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Star Trek has been out of gaming for the past few years, and the few games we did see weren’t all that spectacular to begin with. However, seeing how the franchise still had some life in it, Bethesda is looking to bring the series back in two new Star Trek games: Star Trek: Legacy and Star Trek: Tactical Assault.
Legacy is a star ship combat game that will cover all of the eras from the TV series. You’ll see ships from the original series, as well as the multiple spin-offs like Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager, bringing the total number of ships to around 60.
In the single player game you’ll take control of one of four factions (Federation, Borg, Klingon, or Romulan) as you work through the “Star Trek” history beginning with Enterprise. Combat is drawn-out and places more emphasis on strategy than action. Rather than simply unloading on enemy vessels, you’ll have to plan out how to best use your small fleet as well as managing power between shields and weapons. As you amass victories you’ll also earn points that can be spent on upgrading your ship as well as getting bigger, more powerful ships. You'll also be able to relive some of the more memorable battles such as the fight with Khan.
Star Trek: Legacy is scheduled for release on the PC and Xbox 360 later this year.
Bethesda’s other Star Trek offering, Star Trek: Tactical Assault, is bringing the Star Trek universe to handhelds.
Star Trek: Tactical Assault is split into two campaigns featuring the Klingons and Federation. As with Legacy, a bulk of Tactic Assault’s gameplay will be ship based and focus more on slow, strategic pacing rather than zooming around and blasting ships. In addition to maneuvering your ship, you’ll also have to shift power between shields and your ship’s weapons.
One of the more interesting aspects found in Tactical Assault is promotion points. Doing a good job during mission will earn you points that you can then spend on promoting your officers, effectively upgrading your ship’s abilities. For example, if you promote your helmsman, you ship will be more maneuverable. These promotions will also carry over to new ships you might take control of during the game.
Star Trek: Tactical Assault will be released on both the PSP and DS, and while the PSP version obviously outshines the DS version graphically, the DS version will make use of the system’s touch functions. The bottom screen is designed just like a ship interface from the series and allows you to control everything, from steering to weapons, right on the bottom screen.
Star Trek: Tactical Assault is scheduled for release later this year. |
