IGN writes: "It was around the time when I was frantically trying to defend an allied vessel against impossible odds that I realized Aqua just wasn't as fun as I thought it was going to be. Arriving on Xbox Live Arcade this week, this twin-stick arcade shooter puts you in control of a speedy little ship waging a war on the high seas. When I first started up Aqua, I thought it would be a fun arcade shooter, though not nearly as polished as games like Geometry Wars or the PlayStation Network hit Super Stardust HD. As it turns out, Aqua just isn't that fun at all. The game relies heavily on the worst gameplay types around (see: escort missions) and the odd difficulty spikes just don't seem to work in this very strange downloadable".
Three discounts on Xbox LIVE this week focus around the theme of water-heavy games. Gamers are gushing with joy.
The three titles receiving price reductions are Hydro Thunder: Hurricane, Aqua, and Hydrophobia Pure. The water-sport antics of Hydro Thunder have only received a 33% price reduction, down to 800 Microsoft Points, but both Aqua and Hydrophobia Pure are selling for 50% off at 400 MS Points.
Console Monster: Aqua is the latest action shooter title to be released on the Xbox Live Arcade. Developed by Games Distillery, a fairly new game developer for the Xbox Live Marketplace, Aqua follows the story of Captain Benjamin Grey of the Emperean Navy and his involvement in the Gothean war.
Cheatcc says, "At its best, Aqua is a lot of fun. With a lot of shooting and a little bit of strategy, players blast their way through a few hours' worth of water-based action, much the way they'd shoot through a modern first- or third-person shooter. But thanks to some gameplay and technical problems, some serious and some merely annoying, Aqua is not the Gears of War of the top-down "shmup.""
