thought this might be cool
Remember the thrilling cat-and-mouse game between Mark Lenard's Romulan Commander and Captain James T. Kirk in the Original Series episode "Balance of Terror?" This is the kind of strategy and game play one can expect from Interplay's "Star Trek: Starfleet Command."
There are two kinds of computer games, the kind that one can install and start playing immediately and the kind that takes some time to learn. "Star Trek: Starfleet Command" falls into the latter category, but don't think that takes away from the game. Many of the plug-and-play games wear out quickly, the nuances of deep space combat getting lost in a simplistic approach where it's all about dexterity versus strategy.
"Star Trek: Starfleet Command" is a real-time naval combat game that, although complex at first, provides a realistic and challenging experience, transcending the standard "shoot-em-up-in-space" games.
Taking place in the pre-Star Trek: The Next Generation era (late 23rd Century but before the opening of "Star Trek Generations"), "Star Trek: Starfleet Command" is filled with a plethora of player options. The game boasts over 50 campaign missions, 6 different Star Trek races to play (Federation, Klingon, Romulan, Gorn, Lyran and Hydran, each with 44 different ships to choose from) and dozens of display panels. It should be noted that the Lyrans and Hydrans do not originate from the Star Trek canon.
Again, the staggering amount of details involved make the player have to do what a real Star Trek ship Captain does- engage an enemy while staying on top of numerous critical systems (helm, weapons, shields, life support, etc.). The result of all these details can be a bit overwhelming at first but the upshot to familiarity with "Star Trek: Starfleet Command" is a multilayered game where true naval strategy wins out over brute force or sheer numbers.
Since learning everything about captaining a ship into combat is crucial to the game, there is an extended tutorial that features the voice of George Takei (Hikaru Sulu), talking you through the complex commands. And, just to allay any fears that the game is all about flying a starship, there are plenty of opportunities in the tutorial to play with the weapons. Hearing Takei's booming voice say "Alright, now let's blow something up!" is a treat.
Again, this is not a game where you kill five minutes. "Star Trek: Starfleet Command" requires a substantial time investment to get started and used to the controls, but the game is so deep with campaigns and missions that once you get proficient, the hours fly by at warp speed.
Yes the demand is still there for that
Topic: SFC review on Paramount (Read 1430 times)