Nexus: The Jupiter Incident has undergone quite a bumpy development cycle. Despite receiving a name change twice and losing its publisher over the last few years, it finally managed to crawl into Vivendi Universal's grasp and has now made its release. As you will soon see, this isn't any ordinary space RTS game. Nexus: The Jupiter Incident just glows with high quality and a polished story.
It has now been 60 years since the catastrophe of Noah's Arc - Earth's first colony ship that set out to colonize a new world to call home. Many thought that the expedition was a failure, thinking that when the ship went through their designated wormhole, the wormhole collapsed and thus severed all contact with Earth. Little did they know that Noah's Arc had found a new planet to make their own, but in doing so they discovered another area of space that was ripe with war between two alien races. Joining the side of one race, the humans were able to live and prosper all this time without Earths knowledge. Back on Earth, however, wars had broken out between nations. The one main weapon that they used in these wars was Artificial Intelligence. The AI wars ravaged through Earth destroying all computer systems and networks. Eventually all of Earth was under the influence of AI.
The part of the story you play takes place at the dawn of the 22nd century where the conquest of space and the colonization of the solar system is being monopolized by several huge and ambitious mega-corporations. These corporations have struck a balance with each other and continue to work side by side. That is until a technological discovery was found that has upset the balance, and now war has broken out between these corporations which has become known as "The Jupiter Incident".
You play as Marcus Cromwell, the son of the first human born in space and the captain of Noah's Arc. Marcus was only ten years-old when his father left on Noah's Arc. Shortly after, he joined the military fleet and become a very famous captain of the spaceship Stiletto. It is at this time that Marcus has become involved in the conflict, and it is up to him to try and stop it.
As you can see, the story is definitely interesting and will keep you hooked throughout the game. It also contains some surprises and plot twists later on that will gain you new allies, new ships, and even new enemies.
At first glimpse, Nexus seems a lot like the Homeworld series, mainly due to the fact that they are both space RTS titles. However that is where the similarities end. Even though both games can look the same at times, they are both truly different when it comes to their gameplay. Whereas Homeworld performs more like a traditional RTS game allowing you to create your fleet by building new ships, Nexus plays out more like a tactical RTS game. Nexus does not necessarily allow you to build anything. You are given a specific set of ships in the beginning of each mission, and it is then up to you to figure out how to use these ships to their full advantage in order to overtake your enemies. It is definitely a more tactical form of RTS, but it works out well and makes the game all that more addictive.
Gameplay
One problem with Nexus' gameplay, though, is its lack of easy 'usability'. You will quickly notice that Nexus has a very steep learning curve. This is mainly due to the fact that the HUD can seem somewhat confusing, and you also have a wide variety of controls at your fingertips. Thankfully there are a number of tutorial messages that popup throughout the game that let you know how everything works. However, even with these helpful messages it may still take a few hours and many battles later until you finally get a hang of everything. Once you do get a hang of everything, you will soon see that Nexus provides a variety of engaging missions.
At the beginning of each mission you are presented with a video that briefs you on the mission. When the video is finished you then have access to a number of things: The main item on your screen is a map that shows numerous solar systems. We must say that this is one highly detailed map. Not only is everything rendered in glorious detail on this map, but there are a number of things that are present that don't really need to be there. However, each one of these items listed on the map show a lot of detail. The map allows you to zoom in on each of the solar systems, and it really shows you just how small in size we really are compared to the whole universe. Obviously most of the other solar systems are just made up, but the system that contains Earth, and all of its surrounding planets, is an exact replica of our galaxy (The Milky Way).
Another feature that is accessible before a mission is the ability to customize the weapon systems of your ship. From here, you are capable of installing different types of weapons, engines, shields and other support devices. You can even load up certain fighters, gunships and commando transports. Furthermore, devices can be repaired after they have sustained damage in a recent mission. Later on in the game when you become a commander of more ships, you are able to also customize the same exact pieces of those ships. More advanced technology will become available later on, so you should really pay frequent visits to this screen in order to upgrade your ships with the latest weapon systems. Some other things that you can do before your missions include reading your diary, which is constantly updated with new entries, and watching the briefing videos again.
Once you have got all of your ships in pristine order, you should be able to head out onto your mission. This is obviously where the core gameplay takes place. You are sent on missions that require you to either be stealthy or simply destroy all enemies in the area. It all acts much like any RTS game where you can zoom in on all of the ships and tell them to shoot at specific targets. The great thing here though, is the attention to detail. You can actually micromanage everything on your ships. In other words you can control every single gun turret on one of your ships by telling each gun to fire at a different ship. This definitely requires a great deal of attention and planning if you wish to persue that route, but for those who don't like to manage every aspect such as that, you don't have to. All you have to do is just click on an enemy ship an your ships will attack it. It is a setup that is sure to appeal to hardcore RTS fans and new ones to this genre equally.
Another nice feature whilst attacking enemy ships is that you can target all of their subsystems. This is actually the easiest way to take an enemy out. You can target such devices as their shield generator, all weapons emplacements, support devices, and of course their engines. The battles, in this sense, look awesome. Especially with the larger battles you can see all laser beams and missiles being fired in all positions, and it really looks like something pulled from a sci-fi movie.
Fortunately, you are not stuck with commanding larger battleships, as you can also deploy small fighters and gunboats. Each ship can carry a certain amount of fighters and can release them at anytime. Upon releasing them, the hanger bay doors will open on the ship, and the small fighters will quickly fly out. You can even zoom in closely on the fighters to check out the action that they are in. Another type of small vessel that you can carry is a commando transport, which allows you to dispatch commandos to disabled enemy ships. So if you need to save someone, or if you just need to collect some information, then you can deploy one of these ships. The commandos will then land on the designated enemy ship and do their job to the best of their ability. It is really Nexus' gameplay and attention to detail that makes it such an addictive game to play right through to the end.
Even though Nexus' gameplay is great, it can still get a little too crowded on screen at times in terms of the HUD. You will soon learn that every aspect of the game's HUD is really necessary to give you the information that you need, but it would have been better if the developers would have thought of a better way to have it not take up so much of your viewing area. The HUD stretches across all four sides of your screen and can really hinder your view sometimes.
Nexus definitely excels in both graphics and sounds. It contains some of the best graphics we have ever seen in a space RTS title. The graphical details are simply beautiful, right from the detailed planets and ships to the huge blinding explosions from destroyed vessels. It really is a sight that you just have to see for yourself. The detailed sound effects also add to the combat experience and include some nice voiceovers and a great musical score.
Conclusion
Overall Nexus: The Jupiter Incident proves that an 'old school' simple type of gameplay in a RTS title works just as well as other titles like Homeworld which allow you to build all of your ships and stations during combat. The simple gameplay backfires, though, with Nexus' somewhat confusing HUD, but it makes up for this in glorious battles, an involved storyline, and some fun multiplayer that plays out just like the single-player campaign. Whether you're a fan of RTS games or just simply enjoy space combat, there's a little something here for everyone.
It has now been 60 years since the catastrophe of Noah's Arc - Earth's first colony ship that set out to colonize a new world to call home. Many thought that the expedition was a failure, thinking that when the ship went through their designated wormhole, the wormhole collapsed and thus severed all contact with Earth. Little did they know that Noah's Arc had found a new planet to make their own, but in doing so they discovered another area of space that was ripe with war between two alien races. Joining the side of one race, the humans were able to live and prosper all this time without Earths knowledge. Back on Earth, however, wars had broken out between nations. The one main weapon that they used in these wars was Artificial Intelligence. The AI wars ravaged through Earth destroying all computer systems and networks. Eventually all of Earth was under the influence of AI.
The part of the story you play takes place at the dawn of the 22nd century where the conquest of space and the colonization of the solar system is being monopolized by several huge and ambitious mega-corporations. These corporations have struck a balance with each other and continue to work side by side. That is until a technological discovery was found that has upset the balance, and now war has broken out between these corporations which has become known as "The Jupiter Incident".
You play as Marcus Cromwell, the son of the first human born in space and the captain of Noah's Arc. Marcus was only ten years-old when his father left on Noah's Arc. Shortly after, he joined the military fleet and become a very famous captain of the spaceship Stiletto. It is at this time that Marcus has become involved in the conflict, and it is up to him to try and stop it.
As you can see, the story is definitely interesting and will keep you hooked throughout the game. It also contains some surprises and plot twists later on that will gain you new allies, new ships, and even new enemies.
At first glimpse, Nexus seems a lot like the Homeworld series, mainly due to the fact that they are both space RTS titles. However that is where the similarities end. Even though both games can look the same at times, they are both truly different when it comes to their gameplay. Whereas Homeworld performs more like a traditional RTS game allowing you to create your fleet by building new ships, Nexus plays out more like a tactical RTS game. Nexus does not necessarily allow you to build anything. You are given a specific set of ships in the beginning of each mission, and it is then up to you to figure out how to use these ships to their full advantage in order to overtake your enemies. It is definitely a more tactical form of RTS, but it works out well and makes the game all that more addictive.
Gameplay
One problem with Nexus' gameplay, though, is its lack of easy 'usability'. You will quickly notice that Nexus has a very steep learning curve. This is mainly due to the fact that the HUD can seem somewhat confusing, and you also have a wide variety of controls at your fingertips. Thankfully there are a number of tutorial messages that popup throughout the game that let you know how everything works. However, even with these helpful messages it may still take a few hours and many battles later until you finally get a hang of everything. Once you do get a hang of everything, you will soon see that Nexus provides a variety of engaging missions.
At the beginning of each mission you are presented with a video that briefs you on the mission. When the video is finished you then have access to a number of things: The main item on your screen is a map that shows numerous solar systems. We must say that this is one highly detailed map. Not only is everything rendered in glorious detail on this map, but there are a number of things that are present that don't really need to be there. However, each one of these items listed on the map show a lot of detail. The map allows you to zoom in on each of the solar systems, and it really shows you just how small in size we really are compared to the whole universe. Obviously most of the other solar systems are just made up, but the system that contains Earth, and all of its surrounding planets, is an exact replica of our galaxy (The Milky Way).
Our solar system represented in this map shows, in detail, all of the planets and their orbital rotations in the system along with some famous asteroids and comets. You can actually click on each one of these planets in order to zoom in very far on them. You can even zoom in on their moons and can see where some fleets of ships are located. One famous comet that is very apparent in this system is Haley's Comet which can also be zoomed in on. It's certainly not an item that has any significance in this game, but it is additions such as these that add a high amount of realism within the map. The same can also be said for all of the other systems which are mainly alien-controlled systems. The other systems become unlocked in the map once you have visited them in a specific mission.
Another feature that is accessible before a mission is the ability to customize the weapon systems of your ship. From here, you are capable of installing different types of weapons, engines, shields and other support devices. You can even load up certain fighters, gunships and commando transports. Furthermore, devices can be repaired after they have sustained damage in a recent mission. Later on in the game when you become a commander of more ships, you are able to also customize the same exact pieces of those ships. More advanced technology will become available later on, so you should really pay frequent visits to this screen in order to upgrade your ships with the latest weapon systems. Some other things that you can do before your missions include reading your diary, which is constantly updated with new entries, and watching the briefing videos again.
Once you have got all of your ships in pristine order, you should be able to head out onto your mission. This is obviously where the core gameplay takes place. You are sent on missions that require you to either be stealthy or simply destroy all enemies in the area. It all acts much like any RTS game where you can zoom in on all of the ships and tell them to shoot at specific targets. The great thing here though, is the attention to detail. You can actually micromanage everything on your ships. In other words you can control every single gun turret on one of your ships by telling each gun to fire at a different ship. This definitely requires a great deal of attention and planning if you wish to persue that route, but for those who don't like to manage every aspect such as that, you don't have to. All you have to do is just click on an enemy ship an your ships will attack it. It is a setup that is sure to appeal to hardcore RTS fans and new ones to this genre equally.
Another nice feature whilst attacking enemy ships is that you can target all of their subsystems. This is actually the easiest way to take an enemy out. You can target such devices as their shield generator, all weapons emplacements, support devices, and of course their engines. The battles, in this sense, look awesome. Especially with the larger battles you can see all laser beams and missiles being fired in all positions, and it really looks like something pulled from a sci-fi movie.
Fortunately, you are not stuck with commanding larger battleships, as you can also deploy small fighters and gunboats. Each ship can carry a certain amount of fighters and can release them at anytime. Upon releasing them, the hanger bay doors will open on the ship, and the small fighters will quickly fly out. You can even zoom in closely on the fighters to check out the action that they are in. Another type of small vessel that you can carry is a commando transport, which allows you to dispatch commandos to disabled enemy ships. So if you need to save someone, or if you just need to collect some information, then you can deploy one of these ships. The commandos will then land on the designated enemy ship and do their job to the best of their ability. It is really Nexus' gameplay and attention to detail that makes it such an addictive game to play right through to the end.
Even though Nexus' gameplay is great, it can still get a little too crowded on screen at times in terms of the HUD. You will soon learn that every aspect of the game's HUD is really necessary to give you the information that you need, but it would have been better if the developers would have thought of a better way to have it not take up so much of your viewing area. The HUD stretches across all four sides of your screen and can really hinder your view sometimes.
Nexus definitely excels in both graphics and sounds. It contains some of the best graphics we have ever seen in a space RTS title. The graphical details are simply beautiful, right from the detailed planets and ships to the huge blinding explosions from destroyed vessels. It really is a sight that you just have to see for yourself. The detailed sound effects also add to the combat experience and include some nice voiceovers and a great musical score.
Conclusion
Overall Nexus: The Jupiter Incident proves that an 'old school' simple type of gameplay in a RTS title works just as well as other titles like Homeworld which allow you to build all of your ships and stations during combat. The simple gameplay backfires, though, with Nexus' somewhat confusing HUD, but it makes up for this in glorious battles, an involved storyline, and some fun multiplayer that plays out just like the single-player campaign. Whether you're a fan of RTS games or just simply enjoy space combat, there's a little something here for everyone.
