Gaming Bullets

• The newly-released 'Star Trek: Bridge Commander' was recently reviewed at Games Xtreme. "Bridge Commander is a good pick if you're yearning to travel to distant stars, meet interesting aliens, and kill them," wrote 'Valenth'. "While the lack of replay value may mean it gets played through a couple times then shelved, it should be a memorable experience." The game scored 87% in the complete analysis.

• Gavin Carter at the Adrenaline Vault also praised 'Bridge Commander.' Here's an extract from his analysis:

  Bridge Commander is one of the most realistic and captivating starship simulations ever made. Never before have I been so immersed in a sci-fi game. Playing it gives you the feeling of being a part of the 'Star Trek' universe. While problems related to its strict linear structure exist, Bridge Commander wields enough stellar qualities for most gamers to overlook its shortcomings. Star Trek Bridge Commander is one of the finest space simulations in recent years, and it's one no fan of the genre or the show will want to pass by.

  Go here to read the full article, in which the game was awarded four stars.

• Although he thought the plot was mediocre in comparison to the television series, Action Trip's Uros Jojic also gave 'Bridge Commander' a scored of 85%. "My verdict is, Trek fans won't be disappointed - quite the contrary," he wrote. "Especially those of you who are fans of the Next-Generation universe. STBC is proof that all Star Trek games are not created equal. Some are better than others, and STBC just happens to be one of the better ones." Go here to read more.

• Over at Invisible Dream, the reaction was that the game was enjoyable, if flawed. Here's an extract from the review dealing with the multiplayer aspect:

  Multiplayer. Ick. Ow. Considering how they delayed the game for the purpose of implenting it (the team nearly got lynched when a rumor got out that it wouldn't be included), I was expecting better. [...] If they ever patch up the game to improve the netcode stability, and if the modding community really takes off and gets some fun-filled custom game types going, it could be quite a lot of fun. As it stands, multiplayer is just something I boot up every now and then for a few minutes while waiting for something else to play.

  'Bridge Commander' scored 82% in the complete analysis.

• UGO's Adam Swiderski described the gameplay as "surprisingly mundane and pretty linear. Don't get me wrong; I wasn't expecting Privateer or Elite here, but with all the work that has gone into preserving Star Trek atmosphere and authenticity, being forced down a one-way path seems kind of out of context." Overall, the game stood up well and was given a B plus in the original article.

• In contrast with all these positive opinions, 'Borg' at GameOver was extremely disappointed by 'Bridge Commander.' "So what can I say about this game that is positive? Umm… not much. Data and Picard make appearances in the game, but their faces are so badly mapped that you will laugh more than be awed by their presence. [...] Some people would rave about the graphics, though if you look closely, you will see many errors." Go here for the full review, in which the game was awarded a score of 55%.

• 'Star Trek: Armada II,' last year's big release, was recently reviewed at Games Radar UK. "Armada II is a reasonably slick, efficient RTS, though it brings little to the genre apart from the Star Trek licence," the site said. "It's also worth noting that it adds little to that licence, apart from a move to three dimensions, though this makes very little difference to game mechanics that are still fairly rooted in two dimensions." The game was awarded a score of 60% in the full review.

• It's 'Wrath of Khan Week' over at Decipher - with details of all the latest Motion Picture CCG cards.

  Thanks to Blue's News for most of these!

Discuss this news item at Trek BBS!
 Add TrekToday RSS feed to your news reader or My Yahoo!
Also a CSI: Crime Scene Investigation fan? Then visit CSIFiles.com!