If you have every dreamed of blasting a Klingon in the neck with a phaser set to stun, Star Trek Online has finally been made for you to enjoy.
Besides Star Wars, the other big deal in Sci-fi has been Star Trek, from the original series to its latest rebirth in an alternate timeline, millions have been watching trek and loving its universe. So an MMORPG in that universe is obviously a move that had to be attempted.
What you get is Star Trek Online, a beautiful entry in the expanded world of Trek that takes place a few generations after the original series.
In any MMO, you must begin creating your virtual self, and STO gives you a wealth of options. As a Trek novice, I thought the only race options would be between an earthling, a Vulcan, maybe even a Klingon. The list is about 4 times as long as that. The customization doesn't end in picking your race. The character customization will satisfy people who live to carve the best virtual model you can.
The character I created was Jon Cade, a silver-haired, contemplative science officer. I think he's either an Andorian or a Nausiccan. I don't recall. Seriously, the amount of races overwhelmed me a bit. So once I create Jon Cade, it's off to learn a bit about the world I've been dropped into. What better way to learn how to function in the Star Trek universe than to fight some Borg!
Damn it feels good to shoot a phaser. Or, when you get up close, it's satisfying to lay a Borg out with a good right hook. Attacking is easy, but i'm not really satisfied with how you move in STO. I like the waypoint style of movement in MMORPGs. The way you move in STO feels like it was made for console analog sticks, not w,a,s, and d. You can move by clicking both mouse buttons, sending your character in the direction your field of vision is pointing. At least give me the option of another style!
As a casual MMOer (which sounds like blasphemy) I only spent a few hours on the beta. There were away team missions and the space missions, which involves flying around in your own ship and engaging any enemies who you make come up against- like Borg cubes. Just like the movement on foot, moving in your ship is awkward. The ships of STO have to be maneuvered similarly to a boat. It's not smooth sailing, though.
What you get is Star Trek Online, a beautiful entry in the expanded world of Trek that takes place a few generations after the original series.
In any MMO, you must begin creating your virtual self, and STO gives you a wealth of options. As a Trek novice, I thought the only race options would be between an earthling, a Vulcan, maybe even a Klingon. The list is about 4 times as long as that. The customization doesn't end in picking your race. The character customization will satisfy people who live to carve the best virtual model you can.
The character I created was Jon Cade, a silver-haired, contemplative science officer. I think he's either an Andorian or a Nausiccan. I don't recall. Seriously, the amount of races overwhelmed me a bit. So once I create Jon Cade, it's off to learn a bit about the world I've been dropped into. What better way to learn how to function in the Star Trek universe than to fight some Borg!
Damn it feels good to shoot a phaser. Or, when you get up close, it's satisfying to lay a Borg out with a good right hook. Attacking is easy, but i'm not really satisfied with how you move in STO. I like the waypoint style of movement in MMORPGs. The way you move in STO feels like it was made for console analog sticks, not w,a,s, and d. You can move by clicking both mouse buttons, sending your character in the direction your field of vision is pointing. At least give me the option of another style!
As a casual MMOer (which sounds like blasphemy) I only spent a few hours on the beta. There were away team missions and the space missions, which involves flying around in your own ship and engaging any enemies who you make come up against- like Borg cubes. Just like the movement on foot, moving in your ship is awkward. The ships of STO have to be maneuvered similarly to a boat. It's not smooth sailing, though.
After a few missions, I was ready to finally go off on my own to accept any mission I wished. I only got as far as the beginning of the big Klingon invasion, but there was something off (not enough servers? my wireless connection just blows) that denied my a final moment of Federation glory.
I had a fairly positive experience with the game, and while I don't think that this is my ideal world to spend some time in, I think it's a great effort. Since it was a beta, there were obvious hiccups and nagging bits, but to just successfully accomplish Trek in an MMO setting is enough for a thumbs up for me. I would much rather have this game as an offline RPG, but I might be in the minority opinion on that. I didn't really feel like I was part of an online experience anyway, so why not have Star trek for consoles?
