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imitchellg5 · Jan 2, 2010, 09:31 PM

App Name - N.O.V.A. - Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance
Price - $6.99
Version - 1.1.0
Age - 12+
Link - App:iTunes Store Developer: N.O.V.A. - Sci-Fi FPS Game for iPhone/iPod Touch, Top First-Person Shooter, NOVA
Compatible with - Any iPhone or iPod touch
Review - As a Halo fan, I was immediately interested in N.O.V.A. after Gameloft's demo of the app during the iPod event last September. I was looking forward to playing it, but not paying the $6.99 price tag. Happily, I'm able to report that it's well worth the price; it's the only app that I'd even pay $10 for.

Gameplay - The gameplay really is quite fantastic. The action is good and never gets old. There is a somewhat surprising amount of blood involved, for a mobile game especially. Concerned parents might wanna take a close look at this before letting their children under the age of 12 play it. The levels are fairly long, generally about 10-12 minutes in time length, at least for me. That's the only downside to this game; it's kind of hard to sit down and play for a couple minutes at a time. For that reason, I give it:

Performance and Graphics - When I first bought the app, I transferred it to my 3G iPod touch. I was stunned not only the level of detail, but also the super-smooth performance. At first I attributed this to the powerful processor inside the 3G touch, but I was even more stunned when I installed N.O.V.A. on my 1G iPod touch. Sure, load times were a good amount longer, but once the game was loaded, performance was still quite good. The frame rate dropped a bit, but it honestly wasn't that noticeable. I feel as the performance was a very conscious part of Gameloft's development of N.O.V.A. These days, there are some applications popping up that say they won't be very much useable on anything less than a 3GS or 2G touch, which seems to be a sign of laziness on the developer's part. Additionally, the graphics are very good. Lighting effects especially are good for an iPhone app so far, very reminiscent of Halo actually. For this, I give it:

Value - I rarely spend much money on apps, in fact, I've only spent $28 since the App Store began on applications. However, I found that N.O.V.A. was very much worth the asking price, especially since I got about 8 hours of gameplay total. There are more than a few games on the App Store that are both $9.99 and provide only an hour or two of fun, and then the party's over. Not so here, especially if it ever goes on sale.

Overall - I really enjoyed playing through N.O.V.A. It's a very enjoyable game, at a reasonable price. I'd quickly recommend it to anyone who loves a good action game. For this, I think it's worthy of a full 5 star rating.

Phileas · Jan 3, 2010, 12:49 AM

Great review, thanks for sharing.

cgc · Jan 3, 2010, 11:45 AM

What's your affiliation with the developer?

imitchellg5 · 01:31 PM

Affiliation? I have no affiliation with Gameloft. This is the only app of theirs that I have.

cgc · Jan 3, 2010, 01:59 PM

Originally Posted by imitchellg5

Affiliation? I have no affiliation with Gameloft. This is the only app of theirs that I have.

That's what they always say

So you went out of your way to write a long review out of the goodness of your heart? No ulterior motive? Amazing.

imitchellg5 · Jan 3, 2010, 02:37 PM

Like I said in the review, I don't spend much money on apps, so when I find one that I really enjoy, I feel like it should be recognized. There are so many crap apps in the App Store that it's a pain to find anything enjoyable, especially games.

That being said, I do have an ulterior motive. I hope that others will see this review and maybe post a review of an app that they think is really good too. So far I think I'm the only one who writes reviews (I did one for Tweetie 2 as well).

Phileas · Jan 3, 2010, 04:42 PM

Originally Posted by cgc

That's what they always say

So you went out of your way to write a long review out of the goodness of your heart? No ulterior motive? Amazing.

Wtf dude? Have you ever been on amazon and seen the in-depth reviews there? You're being incredibly rude, for no good reason.

cgc · Jan 3, 2010, 05:02 PM

Originally Posted by Phileas

Wtf dude? Have you ever been on amazon and seen the in-depth reviews there? You're being incredibly rude, for no good reason.

My reason is simple: I am dubious of postings such as yours, especially in today's era of inflated app store ratings and spam within forums and elsewhere.

I think Amazon is a little different since it's a place people go to buy things...you'd hope for reviews posted there. In a Forum such as this, I bet you can count the legit reviews on one hand. I didn't intend to upset anyone but it seems you are overly sensitive to questions. I apologize, but I remain wary. A shame they don't offer trials of apps though...

Spheric Harlot · Jan 3, 2010, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by cgc

My reason is simple: I am dubious of postings such as yours, especially in today's era of inflated app store ratings and spam within forums and elsewhere.

I think Amazon is a little different since it's a place people go to buy things...you'd hope for reviews posted there. In a Forum such as this, I bet you can count the legit reviews on one hand. I didn't intend to upset anyone but it seems you are overly sensitive to questions. I apologize, but I remain wary. A shame they don't offer trials of apps though...

I think your tone might have been appropriate towards someone who hasn't been a prolific member of this forum for the past three years, and who hasn't a certain standing here.

It's not like he registered yesterday to post his review.

Terrific review, btw.

ibook_steve · Jan 3, 2010, 05:26 PM

The whole point of this forum is for reviews and discussion like this. See the sticky.

Steve

cgc · Jan 3, 2010, 07:58 PM

Originally Posted by ibook_steve

The whole point of this forum is for reviews and discussion like this. See the sticky.

Steve

Thanks...who reads those stickies anyways

imitchellg5 · Jan 4, 2010, 01:49 AM

I did!

Mac User #001 · Jan 4, 2010, 04:20 PM

Your right, it is a great game. And the multiplayer works quite well. I've played, but don't own it yet. I suppose I should pick it up?

imitchellg5 · Jan 4, 2010, 04:39 PM

Sure, if you enjoy it. I haven't played multiplayer out yet, I'll work on that later today!

Mac User #001 · 12:35 PM

I picked it up. Fun little game, for sure. Glad to see it had Gameloft LIVE, even if it really doesn't do anything. It was a nice update for Modern Combat: Sandstorm, even though the multiplayer in that game never worked.

Some of the online maps are definitely better then others, but overall I was very surprised by the size of them. The sniper rifle seems really tricky to work, too.

Anyways, MacUser001 on Gameloft LIVE, if you feel like adding me.

EDIT: Wait, there's no way to invite friends to a match online? What's the point of even having the friends list then?

imitchellg5 · Jan 5, 2010, 08:10 PM

Yes, the sniper rifle is a bit hard. Hopefully they can fix that in an update.

chawt2000 · Jan 23, 2010, 12:09 PM

Been playing NOVA online? There is a player named ipunk who mysteriously killed all the other players in FROZEN platform repeatedly and simply no chance to counter attack him at all. He may have hacked into NOVA and screwed up all the fun. PLs boycott ipunk if you happen to see him get connected.Leave immediately at all cost !!!No to ipunk. Down ipunk down !!!

chawt2000 · Jan 23, 2010, 01:13 PM

Guys, ipunk has now changed his name to KerryKing. He is a real chameleon.
Shooting everyone down like nobody business. Not a single chance to retaliate. Just boycott the player who totally controlled the whole game. He is like a walking immortal. Genius but cruel. He is spoiling the NOVA game.Pls boycott him !!!

imitchellg5 · Jan 23, 2010, 01:19 PM

That's always a bummer when someone finds a way around the system and ruins everyone else's fun. Thanks for heads up.