"Only for the most die-hard of Star Trek fans"

Introduction:
Star Trek: The Next Generation is a game based off, the show bearing the same name. The game was made in 1993 by Absolute Entertainment, a company that I can definitely say I have never heard of (though that isn’t really saying much at all). The format of the game is obviously for the oldest incarnation of the Gameboy.

Gameplay: 2/10
The game play for this game is pretty difficult to understand, let alone, let you play with any kind of ease. There are a couple of menus that you have to go through, and contrary to what almost any other game I’ve played does, the “B” button does not cancel selections, it is like another “A” button. It is the select button that you have to use to get out of the menus. That and Absolute, in my opinion, tried to put too many features into this game. Sometimes during battles, enemies will transport onto your ship and cause havoc, so you have to beam them off, but you’re in the middle of a battle and it just makes for a hectic time. So as to not make this game sound too bad, I will admit that the same gameplay does capture the tasks that a starship captain would have, it’s just that it doesn’t capture it in a fluid way.

Story: 2/10
The entire story is that you, the player, are a Starfleet recruit who flies missions that range from beaming people off a planet in which a deadly virus has been found, to protecting cargo ships that have come under attack. As you complete missions, your rank will increase, and there will now be more enemies who are harder to beat and cause more damage.

Sounds/Music: 6/10
The game does capture the music of the series relatively well. There is an annoying “edge” (I don’t know how else to describe it) to the music, but over all, it’s not that bad. The sound effects are pretty bland. The “phaser” sound just gets so annoying, it’s not even funny. The sounds of the enemy fire can also make you want to cringe. Because of the bad sound effects and the “edge,” I gave the sounds/music a 6.

Graphics: 4/10
The graphics are not that bad either, it is just that they are rather bland. All of the planets look alike, the ships aren’t that detailed, and there are little stick people that run around when you try to beam things up or down. The good part of the graphics is the pictures of the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast. I think that for the technology of the time, the graphics of them are done well, albeit, they don’t move at all, and are just photos.

Play Time: 1/10
In all truthfulness, I don’t know exactly how long it takes to finish this game. I have many times tried to beat it, and each time, I got so fed up with it that I just quit. This would usually come between 15 and 20 minutes into the game.

Replayability: 8/10
This game does have a good replay value (if you can stand it, that is). The missions are random, the places they are at are random, and if you have a beam up or down mission, the people running around run around randomly.

Buy or Rent:
If you are serious about wanting to play this game, you should take whatever method is the cheapest whether it be buying or renting. If you want my suggestion however, borrow this game from a friend who has it, or you could even buy it at a garage sale.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 07/10/03, Updated 07/10/03