N.O.V.A. 3 - Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance

N.O.V.A. 3 delivers a substantial, console-like first-person shooter complete with full story and multiplayer modes, just like the first two N.O.V.A. games.

The best first-person shooter on the App Store. It improves upon the second entry of the series, polishing its flaws, adds more duration and offers a good multiplayer mode, although a bit too classic. And its graphics are outstanding.

My only gripe is still with the controls, and the lack of precision. Without the auto-aiming, it could have been a totally different experience, as swiping to get your crosshairs over a moving enemy was sometimes an exercise in frustration. Despite this, NOVA 3 would still appeal to all FPS gamers who have been wishing for a decent mobile experience.

Graphically stunning, fun to play in single and multiplayer and full of content, N.O.V.A. 3 might as well be a Crysis 2 rip-off, but it's also the best FPS available on mobile devices.

The greatest shooter on Ios. Get this one.

There's no doubt in our minds that this is the best looking shooter on iOS, that the singleplayer campaign is solid, and that multiplayer is a blast.

The multiplayer in N.O.V.A. 3 is awesome. The game has some issues with connections every now and again, and there seems to be a scarcity of players in some of the modes. While it might not be perfect like the single player, it is pretty damn close.

Kal Wardin returns to kick butt and take names in one of the slickest FPSs we've ever played on a mobile device.

Over 6 hours of playthrough divided into 10 missions for the single player and a very rich multiplayer for 12 players (capture the flag, capture the point, team deathmatch and more): if you are really in love with FPS and you own a smartphone or a tablet, you shouldn't have any doubt at all!

NOVA 3 is a great game: a long and entertaining story, a solid gameplay and a huge multiplayer section makes this title one of the best of its genre.

It may be a little short of original ideas and the controls can be fiddly, but blockbuster titles like this are what we need to take tablet and smartphone gaming to the next level.

N.O.V.A. 3 does exactly what's required of it: more of the same, but better and bigger than ever before. The refined multiplayer offering might still have some kinks in it, but it has potential to provide some extraordinary longevity.

The NOVA series once again pushes iOS devices large and small to new visual heights, but also manages to stumble over key features, letting the whole production down; thankfully the multiplayer is as rock-solid as ever and fleshes out what the campaign can't execute on.

N.O.V.A. 3 is evidently one of the prettier games on the platform. It's also a nice shell, masking the usual copy/paste habits of Gameloft, but this clear lack of real inspiration aside, it remains a fully playable, real pretty action title.

It's increasingly possible to get a big console-style game on mobile, but the inherent drawback of touchscreen controls and the lack of tactility are really the only aspects that hold N.O.V.A. 3 back. Those who are prepared to look past them are the ones that will have a great time with this.

Equal parts slick fun, frustrating controls, and jaw-dropping visuals, N.O.V.A. 3 is a prime example of what's good, and bad, about smartphone gaming.

One of the best first-person shooters on mobiles, but controls are still irksome. [Aug 2012, p.86]

A rather mixed bag. When it works well it's an impressive game that far outdoes any previous FPS Gameloft have put out, but there are too many bugs and issues still around to make it a consistently good experience.

Unfortunately, there's just too much variability in terms of match quality to unequivocally recommend N.O.V.A. 3 based on its multiplayer. The annoying glitches and matchmaking system don't help and the lag is an issue that needs to be addressed. It's a shame because the underlying advancement and build systems are solid with a large potential for customizability.