Star Control

aka: starcon
Moby ID: 205
DOS Specs
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Description official descriptions

Star Control is a science-fiction wargame which pits the forces of the Alliance of Free Stars against those of the predatory Ur-Quan Hierarchy. The games are designed so that you can ease into play, familiarizing yourself with menus, options and player controls. The Alliance and Hierarchy each possess different types of warships. Each vessel has its own maneuvering and firing characteristics, plus a unique special power that you can employ when circumstances dictate.

The game has two modules: the Melee, in which you can simply blast the computer or another player to smithereens using one of 16 different ships, in either Hierarchy or Alliance fleets; or, should you wish for a more challenging game, lets you play one of 9 preset scenarios.

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (DOS version)

37 People (17 developers, 20 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 64% (based on 24 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.5 out of 5 (based on 75 ratings with 9 reviews)

I think this game is one of the most entertaining stragedy games and creative

The Good
I like the gameplay and excitment in the game. I think the ship descriptions gave more realization to how the ships work instead of making theories on where everything is. If I want to fight I want to know the ship and Star Control has that. Even for 1999 the game can still be fun, the war, action surprise.

The Bad
I thought some of the music was boring...........but that was before Star Control 2 so I understand. Also I thought the Star map was a little confusing, I would have want it flat kinda like Star Con 2. Other than that I think the game is fun, I would like to see a new 3d remake soon.

The Bottom Line
If you like action and war, and a bit of scifi get this game, download it or just get it from your friend. If your not one of those people who say "ewwwww an old dinosaur game with blocky graphics" then get this game soon.

DOS · by Aj Hege (5) · 1999

Great concept, painful implementation.

The Good
The Star Control series has quite possibly one of the best concepts and storylines used in a sci-fi game to date. The races, the interaction, the combat system, all very clever and unique. It's a game that leaves you craving it for years if you haven't played it in that time. And in Star Control 2 & 3, it just gets better.

The Bad
However, the reality is, Star Control 1 is actually pretty sad. I might even go so far as to say that if you played this over a decade ago and haven't seen it since, leave the past in the past and keep the pleasant memories. In reality, as great as the concept still is, the playability of this game leaves a lot to be desired. There is no set storyline or single player "campaign", just a set of individual - and fairly dull - combat scenarios. The rotating starmap is an instant headache, unless your idea of stargazing involves staring at your monitor for half an hour trying to work out which stars have a close enough orbit for a jump.

And last but not least, Star Control's biggest letdown is the Ur-Quan Dreadnought. While most games tend to balance their combat pieces strengths and weaknesses - ie. stronger units are often slow and bulky, units with a strong ranged attack are weak at close combat, etc. - the Dreadnought is undoubtedly strong to the point of an unfair advantage. In any and all scenarios that involve ship building, the player that controls the Hierarchy starbase and can build a Dreadnought, WILL win the scenario, be it a human opponent or the computer AI. The ship can wipe out any five other ships even in the hands of an incompetent player or the lowest difficulty AI.

The Bottom Line
If you have a craving to aggressively attack some Alliance aliens, or horrifically hurt some Hierarchy hostiles, play StarCon 2 or 3. They come with a detailed storyline campaign, a distinctly improved navigation and combat system, and a much higher overall playability while still retaining that unique Star Control feel. As for StarCon 1 though? Play it only if you want to see where it all began - otherwise, leave the past in the past.

DOS · by Vaelor (400) · 2005

Stellar battle at its finest

The Good
Well, stellar battle at its finest... in 1990. This was a fantastic little game back in its day. I remember going to my friend Steve's house after school and giving a good few rounds against him. He'd play on one half of the keyboard, I'd be stuck with the a's and d's. Awkward and disadvantaged, but still wonderful fun.

The ships are so eccentric and fun to play, you've really got to experience the game to understand. The monstrous Ur-Quan have a secondary fire that releases little astronauts that sap the shields from a ship, but sending them out reduces your ship's hit points. The Shofixti are a raccoon race that pilot a tiny ship -- that self-destructs if desired. Yes, a pyrrhic victory is the idea. There's a classic flying saucer craft piloted by the Arilou that jumps around with its warp drive and strikes with a short-range auto-tracking laser, And then there's a crystalline entity ship used by the Chenjesu that fires projectiles that fly right across the playing area, loop around to the other side of the screen, and keep going... until you press fire and have the shell fragment into a burst of shrapnel.

Such imaginative ships, such fun gameplay, I really do take this sort of game over 99% of the PlayStation3 crap released today. It's really not about graphics, it's about gameplay, But I'm sure you don't need to hear me preach.

The Bad
Not much to nitpick here. The game ran fine in 1990, although I haven't really played it much since then. This is a heritage title that is dated by modern technology, but I'm sure I'm not the only person in the world who fondly remembers going toe-to-toe with a friend after downing some Fresca and Doritos.

The Bottom Line
Blitzkrieg action, although elements of strategy can occur. This is an exceedingly fun game with a great interstellar warfare theme that was expanded upon in later titles.

Highly recommended, although I seriously doubt anybody is going to go and buy it in 2008. Team Fortress 2 is kind of head-and-heels superior to this little gem, unless you have a strong craving for 286-era games.

DOS · by Chris Wright (85) · 2010

[ View all 9 player reviews ]

Trivia

Inspiration

The "special thanks" in the manual list off an equally large number of sci-fi authors whose work in some way influenced the game. It's fairly rare for game designers to be so rigorous in documenting their inspirations.

References

The vast majority of captain names in the game were taken from various famous and semi-famous sci-fi sources. (far too many to list here. For example, there's a Syreen Captain Alia (from Dune) and an Earth Captain Pike (from Star Trek))

Title

From almost the very beginning of his video game design career, Paul Reiche III has revisited the theme of pitting varied teams of carefully balanced but widely varied opponents against each other, first in 1983's Archon and most recently in 1998's The Unholy War (and its Japanese analogue, Little Witching Mischiefs).

Star Control also falls in the middle of this chain, and its heritage is plainly spelled out phonetically in its abbreviation:

__Archon Star_Con

Awards

  • Computer Gaming World
    • November 1996 (15th anniversary issue) – #127 in the “150 Best Games of All Time” list

Information also contributed by Pseudo_Intellectual

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Related Sites +

  • ComSim Central
    Info on getting the game, and lots of scenarios for the full game.
  • The Dot Eaters
    The Dot Eaters: Videogame History 101 An extensive history of videogames, including computer games and the work of Paul Reiche and Freefall Associates.
  • The Pages of Now and Forever
    This site could perhaps be called the heart of the Star Control fan movement on the 'net.

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 205
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Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Tomer Gabel.

Genesis added by PCGamer77. Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum added by Martin Smith. Commodore 64, Amiga added by Servo.

Additional contributors: Ben Voynick, RmM, Ummagumma, WizardX, Ricky Derocher, Patrick Bregger.

Game added August 11, 1999. Last modified February 13, 2024.