[PvK]

I'd agree that they're both good games. Similar in some ways, but different in others.

Combat is quite different. Escape Velocity combat is pretty clearly Asteroids-esque (though quite deluxe Asteroids-esque) action-oriented, with some tactics necessary, and varied play from different ship and equipment types, but definitely a "reflexes required" affair. Starfury is also pretty arcade-like, but less so - more of a "thinking man's action game" (the old Epyx Last gasp slogan). In Starfury there is a rather detailed damage model. There is also no inertia in the movement, and no manual aiming of weapons, so the skills required are interface skills and some thinking rather than EV's piloting skills and some thinking. Also in EV, although you can accidentally fly into a barrage of weapon fire, it thankfully doesn't let you accidentally crash into planets or other ships. In Starfury, not only can you crash into everything, but the 3D view makes it relatively easy to do while looking the wrong direction, or just from not noticing a satellite while zoomed out. Which is better (or not) is a matter of personal taste, but they are quite different in the gameplay of piloting and fighting.

Ship design in Starfury has the potential to be more detailed and interesting than in EV, because of more details of hit location/direction, energy system, and probably modding (to be fair though, I haven't tried any EV mods, nor do I know what can be modded in EV). However I think EV has some of its own advantages in that department, perhaps thanks to EV having a long development history. In EV the ship systems abilities are I think much more refined in terms of balance and interesting trade-offs, than unmodded Starfury. Not to mention more interesting and well-developed racial technologies in EV. SF modders have (or at least Suicide Junkie has AFAIK) already made large improvements in the balance and interestingness department, though.

I think that similarly, EV's campaign scenarios and universe background seem a lot more detailed and well-crafted than in Starfury. The trading system is also currently better in EV, but Starfury is just getting off the ground, and Malfador and the modders will probably catch up a lot (EV:Nova has a huge head start).

Although I've only played a few games of EV:Nova (quitting and starting over when I died, so not entire run-throughs), my impression was that the game universe mechanics were more sophisticated (again, SF may grow into something more sophisticated over time). Specifically, in EV, the non-player ships really seem to be doing things that make sense - coming and going to ports, warring and pirating and so on - more convincingly than in SF. And, in EV, world events seem to go on without you, and independent of what your equipment and wealth are like. SF bases difficulty and enemy equipment on your own equipment to achieve balance (though maybe EV does too and I just didn't realize it).

Anyway, as usual, try both demos and see how they fit your own tastes.

PvK