Star Trek: Encounters is fan fun, but casual fans should be warned
User Rating: 6.6 | Star Trek: Encounters PS2
The game itself is a great value, and can be found for under fifteen dollars. The game appeals to fans of the Star Trek series who crave more of the show and need a game to fill the void that has been left since Starfleet Command came out for PC. The graphics themselves are satisfying to the Star Trek fan, and the PS2 owner. However, horrible load times seem to make this almost not worth the wait. The sound is repetitive, and Shatner only narrates, poorly, the dialogue that is captioned on the bottom of the screen. The story lines, so far, aren't that interesting and are not accurate to the series or the movies thus far. The missions seem tedious and boring, and can be frustrating when not given proper directions or directives (who wants to keep following warp trails?) This all being said, the gameplay can also be fun for the Star Trek fan who seeks to do battle with some interstellar foes. The only problem is that the Enterprise, in some missions for example, destroys 20 or 30 Bird Of Prey ships in a single battle. The combat is not "realistic", and it turns into a simple arcade shooter with above average graphics based on a license that is suffering and doesn't need another failing game (remember Shattered Universe?)
All in all, if you have fifteen bucks burning a whole in your pocket, and you are on a high from watching Spike TV Star Trek all day, this game may be a worthwhile pickup for you. If you only occasionally watched the main shows, or are not into the Star Trek universe, a trip to the nearest Starbase rental store is going to be the best option for you.
