Eve Online is a MMORPG game that creates a vast universe for you to explore and seek your fortune in. Certainly one of the best looking space games to date. Eve is space simulation that combines aspects of role playing, space combat, economics and empire building into a huge, highly complex game. Huge is no overstatement, either. Eve’s universe contains over 4500 distinct star systems, each of which contains a number of planets, moons, asteroid fields, space stations, and/or featured locations, and each of which is populated by numerous player ships and NPC ships, both good and bad.

EVE certainly starts off well. The character creation process gives you a lot of control over the look and background of your character. You can shape your character’s face, set the skin tone, select hair style, clothing, and more, all using high definition 3D graphics. You probably have more control in creating your character’s look than in any online game to date, and the character models really bring your creation to life. Once you finish creating your look, you pose your character just right, take a headshot, and then … freeze that look for the rest of the game. For all the great graphics and control the game gives you in creating your character, from this point forward your character will only appear as a small portrait. Although the portrait is the face of the player, it generally remains out of view. The true avatar with which a player will become familiar is his ship. Each sovereignty has its own fleet with specific advantages and weaknesses and as the player progresses, he will find himself flying bigger, faster, more powerful craft. Depending on his chosen career path, he may equip it with combat lasers, missile launchers, mining lasers, shields, disruptors, or a number of other options. Each ship has a number of slots, separated into low, medium, and high power. A beginning frigate will have only two high power slots where a battleship may have eight. Some ships can carry more cargo than others, perhaps at the expense of firepower. If one wants to mine for a living and wants to carry as much ore as he can on each trip, his ship may not be the best in a dogfight. In this case, a player needs friends.

Possibly the most difficult choice a player must make at the outset is what exactly he will do. There are many options in EVE, even for new players with beginner ships and little money. Every player starts with a ship equipped with a mining laser, a pulse laser and a small cargo hold. Most players start by heading to the nearest asteroid field and mining, which is an easy way to make a little money. Others study the market and try to identify lucrative trade routes where they may haul goods between stations for profit. Still others may choose to speak to the local agent and run a mission or two. Each of these allows the new player to discover a different aspect of the game.

Isn't there combat in this game? Most certainly! In EVE a player can outfit his ship and head out to take on the bad guys, be they NPC pirates or other players. Combat, however, is more of an exercise in computer based warfare than aiming, shooting and maneuvering. It's lock on, set the ship to approach the target, and then activate the weapon. During the fight, an eye must be kept on shields and damage, making sure energy isn't draining too quickly, and reloading weapons that may need it. It's not aiming the crosshairs and dodging laser shots. Remember that this is a MMORPG, and the combat here is not unlike combat in a fantasy based game, in which one selects his enemy, attacks, and then watches his health and magic.

Not that this is necessarily boring or slow. A pilot may find himself warping into hostile space only to be greeted by 6 enemies. He must target the ships, aim weapons, and watch the status of his opponents. Just like in a sword and sorcery game, one down level opponent is not a challenge, but several all attacking simultaneously may put one in jeopardy, especially if he's running low on ammo. The real combat challenge, however, comes against other players. EVE is pure PvP. Anyone may be attacked by anyone just about anywhere. Systems with high security are patrolled by powerful police ships that come quickly when there's trouble, so players are in little danger there. But out in the unpatrolled systems attacks come swiftly and with little warning. Battling another human being is never an easy task and in EVE, a player in a smaller, faster ship may be able to take out a larger ship depending on tactics.

Eve is a very challenging and intellectual game. From the user interface to complex missions, I’m sure it will keep you coming back for more. If you have a lot of free time on your hands, a fan of Sci-Fi and space, and love MMORPG’s. I would strongly recommend this game for you.