STAR TREK: ARMADA 2
Homepage

Lower your shields and surrender...

By BILL PETRIDIS

Star Trek: Armada was one of Activision's first Star Trek titles. Whilst receiving generally poor reviews it was still a very entertaining RTS.

Given that it was a 2D game for all intents and purposes, Armada still gave the gamer access to a good selection of star-ships, easy game-play and it boasted excellent multiplayer support with solid online code.

At first impressions Star Trek Armada II looks almost identical to the original. It seems the developers have resurrected the same graphics engine and the Quasi 3D interface that will only serve to completely disable the gamer if utilised.

The storyline picks up at the end of the last title as the Federation gears itself for a new Borg threat. This time it seems that our pesky cybernetic friends are devising a way to travel from the delta quadrant to federation territory and reap the usual havoc.

I don't know about you, but this whole concept is getting a little stale. Either way, it's up to Picard to come to the rescue - thank god they didn't call Janeway...

A number of new features definitely enhance strategic possibilities. Resource management has been expanded from a single source to over four and a number of new ships including the Intrepid (USS Voyager) and Galaxy (Enterprise D) classes have been introduced.

For the most part the ships capabilities emulate what is seen in the show except for the Borg. Their cubes and spheres just don't appear to be as powerful and big as they are in the series and movies. At the end of the day, however, they still look great exploding after receiving a flurry of quantum torpedos.

Unit control is much the same as any other RTS although the star-ships are now warp capable. This speeds up the game immensely and re-writes the book on the traditional stratagem.

Sound is quite nice from soothing backing music to stereotypical comments to whining phasers and mega explosions. And no matter how many times he says it, I still can't get enough of Patrick Stuart saying "Engage!".

Multi-player support is back in a big way and as with the first, it will add to the titles' lasting value. Unfortunately we were given the game long before it was released and as such the game rooms were as empty as a Klingon art gallery.

Armada II is not the most original game, nor the prettiest to hit the shelves in recent times. There is an element of rushed development that is quite evident, however it still remains quite entertaining and should fit the bill for trekies and trekers along with devoted RTS fans. Definitely worth a look.

ORIGINALITY 65%
SOUND/GRAPHICS 75%
PLAYABILITY 85%
ADDICTION 80%
ENJOYMENT 90%