Shuttle Pod 37: Games? Did Someone Say Games?!

Games have played an important part of the Star Trek universe, whether it’s starting The Original Series with a game of 3D chess or ending TNG with a round of poker.

But what about games based on Star Trek properties? Following our review of the Star Trek: Bridge Crew simulator, Brian and Jared do a deep dive on Star Trek video and tabletop games, including the Decipher CCG, the new role-playing game, and the 25th anniversary point-and-click game.

But are any of these, perchance, a deadly game?!?

As a special bonus, we put together a short video examining why Star Trek fits better in some game genres more than others:

What’s your favorite game based on Star Trek? Let us know in the comments below!

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You need to check out this documentary on Secret of Vulcan Fury https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiKKZAc0OL0&t=1s

Excellent, thanks.

Very cool. Thanks for posting!

I play Star Trek: Attack Wing regularly, and love it. As a family, we play Star Trek Panic and Star Trek Catan, which is even better than regular Catan, as a game, not just as Star Trek.

Ah so many memories.
25th Anniversary and Judgement Rites.
I cried when I learned that Secret of Vulcan Fury was canceled.
I absolutely loved A Final Unity.
Another one that you guys didn’t mention was DS9 Harbinger. I really enjoyed that one too (although the second half was frustrating, full of difficult maze puzzles and “arcade sequences”) A Final Unity made me feel like I was in an episode of TNG, whereas Harbinger made me feel like I was on the station.

So, here’s the thing. Brian is right that the Star Trek 2013 was a total mess. I was excited to get it, but I held off after hearing/reading all of the terrible reviews.

So, fast forward six months after release, and I see it on sale for $8. I mean, it’s $8. Why the heck not, right?

Know what? Remember all of those bugs that were the focus of the bad reviews? Well, they were all patched by then. I didn’t encounter a single problem all the way through the game.

Now, are the graphics top notch? Heck no. They were probably five years behind cutting edge. And the one time you control the enterprise itself, it was a bit of an awkward mode. But I thought the rest of it was pretty fun. Granted, I haven’t been much of a gamer since 2004 (so, it helped that the controls were a little more my speed and not hyperactive like a call of duty game where you get slaughtered right out of the gate why today’s skilled players).

I thought the music was good (felt like a riff on the 2009 music, and in retrospect, doesn’t into darkness and beyond feel like that too?). And the voice work included some (if not all) of the actual actors.

So, if you’re a hardcore gamer or are picky about cutting edge graphics, then this game is not for you. But for those who passed on it because of the bad reviews, it may be worth a second look (if you can find it on the cheap, of course).

Anyway, just thought I’d pass that along.

Thanks for the good podcast as always!

Interesting. I still have my copy, even though my PS3 is now collecting dust. I may get it going again. Thanks for the heads up and for listening!

You got it! If you end up trying it out again, I’d be curious to know what you think the second time around.

Where’s Kayla in this podcast?

She’s away at the moment. We mention that at the end of the show.

Oh. Thanks for that.

You forgot to cover Star Trek Timelines, which is available for smart phones, or weren’t you going to cover this game.

I’m playing this game a lot and enjoying it a lot.

The only downside is, they bring out plenty of new crew every month or so for their special event missions when you only have a certain number of crew slots available.

Star Trek Timelines should have been mentioned.