Xbox

Star Trek: Shattered Universe

Star Trek: Shattered Universe takes place during the period of time after the first set of movies that starred the cast from the original series. Here, Captain Sulu is heading up The Excelsior, a move that was introduced in Star Trek VI. This allows players a connection to the Star Trek universe, while not bogging them down too much in character dynamics and continuity. It’s just enough to know that this is Star Trek, and some action is going to take place.

My father in law once said he watches Star Trek as he thought that’s how life really would be like on a spacecraft, I know it’s sad but don’t crush the guy’s dreams with such a tedious vision on the console. I’m sorry to say that Captain Sulu and crew boldly went and no-one cared a ship.

I don't really care for this game. I can see where someone might care for it, or develop a sort of jaded affection for it, the same way that people sometimes like movies because they're bad. I can also see why people who enjoy the original "Star Trek" series might also like Star Trek: Shattered Universe, as it's voiced by Walter Koenig and George Takei, and is set within not only the "mirror universe" of the classic episode, but chronicles an adventure of Sulu's as the captain of the Excelsior.

One of the games that captivated my interested at the TDK booth at last year’s E3 show was the demo for Star Trek: Shattered Universe. At the time they only had the PS2 version on display, but it was looking really good, and while the premise was certainly a unique tangent on the Star Trek universe, I do have to give the designers credit for basing the game on one of my favorite episodes.

The Star Trek franchise is one of the most beloved franchises among fans of the sci-fi genre and why shouldn’t it be? After all, the original show had spawned a number of television programs, several films and a handful of games. Still, there hasn’t been a Star Trek game that was good enough to be enjoyed by both fans and non-fans alike but Star Trek: Shattered Universe hopes to change this. It’s your turn to sit in the captain’s chair of your small vessel to boldly go where no man has gone before . . . an alternate universe where the good guys are evil.

Overall Star Trek: Shattered Universe is a poor game that showed a lot of promise when the game was first announced. It does nothing for the genre, and absolutely nothing for Star Trek, especially if you are a huge fan of the series and movies.

Perhaps if it existed in an alternate universe, Star Trek: Shattered Universe might be a game worth playing. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

The premise of the game isn’t too bad. We’re in old-school Trek territory here, on board the USS Excelsior under the command of Captain Sulu. The game is a spin-off from an episode of the original series, Mirror, Mirror, in which the crew of the USS Enterprise is transposed with the crew of the ISS Enterprise – a version of the ship in an alternate universe where the Federation is an evil empire and Romulans are paragons of decency. Being no stranger to the phenomenon, Sulu knows exactly how to deal with the situation, which mostly involves sending you – a fighter pilot – out to deal with every conceivable threat from radioactive sugar cubes to nebulous space aliens.

Curiosity killed the cat and trapped three Federation starships in some kind of blasted space vortex. While apparently doing something of no significance, the USS Ranger gets stuck in a spatial anomaly. To its aid rushes the USS Enterprise, led by Commander Checkov. It promptly gets stuck as well. To its aid comes the mighty USS Excelsior, led by Captain Sulu. Instead of getting stuck like the others, he ineptly manages to fly through the spatial anomaly and into a parallel universe (as seen in Star Trek, the original series, and two episodes of Deep Space Nine, if memory serves).

One would expect a newly released game based on the original Star Trek series to embody the feel of the 60’s sci-fi show; appeasing the Ohura pin-up poster owning mega-fans, while possessing a 21st century gameplay feel that would satisfy anyone jonesin’ for some space shooter action. While Shattered Universe does a fair job at capturing the unique feel of a Star Trek episode, it somehow manages to exhibit gameplay as simple and archaic as the series itself. Those who go to the Priceline.com website not to buy stuff but to ogle the visage of the former James T. Kirk (you know who you are) will surely get some value out of Shattered Universe. Serious gamers less concerned with the Trek theme will need to continue to search the galaxy for their sci-fi shooter fix, for a couple minutes with this shooter will have you yelling “I can’t take much more of this Captain!” in no time flat.

Quel bel exemple de licence gâchée ! Ce Star Trek : Shattered Universe est moche, la maniabilité est mauvaise, mais surtout le jeu est totalement inintéressant. Le pouvoir soporifique du titre est vraiment important et les missions s'enchaînent sans véritable lien et sans vraie raison. Bref, il semble que la médiocrité ait encore trouvé un digne représentant.

Starsphere needs to either watch the Trek series and movies, or catch a clue they are just like many other developers out there that failed to use the Star Trek genre to make a decent game. With all the material out there, how can in game stories be so bad? Take notes from the Star Wars X-Wing series if you want make a fighter based Star Trek game and mix it with the best Star Trek flight sim, Bridge Commander, and you might have a game worth playing.

Shattered Universe could have turned out very well, had its cool premise been exploited fruitfully. Expanding on the "Mirror, Mirror" episode of the original Star Trek, the game follows Captain Sulu and his U.S.S. Excelsior into a parallel universe that turns the series' political dynamic on its end. The Federation no longer exists, replaced by the Terran Empire. Similarly, the peaceful, exploration-focused shuttle crafts that complimented every starship have been replaced by vicious fighters -- and you get to pilot them!