Much better than Shattered Universe. Then again, is that saying much?

User Rating: 8.6 | Star Trek: Encounters PS2
By opuskv626 | Review Date:
I'm not a hard core Star Trek or Star Wars fan... a little bored with the Rings Trilogy... not into anime... really could care less who wins the console war.... generally not a fanboy. With that said, Star Trek seems to be my favorite out of the franchises that typically make fanboys and geeks drool. I figured now that the PS2 is on its way out, a last minute jab at the franchise might be worth a look. The fact that it's a budget title made the purchase an easy buy. First, I live in Orlando, FL and this game was impossible to find. The fact that it was released in a hush, in limited numbers, and for a cheap price really made me think that the company was trying to hide another turd of a game. Let's face it 'Shattered Universe' stunk. In that game you flew a glorified shuttlecraft in a strange universe. The worst part of that game was the control scheme. The ship wouldn't even stop. It was always listing forward. You couldn't line up your shots, or stay behind an enemy ship. If you played it you know what I mean. Second, it was based in a strange universe where everything seemed backwards (Sulu was straight!). If you're a die hard fan that gets the episode reference then great. But for me, I didn't know of the alternate universe episode, so the game didn't feel like Star Trek at all. Why the funny outfits? Reversed alliances? etc? I digress.

Encounters is a pleasant surprise! You get to fly ships from every era. The control scheme is great and offers tons of control. It's pretty impressive how they've mapped all of the controls onto the DualShock. Not only do you control ship movement, which includes a z axis. But you also can direct power to many systems, select weapons, control transporter room, lock on, select which phaser bank to use... I mean it allows for all types of play styles. Albeit can get a little complicated if you let it. And YES, the ship can stop!

The graphics are great. They seem to be more like the show and less like the cartoon styling of previous entries. That probably has to do with harnessing more of the PS2 power. However, there is one gripe with the graphic presentation of the game. Everything is so far away! On my TV, the Enterprise is often about an inch big. THat's because the camera has to zoom out to show the rest of the action, reticules, waypoints.... well. It's not a true problem, but you do get the sense that it's a compromise the designers had to make. When you play this game in co-op mode and split the screen the image gets worse.

If you are looking for a good Star Trek experience, this is a safe bet at the budget price. If you're looking for the BEST ST game, well, that's going to depend on your preferred play style. ST has cranked out FPS, RTS, and even the now famous Bridge Commander. Which, I have to say is my favorite ST game. It's a mystery why they never created an expansion or a sequel. It truly captured the ST experience.

All in all ST: Encounters is a safe bet and will please most casual ST fans and even a few hardcore fans..... is that Trekkie or Trekker?

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