Tir's Ultimate Guide to Trek Gaming

[Mentat_Tir]

Before you ask, yes, I do own all these games.  I don’t have every Trek game ever created, but I’m working on it.

There are good Trek games where the designers really know their Trek then there are games where the designers think if they slap the words “Star Trek” on the box, you’ll buy it.  Unfortunately for me, it worked.  Fortunately for you, however, you can learn from my mistakes before you dish out your hard-earned cash.

Key:

***** - Tir recommends it.  Buy it now!
**** - Not perfect, but a good game nonetheless.
*** - Get it if it’s in the “Discount Software” bin.  Has some flaws
** - Only for the hardcore Trekkers.  A bad game, but hey, it’s still Star Trek.
* - Only the game designers’ mothers would like this game.  If you see it, point to the box and laugh loudly.

Games

Armada **** – Once patched, a good RTS game.
Armada 2 *** – A step backward from Armada 1
Away Team ** - Good idea poorly executed
Borg ***** - Like being in a TNG episode.  Q is hilarious.
Bridge Commander ***** - Worth every red cent.
Conquest Online * - Not sure what they were thinking.
Dominion Wars *** - Wonderful eyecandy, but not the best game.
Elite Forces ***** - Shooting Borg feels great!
Elite Forces Expansion *** - Wander aimlessly around Voyager
The Fallen **** - Good DS9 adventure
Final Unity *** - Fair TNG game for thinkers only
Harbinger (DS9) * - Never heard of it?  Good.
Hidden Evil ** - Close, but no cigar.
Invasion (PlayStation) **** - VERY Hard, but well done flight game
Klingon ***** - Think like a Klingon to win.  A real underdog
Klingon Academy ***** - BC’s big brother.  Blow up Sulu. Qapla!
New Worlds * - InterPlay owes me $20 and an apology.
Pinball ** - It’s only a TOS pinball game.
Starfleet Academy **** - Great game, bad actors
Starfleet Command **** - Exactly the game I would have made.
Starfleet Command II ***** - Even better than SC1
Starship Creator + Addon *** - Make a starship then watch its paint dry.
Star Trek Windows **** - Turn-based Strategy by Trekkers, for Trekkers
25th Anniversary **** - Great adventure game for the time.

Not Really Games

Captain’s Chair *** - Nifty little guide to bridges
TNG Interactive Technical Manual ***** - A must for every serious Trekker
Omnipedia ** - Just buy the book

[Christina]

Harbinger (DS9) * - Never heard of it?  Good.

It's only plugged on half the DS9 tapes in this household.  Or so it seems anyway.

So I take it the old adage applies?

The more they push the product, the worse it is?

[StolenThunder]

You forgot two classics!

EGATrek... So very, very, very entertaining - especially when you only have a 386...

*and*

Judgement Rites... Basically the sequel to 25th Anniversary. [The puzzles are still impossible (Drug the beer? Fix the phonograph? ) But it's good fun all the same...

[Peter_Pevensie]

Tir, I only ask because I'm you're friend...but when was the last time you saw your wife and kids? ;D

[star3]

Does the Elite Force expansion pack add anything to the game besides the Virtual Voyager thing?

[Tricorder]

Some of the best Star Trek games were the very early ones. The ones at the time where Simon & Shuster were the only ones releasing authorized games. You can download those ones now.

Kobayashi Alternative
Promethean Prophecy
First Contact (Has nothing to do with the movie at all)

These games are really good. You can do almost anything you want in the game too. Like go on a tour of the ship for instance. And what's funny is that in those games, if you curse twice, it will give you a warning, but if you curse a third time, McCoy will come and get you and put you in sickbay and the game will quit.