Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force - Collector's Edition

Frequently, two or more team members accompany you (including familiar faces from the show, such as Seven of Nine), allowing missions to play out more like episodes from the series than a solo firefight that just happens to take place in a Star Trek setting. Other team members disable security fields, analyze data, converse with you as the mission progresses, and add some much needed firepower in the tough battle sequences. Elite Force uses the Quake III engine to good effect, serving up some beautiful environments, colorful special effects, and smooth frame rates. Our only gripe is that all the missions take place inside various spacecraft, but the architecture used by each race is so distinctive that it doesn't feel too repetitive.

Elite Force stays very true to the source material, as we discovered the first time we beamed into a Borg Cube and watched the inhabitants march by as if we weren't there. We shot a passing Borg to see what would happen: the massive environment sprang to life as the threat was detected, and dozens of angry Borg converged on our position. The cast of the television series provided the voices for their characters in the game, and the artists painstakingly reproduced the interior of the Voyager. It all lends an authentic flair to this fun game, which belongs in the collection of any Star Trek fan. This collector's edition includes two 48-page Voyager graphic novels, hardbound with black leather covers, and a Voyager pin. Since similar comic books normally run around $30 each, this pack is a genuine value. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Almost like participating in an actual episode of the show
• Better-than-average voice acting
• Authentic environments, visuals, and sounds add to the experience
• Quality Collector's Edition-exclusive goodies are well worth the extra money

• Somewhat boring weapons
• Plot-driven story line forces linear mission design

Elite Force uses the Quake III Arena engine--the ultimate in sci-fi first-person shooter action. The first game based on the Star Trek Voyager universe, Elite Force pits players against a multitude of Star Trek enemies, including the relentless Borg and never-before-seen aliens in intense single-player and multiplayer combat missions. Elite Force has eight missions, plus between-missions gameplay on the Voyager ship. Each mission consists of multiple levels, ranging from two to five. All away missions take place on other alien spaceships or space stations.