Star Trek Online Reviews

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Written by Brother None on February 8th, 2010

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It's an extremely bitty game. Content comes in chunks that last anything from five minutes to an hour, but chunks is the operative word - they're discrete missions in small instanced locations, each existing in its own bubble with little or nothing to connect it to the big picture. Even that big picture - "sector space", the abstract star map that connects one system or deep space encounter to another, that you crawl across at warp speed - is broken up into tight little squares. Loading screens are everywhere, and the use of instancing is extreme, relentless.

There's little sense of place or continuity, and that applies to the game's social dimension, too. It's great that there are no server divisions as such and you'll always be able to find your friends, but the fact that absolutely all content scales to accommodate either a solo player or several means you never have to group, and the style of both space and ground combat means you never have to get organised - you just shoot away until you're done.

Gameplay itself is balanced very well between away missions and space combat/exploration. The ground based action flows well and is often challenging and action packed. While there is a certain element of repetitive point and click firing in early missions, as the game progresses and additional skills are added the action becomes more varied and enjoyable. Space based action also evolves well as the game progresses, offering some quick thrills in the early stages before requiring a lot of thought later on. Essentially offering the best space combat mechanic we have seen for some time.
Star Trek Online also caters well for casual players and those who want to throw themselves into the universe. It is possible to progress slowly through the game, doing the bare minimum required to enjoy the missions or delve right in and get involved in more advanced aspects such as trading and teaming up with a group of likeminded players.

The trouble is, whether you choose space or planetary missions, combat lies at the heart of them all. On land, this involves stabbing the number keys or left mouse button, whereas from the Bridge the Spacebar fires phasers and CTRL launches torpedoes. As for interaction, hitting the F key takes care of almost every object and although there are plenty of NPCs hanging around, disappointingly few of them could be communicated with. Ultimately, STO's concentration on combat seems to overlook half the appeal of Star Trek. Where is the exploration, the moral dilemmas, the sense of the unexpected? Perhaps hiding in some later mission but certainly not adequately displayed in the bulk of the game.

The ships themselves are very slick, and most of the more iconic ship-classes from the TV series have been recreated, as well as new ones to fit the age. Whether you want to Kirk-it up in an Original series Constitution-class, or Go exploring Janeway-style in an Intrepid-class, they're all there. There are 5 tiers, including the starter vessel that everyone gets, and each tier lasts for 10 levels. There are also 3 classes of ships that match the three career choices you can make - Tactical, Engineering and Science vessels. Each class of ship has different strengths and weaknesses, although interestingly enough, you don't have to pick a ship class that matches your character class - it will be interesting to see how these class combos affect combat.

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