Star Trek: 25th Anniversary (computer game)
| Star Trek: 25th Anniversary | |
|---|---|
 Cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Interplay |
| Publisher(s) | Interplay |
| Producer(s) | Bruce Schlickbernd |
| Designer(s) | Bruce Schlickbernd Jayesh J. Patel Michael A. Stackpole Liz Danforth |
| Composer(s) | George Sanger Dave Govett |
| Platform(s) | Amiga, Macintosh, MS-DOS |
| Release date(s) | 1992 |
| Genre(s) | Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Distribution | Floppies or CD |
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary is an adventure video game by Interplay, based upon the Star Trek universe. The game chronicles various missions of James T. Kirk and his crew of the USS Enterprise. Its 1993 sequel, Star Trek: Judgment Rites, continues and concludes this two-game series, which together may be seen as the final two years of the USS Enterprise's five-year mission.
Background and gameplay
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary (a combination of flight simulator and adventure game) was the first critical and popular hit in the Star Trek computer gaming franchise.
Game play is broken down into several "episodes" reminiscent of the Star Trek television series (the game is portrayed as "the lost fourth season").
Much like the away parties of the series, the game puts the player in control of as many as four characters at once. The adventure team consists of the series' main characters, Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy, and an occasional "red-shirted" security officer, who is the first to be killed should the player make a fatal misstep.
Space combat involves maneuvering the Enterprise and firing her weapons at enemy starships. In Star Trek: 25th Anniversary the player can assign Scotty to repair the ship's systems (e.g., prop up the shields, restore weapon functionality, or repair the scanners to remove static from the main screen). Throughout the game, there are only a few instances, such as the final battle, where the player must engage in combat.
Destroying the Enterprise or killing one of the main characters ends the game, requiring the player to restart from the last saved game. This was mandated by Paramount, which had final approval rights on the game's contents. Getting a "red shirt" killed may be accomplished in almost every episode and will not end the game, but will lower the mission score.
At the end of each mission, players received a message from Starfleet Command on how well they have done (100% being perfect and less than 50% is considered a botched mission). It is possible to complete missions while failing at every objective, giving an unsatisfying ending. At the end of the game, the player receives a final evaluation from Starfleet Command. A "Very High" score results in the crew being granted shore leave, while a sufficiently low score results in Captain Kirk's demotion, removal from command of the Enterprise, or a similarly undesirable ending.
The original cast of Star Trek, including William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, and Walter Koenig, provided their voices for the CD version of the game. The minor character, con man Harry Mudd, also makes a guest appearance in one of the game's episodes (though the original actor, Roger C. Carmel, did not voice the role, as he had died in 1986).
The game contains a copy-protection system that asks the player to consult the game's manual to find out what star system to warp to on the navigation map. Warping to the wrong system sends the player into either Klingon or Romulan neutral zones, and initiates an extremely difficult battle that often ends in the destruction of the Enterprise.
Game episodes
The Episodes are as follows:
- Demon World: Settlers belonging to a religious sect have reported being attacked by "Demons" near their mines. Kirk must discover the truth behind these "Demons".
- Hijacked: The USS Masada has not reported in. Upon investigation, The Enterprise discovers that the ship has been captured by Elasi Pirates who are holding the crew hostage. Kirk must discover a way to recover the ship and crew unharmed.
- Love's Labor Jeopardized: Romulans have crossed the Neutral Zone and attacked the Federation Research Station Ark 7. Unfortunately, the attack has created a biohazard situation that Enterprise crew must deal with, as well as the Romulans.
- Another Fine Mess.....: When responding to a distress call from a ship under attack by pirates, the Enterprise discovers none other than Harry Mudd is involved. He is traced to a derelict alien spacecraft. The Enterprise crew must discover the connection between the derelict, the pirates and Harry Mudd.
- Feathered Serpent: A Klingon battle fleet is about to cross into Federation space, in pursuit of a "War Criminal". The Enterprise must find this "War Criminal" to prevent a war.
- That Old Devil Moon: Strange power readings have been detected from a large asteroid approaching a pre-warp star system. The Enterprise discovers an ancient nuclear missile base that doesn't realize that the war ended 1000 years earlier, and must prevent it from destroying the native civilization a second time.
- Vengeance: The Enterprise, responding to a distress call from the USS Republic, finds it nearly destroyed. Kirk must figure out what destroyed the ship and stop those responsible from striking again. Unlike the other missions, this mission is longer and more complex in the CD version of the game; the original version of this episode consists only of a brief away team segment followed by an extensive ship-to-ship combat sequence. These two different versions are available on the CD version by a dialog choice at the beginning of the episode.
All episode titles were announced in-game by DeForest Kelley. In the CD-ROM edition of the game, following the conclusion of the last mission is a title card memorializing Gene Roddenberry with a short voice over narration by William Shatner praising his life.
Reception
ACE gave the PC version a score of 940 out of 1000, praising graphics, sound and gameplay and in particular the game's authenticity.[1] Computer Gaming World described 25th Anniversary as "the most outstanding Star Trek yet produced for the computer". The magazine liked the graphics and sound card audio, and concluded that "for this Trek-fanatic-turned-reviewer, [the game]'s major shortcoming is that it is over too soon".[2]
The ratings in the magazines published at that time, were fairly well over all.
| Magazine | Issue | Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amiga Computing | 71 | (Mar 1994) | 80% |
| Amiga Concept | 13 | (Mar 1995) | 92% |
| Amiga Down Under | 8 | (Apr 1994) | 80% |
| Amiga Dream | 12 | (Nov 1994) | 90% |
| Amiga Format | 56 | (Feb 1994) | 50% |
| Amiga Joker | Feb 1994 | 60% | |
| Amiga Power | 34 | (Feb 1994) | 62% |
| CU Amiga | Oct 1993 | 86% | |
| Datormagazin | No 15 | (Aug 1994) | 4/5 |
| Joystick | 3 | (Mar 1990) | 77% |
| The One | 63 | (Dec 1993) | 83% |
References
- ↑ Whitta, Gary (April 1992), "Star Trek - The 25th anniversary", ACE (55): 60–65
- ↑ Greenberg, Allen (May 1992). "Install Long and Prosper". Computer Gaming World. p. 46. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
External links
- Star Trek: 25th Anniversary at Internet Movie Database
- Star Trek: 25th Anniversary at Memory Alpha, the Star Trek Wiki
- Star Trek: 25th Anniversary at StarTrek-Gamers.com
- Star Trek: 25th Anniversary at MobyGames
- Star Trek: 25th Anniversary at GameSpot
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