing about TDK and Aquaman: The comic book character is unbearably pitiful and TDK managed to translate that perfectly into a just-as-pitiful game. Lucky Games is a no-name license, and TDK should hang up video gaming and stick to manufacturing blank audio and VHS cassettes like before. And don’t let that twenty-dollar price tag entice you; Aquaman is nowhere near worth it. Let’s face it: there isn’t a single inkling of coolness in Aquaman, so this was basically a wasted effort.

It's sad, really. Aquaman has always deserved better. He gets no respect in the comics, gets passed over in the Justice League cartoons and now he's been trashed on in the world of video gaming. The gamplay is old and unoriginal, the graphics are decent, the sound is horrible and the game itself is a real waste. Unless you're a diehard Aquaman fan, swim far away from this undersea beast.

Just imagine if this was actually the best game developers could come up with these days. Snap out of your visions because Aquaman’s debut has been far from surreal; I have the mental scars to prove it. To those devoted fans of the beloved Aquaman, this game will probably make you want to swim with the fishes. Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis is a pathetic example of rushed development, and no one should be forced to witness the results. Sadly enough, Aquaman’s first shot at videogame stardom would have been more appropriate on another console five years ago.

Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis is the kind of game that happens when a developer has a license and not much else. The game itself has only the bare minimum requirements necessary to technically be called a game, and even these components are an ugly mess. Even the most hard-core Aquaman devotees will likely find little use for this short, shallow, problematic ramshackle game.

Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis is the kind of game that happens when a developer has a license and not much else. The game itself has only the bare minimum requirements necessary to technically be called a game, and even these components are an ugly mess. Even the most hard-core Aquaman devotees will likely find little use for this short, shallow, problematic ramshackle game.

God help me, but here’s a sentence I never dreamed I’d write: The best part of this game is the main character’s hair. Seriously, Fish Boy’s locks really do flow in the water. It’s pretty neat. Too bad everything else sucks so much. Basically, you swim around until you find a group of bad guys and engage in some extremely weak combat. Repeat ad naseum. Oh, and you also do some poor space-shooter action in a submarine. I’d say it was as horrible as the N64 Superman atrocity, but since Aquaman has always been a lame character, having a crappy game is at least conceptually sound, given the subject matter. Somehow, the universe would cease to make sense in some profound way if an Aquaman title were actually any good. In any case, you’re probably not even reading this, and I can’t say that I blame you.

First of all, I’d like to give Aquaman props for not being the worst game of all time – so it is better than expected. As you can probably imagine, the concept of an underwater fighting game didn’t exactly work out as planned. Call me crazy, but punching an enemy while doing the doggy paddle doesn’t exactly generate a whole lot of excitement. Admittedly, though, it’s next to impossible to do this comic book justice. Talking to fish and playing "hide the sardine" with Lagoon Boy and Aqualad probably wouldn’t go over too well with gamers. When it comes to the digital world, Aquaman isn’t the king of the sea. He’s a turd in a pool.

Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis is a game that probably should have never been made and certainly not released, at least in its current state. There are plenty of more deserving (and interesting) superheroes out there just waiting for their own videogame. If you see this game on a store shelf, swim, don’t dog paddle, as fast as you can in the opposite direction.

With overly simplistic gameplay and lackluster presentation, Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis just isn’t the game to bring widespread recognition to the King of Atlantis. An extra 6 months of polish and raising the price $5 would have done this game a world of good.

The first thing one must ask himself as they stare at the Aquaman box on the shelf at their local retailer is "Did the world really need an Aquaman game?" Long considered one of the lamest superheroes ever, Aquaman was saddled with the hilariously weak ability to talk to fish for a superpower, and the crushingly large duty of patrolling every underwater area of the planet, about 70% of the Earth's surface. So the answer is no, the world doesn't really need an Aquaman game. Unfortunately, we have one, and it's a stinker.