"3rd Game in the Series, Three Times as Good as the rest"

In the beginning there was Escape Velocity. Soon came Escape Velocity Override. Now it is Nova's turn. Nova adds so much more to the series than Override did previously. There are many new engine features along with much more.

Firstly, what the first two lacked was different versions of ships. Nova has that, which makes things much more diverse. Now, you'll find several versions of simple cargo ships as well as warships with vastly different araments. Whereas EVC and EVO had maybe 70 ships at best, Nova has over 200 if you count all the variants. Unfortunately, there is no Azdara, which was on EVO. But there is a Thunderforge!

Also, the game has probably three times as many weapons and outfits. It would get old if 50 ships were armed the same way, wouldn't it?

Next, the graphics, while nowhere near the level of many of today's games, are far more improved and are still down right impressive, especially with the new effects such as weapon glows, smoke trails, running lights, and so forth. You'll simply stare when you encounter your first Polaris capital ships. You'll find yourself grabbing that Rebel Destroyer simply because it looks so good in green. You'll fly circles in your Vell-os Dart just to watch it glow.

Storylines are also great, better than on most games out there. It would be possible to add more to each storyline and sell them as books, they are just that good. But the galaxcy changes very little throughout the storylines, mostly due to the fact that there would not be enough resources in the game to support all the nessisary changes. Also, you find yourself at many of the same places over and over.

Sound effects are nice. Only one can get annoying: Bio-relay lasers. Other than that, they fit perfectly. Like the others, the game has an intro musical score. Unlike the other's it is longer than 30 seconds...much longer. It is also now in .mp3 format. There has been several occasions where I sat at the menu screen listening to it. It never seems to end...I think it loops.

Gameplay is virtually the same, only noticable difference is you start with a little more than twice the cash. Then again, everything costs alot more. It is very addicting and you may find yourself on longer than you expect. Nothing in the game is too difficult to figure out. You also do basically whatever you want. Want to become the god-like savior of the galaxcy? Want to dominate every planet? Want to quietly trade goods and dodge pirates? All possible, plus more!

The controls takes some getting used to for new players. If you never played EV before, you may be daunted by the sheer number of buttons. Soon you realize you really only need to know turn left, turn right, thrust, and fire, land, hyperjump, and open map. Sounds simple, but you use those more than ever. However, you are unlikely to survive without knowing several key controls. Luckily, you can customize them, so they are not an issue.

In terms of difficulty, there is a huge curve in comparison to the others for the start and end. The farther you go, the lower it goes. Unlike EVC and EVO, the game is not perfectly balanced. Atmos did this on purpose, but it makes the game easy. Unlike it's predessors, its far easier to take down that capital ship in a medium sized ship. However, this did add some flexibility to the game. No longer will you always be going for the slow warships. Now the smaller, faster ships are worth consideration.

Supported user expandability enhances gameplay all the more. You'll find things from minor additions, such as a new ship, or a weapon. Some add new missions and storylines. Others add amusing features to the game, such as weapons that spin endlessly. The greatest ones change the entire universe, making it a whole new game. A whole new free game, by the way. And, as the previous ones, Nova has plug makers who are basically perfectionists, making thier universes rival the stock one in size, number of storylines, and so forth.

Finally, the price of $30 is very cheap. You'll get far more than you money's worth from it. Of course, if you are worried about spending $30 up front, there is no worries, its shareware. You can try it for 30 days risk free, though some things are blocked. After 30 days more things are blocked and Ambrosia sends thier African Grey Parrot named Captain Hector to hunt you down and destroy you in a very amusing fashion.

It has dissapointments. The A.I. is easy to beat around and easily outsmarted. It is far too easy to make money on the game, turning the highest prices into pocket change. Also, over half of the galaxcy is wasted, having nothing of interest. Also, warships are too easily to destroy with a single small ship, while fighters are almost useless. However, none of this dents the greatness of the game and its easily overlooked...plus plugs can change much of it.

PROS

Supported user expandability
Great visuals
Great sounds
Absurdly high replay value
Low price
Overly high levels of flexibility and customization
Endless amounts of things to do
Fully customizable controls
30 day free trial

CONS

Too easy to make cash
Bad A.I.
Wasted half of galaxcy

Total Rating: 9.9

Since GameFAQs does not allow fractions, it is rounded to a 10.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/12/05