HOME

By Al Giovetti
Price:
Genre:first person shooter disguised as an adventure
Release:
Developer:
Lead Artist:
Programmer:
ESRB Rating:
Producer:
Publisher:
Phone:
Website:
Requirements:
Recommended:
Cheats:Click Here For Cheats

Star Trek: Hidden Evil

History

Recently, Interplay lost the Star Trek license after producing years of quality, best-selling games based upon the series.

Activision is new to this license and has opted to put together an action adventure. The game is played similar to Tomb Raider of Quake.

Company Line

Game Play

The game play is more like Quake and less like and adventure game. This game is a shooter with some elements of adventure thrown in.

Unfortunately the game does not allow for infinite perspectives as seen with Quake and Doom shooters.

The inventory is severely limited and is comprised of only 13 different types of inventory items. There are a maximum of each iteration of item, since most of the items are keys of one sort or another. Common items are hypospray, phaser, communicator, and tricorder. Some special items include a genetic sampler, power cel, and disruptor pistol. This inventory is more characteristic of a first person shooter than an adventure game.

Puzzles are only for the portals found within the alien archeological dig.

Plot

The plot is a good one with you saving the planet and the universe from distruction by an alien "seed" with the genetic capacity to produce almost infinite genetic variations of xenophore aliens. The game comes after the plot of Star Trek: Insurrection and on the same planet that the crew of the Next Generation series saved from destruction by renegade and outcast members of the population. Ruins of an ancient civilization are discovered on the Ba'ku colony planet, which Picard is asked to help excavate.The whole adventure starts on the Ba'ku colony planet near the excavation of the ancient civilization ruins. Romulan Admiral Ratok has sent a group of Romulans to the planet to recover the "ultimate weapon." The weapon is a "seed" which can produce armies of genetically constructed beings or warriors which can devastate an enemy. Your job is to find an eradicate this seed as it moves first from the Ba'ku colony world to a Romulan outpost and lastly as it infests the enterprise.

The story is very short. Before you know it, the story is over. There are only nine missions and some holodeck training exercizes. The first mission has only one objective. You simply go into the archeology excavations site by elevator, get an artifact from Picard, and return the artifact to Data who is in the laboratory where you started the mission. The 38 game objectives are spread over the nine missions with an average of four objectives each.

The designers use death as a means to make the game last longer. Since there was little in the way of plot beyond a single episode of the Next Generation television series, the designers have made the game especially tricky and lethal requiring you to repeat sections of the game over and over adding play time but not play value. The invulnerability and inventory cheats are very good and allow you to bypass some of the more lethal parts of the game, making it more enjoyable for those who like graphic animated adventures.

Graphics

Animation

Voice Actors

The voice cast are impressive and most have a history with the Star Trek series.

The voices of Captain Jean Luc Picard and Commander data are provided by the actors from Star Trek: The Next Generation Cast members, Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner. Brent Spiner has done other computer games than Star Trek and other movies and television credits. Brent turned in a wonderful performance as the cruise director with Walther Matthow and Jack Lemon. Brent Spiner also provided great voice talents for the game ... Patrick Stewart appears virtually everywhere and continually turns in wonderful performances. Mr. Stewart was classically trained as a shakesperian actor and has appeared on the London stage in many productions.

The main character Ensign Sovok is a human orphan who was adopted by a Vulcan, and who later attended the Vulcan Science Academy and attempted Kolinahr but failed to fully master his emotions. Christopher Gorham's voice talents predominate the game as the main character. Chris is currently (December, 1999) starring in the TV Show popular.

Si'Tann, Sovok's vulcan master, is played by Joseph Ruskin who played the same role in the Star Trek: Voyager episode, Gravity. Joe has starred in roles associated with all four Star Trek casts: Star Trek: Insurrection (The Next Generation), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and the original Star Trek series. Joe played Galt in the original Star Trek epiode Gamesters of Triskelion .

Anij, a Ba'ku woman from Star Trek: Insurrection, is playhed by Janice Lynde who reprises her role from the movie. Janice has appeared in "The Young and the Restless" and "General Hospital." Greg Henry, as Gal'na, is also reprising his Star Trek: Insurrection role. Salome Jens, who played the Preserver in the Next Generation episode "The Chase" and played the leader of the founders for several seasons of Deep Space Nine, puts in a good performance as Xa'tal, the last member of the alien race found within the archeological excavation. Greg Ellis, who was a guest star on the popular last episode of Deep Space Nine, plays U'rano -- the leader of the rebellion on the Son'a colony,

Music Score

Sound Effects

Utilities

The 25-page manual, one CD-ROM, a command card, and an application for a Star Trek MasterCard came in the box.

Multi-player Features

Cheats, Hints, Walkthrough

Journalists

Put your review right here by emailing us the text.

References

1. Official Activision site (Please note that official sites remain online at the capricious whim of the corporate entity. -- plain english version: Don't expect this site to last.)

   Previews:

2. Game Pro World Preview
3. Gamespot Preview
4. Avault Preview
5. Gamecenter Preview
6. GameSlice Preview

Letters