Escape Velocity

"Fly around, trade, and destroy!"

Escape Velocity is most definitely in the top 25 mac games of all time, an very possibly in the top 10.

Story: 9/10

Escape Velocity is a space flight game with a simple premise, but lots of depth. You play as a simple pilot in the year 2252, where the earth has colonized most of the galaxy. However, due to harsh taxes and the like, fringe solar systems have begun to rebel, oddly enough calling themselves the rebels. Now, there are three types of alignments for planets, Confed, following the earth government; Rebel, against the Confederation in every way possible; and Independent Governments, who stand for no one but themselves. Space Pirates have also been sighted in asteroid fields, making the game even more interesting.

Gameplay: 10/10

As mentioned before, you play a simple pilot trying to make a living. The easiest way of doing this is to look in a high-tech mission computer, found in most spaceports. Missions range from simple passenger ferrying to dumping garbage to delivering emergency medical supplies. Many missions have strict time limits, creating an importance to prioritizing. Another good element of gameplay is the huge array of upgrades available for your ship, which range from simple laser cannons to Fake ID's. And I still haven't talked about the ships! Though your starting ship is only a puny carrier suitable for cargo shipping, many spaceports have shipyards where super huge, fast ships can be bought, for a price.

Graphics: 7/10

The graphics for this game are not stellar, but that is partly due to the fact that 90% of the game takes place in zoomed out space, and thus graphics are hard to come by.

Sound: 9/10

Most mac games have very bad sound, but Escape Velocity is an exception. By simply hitting an opponent with a missile, a realistic sounding explosion will take place, and if your ship begins to explode, alarm sounds will repeatedly take place until your shields repair themselves.

Replay Value: 10/10

There is a big event signaling the end of the game, but this takes hours and hours of play to reach. And, even if you finish this, you can play through the game again, maybe on a different side, or just continue your old game until your ship finally blows up, living as a simple trader carrying goods or a vicious space pirate annilihating everything coming your way.

Overall:10/10

This game is a great one for macintosh, with years and years of replay value, while still being moderately challenging throughout. A must have for every mac user.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 09/07/02, Updated 09/07/02