"Pure Space Exploration Bliss"

Intro
Escape Velocity,hereafter referred to as EV, is the first in the EV trilogy by Ambrosia Software. It is best classified as a strategy game, but 30 minutes and a Macintosh computer will have you convinced that it is it's own genre.

Gameplay
The only way to describe how good the gameplay is is to take your five most pleasurable activities and combine them, the result will be EV's gameplay. Whether it be taking on a massive fleet in your lowly fighter, to squabbling over the price of metal on Helios, this game is the best there is.

Graphics/Sound
The graphics were state of the art at the time of it's release, but time has seen many advancements. If you won't play a game that doesn't have good graphics, your not a gamer. I'm not trying to insult anyone, but even if it were only five pixels a sprite this game would still be as good, just not as pleasing to the eye. The ship designs are awesome to say the least and you really must see them all. As far as sound goes it's also top notch, ever laser blast and every explosion is a joy to hear. While the alarm that sounds when you get blown up will send a chill down your spine every time.

Replay Value
It has been widely debated if this game truly does have infinite replay value, and after months of pools and gamer tests, everyone who plays agrees that there are an infinite number of things to do. And the best part is you never have to start a new game to get more replay out of it, there is always something else to do, another planet to conquer, another credit to make, another pirate to kill. It truly never ends.

Overall/Buy or Rent
This is one of gaming's best offerings and it should not be missed! It has something for everyone and there is almost no limit to the challenges. I have to say buy because there is no rent, this game is a download from Ambrosia's homepage, www.ambrosiaSW.com. It is a shareware however, so if you don't have the means to buy and you have a Mac, at least download it and try it out for a while, the demo is the same as the full version except you can't get as far into it, it'll be limited to 25% but that 25% is still better than a lot of other games out there.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/10/04