Categories:
Pros:
- Great player made missions
- Compelling story that brings Star Trek to life
- Laundry list of content available
- Nice mix of options for combat
Cons:
- Some features can only be purchased with real money
- If you are not a Star Trek fan the sophisticated interface and controls may feel a bit overwhelming in the beginning
- Nothing particularly exciting for just regular MMO fans
Star Trek Online is a popular sci-fi MMORPG created by Cryptic Studios based on the popular science-fiction series. Since its launch in 2010, this free-to-play game met with huge success and has more than 3.2 million players worldwide. Over the years, the game’s interface has been revamped several times with better graphics and new episodes. The following sections constitute a brief review of this space exploration game.
Gameplay:
Set in the Star Trek universe in the years 2409/2410, three decades after the events of the Star Trek Nemesis, this game features a story-driven gameplay. The plot is centered on the falling alliance between the Klington Empire and the United Federation of Planets. Every player will be the captain of a Federation starship and can control the ship’s engineering and tactical systems either by using the on-screen console or with the keyboard/mouse. There are a variety of ships to choose from. Each new player must either select a character from a canonical race in the Star Trek universe or opt for customizing his own species. The three available races are the Union Federation of Planets, the Romulan Republic and the Klington Empire. While most races are available for free, there are additional ones which you need to purchase from Cryptic’s online Z-store.
Another interesting feature of this game is that it allows the players to pool their resources in several ways. They can join forces to form a team to complete their missions in space or on ground. A group of players is termed as a fleet. As a member of a fleet, you will have access to a central fleet bank, a Fleet Starbase, a chat channel as well as other holdings that will be upgraded as you complete more missions. Also, upon the completion of new missions, players will be awarded with Skill Points, Fleet Marks and Fleet Credits.
Final verdict:
This game is loaded with seemingly endless attractions that will appeal not only to the longtime fans of Star Trek, but also to new players. As a player, you will get to visit iconic locations, explore new star systems and discover new alien species. Overall, every minute spent playing Star Trek Online will make you feel that you are involved in a Star Trek episode in which you are the lead character.