Star Control 3

Overall, Star Control 2 was funnier, more colorful game, but Star Control 3 supplies a superior gaming engine, excellent online help (including a tracking system for hints), a sophisticated strategy-based colony system, fine Super VGA artwork, and far better game balance. Internal comparisons aside, Star Control 3 is a delightfully challenging game that's sure to please fans of the series and newcomers alike.

Star Control 3 er gennemarbejdet, originalt og morsomt på de rette steder, og det er det, der skal til for at lave et godt spil.

Since the announcement of its development in 1995, the third title in the Star Control series has quickly risen on top of the most awaited sequels among other hype titles such as Falcon 4.0, Lands of Lore 2 and Privateer 2: The Darkening. Not only were people anxiously looking forward to this first collaboration between Legend Entertainment (the developer) and Accolade, but also the series' aficionados who were eager to fling themselves into new perilous adventures across the galaxy. But let's reassure them both, Star Control 3 is worth the wait, and once again, it will draw you into its epic universe.

Doogs, Ktangs, Spathis,… Daktaklakpaks? After playing Star Control 3 for a few hundred hours, these will be household names to you. In fact, the four interstellar races mentioned above are but a few of the motley cast of characters that you're either allying with or warring against in this epic space oddity. And Star Control 3 is a vast oddity, integrating real-time strategy and action elements with the exploratory playability of an adventure title into one game. It may take up eons of play time to finally solve, but one thing's for sure: you will become absorbed in the Star Control universe that unfurls before you.

In all Star Control 3 is a good game that maintains the excitement and feeling that made it's predecessors classics, while adding enough improvements to insure it's niche in gaming history.

We kunnen alleen maar hopen dat 'Star Control 4' een meer geavanceerde combat interface, een beter uitgewerkte kolonie-managementsysteem en geen domme Ethnics Council meer heeft. Dan wordt het vast en zeker het spel van de eeuw.

Star Control 3 er et originalt, men ikke 100% frisk bud på en genre, der ellers domineres af meget seriøse spil. Det er nemlig ikke så charmerende som Star Control 2.

Disappointing music aside, SC3 is a quality recreation of the now-classic galactic romp: Star Control II. The combination of spoken voice and puppets lends a cinematic feel to the game. Though the game is short, I had too much fun to notice. Still, Legend's spin adds nothing noteworthy to a proven formula and, in a few places, falls short of Reiche and Ford's masterwork. Star Control 3 is, however, one of the better games to appear on the shelves this year.

Guter Nachfolger für einen wahren Klassiker. Zwar handelt es sich bei Star Control nicht um ein perfektes Spiel; insbesondere die Schwächen in dem neuentwickelten Schlachtensystem, zu Beginn der Story und im Design der Aliens fallen gleich ins Auge, dennoch entpuppt sich das Spiel bei genauerem Hinsehen als lohnenswerte Investition. Einsteiger sollten sich auf eine steile Lernkurve einstellen, Veteranen werden sich hingegen gleich wie zu Hause fühlen. Gyper Melee, der schnelle, actionorientierte Flottenkrieg, steht sowohl im Einzel- als auch im Multiplayer-Modus zur Verfügung. Star Control 3 ist mehr als eine Summe seiner Teile und hinterläßt einen überdurchschnittlich guten Gesamteindruck.

Star Control 3 was sort of a letdown for me, primarily in the adventure game portion. If you really work at it, the game can be won in 5 hours (forget any long nights and lost sleep), and it's really quite anti-climactic. After all, I didn't buy the game so I could play hyper-melee; I have Star Control 1 and 2 for that. I was hyped about the adventure game, which fell dramatically short of my expectations. The races were shallow and did not interact with each other very much, not to mention the flat storyline and dull ending. I guess it's my new $40 hyper-melee game. In the end, I must give Star Control 3 a 70 out of 100 for a short, flat adventure game with some redeeming graphics. I sure hope Accolade comes out with another Star Control game soon. I'm still a loyal fan with hopes of a more exciting, interesting installment to come.

Considering everything said above, I'm afraid this game doesn't deserve a pass. Albeit being appropriate to compare it with its predecessor, I've tried to judge it according to its own virtues and flaws. The strategic part, as I've said, isn't good at all and besides it lacks any real objective; the main adventure part is in my opinion inferior to the average graphic adventure, even if we don't compare it with the peak of the genre which its predecessor amounted to; and the combat part can pass considered separately, although the bugs which slipped into it (as well as into the rest of the game) and the omissions spoil it to some extent. All in all, and not being too severe I think, this game could deserve a score of 2 out of 5. Anyway I recommend you to play it, especially if you've played Star Control II (and if you haven't you should do so right away). After all I must admit that it got me entertained while I played it.

Man sollte den potentiellen Spieler von Star Control 3 an den Stuhl fesseln, sonst rennt er weg: Mit Ausnahme der Gesprüche fährt Accolade schlichteste Grafik auf, um sein Nadel-im-Heuhaufen-Geschehen zu verkaufen. Die Online-Hilfe nach dem nächsten Ziel befragen, Artefakte finden, mit Volk X reden, Schiffe upgraden - das ist so ziemlich alles, was man machen kann.

Star Control 3 is an ambitious game by 1996 standards. MacSoft is to be praised for having the perseverance to port this game, and for doing a fine job with what was given. Unfortunately, I can't recommend Star Control 3 to anyone whose friendship I care about. Afraid I was being too harsh, I consulted several reviews done by PC publications in 1996. A few reviews heralded this final chapter in a groundbreaking saga, but most saw it as a disappointment, even considering its past successes. There are probably Mac gamers who are so bent on new adventure/strategy game experiences that they can overlook the difficult learning curve, glaring age, and mediocre story line to find an entertaining experience with Star Control 3. With so many other excellent offerings by MacSoft, Accolade, and others, I just don't see why anyone would want to.