Nexus: The Jupiter Incident

Nexus: The Jupiter Incident
Developer(s)	Mithis Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Vivendi Universal HD Interactive
Engine	Black Sun Engine
Version	1.01
Platform(s)	Windows
Release date(s)	November 5, 2004
Genre(s)	Real-time tactics, Space combat simulator, Science fiction
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen (T)
Media/distribution	CD-ROM, Steam Download

Nexus: The Jupiter incident is a science fiction themed real-time tactics computer game developed by the Hungarian based Mithis Entertainment. Nexus: The Jupiter Incident focuses on tactics and ship management instead of resource collection and base construction. This game had previously the name "Imperium Galactica 3"

Sequel to N:TJI, Nexus 2 is set for release in Q4 2012.

Gameplay and features

In each of the game's missions, the player is given a small number of large space ships (always less than ten, and sometimes just one or two), along with accompanying fighters and bombers. The ships are large and cumbersome, and the battles between fleets protracted, giving the game a noted cinematic feel.^[1] Nexus uses the Blacksun Engine, made specifically for the game. Based on DirectX 9, it makes extensive use of vertex and pixel shaders, a parametric particle system, and other visual effects.

Story

The game is set in the 22nd Century. The player is Marcus Cromwell, a captain whose father, Richard Cromwell, the first spaceborn human, captained the colony ship Noah's Ark through a wormhole near Mars that was presumed destroyed when the wormhole collapsed. Cromwell sets out on the SpaceTech Heavy Corvette, the Stiletto, for Jupiter. The events that unfold are "The Jupiter Incident", which escalates into an intergalactic war.

After several missions, Cromwell must infiltrate an abandoned space station belonging to a rival corporation — the Kissaki Syndicate. A cruiser-sized ship of alien origin is inside. The ship's logs show the corporation has a hidden base behind Pluto. The alien cruiser, named Angelwing by the Kissaki, can make the trip in several weeks using its special IP Drive. After a battle with the Syndicate fleet for the control of the Angelwing, Cromwell is given command of the cruiser and ordered to investigate the secret base. At Pluto, an artificial intelligence, named Angel, downloads herself into the Angelwing and commands Cromwell to escape from a strange entity - later known as a Mechanoid - through a nearby wormhole, the same wormhole at Mars. Cromwell finds himself in the Noah system populated by the colonists from Noah's Ark. The Noah Colony fights as a mercenary race for an advanced but peaceful alien race, called the Vardrags, against another powerful race, the bloodthirsty, reptilian Gorgs, and a local group of renegade Vardrag elites, known as the Raptors. After a successful raid at the Raptor's base, they are then enlisted again to fight against the Gorg Empire. In fights against the Gorg, the Ghosts occasionally seem to help the Angelwing. However, all the races would soon find themselves facing their greatest threat: a virulent race of nanomachines called the Mechanoids. Nothing seems capable of stopping the Mechanoid invasion, and the Vardrag homeworld and Earth are overrun. Only an organic, insectile race, known as the energy-consuming Locusts, are immune to the Mechanoids. With technology adapted from the Locusts, Cromwell is able to shut down the Mechanoids and end the invasion.

Reception

While the game received positive reviews, particularly for the visual effects, it was criticized for its steep learning curve, trial and error gameplay, and poorly executed stealth missions.^[1]

Sequel

A technical demonstration video for the sequel, Nexus: The Jupiter Incident 2, was "leaked" to the Internet in 2006. There hasn't been any news since then. There is a possibility that the production of the sequel has ceased.

On August 16, 2011 Most Wanted Entertainment announced Nexus 2.^[2] At the moment, they are searching for funds and have initiated a contribution project.^[3] By contributing to this project, fans can receive special editions of the game and even a percentage of the net revenues of the project.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Gamespot Review
2. ^ http://www.bluesnews.com/a/2457/most-wanted-team-up-with-gamesplant-to-bring-nexus-2-to-fans
3. ^ http://www.games-plant.com/nexus2/

External links

• Nexus: The Jupiter Incident at MobyGames
• Official Wikia Page: Nexus The Game