Before Raven
Software came along and debunked the myth that it was impossible to make an
exceptional game based off the Star Trek universe, fans of Gene Rodenberry’s
ongoing sci-fi epic had been left in the dark, forced to make believe with
underwhelming titles such as Away Team, Hidden Evil, and Armada. Luckily, we
live in a post-Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force world and our expectations for
Star Trek-themed digital entertainment are substantially higher. Though Raven
Software may not be the brains behind this sequel, Ritual Entertainment has
proven that their development team has the gumption and panache to sate fans of
the original, FPS enthusiasts, and indeed fans of Star Trek in general.
Elite Force II
reprises the role of Alex Munro as the game’s central character, though unlike
the original you won’t have the option of playing as a female version of Munro.
The game starts as you (as Alex Munro) and your Hazard Team board a Borg
Sphere. Upon boarding, your team is misplaced due to erratic energy
interference, so the first mission largely revolves around rescuing your
comrades. Once you make it back to Starfleet Academy, the headmaster decides to
split up the hazard team and assigns each elite soldier to relatively menial
duties around the Academy. The members of Elite Force struggle to come to terms
with this decision and for two years Munro teaches small-unit tactics to
wet-behind-the-ears Starfleet recruits. At this point, Jean-Luc Picard, while
on federation business, notices Munro kicking some serious tail in one of the
holodek’s combat simulation programs and the rest is, how shall I say, history.
Or future, as the case may be. Jean-Luc quickly snatches up Munro and his old
teammates for elite tactical use on the Enterprise.
The plot in Elite
Force II is certainly a breath of fresh air (compared to the original game’s
utterly far-fetched story) and includes enough interesting, true-to-the-show
elements to keep fans enthralled till the end. But Ritual Entertainment did not
rely solely on elements of the established Star Trek universe in order to
construct Elite Force II’s story, they have taken a few liberties and introduced
three new alien species that work their way into the game’s plot. First on the
list of fresh interspecies faces is the Attrexians, who reside near the Neutral
Zone and have inexplicably fell victim to another alien species known as the
Exomorphs, who have declared war on the Attrexians for reasons unknown. The
history of the Exomorphs is shrouded in secrecy, even their origin is unknown.
You’ll also come across an interesting species called the Idryll, who are widely
known for holding a few grudges against the Attrexians.
While the original
Elite Force focused almost entirely on mindless combat, with a slapdash story
thrown in, Elite Force II is decidedly more of a Star Trek fans dream when it
comes to friendly interaction, interesting exploration, and inside references.
The in-game cut-scenes interspersed throughout the experience help to push the
story further and between combat missions you’ll get a chance to check out the
various locales of Starfleet Academy or chat up crewmembers aboard the
Enterprise. The sheer geek-factor of being able to realize the various nuances
of the Star Trek universe in all their glory via a mouse and keyboard is off the
charts and should appeal to anyone who’s ever wanted to closely inspect the
interface controls of a tricorder.
Like its
predecessor, Elite Force II uses the Quake 3 engine as the backbone of its
innerworking, and while the Quake 3 engine is certainly nearing the end of its
technological expiration date it has never looked so good. The fluidity of
movement coupled with the engine’s spot-on precision and satisfyingly fast pace
make for one visceral FPS experience. Not much thinking is required to blow
through the game’s 11 missions, most are fairly typical shooter excursions, but
the environments lend themselves nicely to a believable Star Trek experience.
Expect to make your way around twisting corridors, crawl through Jeffries tubes,
and interact with control panels in any given level. Of course, members of your
Hazard Team will constantly be by your side to provide insightful discourse and
additional firepower in hairy situations, though they do tend to get in the way
on occasion.
Ritual
Entertainment went to the effort of including a fully functional tricorder in
Elite Force II that allows the player to scan various objects and life forms,
information retrieved from the device is usually limited to vital statistics and
such but it’s definitely a welcome addition. Sometimes you’ll be able to use
your tricorder for more practical tasks, such as demodulating energy barriers or
hacking into computer systems, but even in these instances interaction is
limited.
While the game’s
story is substantial enough to keep gamers intrigued, the combat-centric theme
of the game begins to grow old after the fifth or sixth mission. The basic
method of consistently deploying groups of enemies to dispose of through the
course of the game, with quick intermissions of dialogue or simplistic
exploration will not bode well for those looking for an extra dose of
originality or innovation over the first game. And the fact that both friendly
and enemy AI is severely lacking in the “intelligence” department won’t help
matters, either.
Luckily, once
you’ve invested the requisite 10 hours or so to complete the single-player story
mode you’ll have a wealth of additional modes of play to keep you busy.
Deathmatch, CTF, Tag, Control Points, Power Struggle, and Bomb Diffusion modes
are all included and spread across 10 different multiplayer maps. As expected,
these modes are available for both LAN and online play. But what should really
tickle your tricorder is that you can also utilize these modes offline against
computer-controlled bots. Yay!
Visually, Elite
Force II is noticeably sharper and more detailed than Elite Force, though not
nearly on par with next-gen FPS games such as Doom 3 or Half Life 2. The Quake
3 engine that this game uses has never been stretched to the limit seen here,
but with that aging engine comes a few insidious side effects, such as the lack
of ragdoll physics (pretty much a standard among FPS’ nowadays), bump-mapping,
pixel shading, and stiff character movements. But these gripes are mostly minor
and hardly affect the playability and enjoyability of the game. Besides, Elite
Force II sounds exceptional. There are a dozen or so Star Trek style tunes that
will come into play during the game, and the music is dynamic so that the aural
accompaniment shifts and varies in accordance with the on-screen circumstances.
Sound effects are dead-on and seem lifted straight out of the TV series’, and
the 3D sound positioning system makes for a incredibly immersive experience.
Overall, Elite
Force II does justice to the legacy left by its predecessor despite the fact
that a completely new development team handled it. The combat can get a little
mundane at times and some of the weapons seem truly outlandish by Star Trek
standards, but the cinematic pacing, outstanding storyline, and addictive
multiplayer modes should keep fans of the FPS genre and Star Trek alike happy as
a Ferengi in a Latinum-plated bathtub.
Gameplay: 8.7
Smooth as buttah. Remember Quake 3? It’s like that.
Graphics: 7.7
Highly detailed and appropriately stylized, though noticeably lacking in
contrast to upcoming next-gen FPS games.
Sound: 8.9
Beautifully orchestrated music that shifts in tempo and style depending on
circumstances. Excellent voice acting.
Difficulty: Easy
Keep that trigger finger in the upright and ready position ‘cause beating this
game will entail plenty of mindless blasting.
Concept: 8.5
Personally, I think a Star Trek game that doesn’t suck is a great idea.
Multiplayer: 8.6
As addictive as
the original. Offline bot play will be appreciated by lowly dial-up users and
frantic online play will be welcomed with open arms by hotrod broadbanders.
Overall: 8.4
Star Trek fans
couldn’t ask for more than this in a shooter. One of the best Star Trek games
on any platform or genre.
