14 DAY TRIAL // 
Starcraft 2 - Nova Covert Ops Mission Pack 1 needs to do something very difficult for a video game: to convince gamers to care about a universe after the stars of the saga, which spawned five core installments and numerous spin-offs, have defeated the ultimate villain and have said their goodbyes to fans.
After playing through the three missions offered, I must say that, as it stands now, the DLC will only appeal to the most dedicated fans of the universe and even they will be disappointed with the limited amount of new content and with the lack of imagination associated with the three missions.
Nova, as a character, has the potential to be the center of a good story and there are suggestions about potential interesting development in the first mission pack, but the developers really need to step up their game in the future.
It might be a good idea to deliver the rest of the Starcraft 2 DLC as quickly as possible and to then move to another full installment in the series than to deliver substandard experiences that affect the long-term legacy of the title.
The Nova Covert Ops Mission Pack 1 is offered only on the PC and was created by Blizzard, with more downloadable content associated with the game set to arrive in the future.
Story
Starcraft 2 - Nova Covert Ops Mission Pack 1 takes gamers back to the Koprulu Sector after the epic events of the Legacy of the Void campaign and finds a universe which is still dealing with the end of that game, with the Terran Dominion now led by Valerian Mengsk.
In order to deal with political rivals and other threats he needs to work with Nova, the Ghost that was at one point the protagonist of an action title created by Blizzard, and she - in turns - recruits a few other familiar faces, like Rory Swann and Matt Horner.
The biggest problem of this first Nova-focused DLC is that the villains of the piece are mostly absent and shadowy, and even their plan seems very close to something that already happened as part of the original Starcraft.
It's interesting to see that the world of the game has not moved past its divisions and conflicts after the events of Legacy of the Void, and there's a good story that can be told about Nova and Valerian and other lesser heroes.
These three missions feel unfinished and limited, and I really hope that Blizzard can introduce some interesting twists and turns in the other two DLC packs to allow the story of Starcraft 2 end with a bang rather than a whisper.
Gameplay
Starcraft 2 - Nova Covert Ops Mission Pack 1 offers a relatively classic take on the real-time strategy mechanics that Blizzard has been perfecting as the series has evolved, with just a few new ideas that fail to spice up the action.
The Ghost unit type is designed for stealth and long-range kills, but the first mission is set inside a facility and features very limited stealth action and plenty of killing, with little actual need for tactics and strategy.
There might be a way for Starcraft 2 to integrate complex sneaking and quiet killing mechanics, but it's clear that Blizzard is aiming for variety yet does not want to deliver a challenge that's too complex for long-term fans.
The most unique element of the entire game is a highway chase which involves vultures and a wide variety of enemy hardware, but the engaging concept fails to have a big impact because of the clunky control scheme and weird boss fight at the end.
The other two missions featured in the first mission pack for Nova Covert Ops offer a mix of stealth action and classic RTS elements, with Nova always at the center of the action, using her abilities to hold back the tide of feral Zerg and to try and find out who is behind their attacks.
Base defense, further infiltration, and some pretty standard territorial domination are the tasks that gamers need to accomplish, and there's no sign of any Protoss presence, probably because they were the dominant force in Legacy of the Void.
Between missions, Nova receives a range of new equipment, with the player able to turn her from a stealth Ghost into a solid frontline combatant, and there are also options to improve the abilities of normal units that the Terrans can use.
The core mechanics of the Nova Covert Ops pack are very similar to those of core Starcraft 2, but the developers surely have some surprises up their sleeve for the coming two downloadable content packages that will round up the story.
It's still fun to create solid defenses using siege tanks and bunkers full of marines and to find the best possible mix of units for an offensive operation, but the game needs unique units or mechanics that can significantly change the formula.
Nova herself feels a little overpowered at the moment, especially when using the sniper and stealth combo and during the final mission when her capabilities are enhanced by the ability to throw a nuclear bomb at bigger enemy groups.
Graphics and audio
Starcraft 2 - Nova Covert Ops Mission Pack 1 looks good, certainly on the level of the three core campaign of the second installment in the series, and the developers have even introduced a few extra details to the environment and the units.
The isometric perspective continues to feel like a limitation but the game runs smoothly at all times, and the development team can introduce even more dazzling visual moments during the extensive cutscenes.
Nova herself looks great on screen, and the way the character can be customized will make fans even more regretful about the cancellation of the Ghost-focused video game, and the limited story delivered by this downloadable content pack does not mean that Blizzard has not delivered on its solid production quality standards.
The character's voice acting is great, on par with anything else the franchise has delivered during the past 15 years, and I love listening to Nova and Valerian exchange lines that can be interpreted in subtle ways depending on the intentions of the two protagonists.
The music of Nova Covert Ops is similarly impressive, but Blizzard should have probably spend a little more money on the design of the missions and the evolution of the narrative to make the DLC a little more attractive.
The Good
- A story centered around Nova
- Attempts to introduce some innovative mechanics
- Solid acting
The Bad
- Little story development
- Does not innovate enough for Starcraft 2 to become interesting again
Conclusion
Nova is a solid character around which to build a new long-term narrative for the series, and the threat introduced towards the end of this first piece of DLC is intriguing, but there's not enough to keep even a dedicated fan occupied for more than a few hours.
It's entirely normal for Blizzard to try and keep Starcraft alive because it's one of their biggest franchises and a game that has re-defined the standards of the real-time strategy genre, but they need to do a better job when it comes to managing expectations and packaging the new experiences.
I might be even time for the studio to try to move the series to another genre and to finally create that Ghost-powered video game that Nova was supposed to be the star of.
The company would do well to deliver both Pack 2 and Pack 3 of the Nova Covert Ops for Starcraft 2 at the same time, even if players have to wait a little longer for it, and to also find interesting ways to tweak the mechanics of the franchise to make the missions unique and solid enough to support a new major storyline.
