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Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force - PAGE 2
Shawn Hawkins - Monday, October 9th, 2000


Sound, Weapons, and Final Thoughts

One saving grace in this game is its use of top-notch graphic sequences and animation. Graphic sequences used to propel the plot between levels are of amazing professional quality. The sequences involving starships moving through the cosmos are nothing short of inspiring.

Sound design, in all its facets throughout the game, serves to set a new standard. Environmental sounds throughout the levels are creative and detailed. The sounds on the Voyager's bridge are a perfect imitation of those on the show and create a sense of being "in the show". Small organisms, which the player must destroy, sound perfectly disgusting. In large rooms, the sounds are processed in such a manner as to create a sense of the 3-dimensional space and are very effective in doing so. The musical score is consistent with that of the television series but is used quite subtly within the missions. This helps to set a tone that is austere and haunting when necessary.

Weapons are something that Elite Force does bring to the table. The weapons in general are spectacular in their graphic and sound effects. The player starts off with a Federation issue phaser. The phaser is not the most powerful weapon but is the only weapon that recharges itself automatically when fired. The scavenger rifle can shoot energy rounds with rapid automatic fire or can shoot one huge projectile of energy that acts much like a grenade but explodes on contact. This is done using the secondary fire button. The I-Mod, short for the infinity modulator, is the only weapon the Borg cannot adapt to, spews out a bright purple flare depending on how the weapon is fired. The arc welder leaves its victim to burn up in a cloud of bright purple static charge. This gun makes an electronic sizzling sound to compliment the spectacle of your victim’s demise. The photon burst provides a magnificent burst power. It is delightfully explosive and must be used with great caution. When fired, the sound emitted by the photon burst cannon is an accurate reproduction of a photon torpedo being fired as in the show. Each weapon has its own unique qualities and must be incorporated into the player's strategy. Elite Force has some of the best and most interesting weapons that the first person shooter genre has seen to date, setting the stage for gratifying and exciting gunplay.

Elite Force comes with two executables: single player and holo-match. Holo-match is Elite Force's multiplayer version. There are two main game types: solo match and multi match. Solo match allows the player to chose a game scenario and battle "intelligent" holographic characters. Multi match allows the player to play over the Internet against other human opponents. Elite Force's multi match ranks among the best first person shooter multiplayer games on the market. Elite force multiplayer even has some additions that Quake3 does not. For instance, there is a "red shirt" award for the best victim. It also has individual power ups for each weapon creating a strategic component not yet seen before. Online multiplayer also comes equipped with an in-game browser to locate other online games. This is great for the player who wants to get the action going quickly.

Elite Force is a standard first person shooter with little more to add than the novelty of Star Trek Voyager. It is a commercial attempt to capitalize on a popular television show while implementing technology that is already in use. Although it lacks ingenuity, it is a very professional product made by masters of the trade. Star Trek enthusiasts may want to add this to their collection. The single player game is so short, however, that they are likely to end up feeling cheated out of their money. The multi match online multiplayer game, on the other hand, ranks among the best first person shooter multiplayer ever produced to date and, therefore, promises not to disappoint.

Overall Score: 75%

next: Screenshots »

Article Index

1.First Impressions
2.Sound, Weapons, and Final Thoughts
3.Screenshots

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