Go where no man has gone before with Star Trek Online

Deep space awaits with the hugely anticipated MMORPG.

It’s a good time to be a Star Trek fan. Last year came the best Star Trek movie in ages, J.J. Abrams’ reboot which took us back to when Kirk and co. were still plucky young guns (without toupees – sorry Shatner, but you know it’s the truth!) which, in turn, has spawned everything from an upcoming comic book series by IDW (look out for that next week) to Airwalk Hi Skate Star Trek trainers (in gold, red and blue to match the Starfleet uniforms no less). And now we have the chance to create our own adventures worthy of the Captain’s Log with Star Trek Online.

While it’s true that Star Trek-based video games have never really lived up to the promise of the name, earning mediocre reviews and leaving fans (Trekkers or Trekkies – take your pick) disappointed, this one’s a little bit different. Okay, so it doesn’t have anything to do with the Abrams reboot and so can’t claim some cool by association, however it IS light years ahead of what we’ve had before. And this difference isn’t just noticeable in the quality of game play, but in the style of the game itself as this is a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG).

STO’s had a bit of an ordeal in getting ready for release with its original developer, Perpetual Entertainment (Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising) going bankrupt leaving the door open for Cryptic Studios (City of Heroes/ Villains and Champions Online) to snap up the license, but after six years of development it’s finally here having arrived earlier this month.

So what’s the story? Well, STO is set in the Star Trek universe in the 25th century, some 30 years after the events of Star Trek Nemesis (the last movie with The Next Generation cast). Play as the captain of a ship, either for the United Federation of Planets (the good guys) or the Klingon Empire (those wrinkly-headed villains) and then work your way to the top. The game is loosely packaged into three sections – star ship battles, land battles and career advancement.

Star ship battles are the mainstay of the game and what most of us fans flock towards. In this mode, the player is thrust into combat situations against an enemy species such as Klingons or the Borg and using their ship, they take on enemy combatants, always having to balance the energy levels of their weapons, shields and engines. This area of the game is arguably the most successful, being well balanced, fun and varied. The battles can be as small as one-on-ones to large scale encounters where multiple players have to band together to overcome more dangerous opponents (who doesn’t love a little David vs. Goliath, eh?).

In contrast, the land battles put the player in situations where the user and a squad have to face off against dangerous enemies on a variety of terrain from an unexplored planet to an overrun Star base. Using a variety of weapons from phasers and disruptors to the mighty Bat’leth (the Klingon sword weapon), this section of the game can be less gripping and addictive (perhaps a good thing – we all need the odd bathroom break!), however it’s just a minor gripe (land isn’t exactly the focus of Star Trek after all).

Lastly, the career advancement segment of the game clearly received the same amount of attention as the star ship battles as this too is impressively well thought out. Players advance through levels, every ten levels gaining a rank starting off as a Lieutenant advancing to Lieutenant Commander and climbing all the way to Admiral. As in life, these carrot-dangling tactics work their magic perfectly, this sense of progression holding your attention, giving a sense of reward (you get increased access to more powerful ships and equipment) and ensuring you keep on playing – classic MMO tactics.

The game works on so many levels (pardon the pun!) For Star Trek lovers, there are all sorts of treats thrown in with famous storylines, cherished characters and other such ST legends in the mix (Leonard Nimoy even voices Spock!). And yet, you don’t need to be a Star Trek boffin, knowing your Mek’leth from your D’k tahg to enjoy it. It’s accessible to all, so if last year’s blockbuster was your first flight aboard the Enterprise or you’re a frequent flier with air miles to shame Uhura, it’s well worth a look.

And with Cryptic already implementing new content and patching any niggly bugs on a regular basis, it’s constantly improving and evolving. Perhaps the successor to Eve Online’s MMO sci-fi crown?