Five-Year Mission: Looking Back on the Golden Age of Star Trek Games

[Steve Kaye]

Hey guys, I know that this is shameless self promotion, but in the hope that I've actually written something good and worth discussing here, I ask that you allow it

I've written a (quite substantial) piece for EGMNOW.com looking back at the period in which Activision published Star Trek video games, often considered by many to be a golden era of Trek games, and what eventually led to their deal with Viacom falling apart.

I interviewed multiple developers for the piece, and I myself have extensive knowledge of that time period, as I used to co-run the biggest fan-site for some of their games back in the day.

I'd love if you guys could give it a read and hopefully it will spark some discussion here about what I consider some of the best Trek games ever made! I wrote this piece with the mentality that if I, as a huge fan of both Star Trek and video games would find it interesting, that surely others would too.

Please let me know what you think and thanks for taking the time to read it!

Here's the link: https://egmnow.com/five-year-mission-looking-back-on-the-golden-era-of-star-trek-games/

Steve

 

[NCC-73515]

Bridge Commander also had Jonathan Del Arco as the science officer
They were working on EF3 with the Doom3 engine?! Damn that would've been cool!
Interplay and Microprose also released great games in the 90s. Generations, Klingon Honor Guard, Starfleet Academy, DS9 The Fallen, Klingon Academy... what a great time to be a teen trekkie XD
If Activision hadn't sued, they could've been the only ones telling new stories and continuing the whole franchise on their own from 2005-2009. They kicked themselves out of such an opportunity, it's a real shame.

 

[Steve Kaye]

Bridge Commander also had Jonathan Del Arco as the science officer
They were working on EF3 with the Doom3 engine?! Damn that would've been cool!
Interplay and Microprose also released great games in the 90s. Generations, Klingon Honor Guard, Starfleet Academy, DS9 The Fallen, Klingon Academy... what a great time to be a teen trekkie XD
If Activision hadn't sued, they could've been the only ones telling new stories and continuing the whole franchise on their own from 2005-2009. They kicked themselves out of such an opportunity, it's a real shame.

I totally agree! From a completely business standpoint, I can see why Activision weren't happy with Viacom/Paramount pretty much stopping production of any new Star Trek content, but that being said, I would have loved to have seen what Activision had planned/would have done for those remaining 5 years or so of the license.

I loved all of those '90s Trek game you mentioned. Birth of the Federation (Microprose) was probably my favourite non-Activision Trek game. It puzzles me how that game isn't talked about more! What I loved about Activision's titles however, is that, like you said, it almost was a continuation of the franchise, in the way that the games directly followed on from what we'd last seen in the shows/movies, and even tied into one another. They had continuity. I really do hope we see another big publisher take a chance with Star Trek in the same way!

 

[NCC-73515]

How could I forget BotF - it's the only one I still play

 

[Steve Kaye]

What a game... Vivid memories of spending days building up my empire, only for the Borg to appear and undo all my work lol.

 

[Racefuel]

With the success of Elite Dangerous and Star Citizen...a new Bridge Commander would be ultra cool

 

[NCC-73515]

With the success of Elite Dangerous and Star Citizen...a new Bridge Commander would be ultra cool

The new VR game is kinda like that, isn't it?

 

[Steve Kaye]

The new VR game is kinda like that, isn't it?

It is, and it's awesome! Especially since they added the TNG expansion. I've no doubt that Star Trek: Bridge Crew is heavily inspired by Bridge Commander.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

I just hope all these new Quest users help bring the game back to life and we get more DLC before of it, i would even take Discovery DLC at this point, anything just as long as it's some now bridges. lol

 

[Steve Kaye]

I just hope all these new Quest users help bring the game back to life and we get more DLC before of it, i would even take Discovery DLC at this point, anything just as long as it's some now bridges. lol

Haha yeah. Viacom/CBS seem to really be all in on creating a new Star Trek "universe". Considering the size and popularity of the games industry, it makes sense for them to not ignore that.

 

[JD]

This was a great article. I loved both of the Elite Force games, and I played Invasion when it came out, but I think I got frustrated and got rid of it without ever finishing it.
I really wish someone we could get some real AAA quality Star Trek console games. I've played Star Trek Online a little bit, but haven't really gotten into it.
After playing the first 3 Mass Effect games I was convinced that Bioware could do an amazing Trek game, ME really feels a bit like Trek to me.
I would love to see a Tell Tale style Trek game, I think the focus on story and decision making would fit Trek really well.

 

[Steve Kaye]

This was a great article. I loved both of the Elite Force games, and I played Invasion when it came out, but I think I got frustrated and got rid of it without ever finishing it.
I really wish someone we could get some real AAA quality Star Trek console games. I've played Star Trek Online a little bit, but haven't really gotten into it.
After playing the first 3 Mass Effect games I was convinced that Bioware could do an amazing Trek game, ME really feels a bit like Trek to me.
I would love to see a Tell Tale style Trek game, I think the focus on story and decision making would fit Trek really well.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read it
Invasion was a pretty hard game to be fair. | nearly rage quit it multiple times as a kid lol.
I hadn't actually thought of a TellTale-style Trek game, I think that would be awesome! I still hold out hope for a ME style game though... that really is the dream lol.

 

[NCC-73515]

Generations taught me what rage quit really means XD

 

[Steve Kaye]

Generations taught me what rage quit really means XD

LOL! Now that you mention it... I think I'm right there with you.

 

[JD]

Thanks so much for taking the time to read it
Invasion was a pretty hard game to be fair. | nearly rage quit it multiple times as a kid lol.
I hadn't actually thought of a TellTale-style Trek game, I think that would be awesome! I still hold out hope for a ME style game though... that really is the dream lol.

I really wish they would release Invasion as one of those old downloadable games they have on the Playstation Network. I would love to try it again now that I'm older, a better gamer, and more patient.

 

[Steve Kaye]

I really wish they would release Invasion as one of those old downloadable games they have on the Playstation Network. I would love to try it again now that I'm older, a better gamer, and more patient.

I would love that. I'm trying to get hold of a PS1 so I can play it again. Such a fantastic game! I remember how excited I got when I realised you could fly through the middle of a Romulan Warbird. Who didn't have that fantasy?? LOL

 

[NCC-73515]

LOL! Now that you mention it... I think I'm right there with you.

It was so hard cause you couldn't save during a mission!

 

[Steve Kaye]

It was so hard cause you couldn't save during a mission!

It's funny how we now kind of take for granted things like checkpoints, being able save during missions, etc. Games were so damn hard back in the day. I actually don't think I could finish many of them if I were to try now.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

Generations taught me what rage quit really means XD

Star Trek new worlds was also at the apex of patience testing, one level coud take you a good hour or two easy, but the game had no manual save functions and only saved at the begining of a new level, but you could not get to level two because the game always crashed at random points during the first level at random....i think i made it once by the first level. lol

 

[Steve Kaye]

Star Trek new worlds was also at the apex of patience testing, one level coud take you a good hour or two easy, but the game had no manual save functions and only saved at the begining of a new level, but you could not get to level two because the game always crashed at random points during the first level at random....i think i made it once by the first level. lol

I remember really struggling to get into that game. I did eventually, but like you said, it look a lot of patience, plus it didn't feel as "Star Trek" as the other games Interplay had released.