Best Star Trek computer game

[Vinkula]

Bridge Commander and Legacy for me

 

[RRtexasranger]

Armada 2.

 

[TheOtherGuy]

From the ones I played in no particular order.

BOTF
Armada 1
Eliteforce 1
I tried Armada 2 as-well but I could not play it on the pc I had back then (it ran fine and than the screen got all white and I could not see anything.)

I also played Star Trek online but I quit cause it felt like a huge ripoff because it has the same fee as wow for example but with only a fraction of wow's content the grand total 3!! character slots and giant number of Cstore items.
In other words a bad subscription bases mmo with all the disadvantages of a free 2 play mmo.

 

[Excelsior]

Definately Klingon Academy, by miles:

- Great performances in the cutscenes - helped having Michael Dorn, Christopher Plummer and David Warner starring!

- Probably the only Trek game that truly showed how ships move/act in space

- It was really, really dangerous in space! Black holes, radiation from flying too close to a star, even collision damage!

- Great variety of ships, including lots of classic Klingon and Federation classes, plus really fun enemies including the Tholians (who were NUTS hard to beat...)

- Did a really great job of disguising the fact that, like all Trek games, you're going to be doing everything yourself. For example, instead of just hitting the 'accelerate' button for impulse, you'd do the following:

- Hit '1' or something to bring up the 'Helmsman' orders menu

- Hit '2' for 'impulse' options

- Hit '1' again for 'full impulse'
​

So, very quickly, you'd get used to just hammering combos of things like '1-2-1' to do various actions (often in reminders on the screen, for easy reference), which allowed for tons of different options with just the number keys alone.

That above might just be the cleverest way of recreating the way starship consoles work in a video game I've ever seen - so much better than reducing starship control to joystick-based 'flight' - that, and it really felt like 'giving orders' to a bridge officer, rather than being the ship's pilot'.

In short, where most Trek games take the easy shortcut and turn the ship into the Millenium Falcon with you as Han Solo, Klingon Academy took the time to refine generic game mechanics until they really suited the feel of STAR TREK, with you as Captain of a proper Starship.


Honestly, when I dip into STO, the one thing that really nags away is that it HASN'T done that - it's happier to compromise Trek canon to fit an existing game mechanic, than to revise the game mechanics to fit the IP.

 

[I am not Spock]

Birth of the Federation
Starfleet Academy
Bridge Commander
TNG: A Final Unity
ST:VOY Elite Force
ST: Armada

 

[el_flesh]

Excelsior is entirely correct.

What space game lets you fight in the accretion disk of a Black Hole??
I square off against a Constitution time and time again when I'm in the mood for a quick 5 minute "arcade" battle.
Just to see those Bussard collectors spinning...and the Event Horizon beyond...

I must also say that indeed Elite Force puts you into an episode. Wish I could get hold of a FULL Argas Effect somewhere...

 

[Excelsior]

Excelsior is entirely correct.

What space game lets you fight in the accretion disk of a Black Hole??
I square off against a Constitution time and time again when I'm in the mood for a quick 5 minute "arcade" battle.
Just to see those Bussard collectors spinning...and the Event Horizon beyond...

I must also say that indeed Elite Force puts you into an episode. Wish I could get hold of a FULL Argas Effect somewhere...

Agree with Elite Force - EF II's great fun, and the whole 'Hazard Team' thing is slotted into canon in a way that doesn't alter things around it too much. It's not like Picard's running around in full body armour with a chain-gun...

I've also got a soft spot for Star Trek: Legacy - sure, it's a very basic, 'arcadey' game, and the controls are awkward to say the least, but the VO work from Shatner, Stewart, Brooks, Mulgrew and Bakula is worth a go (especially at £10, which is what you'll get it for, new, on eBay!), as is the 'Shatnerverse-esque' story from D.C. Fontana.

Also, it LOOKS STUNNING. The ship models might be among the best Trek game visuals I've ever seen (right down to series-accurate weapons effects for all ships), and so much attention was clearly spent to have all the little details work accurately.

Seriously - go play it, and watch as the Enterprise-A shoots at an enemy with the iconic red 'strobe-light' phasers, from whichever set of phaser banks is closest. It's like watching a real ship in action!

 

[psyche1701]

I absolutely LOVED A Final Unity - it was the first game I ever had on my first PC and I played it for, literally, days. And then when it finished I just went straight back to the start and played it again, and again. I particularly liked choosing your away teams from the bridge crew... making sure you took Dr Crusher along if you think they'd need a medic etc And the ship combat was eye-popping at the time, seeing a 3D Galaxy class starship flying around (however primitive it seems now) was amazing at the time.

I've enjoyed pretty much all Trek games since, even in things like Star Trek Away Team (universally panned) I found stuff to enjoy. Particular mention should go to Bridge Commander, which I also enjoyed... amazing graphics and a good storyline, and the closest I've ever felt to being in control of a Starfleet vessel as a Captain. (Legacy was OK but let down by iffy ship controls and dodgy difficulty on some missions.)

These days it's all about Star Trek Online, which I enjoy a great deal (but currently taking a break) - wish it had more of an adventure puzzle-solving aspect to it (like A Final Unity) rather than the all-out action in most ground missions. It somehow doesnt seem right that my Vulcan Captain is running around shooting everything in sight! There ARE diplomacy/puzzle elements but they're few and far between. As STO is constantly evolving, i'm hoping its something they work on.

 

[EnterpriseGeek]

My favorite games were Birth of the Federation and Starfleet Command. Sadly, never got to try SFC II, Orion Pirates, or SFC III.

 

[Satyrquaze]

Armada, Armada II, and Legacy for me.

 

[Neoshade]

ive only played legacy so im not sure whats... better than that... its modded though!

 

[Kaziarl]

Definately Klingon Academy, by miles:

- Great performances in the cutscenes - helped having Michael Dorn, Christopher Plummer and David Warner starring!

- Probably the only Trek game that truly showed how ships move/act in space

- It was really, really dangerous in space! Black holes, radiation from flying too close to a star, even collision damage!

- Great variety of ships, including lots of classic Klingon and Federation classes, plus really fun enemies including the Tholians (who were NUTS hard to beat...)

- Did a really great job of disguising the fact that, like all Trek games, you're going to be doing everything yourself. For example, instead of just hitting the 'accelerate' button for impulse, you'd do the following:

- Hit '1' or something to bring up the 'Helmsman' orders menu

- Hit '2' for 'impulse' options

- Hit '1' again for 'full impulse'
​

So, very quickly, you'd get used to just hammering combos of things like '1-2-1' to do various actions (often in reminders on the screen, for easy reference), which allowed for tons of different options with just the number keys alone.

That above might just be the cleverest way of recreating the way starship consoles work in a video game I've ever seen - so much better than reducing starship control to joystick-based 'flight' - that, and it really felt like 'giving orders' to a bridge officer, rather than being the ship's pilot'.

In short, where most Trek games take the easy shortcut and turn the ship into the Millenium Falcon with you as Han Solo, Klingon Academy took the time to refine generic game mechanics until they really suited the feel of STAR TREK, with you as Captain of a proper Starship.


Honestly, when I dip into STO, the one thing that really nags away is that it HASN'T done that - it's happier to compromise Trek canon to fit an existing game mechanic, than to revise the game mechanics to fit the IP.

Very well said about KA. It's probably the top of my list of favorite trek game. And that's even considering the fact that RTS games (like Armada-Armada2) are probably my favorite style of game.

I had also been hoping for a KA style interaction for STO. But the more I thought about it I wondered if, while very well done, would be to complex for the "Average Gamer."

Not saying the average gamer couldn't get by, but the KA system is certainly complex.

 

[smiki]

I must also say that indeed Elite Force puts you into an episode.

Yeah, that is exactly why I like it, not as much as because of the FPS action itself. That is also the main reason I like BC as well. The feel of being immersed in the ST universe as a member of Starfleet and seeing it all from the first person view, as if you were really there. That is also why I like the upcoming ST Excalibur (for those who haven't heard of it already: http://stexcalibur.com/, http://www.facebook.com/stexcalibur, http://www.youtube.com/user/ExcaliburGame, http://www.stexcalibur.com/forum/index.php). It’s the perfect blend of BC, EF and KA. When it's finished I'm sure it's going to be my favorite ST game, no doubt about it.
I'm just so excited about this game I must share it with you, hope you don't mind.
As far as I’m concerned, it most definitely is THE Star Trek game we’ve all wanted.

 

[Igard]

1. Birth of the Federation
2. Starfleet Command II: Orion Pirates
3. Bridge Commander
4. Starfleet Command III
5. Star Trek Online

I must say, though, after reading Excelsior's post, I think I might seek out Klingon Academy. I always thought it was just a standalone expansion for Starleet Academy.

 

[Kaziarl]

1. Birth of the Federation
2. Starfleet Command II: Orion Pirates
3. Bridge Commander
4. Starfleet Command III
5. Star Trek Online

I must say, though, after reading Excelsior's post, I think I might seek out Klingon Academy. I always thought it was just a standalone expansion for Starleet Academy.

I highly recommend it. Not only is the gameplay very well done, but we get to see some familiar faces in General Chang, Chancellor Gorkon. Plus Micheal Dorn lending his voice to another of the House of Mogh. And the story line through out the game is very well planned and thought out.

It might have been thought of as an expansion to Starfleet Academy, but it is very much it's own game. And actually it could be considered a prequel to ST6 if you really want to fit it in there somewhere.

 

[Smellincoffee]

I only played Hidden Evil, Elite Force, Armada, Armada 2 and Bridge Commander. I had Starfleet Academy (II?) installed at one point, but the only games I ever invested serious playtime in were HE, EF, and the Armadas.

Of those, Elite Force and Armada 1 were the best. Elite Force was regarded well even with non-Trekkies, though by today's standards it's a...very straight shooter. The player moves in one direction through the level shooting hordes of mooks.

A season's worth of redshirts!

I played it online and discovered Capture the Flag. Many fond memories of discussing the latest Voyager episode while working my way through the tunnels of the Underground Temple.

Armada 1 and 2 were both interesting RTS, and while Armada 2 added a lot, I prefer the original. Starbases were ridiculously overpowered in the second game, and the impact of the Romulan and Klingon ship-bombs marginalized to the point that there's no reason to spend so much time and money building them. Armada 2 practically forces the player to use artillery ships against starbases, though I suppose if you're a Romulan you could take out the base's sensors, then use conventional ships...

I bought Elite Force 2 YEARS ago, but my old computer couldn't play it. The new one can, but now I can't find one of the discs. I can't buy a replacement, either, because EF2 and other games (Starfleet Command III, which I want to try) are WAY overpriced.

 

[Herkimer Jitty]

-25th Anniversary
-Birth of The Federation
-TNG: A Final Unity
-Starfleet Command/SFCII
-Klingon Academy
-Elite Force
-Bridge Commander

 

[Igard]

I forgot 25th anniversary and Final Unity!!!!

let me revise my list :-

1. BotF
2. 25th Anniversary
3. SFC II: OP
4. Final Unity
5. Bridge Commander
6. SFC III
7. STO

I'll look out for Klingon Academy soon. Gaming is made all the better when there's a good story.

 

[lurok]

For me, has to be Bridge Commander. Only got into gaming few years ago but appeal of this was that closest I've found to first-person experience of commanding ships and crew from bridge, as well decent ship models and battle modes. For such an old game (almost ten years old now ) still has a lot of life in it and very active modding community. Also has a fun story-driven missions mode but badly in need of updating.

Tried Legacy, but apart from the five captains story becomes a bit dull.

Like immersion/sandbox of Elite Force 1 & 2, and has elements would like to see in any trek game, but find FPS a bit dull. Maybe it's just the graphics, but if more like R6 or COD might be more appealing.

There's a DS9 game (The Fallen?) some have recommended as good but never managed to get to run

STO: know has lots of fans but never been into MMO and find interiors (especially bridges) a little weird.

Agree with previous poster who said ST:Excalibur could well be the greatest ever Trek game (when finally released).

http://www.bc-central.com/forums/index.php/topic,7316.0.html

 

[Captain Verata]

My favorite is Bridge Commander too. I just love the feel and the visuals of the exterior view of the ships and on the bridge. The mods that have came out for Bridge Commander have extended its life by many years and modders like Lurok are still working on some cool stuff.

BTW, I love your bridge mods, especially the Warbird and the Klingon Bird of Prey. I have been lurking BCC since it started.