All-Time Highest Rated Games Tagged 'moddable' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg en-us EV Nova is the third game in the Escape Velocity series, and is by far the most ambitious installment to date. With a completely redesigned gaming engine, EV Nova thrusts you into a sprawling universe dominated by a myriad of warring factions, each sharing a common bond, but so philosophically different as to make conflict inevitable.

The remnants of the Colonial Council's utopian vision of a united galaxy are littered about like so many discarded dreams. The eccentric genius in Omata Kane, whose Hypergate system brought distant stars within reach, has all but been forgotten. Like a wave in the darkness of space, colonization flowed outwards from Earth, until discord and dissent against a growingly corrupt central government caused it to come crashing down.

Open rebellion caused the destruction of critical parts of the Hypergate system, severing entire systems from the umbilical cord of civilization. They were left adrift in the lonely void of space, forced to fend for themselves, truly strangers in strange lands. The collapse of a central government caused civilization to slide helplessly into a dark age of isolation. The few pockets of humanity that did survive developed in near solitude, clinging perilously to life like a tree desperately trying to gain root on a rocky cliff.

Time marched on in its relentless journey toward the future, and each of these civilizations slowly reconstructed their humanity... but in their isolation, a strange thing happened. They each followed markedly different paths in their evolution. As rediscovered technology finally allowed contact between these far-flung children of the Colonial Council to tentatively resume, they found that they had little in common. Indeed, rather than reunited brothers, they were strangers... or worse, adversaries.

It is into this maelstrom of territorial contention that you are thrust, like a pebble tumbling aimlessly between the tectonic fault lines that uncomfortably separate these divisions of humanity. Welcome to EV Nova. Will the pebble become an avalanche?

]]> 19 Jun 2007 07:43:37 Swordplay and puzzles combine in this thinking man's dungeon crawl. It's simple to learn, with just a handful of commands to master. But the unique gameplay provides an amazing depth. A detailed overhead view shows monsters, obstacles, and other game elements. You have as much time as you like to contemplate your next move. So this is a good game for relaxing, but also terrifically involving once you get started. You'll be hooked by the story of Beethro and his troublesome nephew, Halph. Our heroes set off on a harmless jaunt, but end up far below the surface, chased by a clownish madman. They begin to uncover a vast, underground bureaucracy, and things only get stranger the further they delve. You've got over 350 rooms ahead--each one a singular challenge for you to conquer. A level editor, online features, and enthusiastic player community make this a game you can play for years.

]]> 27 Nov 2006 03:56:23 You have crash-landed on planet Notrium. Your food supplies are running low, a pack of predatory aliens have got your scent. There are no more bullets for your pistol, your only weapon a handful of rocks. The night is coming, and you are desperately looking for wood to make a fire.

]]> 09 Jan 2007 07:05:30 In Inago Rage, players battle hundreds of mechanized enemies at once, donning rocket boots to fight both on the ground and in the air. The game offers 50 frenetic levels, which take place on city rooftops, above gas giants, and in deep space. As players progress, a storyline illustrated in graphic novel format introduces them to elements used in the game's building stage.

Inago Rage allows all gamers to create their own levels, a process once reserved for professional developers and technically proficient mod creators. An integrated arena designer makes building easy with its simple drag-and-drop interface. Players construct levels by arranging architectural elements such as platforms, towers, and skyscapers. They then place markers where enemies and power-ups will appear. Special effects are created through a graphical interface, allowing players to simulate everything from a calm day on an alien world to a storm-charged nebula above a black hole.

Players build in real-time, allowing them to test their creations simply by switching from "build" to "play" mode. The game stores levels in individual files, which are compact enough to be traded in forums or via e-mail.

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