Nexus: The Jupiter Incident – Game Review

This review was first published at www.fappin.com (www.unreality.com) in 2004

• Genre: Real-time mission based fleet simulation
• Publisher: HD Interactive
• Developer: Mithis
• Release Date: November 5, 2004
• Homepage: www.nexusthegame.com

I love science fiction games so imagine how excited I was to be able to get my hands on a copy of Nexus: The Jupiter Incident, a game which features outstanding real-time battles with overwhelming motion picture quality. In this game you can look forward to taking control of up to 10 fully customisable battleships on the path to save Earth and humankind. The game consists of 6 episodes, which contain more than 25 exciting missions. You’ll also have the satisfaction of dealing with 6 different alien nations, which extraordinarily all have race specific tactics and transportation. Unite all of this with Mithis’ first-class Black Sun Engine and you have a formidable strategy game undeniably.

The storyline behind the game is fairly simple to comprehend and doesn’t seem that unbelievable. You are Marcus Cromwell, a celebrated space skipper with a family history of prestige and popularity. The occupation of space and the colonization of the solar system are in the hands of numerous ambitious corporations. The companies seize territories throughout space causing an extremely volatile equilibrium. By means of your legendary spacecraft, Stiletto, you find yourself caught in the conflict. The controls and navigation for Nexus: The Jupiter Incident are fairly multifaceted and will more than likely thrill RTS fans and spacemen alike. The left mouse button controls your targeting; the right button is your command key key. Holding down the right mouse button will activate free rotation of the camera angle, and the wheel will casually zoom in and out of the targeted object. Most of the other commands such as attack hull can be found on the function keys of your keyboard. I really liked the idea of having an attack device command. This gives you the option to destroy enemy’s weapons, sensors or engines to name but a few. The craft you control also have diverse behaviour modes too, such as offensive, defensive, stealth and manual. Choose wisely which behaviour mode is suitable for the mission you are on, or it could be a shorter mission that you hoped for.

At first glance the graphics in this game seem pretty average, but upon further inspection are beyond a doubt complex and fighting fit. The Stiletto for example has a huge gyrating midsection which casts gorgeous moving shadows across the glistening metallic vessel. You may also notice revolving Lilliputian cannons and radar dishes probing your surrounding environment for enemies. When small ships leave the Stiletto’s dock you will see the bay doors open and close. They don’t just go missing like other games I’ve played of the same genre. I also like the developer’s interpretation of space.

Thousands of high-quality asteroids litter the environment, masking out sensor scans and maybe an enemy armada or two. For the record, the planet Jupiter looks fantastically well lit and textured too. Stars produce flares of light that reflect across the screen, adding another tactical factor to the strategy. The explosions and the gunfire also add valuable detail to the realism. The game undoubtedly gives the feeling of a 3D galaxy, which sorrowfully the screenshots cannot exhibit. Best of all, you will find an enormous selection of options available to improve performance on low end machines. The game play is slow, yet exceedingly focused. There is always the option to replay voice communications and mission briefings in case you are uncertain of the mission goal. Simple touches like this make the game an idyllic choice for gamers who have never had the delight of controlling a space fleet. Once the single player missions are completed you will probably be ready to try out the multiplayer side of the game. The single player missions are great fun, but are only really preparing you for battle against human opposition. The multiplayer side of the game possesses endless fun providing both players have a firm understanding of the game. It’s essentially quite difficult, but ultimately a very rewarding experience.