Star Trek: Voyager: Elite Force
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| Star Trek: Voyager Elite Force | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Raven Software |
| Publisher(s) | Activision |
| Engine | Quake III Arena |
| Version | 1.2 PC, 1.2.1 Mac |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, PlayStation 2 |
| Release date | September 15, 2000 |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: T (Teen) OFLC: G 8+ |
Star Trek: Voyager Elite Force is a first-person shooter computer game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision in 2000. It is powered by the Quake III Arena engine and set in the Star Trek universe, specifically that of the Star Trek: Voyager series. The game was successful enough to spawn an expansion pack as well as a sequel, Star Trek: Elite Force II.
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[edit] Plot
- Note: While the player can be either male or female in-game, Munro is canonically considered to be male.
The player takes on the role of Ensign "Alex" Munro; depending on the player's choice of gender, "Alex" is short for either Alexander or Alexandria. Ensign Munro is part of an elite security force — The Hazard Team, a special unit led by Tuvok. The game begins with a short tutorial mission aboard a Borg ship, where the player is tasked with rescuing his fellow squad mates. Munro manages to locate the others, but kills himself and them by blasting the control panel for the force field restraining them. The mission is then revealed to be a holodeck exercise, which Munro just failed.
Voyager is then attacked by a mysterious alien ship. They manage to destroy the attacker, but upon exploding it radiates an energy wave which transports them to an unknown location. After Munro helps to avert a warp core breach, they are attacked by a raiding party consisting of a number of different alien species, who steal much of Voyager's supplies. Making matters worse is an energy field being projected by a nearby station, which is draining Voyager's power.
The Hazard Team is sent to a nearby alien ship to gain information on the area. This mission goes awry when aliens begin appearing from nowhere and attacking them. Several members of the team are apparently killed, though they are later found housed in stasis pods. The aliens, who identify themselves as Etherians, eventually manage to communicate properly with the Hazard Team, and the ordeal is waved off as a misunderstanding.
With the information that is gathered from the Etherian ship, the crew learns that the station is called the Forge. The Hazard Team is sent to collect to isodesium, an element which will counteract the energy field draining power from the ship. The closest source is a hodgepodge space station, made up of various ships that have likewise been trapped: Klingons, Imperial Terrans, Malon, and Hirogen. Munro manages to collect enough samples, and even fends off a Hirogen Alpha along the way, but trouble strikes once more when the Borg intercept them at the airlock. Lt. Foster is captured, Ensign Lathrop is killed, and the isodesium is stolen.
Ensign Munro leads the mission to the Borg cube to retrieve Foster and the isodesium, joined by Seven of Nine. Rescuing Foster is an optional sidequest, and can be failed without affecting the mission. Matters are complicated when the Borg take the team hostage, leveraging their freedom and the isodesium for assistance with a Species 8472 infestation on board. If the player rescued Foster, this deal is delivered through Seven of Nine; otherwise, it will be a converted Foster who does so. The Borg attempt to double cross them once they succeed, but Crewman Chang detonates explosives he has placed, destabilizing the Borg and allowing the team to escape.
Soon after installing the isodesium, the Forge sends out a Harvester probe, designed to tear Voyager apart for supplies. To stop it, the Hazard Team infiltrates an old dreadnought (essentially a flying cannon) and uses its weaponry to disable the ship. This is accomplished just as the ship attaches to Voyager, and so the team must fend off the hoard of Harvester aliens that it disgorges onto the ship. Once the invasion force is stopped, the Hazard Team uses the vessel to sneak onto the Forge and disable it. While on the station, it is revealed that there is a plan to start another Forge, and Munro disobeys orders in order to destroy it. The spider-like creature Vorsoth is the final boss for the game, seen in the last playable level. The mission is a success, and the Forge is destroyed, allowing Voyager to continue on its way home.
[edit] Gameplay
Elite Force plays like most first-person shooters: there are a wide array of weapons for the player to choose from and many different types of enemies. Weapons include several of the signature Star Trek weapons, such as Phasers (handheld and rifle), as well as more exotic weapons exclusive to the game. Aliens from the Star Trek universe include the Borg, the Mirror universe Terran Empire, the Klingons, the Hirogen, and Species 8472; as with the weapons, there is also a wide array of game-exclusive aliens. There are also several points of minor puzzle solving aboard Voyager and elsewhere, such as helping to prevent a warp core breach and assisting in ship repairs.
Between the standard run-and-shoot sequences of all first-person shooters, Elite Force contains a vast number of in-game cinematics to drive the plot forward. The film sequences are made with the game engine itself, excluding a noteworthy number of pre-rendered space sequences.
[edit] Holomatch
Users can also compete against each other in a separate game, referred to as a Holomatch. This program allows you to play against bots, real human opponents (in multimatch), or mixtures of the two. In a Holomatch, there are a number of game types including deathmatch, team deathmatch and capture the flag. The Elite Force Expansion Pack adds additional game types including assimilation, disintegration, specialties, and action hero. Over time, user-made modifications have added even more game types and maps to multiplayer.
A number of avatars are available for players' use, including ones that didn't appear in the single player game, such as Romulans. Also, all avatars have their own taunts (though most are laughs).
[edit] Production
Voice acting is provided by all the primary members of the series' cast. Jeri Ryan did not voice Seven of Nine in the initial release, but a later free patch and expansion pack added her voice to the game. Voyager producer and co-creator Brannon Braga had played Elite Force and enjoyed it so much that he convinced Jeri Ryan to lend her voice to the game.[citation needed]
