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.

Furthermore the game sports maps of Voyager and OTHER Federation ships. Have you ever wanted to walk the corridors of ships from other Alpha quadrant races? You can in this game. I don't want to ruin the game for you but there are many surpises in the Game. If you are a Trek Fan this game is an absolute must. It'll be the first time you were in an actuall episode. You'll also get to hear the voice talents of Tom Willson (Biff) from "Back To The Future." He will have dialog that will be on par with Bill Paxton's (Alien 2 fame),"Well put her in charge.." and "Game over, man game over.." Get this game and find out which of Tom's one liners will become famous.


You are not playing the game. You are part of the show!   October 27, 2000
Minh Doan (Boisbriand, Quebec, Canada)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

So close! You could almost imagine your name in the credits. The set, the scenario, the ambiance, everything feels... well... "Star-Trek"ish!

The game does make a known universe come to life. It is nothing short from authentic. You do not feel like going on an unknown adventure while the rest of the crew concentrate on doing the TV show (like Star Trek: Hidden Evil). You ARE part of the crew. You ARE part of the show. You ARE part of the story.

While this is a "First-Person-Shooter", it is accessible to the beginners. It is not overly complicated. This can be a problem for experienced gamers, who might finish this game in 15 hours tops.

But then again, there is still the Multiplayer. I never play online, so I cannot comment much about this feature, although I heard that people appreciated the various "awards" given to players based on their performance (i.e. Efficiency: Greater than 50% accuracy; Untouchable: Player never killed; Logistics: Player used a high number of power-ups; Demolitionist: Killed a LOT of players using explosives). Some "awards" are not kill-based. I might give it a try...

During the single-player game, friends in the Hazard team help you. Wow! Talk about teamwork. Where other games failed to provide adequate friendly AI and usually send you on a solo mission, this games almost always sends you WITH you team, and they actually look like they KNOW what they are doing. The "ally-blocking-a-path-in-a-narrow-corridor" syndrome is quite rare. And they NEVER will shoot you by accident. They look like they actually HELP you. And you actually get attached to them. Really.

On the down side, the characters appear a little rigid. They seem to move around on preset "tracks", like a train. This is during in-game-ending cutscenes. And their facial expressions are limited to two or three (I never saw a "happy" face).

But this is but a tiny stain in a sea of wonders.

About the Collector's Edition, I feel it was worth it. There are three special items.

The comic book included is actually a two-in-one booklet. The first is a story based on the game... which could be bad, since both stories (comic and game) are somewhat similar. The second comic is a "Seven-of-Nine" story. Not the best I've seen though, story-wise.

The Collector CD is actually a hybrid. You actually have the game's soundtrack on it. Since the music is already excellent, this is just fine with me. The CD also contains artists' sketches during the design stage of the game, as well as promotional posters and a demo of "Return to Wolfenstein" (I may have spelled that wrong!)

And finally, this special edition comes included with a pin. This was somewhat of a letdown, since the pin is NOT the Hazard Team Communicator, but a shield with the logo "Star Trek Voyager - Elite Force". Not exactly what you would wear on a Star Trek uniform (No, I don't have a uniform!).

Put it this way: unless you HATE Star Trek, or consider the violence level of the series too high, you cannot go wrong with Elite Force. It is fun, well done, authentic.


Definately worth your money and time!   October 9, 2000
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I'm not much of a shooting game person. I usually prefer "safe" games where players are never in any iminent danger from some evils. Well, I bought the game for my boyfriend and it just had been sitting here for a week until I decided to try it a little bit (since all I've been hearing all last week from my boyfriend was "this game is AWESOME!... This game is Excellent! ").

Seriously it's fun even to watch someone else play the game because it isn't something that doesn't any require brain to play and shoot at everything. It actually has a good story line plus puzzles in order get to the next point. I wouldn't say it's difficult at all - it just makes the game more fun and interesting.

The controls are very easy although I just used keyboard and mouse. I admit that I used cheat codes to have unlimited health, etc. hehehe... but, oh, well, it's fun. One more thing, the first thing I noticed about this game is that it has EXCELLENT graphics and sound. When I was in the training mode, it was very neat how whenever I moved around the instructor (Tuvok), I could hear him from one speak to the other depending on where I was standing.

p.s. I happened to buy the collector's edition only because it was the same price at where I bought the game. It comes w/ a very cheesy star trek pin and a nice comic book, also a CD which includes original music and game art.. pretty cool.


Be a star in your episode of Star Trek Voyager!   October 21, 2000
Bankz (Dallas TX)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Star Trek Voyager : Elite Force is a Excellent game!

Finally it seems that someone has put to use the excellent Quake III engine and has produced a game where you become the main character in a Star Trek Voyager Episode. Elite Force is more than a First Person Shooter game, its a peek into what it would be like to be a part of the crew of Star Trek Voyager. True Voyager fans will appreciate having the Collector's Edition for the extra's like the Voyager pin and a special limited Voyager Elite Force comic. Anyone who is a Star Trek Voyager Fan like me has to have the Collector's Edition.

The storyline is based on a alien race that is hijacking nearby ships in order to build a army that will obliterate the Universe as we know it. Voyager is disabled and transported by one of the alien probes to thier space junkyard. Voyager is crippled and kept in the space junkyard by a space station called "The Forge" that creates a warp damping field. The junkyard is filled with ships that look to have been ripped apart and stripped. This concerns the crew and it is up the the special trained Elite Force team that you lead to find a way to get Voyager to avoid destruction and out of the junkyard and resume its mission back to Earth. Get prepared for some fast paced action and to be fully immersed in a episode of Star Trek Voyager specially created for this game.

The graphics and sound are very intense in this excellent game. Realism is at its highest thanks to the voice over acting of the Star Trek Voyager Senior Officer Cast. Everyone is there to provide voice-over's except Seven of Nine (Geri Ryan) who was busy working on a movie to do the voice over. The voice-overs truly bring the game to life and a familiarity of the setting if you have been following Star Trek Voyager on UPN. The most funniest voice over provided is Tom Wilson. Tom Wilson does the voice over for Hazard Team Rick Biessman and he is halirious! You can remember Tom Wilson from playing Biff Tannen in the Back to the Future Movies. Some of the battle scenes are pretty intense and just walking around the borg ship makes me nervous even though its a game. You will not be dissapointed by some of the missions. Many of the puzzles are not very complicated as to not slow you down as you progress thru the missions. You will also get first hands on some very kewl weapons, like the Hirogen minute-man rifle. You get to shoot it up with Klingons, Borg, Species 8472, Scavengers and Humans not to mention a very tough boss fight at the end!

This is a game that is sure to please any Star Trek Voyager Fan. If you are ready to star in a Star Trek Voyager episode and interact with the Senior Staff and its crew, then add this game to your cart. That is all Hazard team member, dismissed!


Best Star Trek Game EVER!   August 26, 2000
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

This game looks great, it plays great and it is the best Star Trek game I have ever played.(Armada was good, but not like Elite Force)This is going to be a big hit to trekies and non-trekies. You will not be disappointed!