Star Trek: Elite Force II
Star Trek has had it’s ups & downs of video games. Some have tanked while some have done well & gone on to have sequels. This falls under the latter of the two.
In the previous ST:EF game, you played as either a male or female Lt.Munro, leader of the Hazard Team, a task force for high risk missions, on the U.S.S Voyager. The story wasn’t bad & it stayed true to the traditions/lore of StarTrek. ST:EF2 was just as good, if not a little better. Just as in other games, before you start shooting up the place or complete your objective, if there is an opportunity to hear to characters chat, sit & listen to their dialogue, it sometimes it pretty funny.
As a fan of StarTrek, I keep a standard for things with the StarTrek license. I was particularly impressed how the writers incorporated the series finale of ST:VOY & how the Hazard Team eventually gets to the U.S.S. Enterprise. Like I said, it could have been very worse (ST:New Worlds, the ST:Generations game, ST:Away Team, etc.). It was cool to see species from all series (Andorian, Bolians, Borg, Denobulans, just to name a few) as well getting to see Starfleet Academy again. I was also happy to hear many voice talents reprise roles (i.e. Tim Russ, Patrick Stewart, Dwight Schultz [Lt.Barclay], etc.), some ST alumni (Jeffery Combs, Tony Todd, Robert O’Reilly & John Hertzler), even a surprising Raymond Cruz (not usually known for voice work).
Just as before, the Id Software’s Quake3 engine was used instead of writing a new interface. It’s not a bad thing, but it does have it’s flaws. Although the models were improved upon from the first game, the animations were very robotic & the models could’ve been rounded better. The skins to the models however, were well done. With the introduction to the new weapons (pretty much the same kinds of weapons, just redesigned) you’re given a chance to test them out in the armory’s adjoining holodeck. As int the past, ST:EF2 has multiplayer side to it, but it’s basically the same deathmatch, capture the flag, etc. Nothing that would take gamers away from game better known for multiplayer DM & CTF.
The game should last you about 15-25 hours (not including multiplayer). Throughout the game, there are secret areas & items to find to unlock 6 “secret maps”. Some consist of mission type maps, one was a endurance level (similar to LucasArts SW:Clone Wars endurance arena) with the new Klingon member of the Hazard Team, & 2 are mildly interactive galleries of concept art & character models.
All in all, if you’re a big Trek fan & a decent first person shooter player, kicking ass in the StarTrek universe is not to be missed. If you’re not a big StarTrek fan, it’s still a decent solid game to keep you on your toes.
My Rating: Special Edition
