Star Trek Bridge Commander Preview

By Giancarlo Varanini, GameSpotPosted Nov 16, 2001 3:38 pm PT

Check out all of the latest details on the new Star Trek simulator from Totally Games.

Bridge Commander's single-player mode features a story worthy of the TV series.

With the notable exception of Star Trek: Voyager Elite Force, very few Star Trek games have been able to capture the essence of TV series, and with the exception of Starfleet Command, even fewer have successfully re-created ship-to-ship combat as it has been portrayed in the series. So it's not difficult to gauge the ambitiousness of Bridge Commander, the latest project from Totally Games (the creator of the excellent X-Wing and TIE Fighter series). Bridge Commander is a Star Trek game that will attempt to integrate the drama of the Star Trek series into a starship simulator that's been specifically designed for both experienced Star Trek fans and those who have only a basic understanding of the show and all its technobabble.

You'll be able to give orders to your various crewmembers on the bridge.

Totally Games enlisted the help of veteran Star Trek writer D.C. Fontana to help craft and refine Bridge Commander's storyline, which unravels as you progress through each mission in the single-player campaign. The game begins with you taking the position of first officer on a starship, but shortly after you walk onto the bridge to assume command in the captain's absence, a nearby star begins to explode, destroying the captain's shuttle on its way back to the ship. Interestingly, as this occurs, you get a brief glimpse of an object or another vessel warping out of the area, leading the Federation to believe that some group--possibly the Cardassians or Romulans--is attempting to construct a weapon of incredible power. Now in command of your own sovereign-class ship, your orders are to investigate the accident and discover who's responsible by exploring an area of space known as the Maelstrom.

As previously mentioned, Bridge Commander has been designed with two different audiences in mind--those who have more Star Trek knowledge than they'd care to admit and those who have just a general interest in the series. For the latter audience, Totally Games has developed a bridge mode, in which you basically sit in the captain's chair, look around the bridge, and give various orders to the appropriate crewmembers. For example, your first officer--who will be sitting to your immediate right--will be able to change the alert status of the ship, contact the Federation, and perform other tasks. Your engineer, located just behind the captain's chair, can make repairs to the ship or set power levels for the ship's systems. You'll be able to give orders to the helmsman and tactical officers for the purposes of navigating to new areas or firing phasers and torpedoes in combat. There's even a science officer who can scan different objects within the area--something you'll have to do during the course of your investigation into the accident. Essentially, the bridge mode acts as a three-dimensional interface for the game, allowing those with lesser knowledge to ease into the Star Trek environment as opposed to getting drowned in technical information that only the most ardent Star Trek fan would understand. If you feel that the bridge mode is beneath your abilities, then you can jump right into Bridge Commander's alternative game mode, which lets you control the ship and all its systems manually.

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1 Comments

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jakeboudville
Posted Sep 21, 2006 7:19 pm PT

kinda impressive
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