Resistance Is Futile!
A Review of Star Trek: Borg
Craig Majaski
There have been a lot of Star Trek games released in the past few years. A few of them have been good, but for the most part they were released to capitalize on the namesake, often ignoring making a fun game. Star Trek: Borg is different from past attempts since it's an interactive movie as opposed to an all-out game. This type of game hit it big a few years back on the console systems with the Sega CD. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), the interactive movie market died just as fast as it sprung up. After all, who wants to spend $50 on badly acted movie? Star Trek: Borg hopes to change your view of interactive movies forever.
I'll be the first to admit I was suckered into playing those FMV (full motion video) games when they were first released. I soon found out that putting people into a video didn't automatically make the experience anymore fun. As soon as I saw Star Trek: Borg arrive in my mailbox, I thought for sure it would be boring and more of the same B-movie acting we've become accustomed to in games. I'm happy to report that this CD actually surprised me in many ways.
You play the role of Cadet Furlong. Ten years ago your father was killed on the U.S.S. Righteous by a Borg attack. Q (an omnipotent being) has offered to send you back in time to prevent your father's death from ever occurring. Once you're flung into the past, you'll be deciding the fate of your father and the entire crew. Any mistakes you make could end the game or change the outcome. All you have is a tricorder and your own mind to help you avoid the disasters ahead.
The first thing that'll grab your attention is that the video in the movie is full screen. This has been done before in other products, but the quality is quite astounding, especially since the entire game is presented this way. The video is slightly grainy, but much better than previous attempts. You'll be pleased to know that John de Lancie reprises his role as Q in this game. He plays such a great role that if it weren't for his excellent acting; this game wouldn't be half as good as it is. You'll find yourself laughing at his many snide remarks and antics. There aren't any other actors from the Star Trek universe in the game (with the exception of the Borg).
The game is very easy to play. As the video plays, an icon on the screen will appear at certain points. At these points you can make a choice as to what you want to do. You'll also be able to pause the video at any point to analyze objects and people with your tricorder. Anything you click on with your tricorder will yield a plethora of information. There's so much information in this game that I doubt anyone will ever read it all. The entire game unfolds as a video. It's pretty much non-stop action until you screw something up. At that point, Q will appear and tell you how badly you messed up and will give you another chance. You pretty much have unlimited lives, so there's not ever any big worry about doing something wrong.
The biggest problem with games of this type is the replay value. Once you've played through the entire interactive movie, there's little incentive to go through it again. Even though the game touts 120 minutes of interactive video, don't be fooled into thinking that's how long it takes to beat the game. You have to remember that all your screw-ups are videos, as are the introduction and ending. Once you know what to do in each situation, it's just a matter of minutes before you can walk through the entire game. Even though you'd like to think you're making all the decisions, in reality you only control key points in the movie. It would have been too difficult for them to film every single outcome of every move you could make. Think of this interactive movie as one of those "choose your own adventure" books. You have some control over the outcome, but not too much.
If it weren't for the awesome video quality and excellent acting throughout the game, I would have tossed Star Trek: Borg aside in a matter of moments. There's something about actually being placed in the Star Trek environment that makes this game play better than others in its genre. Q is certainly the highlight of the game. He makes the most tedious tasks interesting, and I guarantee you'll be chuckling at what he says. If you like this type of game, or must own every Star Trek item available, you'll want to pick this title up. I enjoyed playing it, but it's a bit too short for my own tastes (and wallet).
Gamer's Zone Scorecard
| Product: | Star Trek: Borg |
| Company: | Simon & Schuster Interactive |
| Cost: | $39.99 |
System Requirements:
IBM:
8 MB hard disk space,
SVGA monitor, display size 640x480,
16-bit soundblaster compatible audio card,
Pentium 90 or better,
8 MB RAM, Double Speed CD-ROM or better.
Macintosh:
8 MB hard disk space,
Color monitor, display size 640x480,
Power PC or 68/040, 40 Mhz minimum,
16-bit soundcard, System 7.5 or better,
8 MB RAM, Double Speed CD-ROM or better.
Breakdown:
Fun Factor 3
Graphics 5
Sound 3
Interface 2
Replayability 1
Overall Score:
Copyright © 1997 InfoMedia, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.