"A Star Tek game that almost boldly goes into being a GREAT game!"

Introduction

Hey gaming fans, Captain Pikachu1918 here to give you a run down on one of the few GOOD Star Trek games out there. Considering how allot of fans have torn into both good and bad Trek games, I think saying its good shows you which way I'm leaning during this process, since sometimes good games rarely get spoken of, and now I plan to tell this games tale.

Let's just take a moment and step back and remember the time and era this game was cooked up in. Star Trek the Next Generation was on season six. The Game Boy system was a few years old, so we have two mature ideas hitting each other. Now some companies have tried to make the best Trek game by trying this trick and that trick. With limited memory, the guys at Absolute Entertainment focused on the ship action. Which means yes, you can't beam down to a planet, or really work on diplomatic solutions for a mission. Now please remember to keep your hands and feet inside the holodeck during this review, and remember this is review on based on the 8 bit limitations of the original Game Boy.

Story: 5/10

The story behind this game is that you're an aspiring Star Fleet Cadet, one of an elite handful to be dropped into the holodeck to command this simulation of the USS Enterprise 1701-D. Now this is actually believable, but this cripples the game later on. Since the idea that Captain Picard would drop his life on the flag ship of the fleet to act as a tutor to even the elite cadets is hard to buy. Mind you, you don't really interact with him. Since Captain Picard's role is more of point of contact. Since he promotes you after you complete a number of missions, and then hands you harder missions. It's a vicious cycle, and part of the problem is buying Picard being in his present role. Since anyone who watched the show knows that Captain Picard doesn't like young people.

One of the other critical problems is that during that during that cycle I mentioned before, you never get new tools, or say advice from the Captain. The other senior officers offer you advice depending on the present mission, and what it does with their department. Why is Captain Picard the only one to be so stone face? When you fail a mission you'd think he'd step in and say what you did wrong instead of sending you on mission at the same level as the one you just failed.

Game Play: 7/10

As noted in the story part of this review, you're a cadet and this is all a Holodeck recreation. When it came to a means to controlling the Enterprise, it's remarkable what they did. It's complicated enough you can buy you're on the ship, but simple enough there is a low learning curve so to speak. However, like some other games out there, there was room for improvement.

When you're transporting a person/cargo item, you have a range bar telling you how close you are to the item you want to beam up. Sad news is that you can pass several objects before you find the right one. It's a semi-weak point from my perspective.

Now one aspect I think everyone expects in a Star Trek game is Ship to ship combat. Considering how this game takes place solely on the bridge, yes you can engage in combat. You can even give a good power boost to the shields or phasers if you choose. The real hard part I found in the combat system is the lack of a targeting recital. You've also got to deal with the need to swap screens to gather information such as range and damage level on hostile ships. You'll find along the way your opponents both increase in numbers and difficulty, starting off with rebels, and ending with the Borg.

Graphics 9/10

This game came out a good four years after the Game Boy hit the market. The graphics quality shows. Since I play titles from a year before, and sometimes the back ground would block the view of the stuff in the for ground. That is a bad idea, since as a player while a background gives it a sense of realism, it's the stuff in front of that can kill you. With this title, the problem of mixing the two up isn't here. The way the main viewer works gives you enough sensor information that you know if you're closing in or out of a target, and you can see it move around.

With the exception of cargo containers and passengers, everything is crystal clear. I mean I see detail work on the Enterprise damage screen that is breath taking. It shows you what the Game Boy could really do. The pictures of the main caste are well done enough you can see were allot of the memory in this game went to.

Sound 8/10

With the lack of in game movies, sound is one of the critical means to convey information to the player. We've got a crew here that did an exceptional job. Since the phasers and the photon torpedoes sound within range of the quality of the show, this is remarkable considering the hardware being used.

One way that I would expect the player to be messed up is by two or more officers trying to get the Captain's attention. Not so, even with a different flash rate, there are two distinct bleeps. One for damage and one for say a nasty intruder on deck 10. This helps with the controls of the game.

Final Call!

If you've read my reviews before, you know I love FINAL CALL TIME! By now you know Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as I do, and you want me to one line the response to the following question, “Do I buy it or not?” Wait, drum roll. YES! You can pick this game for anywhere from $5 to $15, and not many good Trek games are prices there these days. Good in this case being defined as a 7.25 average score during this review.

I know this game doesn't have any multiplayer abilities, despite being on the Game Boy system. However, it has excellent sounds and graphics, a well thought out user interface for the most part. The story line while not the best, but it's decent. I mean you even have a Next Generation version of the Kobayashi Maru test in it, and trust me, after all the times I've taken this unnamed mission on, you can't beat it. It's the ultimate test of character, shame Picard's reaction doesn't change when you fail it. Took me twenty missions to realize I wouldn't get a second shot at it.

I know this is the older Trek games out there, but if you're a Trek fan looking for a chance to play a game while traveling, then trust me this is the game for you. Since it does its' best to give you the full experience, and even give you more than the basic blast X into space dust. Mind you no chance to talk peace with aliens either. Well this Pikachu1918 sitting down in the Captain's chair and telling you to take us out.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/22/09

Game Release: Star Trek: The Next Generation (US, June 1993)