Common Sense Media Review
Violent 1st person shooter with minimal blood.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
N.O.V.A. Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 3 parent reviews
Based on 19 kid reviews
Kids say the game is fun and engaging, drawing comparisons to popular titles like Halo, but with increased violence and blood splatter effects. While the single-player campaign received mixed reviews, many players enjoy the online multiplayer aspect and believe it is generally appropriate for older kids, despite its violent content.
- fun gameplay
- online multiplayer
- violent content
- mixed reviews
- age appropriateness
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Is It Any Good?
N.O.V.A. is top-notch first-person shooter entertainment for older teens. You play an ex-Marine fighting aliens to save a space colony. Play starts in a steamy jungle and moves to gritty cargo ships. Fluid graphics and atmospheric sounds - birdsong, the crunch of boots, ragged breathing - make for terrific realism. The care to detail carries over to opposing online players, who appear as fully fleshed out soldiers, not just fleeting graphics.
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad
- Pricing structure :
- Release date : December 17, 2009
- Genre : Action Games
- Publisher : Gameloft
- Version : 1.1.0
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate