E3 2001 Hands-onStar Trek: Deep Space Nine: Dominion Wars

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Dominion Wars, the Gizmo Games-developed 3D strategy game, is nearing completion, so we were able to see a late beta version here at E3. For the uninitiated, the game lets you control a fleet of ships on either side of the Dominion battle that was depicted in the last few seasons of the Deep Space Nine TV series. After selecting either the Dominion or Starfleet factions, you begin the game by choosing your ships and captains, using the credits you've built up to purchase them. In an interesting twist, the game will be shipping with Starship Creator, a program that lets you build your own Star Trek ships, and you'll be able to import these for use in Dominion Wars.

Once you've chosen your fleet, it's off to battle. Typical mission objectives include defending a base against oncoming attackers, escorting a ship across space, or directly engaging the enemy for control of a particular area. Certain environments do affect the gameplay; for instance, when you fly into a nebula, you'll lose shields, in the same way it's depicted on the show. Multiplayer supports up to eight people over a LAN or Internet connection, and as in the single-player mode, you'll be able to use the ships you've created to battle against your friends.

While not many of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine actors provide voices for the game, a few of them are featured in the game, which add to the level of authenticity. Weyoun, Gul Dukat, and Admiral Ross are all played in Dominion Wars by their original actors, and you'll encounter them throughout the game. What we were shown looked polished, and it seems almost certain that Dominion Wars will make its mid-June release date.