Star Trek: Voyager Elite Force

"A very good game, if you like Star Trek."

Star Trek Voyager: Elite force

Introduction: This is a sci-fi first person shooter, which plays in the universe of the Star Trek: Voyager TV-show. It has a singleplayer and 32-player multiplayer mode. It was made by Raven Software.

Gameplay, 7/10: The game-play is a standard FPS game, with a few puzzle-elements in it. The controls are easy to learn, and they work very well. The enemies are aliens, and you have 10 sci-fi weapons to choose from. It's not very different from other games of this genre, the only difference is that the graphics are less important then the gameplay. This won't impress a random gamer, but if you like Star Trek, then you'll certainly like it. One bad point: the AI. It's a bit disappointing. You're team-mates aren't very helpful, and I've seen enemies that didn't notice you while you were standing next to them.

Graphics, 7/10: Not very good, and not bad either. The characters look real, and so do the weapons and environments. Explosions and things like that are a bit weak, but it doesn't really matter cause the gameplay and story is more important in my opinion. The environment consists of mostly indoor locations, star-ships and such, and aren't very interesting. The level design is quite good on the other hand because there are a lot of unexpected paths, that you only notice if you examine the terrain.

Sound, 6/10: Again, not much to say about the sound. The gunfire sounds realistic and the voice acting is done very well. The aliens sound a bit weird, but good enough for me. Explosions and such are a bit disappointing and you don't here many footsteps and other sound like that.

Story, 8/10: One of the better points of this game. The story is much like those of the TV-show, and it seems to be based on one of the episodes, although I can't remember which one. It features the Klingons, Romulans, Hirogen and many other races that you'll recognise if you're a Star Trek fan. It's a pity that there are a few clichés in the story, like the standard saving the ship at the last minute. But it's more then an excuse for a lot of violence, like it is in other shooters.

Multiplayer, 8/10: The other good part of this game. The muliplayer has two modes. Online against other humans, or offline against bots. This is quite fun, and adds a lot to the replay value of this game. I had dial-up connection when I first played this game, so the offline mode was my first experience with multiplayer, and I really liked it.

Final Recommendation: Rent or Buy?
Buy, It's a fun game and it's very cheap by now. Especially if you're a Star Trek fan. It's great to have a chance to participate in a series like this, and a good FPS game is always welcome, if you ask me.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/02/04