Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force

This has to be the best Star Trek game yet to arrive on any console. Its graphics and gameplay are totally superb, not to mention it has all the original cast members voices. If you like Unreal Tournament you will love this! Its just like being a member of the cast in a TV episode of Voyager. That means any Star Trek Fan out there will absolutely adore this title!

"Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force" is a nostalgic gem for both fans of the "Star Trek" universe and gamers who appreciate a well-crafted first-person shooter from the early 2000s. Developed by Raven Software and powered by the Quake 3 Arena engine, this game captures the essence of "Star Trek: Voyager" with surprising accuracy, despite the inherent violence of the FPS genre.

The narrative follows the Hazard Team, an elite security force on the USS Voyager, as they tackle various threats in a storyline that feels like an extended episode from the series. While the plot isn't groundbreaking, it's engaging enough and uses familiar characters voiced by the original cast, which is a significant plus. The presence of the beloved crew members adds a layer of authenticity and immersion that's hard to replicate.

Gameplay; here's where the game shines. The Quake 3 engine provides smooth, fast-paced action with a variety of weapons that fit the Star Trek lore, from phasers to photon launchers. The level design, while somewhat linear, is thoughtfully done, with environments that look and feel like they've been ripped straight from the show. The multiplayer aspect, dubbed "Holomatch," is particularly memorable, offering a blend of fun and creativity with custom maps and mods that kept the community active for years.

For its time, the graphics were impressive, with detailed ship interiors and enemy designs. The audio, especially the voiceovers, is spot-on, although the music doesn't include the iconic "Voyager" theme, which was a slight disappointment.

The campaign is on the shorter side, which might leave players wanting more. The AI can sometimes feel dated, with teammates occasionally getting in the way or enemies lacking challenge. There's also the issue of the Borg becoming less intimidating due to gameplay mechanics that make them too easy to defeat.

What really elevates this game is its community. The modding scene was vibrant, offering new missions, characters, and even a pseudo-RPG experience where players could role-play as part of the Voyager crew. Even now, it's possible to find this game on platforms like GOG, where it runs surprisingly well on modern systems with a bit of tweaking.

"Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force" is a testament to what can be achieved when you blend beloved sci-fi with a solid FPS framework. It's not without its flaws, but the love for "Star Trek," the engaging gameplay, and the community's dedication make it a standout title. If you're a fan of the series or just enjoy classic shooters, this game is worth revisiting or experiencing for the first time. It's a piece of gaming history that still holds up remarkably well, especially with the joy it brings back from the golden age of LAN parties and demo discs.

The Star Trek merchandising bandwagon has been kicking around for a while now, and Voyager - Elite Forces is the latest in this long line of inter-galactic offerings.

The plot in Elite Forces is typical Voyager fare. Ship breaks down, ship needs new parts, parts located on a dangerous planet/space station/mysterious alien ship... hijinx ensue... The story and game settings are well varied and reflect the complexity of the overall plot. Indeed, Elite Force's best feature is it's story line and adherence to the classic TV Star Trek "feel".

Written around the ID Quake 3 engine, the levels and enemies on this First Person Shooter are superbly detailed and generate considerable atmosphere. I was reminded of First Contact more than a few times battling the Borg in EF. Of course with such impressive eye candy comes a price. Don't expect to be sucking down the frames playing on full detail, although truth be told the action never became so furious that I was hindered by the choppy play.

The weapons on offer are fairly uninspiring. There is of course the standard Federation issue hand-held phaser, the heavier assault rifle, and a number of other grenade, rocket launching and lightning gun clones borrowed from Quake 3. The main problem with the entire spread of weapons is that they all basically do the same thing in the same number of shots. Given that there is very little tactical advantage in using a varied selection as one might in Quake 3.. inevitably you play the entire game using the same gun.

The game itself is far too short, the levels are designed in the most rigid linear fashion I have ever seen in an FPS. You _must_ follow the same path, any attempted diversions or branch offs are stymied by barred doors and unyielding containment field. Consequently level completion can be achieved in surprisingly short time as it is simply a matter of following the corridor from point A to point B.

The first few levels offer a respite to the "keep shooting till their dead" strategy that dominates FPS type games. The mission objectives are cleverly designed and interact with the storyline well. However in later levels the gameplay returns to the enemy swarming, click the fire button as fast as possible action that we know all too well.

Elite Forces is not a bad game, it has a strong story line and eye popping graphics. The levels in the first half of the game are uniquely different and clever in their approach. Never the less, I felt a bit cheated at the speed in which I was able to finish the game and consequently the replayability factor is quite low. Similarly, the game play wasn't all that I had hoped for, some more battles with the Scavengers who showed a decent amount of AI, taking cover behind crates and the like would have been nice. The swarming berserker rush of mechanoids and oversized bug creatures in the latter half of the game loses lustre very quickly.

The game stays true to the TV series, something the nerds will appreciate. If that kind of thing doesn't bother you.. well, it's still good for a couple of days worth of entertainment..

This game isn't that bad for a FPS. The graphics, courtsey of the Quake III engine, are really crisp and flow really well. The game designers also noted some good features from other games, such as the alternate weapon function of Unreal Tournament, the BEST FPS IMHO. The plot revolves around you being a member of the newly created Hazzard Team. Your objective is to protect the ship from dangerous aliens. Sort of like the Starfleet Marines. I do agree with the other posters here that the beginning is truly unique and has a fresh feeling, but towards the end, especially once you invade the station, it feels more like Doom than something with some sort of intelligence or challenge. It felt nice to have all the cast members voice their characters, even Chell, a small part that appeared in 2 episodes shows up as one of the major characters in the game.

I found one mistake the designers made was making the game WAY too linear. I wish you had to pay the consiquences for your actions. Say if you disentegraged Tuvok, which I did many times to see what would happen, how the plot would then change. Maybe you could join the pirates and take over Voyager, and then try and free yourself from the forge from there. I think allowing you a little more leway of what you can do and where you can go would have spiced this game up a bit more. I also found the reactions of the bots to be really rude. If I had a weapon I wanted to disintegrate them. So if the designers are thinking of making a sequel, they should try some of the above approaches. I think that could make a very interesting game. That and ditch the Quake III engine, which is nice but not as pretty as the Unreal Tournament engine.

As for the multi-player aspects of the game, they were pretty standard fare for a FPS. You had your capture the flag, free for all, etc. Commanding the bots on your team was a bit of a hassle. It was rare that they listened to you and managed to just stand around. These are some minor flaws however. Over all this is a nice game, and definately something to add to your collection if you're a fan of first person shooters (FPS).

Elite force is an absolute fantastic license game. Locations, designs, voice actors, and plot match the tone and scenery of the tv series perfectly.

On the other hand the underlying shooter is mediocre by today's standards. The AI is dumb, the maps are diverse but very linear, the gunplay doesn't feel or sound mighty and within just a few hours the whole experience is over.

All in all, when you're looking for a voyager experience it doesn't get any better than this. But don't expect any award winning shooter.