Topic: SFC3: Should I buy it yet?

[DeepThought]

I'm looking for some honest advice from players-- is SFC3 really worth the going price of $40 to $50 right now?  For those of you who bought it earlier, are you really happy with it?

I know it may be foolish to ask such a question on the developer's message boards, but, since Paramount/Activision/Taldren (or at least some of them) have not, in their wisdom, released a demo, it's hard for me to decide.  The movie was nice.  I watched it twice then deleted it.

Maybe I'm getting to cautious in my old age.  Maybe I'm cheap.  Or maybe, deep down, I'm afraid that I loved SFC2 so much (for all it's flaws), the sequel just won't be as good.

Any advice you can give, I'd appreciate.


-- DeepThought  

[Zenister]

no. no patch yet.even after i'd wait til the price slips some more..another month or so is my guess..

i saw it a couple of places at 29.99, however i'm waiting for 19.99 before i repurchace it..I'm reading great things about new mods available, but the gameplay as a whole was too simplistic to be worth $50 to me, so i took it back.

i did however buy ANOTHER copy of OP (this makes 5 total) since it was 9.99 and i needed to get another for lan games anyway...

[FrankyVas]

As sad as it is, I would wait for the price to go down.  Also, I would wait for the new patch (month late) to come out and see.  I haven't played it since after Christmas.  I wish with all my heart it was better, because it could be, but its not.  Maybe after the patch it'll improve.

Frank V.

[Dash Jones]

This is MY personal OPINION of MY thoughts.  Just so you know.  For me...yes it was waaay worth it.  I have already gotten two copies and may pick up  a third (yes I play with others, and yes, I also like back ups and will pay for said backups if I think the game is worth paying for more than once).

The first questions you need to ask is do you like the SFC series in general.  Look at SFC unrelated to SFB, in fact toss SFB out.  If SFC kept some of the basic concepts, but tossed out the rules of SFB and replaced them with a 10 - 100 % system...do you think you would like it?  

I completely love SFC 3.  With the Beta Patch, it is completely worth it, and I imagine when the official patch comes out, it will be that more likeable.  I personally enjoy ALL the SFC games, in fact, they currently rank as MY #1 game series EVER.  I am a bit rabid in my tastes when I find something I like (I really like Nvidia right now for example) so take that into account.  I like Star Trek as well, and SFC 3 seems to do a really good job at recreating the space battles like TNG, especially for a Romulan player like me.

The Single Player game is completely cool, however, I think it is made even better, and cooler if you add a mod...aka...Chris Jones's Complete DW/TNG Mod.

I would say, see if there are any other games you would like.  Then have that as a back up.  Go somewhere that allows returns.  Buy SFC 3.  Try it out.  Try to find the Beta Patch, or wait until the official patch.  Buy it on a weekend.  Play the heck out of it.  Decide if you like it or dislike it.

I liked it, that's no guarantee that you will, but if you get it at someplace that allows you to return the software, or return for another one of equal value, then you can try it before you settle on it, and if you don't like it...if you did as I suggested, you will have a backup game to fall to when you return it.

Or you could go to Yahoo.  I understand or have heard that Yahoo games has a 3 day play period where you can kind of rent the entire version or something like that.  You will have to pay some, like a rental, but you can play the game there and see what you think.

[Alexander1701]

  Buy the game. Gamers, as always, overstate the vast majority of problems. For the most part, the game works. Its a bit unstable at times, and sometimes you have to re-do a mission, but it IS very fun. Yes, single player non-campaign games are screwed up. Big deal. If you buy it now, you won't even figure out HOW they're messed up until the patch comes out. Online play is fine. There are some balance and stability issues, but the game is FAR from unplayable, and it IS extremely entertaining.

Don't let the nightmarish overexagerations of some players turn you off the game. Its really quite good.

Alexander  

[quircus]

$50????

Bloody hell ,thats expensive

I got it for £19.99 here in the UK  

[Cleaven]

As soon as the patch comes out I will be recommending SFC3 to a couple of friends.  

[Primus2003]

We are glad that someone actually directly asked this question.  My wife and I are both fans of the SFC series and are very interested in peoples opinions of SCF 3, we have all the other SCF series.    It was the only series I felt that ever measured up to decent Star Trek game.  IIn any event I usually waited for the price to come down a bit myself.  Then again we live up in Canada and our dollar well tack on average about 1.55x whatever the current amount is then ad 15%tax plus whatever else gets tacked on these days.  Then thats us.  I am interested in seeing what improvments have been done.  It has Been interesting to hear  how many say it will be the patch that makes it better.  While true I remember EAW or OP as being good before we received the patches.  We hope that it will be a good games as well SFC 3.  ANy other users opinions good or bad and why, would be most welcome.

[SSCF Hooch]

Buy it. It has dropped in price already. It's a good game, loads of fun...bugs and all. ALL games have bugs, ALL games need fixed. Heck the board games had to have re-writes to the rules, but have fun...fly Fed.

Hooch

[Alexander1701]

  20 Pounds = 50 Dollars.

Alexander  

[AlphaMeridian]

No, at current exchange rates, 20 Pounds is around 31 dollars, not 50.

Anyway, that being said, my offical recommendation to other people about sfc3 has been "Wait until the patch".  And that will continue to be my recommendation.  The game is good enough to be fun to a large majority of people, which is why I don't say never to buy the game.  However the bugs counteract the pluses of the game to some extent.  To deny this is to put a hand over one eye and claim that the world exists in 2d.  

I don't want to have to deal with calls from friends like "Why doesn't the mission continue when I beam the ambassador over to Unity Station?".  Once the bugs are fixed, I could see a group of us getting down on some LAN action; at the very core, it's a fun game.  

-Alpha

[DeepThought]

Thanks everyone for the feedback!

-- DeepThought  

[DeepThought]

I'm looking for some honest advice from players-- is SFC3 really worth the going price of $40 to $50 right now?  For those of you who bought it earlier, are you really happy with it?

I know it may be foolish to ask such a question on the developer's message boards, but, since Paramount/Activision/Taldren (or at least some of them) have not, in their wisdom, released a demo, it's hard for me to decide.  The movie was nice.  I watched it twice then deleted it.

Maybe I'm getting to cautious in my old age.  Maybe I'm cheap.  Or maybe, deep down, I'm afraid that I loved SFC2 so much (for all it's flaws), the sequel just won't be as good.

Any advice you can give, I'd appreciate.


-- DeepThought  

[Zenister]

no. no patch yet.even after i'd wait til the price slips some more..another month or so is my guess..

i saw it a couple of places at 29.99, however i'm waiting for 19.99 before i repurchace it..I'm reading great things about new mods available, but the gameplay as a whole was too simplistic to be worth $50 to me, so i took it back.

i did however buy ANOTHER copy of OP (this makes 5 total) since it was 9.99 and i needed to get another for lan games anyway...

[FrankyVas]

As sad as it is, I would wait for the price to go down.  Also, I would wait for the new patch (month late) to come out and see.  I haven't played it since after Christmas.  I wish with all my heart it was better, because it could be, but its not.  Maybe after the patch it'll improve.

Frank V.

[Dash Jones]

This is MY personal OPINION of MY thoughts.  Just so you know.  For me...yes it was waaay worth it.  I have already gotten two copies and may pick up  a third (yes I play with others, and yes, I also like back ups and will pay for said backups if I think the game is worth paying for more than once).

The first questions you need to ask is do you like the SFC series in general.  Look at SFC unrelated to SFB, in fact toss SFB out.  If SFC kept some of the basic concepts, but tossed out the rules of SFB and replaced them with a 10 - 100 % system...do you think you would like it?  

I completely love SFC 3.  With the Beta Patch, it is completely worth it, and I imagine when the official patch comes out, it will be that more likeable.  I personally enjoy ALL the SFC games, in fact, they currently rank as MY #1 game series EVER.  I am a bit rabid in my tastes when I find something I like (I really like Nvidia right now for example) so take that into account.  I like Star Trek as well, and SFC 3 seems to do a really good job at recreating the space battles like TNG, especially for a Romulan player like me.

The Single Player game is completely cool, however, I think it is made even better, and cooler if you add a mod...aka...Chris Jones's Complete DW/TNG Mod.

I would say, see if there are any other games you would like.  Then have that as a back up.  Go somewhere that allows returns.  Buy SFC 3.  Try it out.  Try to find the Beta Patch, or wait until the official patch.  Buy it on a weekend.  Play the heck out of it.  Decide if you like it or dislike it.

I liked it, that's no guarantee that you will, but if you get it at someplace that allows you to return the software, or return for another one of equal value, then you can try it before you settle on it, and if you don't like it...if you did as I suggested, you will have a backup game to fall to when you return it.

Or you could go to Yahoo.  I understand or have heard that Yahoo games has a 3 day play period where you can kind of rent the entire version or something like that.  You will have to pay some, like a rental, but you can play the game there and see what you think.

[Alexander1701]

  Buy the game. Gamers, as always, overstate the vast majority of problems. For the most part, the game works. Its a bit unstable at times, and sometimes you have to re-do a mission, but it IS very fun. Yes, single player non-campaign games are screwed up. Big deal. If you buy it now, you won't even figure out HOW they're messed up until the patch comes out. Online play is fine. There are some balance and stability issues, but the game is FAR from unplayable, and it IS extremely entertaining.

Don't let the nightmarish overexagerations of some players turn you off the game. Its really quite good.

Alexander  

[quircus]

$50????

Bloody hell ,thats expensive

I got it for £19.99 here in the UK  

[Cleaven]

As soon as the patch comes out I will be recommending SFC3 to a couple of friends.  

[Primus2003]

We are glad that someone actually directly asked this question.  My wife and I are both fans of the SFC series and are very interested in peoples opinions of SCF 3, we have all the other SCF series.    It was the only series I felt that ever measured up to decent Star Trek game.  IIn any event I usually waited for the price to come down a bit myself.  Then again we live up in Canada and our dollar well tack on average about 1.55x whatever the current amount is then ad 15%tax plus whatever else gets tacked on these days.  Then thats us.  I am interested in seeing what improvments have been done.  It has Been interesting to hear  how many say it will be the patch that makes it better.  While true I remember EAW or OP as being good before we received the patches.  We hope that it will be a good games as well SFC 3.  ANy other users opinions good or bad and why, would be most welcome.