Update 4/25/13 4:25pm ET: A representative from Star Trek and Paramount has confirmed that Steam is working on a fix and that the problem is on their side. A fix could come at any minute now. Full details HERE: http://gzdev.wpengine.com/news/2013/04/25/steam-working-on-fix-for-star-trek-on-pc-could-take-a-few-minutes-to-an-hour
Some of you might be wondering where all the reviews are for Star Trek, the collaborative effort from Paramount, Digital Extremes and Namco Bandai. I can't speak for other sites, but I can update you on the status of our review.
As the reviewer of Star Trek, I received a Steam code (since I preferred to review it on PC) on Tuesday, approximately two hours before the game unlocked. As of now, I don't yet feel comfortable writing up my final review of the game, and for specifically one reason — multiplayer doesn't work.
Thus far, I have not been able to play the game in co-op with another human player. No matter what action my friend and I take to get in a game with each other, we constantly get the message, "Game No Longer Available." We've tried inviting from a game we're already in, making a custom game, and tried the match making. None of them yielded the results promised.
I've been on Twitter, forums, videos and other reviews I could find, and I haven't had problems with the game to the degree they've had. Yes, the AI of your companion and enemies are completely wonky, and there's no excuse for that. But while I've come across graphical hiccups and bugs, I haven't had one that forced me to restart a level. I want to believe that since the game was meant to be played co-op, that playing with another human would make a world of difference. To a certain extent, it would, but not nearly enough to make Star Trek a 'good' game.
Many problems would still exist — bugs, funky animations, and the most generic combat ever. I'm tempted to describe the game as Mass Effect without everything that made Mass Effect good.
That said, while the game is miscast as a third-person cover shooter, the cinematic quality of it is not. It ultimately captures the stylistic approach in camera work and art style that J.J. Abrams' 2009 film had. The script and story is good enough, with the highlight being the back and forth between Spock and Kirk. And the voice work is superb. With the whole cast on hand, the shining spot of this game is, without a doubt, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and company. Also, the soundtrack is fantastic.
Consider this insight into my review. I'll expand on all of my thoughts, but I wanted to be transparent and have you know where I'm coming from. I, of course, will keep you posted when my review is live.
Thanks for reading.
You can follow Senior Editor Lance Liebl on Twitter @Lance_GZ. He likes talking sports, video games, movies, and the stupidity of celebrities. Email at [email protected]
