Looking for a a good space-shooter/strategy game? Try EV Nova and you won't be disapointed.

User Rating: 9 | Escape Velocity Nova PC
By Reuce | Review Date:
The Escape Velocity series has never gotten very much attention from the PC gaming community because it's developer, Ambrosia Software, is a Macintosh-based shareware company, what this means is if your on Windows like most people, many of their games won't run on your computer. However, the latest sequel to the Escape Velocity series has been ported to the PC and is downloadable from their website as shareware. Perhaps the best thing about the Nova port is that you can download ports of the two orginal games that work on the Nova game engine, put a few files into specific folders, and viola! You have the two originals- even with enhanced graphics!

The Gameplay in EV Nova is excellent. The controlls are smooth and easy to learn, and are changable from the main menu. Flying around and engaging in space combat has never been easier. The action is seen from a tilted top-down perspective. What you can do in Nova is limitless, you can be a "Trader", and buy low, and sell high. You can host premier charter flights on your own space liner, while you ferry passengers from one planet to another. The true heart of Nova lies in the fighting though. On planets you can recieve missions through pubs and bars and the mission BBS screen. In the outfitters on various planets you can pick up a variety of high-tech weapons armor and gadgets that give you an edge in space warfare. Will you go for the fast, nimble figher craft? Or the big, slow freighter? Or maybe the Capital carrier ship? The combinations are endless, In EV Nova, your the captain.

The graphics are excellent, planets look very realistic and ships glow and engines turn on and off and the ship moves and turns. Some ships are specific animations when they use certain weapons, making the whole experience much more realistic.

EV Nova has a myriad of various sound effects and soundtracks that add to the whole space theme. You ship has warning klaxons and beeping noises, missles make noices, and of course when a ship is about to bite the dust it makes a realistic explosion.

All in all, EV Nova is a game that anyone interested in space-shooter/strategy games should pick up. With so many missions and different storypaths, theres always something more to find, some new strategy to use, some new ship to unlock. The EV Nova engine is highly moddable, and it's easy- and highly encouraged, for players to take on the task of making "plug-ins" which add to the original game by adding new weapons, ships, and storylines made entirely by the player.

In conclusion, if your looking for a good computer game, deffently pick this up, you won't regret it- I sure didn't.

Other Helpful Reviews for Escape Velocity Nova

  • Rating:9.8

    By Firefox3050 | Review Date: Aug 21, 2004 | PC

    If this game had been free, I would become a Communist. Luckily, Ambrosia does charge a financial fee for this work. And a good thing too or I would have lost all faith in Capitalism and set up free stores across the n... Read Full Review

    9 of 11 users found the following review helpful
  • Rating:8.7

    A classic, based on a classic. A bit pricey, perhaps, but worth it; read on...

    By SOCOM-DELTA | Review Date: Jan 23, 2006 | PC

    I first heard of my friends playing this open-ended, top-down space combat scroller years ago; they were playing the original Escape Velocity on MAC (circa 1995), and the ideas behind this game - choose your alignment, y... Read Full Review

    3 of 3 users found the following review helpful
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