Does it play like an arcade game or any way at all like any SFC version? (Way embarassed: my little one has a DS; I'm not sure if my eyes can resolve what's on that tiny square they call a display or if my digits can even feel those tiny blotches they call controls... )
I played it, and beat it. Unlocked all the ships. It plays like an Arcade game in many ways...and similarities to SFC, though there, are like SFC Super Ultra Light with a coat of air underneath to make it lighter. It has a six shield configuration like SFC, it also has weapon hardpoints like SFC, but you can't repair them when the get destroyed. It has different types of phasers sort of like SFC, but you aren't really told that they are of differing strengths or what they are. It has very VERY slight energy management, in which you use extra energy/emergency power to do things such as cloak, increase weapon damage (aka overload photons/phasers), regenerate shields, and commit to HET's. The symbology is very similar to SFC as well. However, controls are by the gamepad/crosshair thingy on the handhelds. Hence, though with SFC elements, which you should be very familiar with, it also has Bridge Commander/Legacy elements due to real time control and how you control the ships.
Missions can get annoying as hell (I repeated one over a dozen times trying to beat it, and some others took mulitple attempts) with no in mission save, but ARE very star trekky like, and very enjoyable...if you like being Federation or Klingon (actually you HAVE to play and beat the Federation campaign before it lets you play the Klingon one).
Overall, I really enjoyed it...if you like SFC...you might like it for memories it brings up...and elements of SFC it has in it...but not really because it's like SFC. Hard to explain...unless one's actually played it though.