Star Trek Online Review

The Short Version: Star Trek Online had its work cut out for it. It would need to find a happy medium between satisfying Hardcore Fans & Typical MMO players. Unfortunately, Instead of offering us a Unique Innovative game worthy of its License; we get a Rushed, Repetitive, and Ultimately Disappointing Effort. Its the Space Combat within beautiful backdrops that manage to save this game, but how long will users be willing to pay $15 monthly for a Combat-centric Star Trek when there are others that do similar without a recurring fee?

My Thoughts:
Right now the game has been out for about a month or so, and there have already been plenty of great reviews. But I wanted to make sure I told you guys how I felt about this one. Being as how it was one of my most anticipated games of 2010 (even giving it a full 10/10 on my hype meter).

Its not that this is a Terrible game, its not that there isn’t enough in it, not at all. There’s plenty of content in the game there’s no doubting that. Even all the “Major” Races get their own huge sectors, but its whether you will even be willing to explore these based on the bare-minimum experience offered?

And this is even more so about wasted potential.

I had a dream of a Star Trek MMO that felt like the show, with weird Aliens races that would appear on your Bridge viewscreen requesting your help – only here it could be with any number of player created races. You could solve their issues with Intelligent problem-solving, beam down to their planet in an away teams to conduct investigations, maybe uncovering a crime, hunting down the killer to his hideout or fighting alien beasts that have laid ruined to an entire civilization. I had a vision where exploration would play just as an important role as space combat. A Dream about a Game where players could Bold go where no man has gone before. This isnt that game.

Here, aside from the combat (hours and hours of grinding) the only fun is to visit places we HAVE gone before, from the shows – and even that is a disappointment with empty rooms devoid of personality. The Truth is if you stripped away the Star Trek License what you would be left with is an Average space combat game.

Here Cryptic used the “Star Trek” paint brush but forgot to inject the Spirit of the Franchise. The result is a slightly above average game that feels both exhilarating and disappointing all at the same time.

I wanted this game to succeed more than any game in recent memory as evident in my preview video, “Star Trek Online: Will it Suck?”.

I Understand that MMO’s are ongoing process that grow and expand on the original gameplay offered, which is why instead of a formal video review I decided to make a List of Improvements for the Game, and to point out some things that I hate about it with ways it could possibly improve into something we can be proud to recommend to anyone.

What you’ll Like:
• Space Combat is Great, feels similar to the wonderful Starfleet Command Games.
• Having the Duality of Space Combat and Ground Combat help to keep things fresh.
• The Universe is filled with Interesting and Beautiful Backgrounds on both the Space and Ground Components.
• Getting to play within the Star Trek Universe, piloting your favorite ships and fighting familiar enemies.

What you’ll Hate:
• Cryptics First Mistake was building this game from the Champions Online Engine, instead of crafting one that could be built specifically for Star Trek.
• Ground Combat is lacking, I stand in place and shoot while your melee animations appear to have no effect.
• Aside from a new ship there is barely any incentive for advancement.
• With no real death penalty battles can feel meaningless regardless of what tactics you use.
• The Genesis System (Randomly Generated Systems and Exploration content) is disappointing.

Final Verdict:
6/10
Slightly Above Average

Issue your own Final Score Above!