Æon Flux (video game)
Encyclopedia
Æon Flux is the video game adaptation
of the 2005 science fiction
film
of the same name
, with elements of the Æon Flux
cartoon series. The game was released on November 15, 2005 in North America
for the PlayStation 2
and Xbox
gaming consoles
.
's population except for one walled and protected city-state, Bregna. The city is ruled by the congress of scientists who discovered the vaccine
for the disease. When Æon Flux, the player character
and top operative in the underground "Monican" rebellion, is sent on a mission to kill a government leader (Trevor Goodchild
) she uncovers a world of secrets which make her doubt her mission and question everything she thought she knew.
The game's storyline attempts to bridge the gap between the TV series and the film and tries to explain various discrepancies, such as the appearance of the jungle outside Bregna and the differences between the movie and TV series versions of Trevor Goodchild
. However, much of the game's visuals and tone skew far more dramatically toward that of the film, supplimented by the fact that the look of Æon in the game is based almost entirely on Charlize Theron
's film version, and the character is also voiced by her.
. The game, which was loosely based on "The Demiurge" episode, was being developed by Cryo Interactive
and published by Viacom New Media. The game first made an appearance at E3 that same year, and commercial advertising was even included in the 1996 VHS
release of the animated series.
Viacom New Media would merge with Virgin Interactive
midway through the game's development. The merger would ultimately lead to the cancellation of Viacom's in-development games and subsequently leave Cryo without the rights to use the Æon Flux property. The game's assets weren't lost however, but were reworked into the 1997 title Pax Corpus, having been stripped of all copyrighted association with Æon Flux. Pax Corpus does retain many obvious similarities to the original animated series. Specifically, parts of the plot are similar to "The Demiurge," and many design details bear a striking resemblance to examples found in the show. A good example of this is that the female protagonist of the game wears a purple and black outfit not unlike Æon's.
, sometime around the year 2000, and was to be published by GT Interactive. It was using a then-current version of the Unreal Engine
, and appeared to be a 3D third-person action title similar to The Collective's previous title, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Fallen
. Again however, at some point during development, the game was cancelled and the project vanished.
was tasked with creating a game to tie-in with the film. The team was only given ten months to finish the game, a relatively short time for a non-sequel console game (especially in 2005), as it had to be out in time for the movie's theatrical premier. Still, Terminal Reality
rose to the task and managed to create a complete Æon Flux game in less than a year, due in part to the fact that the developer created much of the game using an engine they had already built for their previous title, Bloodrayne 2
, which cut down on development time dramatically. Nine years after the first ill-fated attempt and five years after the second, an Æon Flux game was finally completed and released to the market in November of 2005.
network's video game review show X-Play
featured a review of the Æon Flux movie-based video game. The segment featured X-Play co-host Morgan Webb
dressed in a black outfit and wig resembling the original Liquid Television
-style Æon Flux character. Performing from the perspective of Æon herself, Webb comments on portions of the game throughout its review; the review ends with Webb/Æon concluding that "I finally get my own video game after 15 years, and it gets 3 out of 5." — X-Play' s rating for an "average" game. Most media outlets agreed with Webb's assessment, and rated the game around the "average" to "pretty good" range, some of which are listed below.
Adaptation
An adaptation in biology is a trait with a current functional role in the life history of an organism that is maintained and evolved by means of natural selection. An adaptation refers to both the current state of being adapted and to the dynamic evolutionary process that leads to the adaptation....
of the 2005 science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
of the same name
Æon Flux (film)
New Zealander Graeme Revell composed the score for Æon Flux; the soundtrack is available via Varèse Sarabande as advertised on the film's official website -Comic book prequel:...
, with elements of the Æon Flux
Æon Flux
Æon Flux was originally an avant-garde science fiction animated television series that aired on MTV in various forms throughout the 1990s, with film, comic book, and video game adaptations following thereafter. It premiered in 1991 on MTV's Liquid Television experimental animation show as a...
cartoon series. The game was released on November 15, 2005 in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
gaming consoles
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
.
Plot summary
The game is set in the year 2415, after disease has wiped out the majority of the EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
's population except for one walled and protected city-state, Bregna. The city is ruled by the congress of scientists who discovered the vaccine
Vaccine
A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its toxins...
for the disease. When Æon Flux, the player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
and top operative in the underground "Monican" rebellion, is sent on a mission to kill a government leader (Trevor Goodchild
Trevor Goodchild
Trevor Goodchild is a fictional character featured in the 1990s animated television series, Æon Flux and the 2005 Æon Flux live action film. He is played by voice actor John Rafter Lee in the half-hour series...
) she uncovers a world of secrets which make her doubt her mission and question everything she thought she knew.
The game's storyline attempts to bridge the gap between the TV series and the film and tries to explain various discrepancies, such as the appearance of the jungle outside Bregna and the differences between the movie and TV series versions of Trevor Goodchild
Trevor Goodchild
Trevor Goodchild is a fictional character featured in the 1990s animated television series, Æon Flux and the 2005 Æon Flux live action film. He is played by voice actor John Rafter Lee in the half-hour series...
. However, much of the game's visuals and tone skew far more dramatically toward that of the film, supplimented by the fact that the look of Æon in the game is based almost entirely on Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules...
's film version, and the character is also voiced by her.
Development
This was not the first attempt at an Æon Flux-based video game; it was simply the first successful one. Disregarding a very short-lived effort by a now defunct start-up development studio, there were two other serious attempts at creating an Æon Flux video game prior to the 2005 release.Unfinished 1996 Game
A game based on the original animated series was announced on April 9, 1996 for the PlayStation and Windows 95Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
. The game, which was loosely based on "The Demiurge" episode, was being developed by Cryo Interactive
Cryo Interactive
Cryo Interactive Entertainment is a French video game development and publishing company founded in 1992, but existing unofficially since 1989 as a developer group under the name Cryo...
and published by Viacom New Media. The game first made an appearance at E3 that same year, and commercial advertising was even included in the 1996 VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
release of the animated series.
Viacom New Media would merge with Virgin Interactive
Virgin Interactive
Virgin Interactive was a British video game publisher. It was formed as Virgin Games Ltd. in 1981. The company became much larger after purchasing the budget label, Mastertronic in 1987. It was part of the Virgin Group...
midway through the game's development. The merger would ultimately lead to the cancellation of Viacom's in-development games and subsequently leave Cryo without the rights to use the Æon Flux property. The game's assets weren't lost however, but were reworked into the 1997 title Pax Corpus, having been stripped of all copyrighted association with Æon Flux. Pax Corpus does retain many obvious similarities to the original animated series. Specifically, parts of the plot are similar to "The Demiurge," and many design details bear a striking resemblance to examples found in the show. A good example of this is that the female protagonist of the game wears a purple and black outfit not unlike Æon's.
Unfinished 2000 Game
Another failed attempt would be made by The CollectiveThe Collective, Inc.
The Collective, Inc. was an American video game development company located in Newport Beach, California. The company has created several games based on movies and television shows since its founding in 1997.-History:...
, sometime around the year 2000, and was to be published by GT Interactive. It was using a then-current version of the Unreal Engine
Unreal Engine
The Unreal Engine is a game engine developed by Epic Games, first illustrated in the 1998 first-person shooter game Unreal. Although primarily developed for first-person shooters, it has been successfully used in a variety of other genres, including stealth, MMORPGs and RPGs...
, and appeared to be a 3D third-person action title similar to The Collective's previous title, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Fallen
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Fallen
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Fallen is a third person shooter game, the third video game based on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-Plot:...
. Again however, at some point during development, the game was cancelled and the project vanished.
Completed 2005 Game
In order to coincide with the release of the upcoming film, developer Terminal RealityTerminal Reality
Terminal Reality is a video game development and production company based in Lewisville, Texas. Founded in 1994 by ex-Microsoft employee Mark Randel and former Mallard Software general manager Brett Combs, Terminal Reality develops a variety of games including racing games , 3D action games , and...
was tasked with creating a game to tie-in with the film. The team was only given ten months to finish the game, a relatively short time for a non-sequel console game (especially in 2005), as it had to be out in time for the movie's theatrical premier. Still, Terminal Reality
Terminal Reality
Terminal Reality is a video game development and production company based in Lewisville, Texas. Founded in 1994 by ex-Microsoft employee Mark Randel and former Mallard Software general manager Brett Combs, Terminal Reality develops a variety of games including racing games , 3D action games , and...
rose to the task and managed to create a complete Æon Flux game in less than a year, due in part to the fact that the developer created much of the game using an engine they had already built for their previous title, Bloodrayne 2
BloodRayne 2
BloodRayne 2, developed by Terminal Reality, is a third-person horror-themed action-adventure video game and the second game in the BloodRayne series. It does not follow on directly from where BloodRayne finished; instead, it takes place 60 and 70 years later in a contemporary 2000s...
, which cut down on development time dramatically. Nine years after the first ill-fated attempt and five years after the second, an Æon Flux game was finally completed and released to the market in November of 2005.
Reception
In spite of being pereceived as a quick "cash-in" of a blockbuster movie, which was reinforced by its very short development time, the Æon Flux game actually garnered fairly respectable critical response. On January 31, 2006, the G4 televisionG4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
network's video game review show X-Play
X-Play
X-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
featured a review of the Æon Flux movie-based video game. The segment featured X-Play co-host Morgan Webb
Morgan Webb
Morgan Ailis Webb is a co-host and senior segment producer of the G4 show X-Play, and host of the show G4 Underground...
dressed in a black outfit and wig resembling the original Liquid Television
Liquid Television
Liquid Television is an Emmy Award–winning 1990s animation showcase that appeared on MTV. The first season of Liquid Television also aired on BBC Two in co-production with MTV. Ultimately, MTV commissioned three seasons of the show, which was produced by Colossal Pictures...
-style Æon Flux character. Performing from the perspective of Æon herself, Webb comments on portions of the game throughout its review; the review ends with Webb/Æon concluding that "I finally get my own video game after 15 years, and it gets 3 out of 5." — X-Play
Selected Review Scores
- GameProGameProGamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
- 3.5/5 - GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
- 7.2/10 (good) - IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
- 7.8/10 - UnderGroundOnline - C+
- X-Play - 3/5
External links
- Æon Flux (Xbox) at Rotten TomatoesRotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
- AeonFlux.Org chronicles the previous attempts, and includes early screenshots of both unreleased games.