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I have been a Star Trek fan for many years and for many years I have been disappointed with Star Trek based games. I don’t admit to having played every single one, but the three+ that I have played seem to be more about blatant product placement rather than entertaining gameplay. Star Trek: Away Team is no exception. This isn’t to say that everything about the game is disappointing, but the balance is definitely more on the con side.

I really wanted to like this game, I really did. Not just because I am a Star Trek fan but also because the graphics and music/sounds are quite cool (although I have one beef about the graphics). The intro movie was also pretty cool and really drew me into the feel and purpose of the game. Little did I know how dismally unsatisfying the game was going to be. In fact, the pros of the game actually make the game more aggravating because they draw you in, but the rest of the game just doesn’t deliver.

Graphics and Sound

As you can see, the game has a pretty cool look. The first image, of Startfleet Academy, also shows the user interface which I will address in a minute. Other than the missions on the Borg ships, I found the outdoor maps to be much more intriguing. The green and black combination in the Borg ship looks really cool and even the Borgs themselves look pretty sweet. (Conversely, one of the Borg missions later in the game was the most aggravating of all.)

There were a few glitches with the graphics though, as this next shot demonstrates.

Graphical Error

My “beef” with the graphics is that the resolution is fixed at 640x480, making the zoom feature look… well “yucky”, especially when scrolling. Other than this and the few graphical errors, Star Trek: Away Team looks and sounds very slick.

I really enjoyed the sounds and music in the game. One of the things that I have always liked about the Star Trek games is that they use the actual sounds used in the shows (or very close representations of them). This really helps immerse you into the game. The voice was quite good which is definitely a plus. Lending some credibility to the game were Michael Dorn and Brent Spiner who did the voices for Worf and Data. (For those that don’t know, Michael Dorn and Brent Spiner played these characters on Star Trek The Next Generation.)