<s>
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Nova	I-Application
Covert	I-Application
Ops	I-Application
is	O
a	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
(	O
DLC	B-Protocol
)	O
single-player	O
mission	O
pack	O
for	O
the	O
military	O
science	O
fiction	O
real-time	O
strategy	O
game	O
series	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Consisting	O
of	O
nine	O
missions	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
over	O
the	O
course	O
of	O
three	O
installments	O
as	O
DLC	B-Protocol
,	O
with	O
three	O
missions	O
in	O
each	O
separably	O
purchasable	O
pack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
plot	O
focuses	O
on	O
the	O
aftermath	O
of	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Legacy	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Void	I-Application
,	O
set	O
sometime	O
after	O
its	O
conclusion	O
in	O
2508	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
protagonist	O
is	O
the	O
psionic	O
operative	O
Nova	O
,	O
a	O
character	O
announced	O
in	O
2002	O
as	O
the	O
lead	O
character	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
StarCraft	B-Device
:	I-Device
Ghost	I-Device
,	O
which	O
was	O
cancelled	O
during	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gaming	O
media	O
commented	O
that	O
the	O
mission	O
packs	O
were	O
a	O
proxy	O
for	O
the	O
cancelled	O
StarCraft	B-Device
:	I-Device
Ghost	I-Device
,	O
though	O
Blizzard	O
said	O
that	O
its	O
story	O
was	O
not	O
a	O
large	O
factor	O
of	O
Nova	O
Covert	O
Opss	O
storyline	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
mission	O
pack	O
is	O
centered	O
around	O
Nova	O
,	O
offering	O
several	O
strategies	O
and	O
customisation	O
such	O
as	O
stealth	O
and	O
mobility	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
what	O
the	O
intention	O
of	O
StarCraft	B-Device
:	I-Device
Ghost	I-Device
was	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gameplay	O
of	O
Nova	B-Application
Covert	I-Application
Ops	I-Application
retains	O
the	O
same	O
general	O
gameplay	O
as	O
the	O
base	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
focused	O
around	O
the	O
hero	O
unit	O
of	O
Nova	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
Kerrigan	O
in	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Heart	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Swarm	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Missions	O
,	O
like	O
those	O
in	O
previous	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
campaigns	O
,	O
are	O
meant	O
to	O
avoid	O
the	O
build	O
and	O
destroy	O
design	O
seen	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
StarCrafts	O
missions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
features	O
from	O
the	O
previous	O
campaigns	O
of	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
remain	O
;	O
more	O
than	O
the	O
first	O
StarCrafts	O
inter-mission	O
content	O
being	O
cutscenes	O
and	O
briefing	O
rooms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
setting	O
of	O
Nova	B-Application
Covert	I-Application
Ops	I-Application
takes	O
place	O
in	O
a	O
Dominion	O
ruled	O
by	O
Valerian	O
Mengsk	O
,	O
who	O
seeks	O
to	O
rule	O
in	O
a	O
manner	O
less	O
tyrannical	O
than	O
his	O
late	O
father	O
,	O
Arcturus	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
aftermath	O
of	O
Legacy	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Void	I-Application
,	O
the	O
Tal'darim	O
have	O
shaken	O
off	O
their	O
connection	O
to	O
the	O
Xel'naga	O
Amon	O
,	O
while	O
still	O
retaining	O
their	O
customs	O
of	O
strength	O
and	O
usurping	O
their	O
superiors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nova	B-Application
Covert	I-Application
Ops	I-Application
refers	O
extensively	O
to	O
events	O
and	O
characters	O
explored	O
out	O
of	O
the	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
recurring	O
characters	O
from	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
appear	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
minor	O
characters	O
from	O
the	O
comics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
aftermath	O
of	O
Legacy	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Void	I-Application
,	O
it	O
was	O
decided	O
that	O
a	O
return	O
to	O
the	O
Terran	O
perspective	O
was	O
natural	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
was	O
designed	O
to	O
be	O
in	O
contrast	O
to	O
the	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
campaigns	O
;	O
ones	O
that	O
were	O
seen	O
as	O
great	O
in	O
scope	O
—	O
with	O
it	O
becoming	O
smaller	O
in	O
scale	O
and	O
grittier	O
,	O
evocative	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
StarCraft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
plot-points	O
in	O
Nova	B-Application
Covert	I-Application
Ops	I-Application
were	O
mirrors	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
StarCraft	O
,	O
including	O
rebellion	O
and	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
devices	O
to	O
control	O
the	O
Zerg	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
James	O
Waugh	O
,	O
the	O
writer	O
of	O
Legacy	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Void	I-Application
,	O
noted	O
that	O
an	O
important	O
element	O
of	O
the	O
story	O
is	O
choice	O
—	O
bringing	O
up	O
another	O
similarity	O
to	O
Kerrigan	O
,	O
in	O
their	O
defections	O
from	O
the	O
Mengsk	O
family	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Waugh	O
serves	O
as	O
the	O
story	O
director	O
for	O
Nova	B-Application
Covert	I-Application
Ops	I-Application
;	O
Valerie	O
Watrous	O
,	O
a	O
co-writer	O
on	O
Legacy	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Void	I-Application
,	O
serves	O
as	O
the	O
primary	O
writer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nova	B-Application
Covert	I-Application
Ops	I-Application
was	O
intended	O
to	O
demonstrate	O
Blizzard	O
's	O
transition	O
into	O
releasing	O
more	O
frequent	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
background	O
lore	O
of	O
Nova	B-Application
Covert	I-Application
Ops	I-Application
was	O
extensively	O
developed	O
in	O
the	O
years	O
before	O
it	O
,	O
including	O
novels	O
and	O
comics	O
revolving	O
around	O
the	O
eponymous	O
character	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	O
Legacy	O
of	O
the	O
Voids	O
release	O
,	O
Nova	B-Application
Covert	I-Application
Ops	I-Application
was	O
announced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nova	B-Application
Covert	I-Application
Ops	I-Application
released	O
as	O
a	O
stand-alone	O
which	O
did	O
not	O
require	O
any	O
previous	O
StarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
purchase	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nova	O
's	O
fan	O
favourite	O
status	O
and	O
the	O
proxy	O
of	O
Nova	B-Application
Covert	I-Application
Ops	I-Application
for	O
StarCraft	B-Device
:	I-Device
Ghost	I-Device
were	O
consistently	O
addressed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Destructoid	O
's	O
Chris	O
Carter	O
commented	O
on	O
Nova	B-Application
Covert	I-Application
Ops	I-Application
drawing	O
point	O
being	O
Nova	O
and	O
praised	O
the	O
customization	O
features	O
but	O
criticized	O
the	O
story	O
as	O
being	O
inconsistent	O
with	O
the	O
darker	O
tone	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
calling	O
the	O
ending	O
"	O
a	O
little	O
too	O
neatly	O
wrapped.	O
"	O
</s>
