Star Trek Preview

WILL THE GAME: “LIVE LONG AND PROSPER” OR“DIE YOUNG AND FAIL”

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With the rejuvenation of the Star Trek franchise, thanks mainly to the success of the last movie and another on the way, the natural progression would point towards gaming. As many movie studios have come to the realization that some games now gross more at the till than their blockbuster movie counterparts. Therefore releasing Star Trek: The Game makes sense right? For generations the Star Trekking universe has intrigued and captured the minds of so many people that it had to show up in gaming at some point.Well we were lucky enough to get our hands on this game pre-release and test it out for ourselves, so how did we find it?

We had the pleasure to attend the preview event this week which kicked off with a presentation by the Senior VP of Paramount Pictures explaining some of the main points and features of the game. It was during this presentation that we could literally ‘feel’ the love and commitment that Paramount Pictures have for this special long-living franchise. The game itself is not an over night thought, it has actually been in development for around 3 years. It is obviously based around the two main characters, Kirk and Spock and it is this special relationship between these two iconic characters that Paramount wanted to really get through to the gamer.

The story of the game itself is based around the Vulcan people trying to create a new home, as we saw in the last movie the planet was destroyed leaving around 10,000 Vulcans still alive to recolonize and keep the race alive. Returning to Star Trek from an episode in the past is your enemy, the Gorn. These are lizard like creatures that walk on two legs and shoot guns,  but Paramount Pictures have created a lot of different types of Gorn for you to battle, some of which can be extremely difficult to kill. Not only will you be able to kill this ancient enemy but during the game you will play as the Gorn at some point which allows you to get the story from their side, while adding an extra dimentsion to the game as a whole. As you progress through the game you will realize that whether you are playing as Kirk or Spock, in single or co-op, each character relies on the other to progress through the game. As the player you will have over 20 weapons at hand, each with duel fire capabilities, thus giving you a vast choice in how you dispose of your enemies.

Another interesting feature of the game is the transmitter that the characters carry, which you will need a lot during gameplay to scan for wires and show you the way to the objective and various hot spots throughout the game. This is one of those features where Paramount Pictures tried to keep the game as authentic as possible to really engage the player in the whole Star Trek experience. All the main characters from the game are represented in some form and also voiced by the actors themselves, including Simon Pegg, which gives each of them the same personality as in the movie. You will also get to play as the Star Ship Enterprise at some point in the game allowing you to control the iconic ship that has fascinated so many over the years.

A number of levels were available for us to play on the night, which ranged from exploring the Star Ship Enterprise, to getting in the thick of it with the Gorn. Exploring the Enterprise was a highlight for me as you get to see parts and places of the ship never seen before, and as Kirk I got to sit in the captains chair and talk to the crew – now who has never wanted to sit at the helm of the Star Ship Enterprise and say “warp factor 4 Mr Zulu” lol? When playing through the levels you really get the true sense of how much the two characters rely on each other. In fact in one scene Spock has to carry an injured Kirk to sick bay, so if you are playing as Kirk you must keep the Gorn away with your Phaser until Spock gets you there and fixes you up. But, if you are playing as Spock you must carry Kirk and then fix his leg through the clever use of a mini game, all the time while your partner is shooting the enemy. Mini games are scattered throughout the game, ranging from opening locks to unlocking Easter Eggs. The whole game is based in the third person view which gives you a great view as you vault, run, duck and climb your way through the levels.

The gameplay itself is was you would expect from a third person shooter, but with some interesting and very fun aspects. For example controlling Kirk flying through outer space holding onto a jet-pack and dodging various pieces of debris. But the question still remains, will this game have what it takes to impress the gaming community? As shooter based games go I think it has taken that formula and given it a bit of a twist with the reliance that the two characters have on each other throughout the game.  Playing  in the Star Trek universe is fun and interesting, and also allows you to see things you may have never noticed before about the ship. Although we did find a couple of minor glitches while playing through, the game is still technically in development and would not be fair to comment on these at this time.

All I have to say is that Star Trek The Game will already have a huge fan base with the die hard Trekkies, and  it definitely had an appeal to me as a gamer at heart. Personally I can’t wait to get my hands on the finished version of this game in April and really put it through it’s paces. Star Trek will “live long and prosper” both as a game and a movie due mainly to the dedication and commitment to all those involved. And guess what you will be able to kick seven bells out of each other playing as Spock and Kirk in the game, now who does not want to make these two fight,I do!

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