Nexus: The Jupiter Incident

With Nexus 2 potentially releasing soon, lvl30.com looked back at HD Interactive’s 2004 prequel, Nexus: The Jupiter Incident, which was recently re-released on GOG.com. Hold on to your space-belt: while this game was released eight years ago, it gives modern space games a run for their credits. The year 2004 isn’t exactly the year I would browse back to for some modern eye-candy and epic gaming. EVE Online had just come out the year before, Age of Empires 3 had yet a year to go, and Unreal Tournament, for all practical purposes, was just getting good. For the most part, graphics, by today’s standards, were pretty putrid. Yet somehow a game broke the mold to bring us space as we had truly never seen it before: Nexus: The Jupiter Incident was born.

The story begins with a rather well-made and properly acted cinematic. Minor and, quite frankly, nonessential pieces of the main character’s past seem to be omitted; however, the general gist of the introduction is that he is important, a captain. From then on, true cinematics are quite limited, but don’t let that deter you, as the storyline’s audio cast has everything you would expect from a top-notch game. Nexus is designed primarily to take the player through a complex single-player campaign, though multiplayer is added in, as well as limited player-designed skirmishes using the skirmish tool. As one who primarily plays games for skirmish mode and less for campaign, this was slightly disappointing to discover. However, after completing the majority of the campaign, I can say with confidence that the storyline is engaging enough to be immensely more than worth the price. Contrary to most space simulators, the storyline is refreshingly new and complex, even in today’s crowded genre. As mentioned before, the audio is flawless; I am half-convinced they received auditions from Area 51. Humor, sarcasm, tension, and a vast collection of human emotions deliciously cover the dialogue between humans, various aliens, and even AI “pets” with fully integrated personalities.

As a tactical space simulator, there are clear differences between Nexus and similar games, for instance EVE Online. One not familiar with the dynamics can easily become frustrated when the enemy ships don’t blow up after a million volleys, or by the fact that travel is vector-based and not controlled with WASD. Before each mission, you are allowed to configure your ship for specific purposes and roles, or to upgrade to more effective modules. Each module has a specific type and role; a weapon that is tactical has a different purpose than a destructive weapon. If you are anything like me, you wish to find the biggest, baddest weapon in the game, put ten of them on the ship, and watch everything melt away in a big ball of fire. Nexus takes a vastly different and more complex approach, honestly a welcome change to play style. Specific modules such as shields, weapons, life supports, engines, and various other menacing devices are targetable to maximize tactical advantage, and by “tactical advantage” I mean your complete odds of winning the battle. You might desire to take out the enemy’s shields before chewing through its much softer hull on conventional ships, or you might decide to take out a vastly superior weapon before it blows your fleet to smithereens. This tactically based dynamic adds a bit more complexity to what could appear, wrongly, as a mindless space slug-fest in gameplay videos.

While you are desperately trying to bust up the enemy’s shields, you cannot avoid the beautiful palette of colors Nexus so artfully displays. In reality, space appears dull to the naked eye, but rather than adopting a realistic salt-and-pepper look to the environment, Nexus teems with colors and volumetric textures, adding icing to the beauty of combat. The colors and effects continue to inspire with the various weapons and explosions. In fact, it is easy to see that not only is Nexus one of the more complex and engaging games, it is also one of the most visually stunning. However, there are drawbacks. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the game is eight years old, the display and resolution settings do not include such monitors as those that run 1080p. There are workarounds for those daring enough to tap into the registry, but the resolution was high enough to at least enjoy without such risky changes.

As was mentioned several times prior, the soundtrack, dialogue, and effects in terms of audio are remarkable. Though the drone of lasers can at times be somewhat bothersome after hours of listening, the moderate array of weaponry gives the player at least some choice. Explosions sound authentic, voices are acted near perfectly (even with situational ambiance such as alarms), and a dynamic soundtrack accompanies every mission, changing seamlessly based on environmental conditions. It’s the perfect audio to accompany beautiful graphics.

Among all the great features Nexus has to offer, there is one drawback, although its severity is entirely based on your play style. As stated before, Nexus was built primarily as a single-player game. It appears that multiplayer and skirmish were less of a priority. As such, replayability is somewhat limited once you finish the campaign. The good news is that the campaign is extremely long and complex, so while replayability appears to be diminished, the first round of the campaign might be enough to satisfy your desires in space until the sequel finally arrives later this year. Nexus: The Jupiter Incident might be eight years old, but the originality of its storyline, beautiful graphics, and exceptional audio make it a great game for any space monkey. Most importantly, it is also friendly to younger players, with an ESRB rating of T and no language to mention. Apart from the assumed violence of space combat, most will be comfortable with the exciting content. You can pick up Nexus: The Jupiter Incident from GOG.com for $9.99.