Heavy Nova

Heavy Nova (ヘビーノバ Hebī Noba) is a mecha fighting/platforming game by Micronet, released for the Sega Mega Drive, Sega Mega-CD, and Sharp X68000, released in 1991. It received a sequel, Black Hole Assault, in 1992.

Plot
Earth’s natural resources are starting to decline. Aliens from the planet Akirov arrives to assist the humans in their attempts to replenish the Earth. However, it soon turns out that this is part of an Akirovian plan to enslave humanity, starting a war between the two species that lasted for eight years and ended with mankind’s victory, who utilized reverse-engineered Akirovian war machines called the Heavy Defensive Offensive Lethal Liberators, or Heavy DOLLs.

The highest combat ranking of "Heavy Nova" has been desired by many Heavy DOLL pilots, such as your character. To prove your worth, you must go through combat situations that build up to one-on-one fights against another Heavy DOLL to the death.

Why It Sucks

 * 1) The fact that the mecha in the game are named "Heavy DOLLs", which is simply ludicrous and fails to sound cool (coincidentally the mechs in the Japanese version of Xenoblade Chronicles X have a similar name).
 * 2) Poorly animated mecha, making them look stiff.
 * 3) In platforming sections your mecha is extremely sluggish; it can only walk slowly and cannot move while crouching.
 * 4) Confusing, sluggish, and slow controls. The fact that you need to hold down the D-pad for a few seconds just so that your mecha turns left or right is not a good sign.
 * 5) Hellish difficulty, the enemies will absolutely obliterate you, specially if you lost your stamina, you will not be able to get up when you are down and the enemy will constantly beat you until you die.
 * 6) Terrible level design.
 * 7) Most of the enemies in platforming sections can be destroyed using a single kick, rendering the game extremely lacking in challenge safe for enemy turrets that can easily avoid your attacks.
 * 8) If you take enough damage from your opponent, you lose your ability to punch and kick, in a fighting game!
 * 9) Schizophrenic hit detection. Sometimes when an enemy attacks you, nothing happens and you remain unscathed, and vice versa. Also, stationary rocks that are part of the terrain will always damage your mecha if it goes through said rocks. In fact, you're supposed to destroy them!
 * 10) Poor graphics, even by Mega Drive/Mega-CD/X68000 standards.
 * 11) Sub-par English translation and typos. "Mission is all over!!" and "revel forces", for instance. Even the back of the box describes the game as "Amazinly Exciting!"
 * 12) The final boss is just a gold version of your character.
 * 13) Terrible ending.

Redeeming Qualities

 * 1) Both the Mega Drive/Genesis and Mega-CD/Sega CD versions of the game have a nice and catchy soundtrack.
 * 2) One of the most astounding intro cutscenes of all time, especially by 1991 standards.

Reception
Heavy Nova received very negative reviews. Mega said that "badly animated robots, appalling music and terribly unresponsive controls as much fun as coloring in each square on a piece of graph paper with a different pen... with a headache... listening to Max Bygraves."

Mark Bussler of Classic Game Room has deemed it to be the worst video game he ever played.

Joueur du Grenier played this game on a DVD-exclusive episode, and he deems it as one of the worst fighting video games he played. He criticizes cheap fighting mechanics such as being invincible when flying or crouching, and not being able to even move when reaching a certain low level of energy.

Videos
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