Star Trek: Armada II Preview

While the first Star Trek games often seemed to put a simulation of the show's setting above innovations in gameplay, the most recent games have taken a more independent tack and have even pushed the envelope of the Star Trek universe in new directions, adding new ships and technologies and fleshing out storylines. Star Trek: Armada II is a good example of how games in the franchise have been maturing. The game builds on the space-based real-time strategy gameplay of Star Trek: Armada, released last year, but greatly expands the size of the battles and takes better advantage of the 3D engine with a Homeworld-style tactical view.

A valiant Federation fleet takes on a giant Borg fusion cube.

The Armada II single-player storyline is much more focused, spanning conflicts that let you command forces from the three most popular Star Trek races: the Federation, the Klingons, and the Borg. The Borg have developed a new ship that can assimilate an entire planet in a few moments, so the Federation fleet embarks on a mission to stop this new threat. However, in the meantime the Cardassians--under the influence of a Romulan scheme--take advantage of the Federation's weakness to strike in an all-out invasion, which can only be stopped by the intervening Klingons. In the culmination of a running Voyager plotline, the extra-dimensional species 8472 renews its attack on the Borg with the ultimate aim of eradicating life in the delta and alpha quadrants. Each of the three campaigns develops over the course of 10 missions, in contrast to the brief campaigns of the previous game. The voice work of Patrick Stewart and other actors from the television series carry along the story, starring in the roles of Jean-Luc Picard, General Martok, and the Borg Queen. The story seems remarkably engaging as an extension of the television franchises, and the events of the game take place shortly before those depicted in the Voyager finale.

Klingon forces join the fray.

Armada II makes better use of the custom 3D engine developed for the first game. Since 3D graphics engines hit RTS gaming a couple of years back, many games with more mainstream appeal have maintained a locked, top-down camera, while tactical or more intricate games have had complicated, free-ranging cameras. While the original game fell into the former group, the new Star Trek game combines the two approaches by introducing a tactical view. In the new mode, the camera can rotate around any ship, and movement can go into the third dimension, up or down out of the plane of the map. You can toggle between the strategic and tactical views with a single key. This feature adds a tactical ship combat element reminiscent of Homeworld, but the game's maps are only a fraction as deep as they are wide and long, so general navigation and fleet maneuvers stay simple. Not only does the close-in view let advanced players fine-tune their fleet maneuvers, but it also affords a much more impressive view of the battles.