Metacritic Games

Battle Engine Aquila (Xbox)

An epic battle rages between the Forseti and the Muspell as the oceans rise and land disappears. The Forseti compel you to help protect their remaining land by taking charge of the ultimate war machine - the Battle Engine. Whether in walking or in flying mode, you have access to an array of destructive weapons and you receive constant direction from base command. By commanding a device so powerful and advanced, your battlefield decisions will shape the direction of each engagement and, ultimately, the entire war. [Infogrames]

Infogrames
Action
Players: 2
T (Teen)
Developer: Lost Toys
Released January 21, 2003

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

76 / 100

Critic Reviews

90 Gamezilla!
Aquila has an intuitive interface that keeps you heading toward the enemy, blazing away. With four different craft configurations and a variety of weapons with which to fight the enemy, there’s plenty to blaze away with.
90 Gamer's Pulse
The most notable feature of Battle Engine Aquila is the outstanding computer AI.
90 GameReviewer
An excellent game that successfully combines a unique blend of vehicular combat and stunning graphics to create one of the most exciting FPS Xbox experiences thus far.
85 GamerWeb Xbox
The control scheme can be a bit difficult to get used to at first, but thanks to Battle Engine Aquila's instructive tutorial, the whole becomes extremely easy, extremely fast.
83 Armchair Empire
Like the Wicked Witch of the West, the battle engine dissolves (i.e. explodes) when immersed in water.
83 Official Xbox Magazine
Speaking of action, there's a metric ton of it. You're constantly thrown into massive battles that look straight out of an RTS. [Feb 2003, p.72]
82 GameZone
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.
80 Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)
Sure, you may probably have played other first-person shoot-'em-ups of this kind before, but this one has a razor sharp edge. Definitely one to get if you're looking to crush armies and blow stuff up. [XGamer]
80 Eurogamer
The freeform nature of many missions means that they can be replayed over and over again in search of higher rankings without becoming dull. Fans of action games will love it immediately.
80 Cheat Code Central
Mech, FPS and RTS fans must check this game out.
80 eToychest
Everything about the game's gameplay is entertaining.
80 GameCritics
The introduction of a new type of weapon to a military organization really hit home with me and probably added to the allure of this game.
80 IGN
An addicting game... But while the battles got bigger and tougher in Aquila, I never really felt like my gameplay or tactics mattered as much as they were supposed to.
80 Yahoo! Games
Those last few major battles will only take five years from your life from battlefield stress syndrome. Six, tops.
80 GamePro
Aquila isn’t a must-play game, and many gamers can probably get their fix with a rental. But if your trigger finger’s itching for some challenging combat, it’s worth a tour of duty.
79 GameSpy
An inventive and intense war game that offers unique aesthetics and compelling gameplay.
76 Gamer.tv
Ultimately this isn't quite polished, inspired, or exciting enough to appear in the top echelon of Xbox titles. Mech-fans are unlikely to be disappointed, however.
75 GameNow
It's all about the weapons... And they're all pretty rad. [Feb 2003, p.48]
75 Electronic Gaming Monthly
The action is hectic, and more importantly, every unit on the battlefield enacts its role very effectively, from the largest artillery carrier to the lowliest ground troop. [Feb 2003, p.147]
75 Game Revolution
In a genre full of stinkers and throwaways, the care the developers put into making this game special is notable. While it won't change your life, it's a suitable distraction.
70 Game Informer
To say that I was bored while playing this game would be accurate... The quintessential throw-away game. [Feb 2003, p.102]
70 TotalGames.net
It is hectic fun that's packed with (largely mindless) violence... It soon gets repetitive though with most missions involving similar enemies and following a similar structure. It is a good blast however.
70 Xbox Nation Magazine
A nice balance of action and strategy, as well as a remarkable technical achievement. [Feb/Mar 2003, p.78]
67 GameSpot
It does give fans of the genre something new to try, though many will surely feel as though they've played this game before.
67 Gaming Age
There are plenty of objectives to complete and items to unlock, but ultimately the action can get a little repetitive and stale.
60 G4 TV
Just misses a top-shelf rating due to some nitpicky decision-making routines.
60 Gamestyle
While the overall idea is innovative, the gameplay itself isn’t. However, there are a lot of missions to get through - 26 standard missions and 16 branching ones - so you won’t be finishing this in a weekend.
60 GMR Magazine
What it lacks in substance, it makes up for in brilliance, and while we're averse to rewarding style over substance, in this case, we can't really deny the game's addictive appeal. [Feb 2003, p.73]

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