Escape Velocity

"(sigh)...it's only for mac."

Long ago, before I got my PC, I had an old macintosh with Mac OS 7.5.3. I grew tired of my Mac, because it didn't have so many games. It did had some, but nothing compared to the PC. However, there was this game, Escape Velocity, a space exploration/trading/combat game. In EV, you assume the role of a pilot in a futuristic universe. You start out with a shuttle, but you can get many new ships, including trading ships and combat ships. Now, let's make a detailed analysis of the game.

GAMEPLAY: 10/10

Perfect. Open ended, you can be whatever you want in this game. If you want to get an invincible and extremely powerful ship, you can try to do it. If you want to do multiple missions and follow a storyline, you can! If you just want to be a peaceful merchant, why not? Or, you can be a deranged pirate who shoots at everything on sight. You can even dominate a planet is you are VERY powerful! You can hire an escort, you have many weapons available, as well as other types of equipment. You can ally yourself with either the Confederation or the Rebellion or anoother, lesser faction. Or you can be enemy with everyone. Or you can just be a neutral wanderer who tries to sell goods while avoiding pirates. You have total freedom in this game, and the world is big too! Plus, you can download many plugins to furthermore enhance the already formidable gameplay experience, adding new ships and weapons and making the world even bigger! Definitly a great gameplay that you won't find it many games.

AUDIO: 10/10

There is no music in this game, but the sounds effects are well done. There are sounds for pretty much anything, including explosions, shooting with a weapon and more. They really fit for a space game, so they are pretty well done!

GRAPHICS: 10/10

Remember that the game was made a few years ago, so the graphics are somewhat outdated. Still, they were pretty good for their time, each ships having a different and very good design. Of course, they aren't as good as the new ones in the newer Escape Velocity Games, such as EV Nova, but they are still nice. They deserves a 10, considering they were made a few years ago.

CHALLENGE: 10/10

This game can be easy or difficult depending on how you choose to play it. Defeating powerful enemies can be very difficult, as you have to maneuver your ship trough hordes of enemies that shoots homing missiles at you. And the ships you can buy aren't as good as the Confederation or Rebellion ships, so to get a very powerful ship, you must try to steal ships from the rebellion or confederation. Of course, that's not easy, and this is why this game can be hard. However, you can be a simple trader, which can give you an easier gaming experience without taking out the fun, but requires a little more planning. Just be prepared in case pirates attacks you! Overall, you will never find this game easy, and you will always have fun! If you've done everything, you can try conquering all the planets in the game. It is unlikely that you will succeed, even with a very powerful ship, but if you are very skilled, you may able to do it! Good luck!

FINAL SCORE: 10/10

This game deserves a final score of 10. Everything is excellent in this game. You have the freedom, the great gameplay, and a great mix of sounds and graphics to make it more enjoyable. Definitly a game you should play!

BUY OR RENT: If you have a Mac, try it. It's shareware, but the price is worth it. and if you have a PC, try running it on a Macintosh emulator. Unlike console emulators, you can actually LEGALLY setup Escape Velocity to work on your PC, because Apple allow you to download Mac OS 7.5.5 for free. It's an old version, but it's all you need to play Escape Velocity. So, once you get the emulator, download the game, try it, and register it if you like it!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/28/03