Star Trek Legacy

Well folks, I waited a long, long time for Star Trek Legacy, both for PC and X360. No, I’m not saying this because the release date was pushed, as I am in the software industry myself, and delays are simply inevitable. I drooled over the screen shots, read all the latest news and developer diaries, and I say without hesitation, it was worth the wait!!

I’ve said this before on this site and other places: personally, with no Trek series on the air, I have longed for new material, books, games, anything to sink my teeth into as I’ve come to truly adore the characters from all Trek eras. Star Trek Legacy is filling that void nicely, with voices of all of the Trek captains... not just one or two.. all of them. The voice acting is superb, and from the very first mission (Archer on the NX-01 Enterprise), while the game is combat-centric, you’re sucked into a very interesting and very Trek-feeling story line.

The graphics, well folks, you’ve seen the shots, they’re every bit as good, and better when you see them in motion. The sounds and music during combat suck you in just as much as the incredible story.

Stepping back, I’m seeing a lot of reviews for this game very disappointed, saying that it’s not what Trek combat should be, it’s not like Starfleet Command... blah blah! To that I say, people, if you want to play Starfleet Command, go and play Starfleet Command... or one of its two sequels, mods.. etc. Also, have you people seen Star Trek in the last 10 years? The ships aren’t the sluggish behemoths as portrayed in the original series or the movies (or Starfleet Command) combating on a 2D plane in space. Legacy portrays the ships in a way that just feels right. Full three dimensions, they don’t move too quickly, nor do they move too slowly. Remember that TNG episode where the Enterprise was stuck in an asteroid field.. Picard got in the shuttle to navigate the Enterprise out.. you know the one. Controlling the ships is faithful to that episode, episodes of Voyager, DS9, Enterprise.. again, it just feels right.

I find the controls to be very intuitive both on the PC and on the X360. Combat is VERY cinematic... with a fixed external view of your ship, think the cinematic fly-bys you got in Bridge Commander, but all the time. For me, this is incredible... I was constantly hitting the fly by key! I swear, when you switch from ship to ship, it’s like seeing a new combat scene in one of the movies or shows... . ESPECIALLY when you are fighting the Borg (or heck, the graphics are even better... these graphics are in HD!).

For any Trek fan with a recent PC or X360, go and buy this game and put it in that person’s stocking. If it were me, it’d be the best gift I got.