E3 2005: Level Up
Akella Sets Sail
Product: Akella Roundup
Company: Akella
Date: 05/20/2005
Avaliable On:

Akella is thoroughly proud of their water rendering engine, and now that they are free of their prior publishers they have plenty of time to have fun with it. Every game but one in their lineup this year utilizes the water emulating technology.

Age of Pirates is finally close to completion the way it was originally intended. Players can take control of one of two pirate captains: Blaze or Beatrice. With these two swashbucklers you can plunder the Caribbean or work for one of the four countries that has colonies there. Sea Dogs fans will finally get to taste the salty air once more when this game launches later this year.

Another pirate game, Captain Blood, takes a more action oriented approach to high seas pirating. Slated for release on the Xbox and PC early next year, this game lets you control the infamous Captain Blood as he plunders the Caribbean. The story is based on Rafael Sabatini?s book Captain Blood: His Odyssey, and looks to pack about as much pirating action as any other game out there.

Swashbucklers: Blue and Grey is another pirate game, this time set during the last throes of piratedom: the American Civil War. As a pirate for the south, you are given orders to blockade ports against the north. However, the story line is open ended, and you can complete side quests and other agendas in order to reach a very different ending to the story.

Jumping into the future, Akella is trying its hand at a post apocalyptic bike game that resembles a cross between Mad Max and Road Rage. With both action and RPG elements, players will traverse the barren lands of Nevada, fighting and biking their way to victory. The release date for Rage Rider has yet to be announced, but it is scheduled to launch on the PS2 and PC.

Akella may be mostly on its own now, but they are handling their newfound freedom with style. There isn?t another company yet that has matched the naval prowess that Akella shows over and over again in its titles. The next year is going to be a good one for the high seas.

Snow Chainz aka Andrew Horwitz

GameVortex PSIllustrated TeamPS2