Escape Velocity: Nova - a Review

Escape Velocity: Nova, also known as EV: Nova, is a game that was released for Mac and PC in 2002. It's the third in a line of games that started in 1996 with Escape Velocity, and was a game only for the Macintosh computer. Ambrosia Software developed all three games, with some help from ATMOS for EV: Nova.

EV: Nova is a single-player RPG/Space Adventure. It begins with you getting your very first spaceship, and a stranger approaching you to help you out - that's your tutorial to begin the game. You fly around the milky way updating your ships, meeting people, buying and selling trade goods, and avoiding getting blown up. You have the opportunity to get involved in six very different storyline, which bring you to new quests, new allies, and new worlds that will let you land. You can explore the far reaches of the galaxy, or take over worlds. It's fun to see the planets of our solar system used in the game; you can land on Earth, and our system is called the Sol system.

Gameplay might be a little difficult to get used to; like most older games, it involves using letter keys instead of the mouse, and that can be complicated. Printing a sheet of the commands might not be a bad idea. The controls also take some getting used to - remember, there's no gravity in space. It's extremely customizable as well, with paid users having the ability to create plug-ins and change how their game is played. There are plguins to play both Escape Velocity and the second game in the series, Escape Velocity: Override, inside EV:Nova, so you're really getting three games in one, too.

EV: Nova is available via download from Ambrosia's website. It is available for a free trial, though when your trial ends, a ship shows up, warns you that you haven't registered your game, and shoots you out of the galaxy. It's $30 to register the game, which gives you access to everything available, no monthly fee like many of the online games.

EV:Nova is compatible with Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. If you have a windows PC that still works, you can play EV:Nova. All you need is QuickTime 5.0, Direct X 7, and Pentium 400mhz or higher, 64MB RAM for Windows 95 or 98, 129 MB for Windows 2000 and up. It's also compatible with Windows Vista and 7. This is a perfect adventure game if you have a computer that doesn't handle things that are much newer very well.