Hard Nova
1990 video game
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hard Nova is a role-playing video game developed by Malibu Interactive and published by Electronic Arts in 1990 for MS-DOS, Amiga, and Atari ST. It is a follow-up to Sentinel Worlds I: Future Magic from 1988.
| Hard Nova | |
|---|---|
Cover art by Nancy L. Fong | |
| Developer | Malibu Interactive |
| Publisher | Electronic Arts |
| Producers | Christopher Erhardt Roland Kippenhan III |
| Designer | Karl Buiter |
| Programmers | Karl Buiter Scott Fisher |
| Artists | Mark Dickenson Peggy Brennan Cynthia Hamilton |
| Writers | Eric Lindstrom Jeff Haas |
| Composer | Jon Medek |
| Platforms | MS-DOS, Amiga, Atari ST |
| Release | 1990 |
| Genre | Role-playing |
| Mode | Single-player |
Gameplay
Hard Nova has a character creation element that allows players to choose their gender, and, unlike Sentinel Worlds I, lead a group of mercenaries.
Reception
The game received 5 out of 5 stars in Dragon.[1] Scorpia of Computer Gaming World opined in 1991 that Hard Nova greatly improved on Sentinel Worlds, and concluded that it "is a pretty decent game, with some interesting touches and a good storyline. While not a long-term epic, it should keep you occupied for awhile".[2] Ken St. Andre wrote in the same issue of CGW that "it is a very good real-time shoot-'em-up game", but that the combat became boring and amoral and the game offered little exploration.[3] In 1993, Scorpia said that Hard Nova was "definitely worth your attention if you like space games".[4]
Jim Trunzo reviewed Hard Nova in White Wolf #26 (April/May, 1991), rating it a 5 out of 5 and stated that "It's hard to imagine what could be missing from Hard Nova. A simple, menu-driven interface, beautifully detailed graphics, a strong and open-ended storyline and realistic roleplaying features make Hard Nova worth the many hours you'll spend playing it. For those who enjoy an occasional walk on the wild side, try roleplaying a mercenary who's into something much bigger than he/she can possibly conceive. "[5]