Last week Atari released their big Season 2 update, which is on top of a lot of other updates they have done in the six months since launch. If you tried the game out before and dropped it, Atari and Cryptic are giving you a chance to try out all the new stuff again for free this weekend, starting today.
Season 2 Trailer and details
Atari’s Star Trek Online Welcome Back Weekend begins tonight (August 4, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific). Anyone who has ever applied a retail product key for STO is eligible. All you need to do is download the patch and log in.
More details on the Welcome Back Weekend available on the Official STO Forums.
Here again is the trailer for Star Trek Online Season 2: Ancient Enemies.
And also remember that Season 2 introduces many features including mini-games, including Dabo, which includes voice work from the original Leta Chase Masterson, here is that preview:
Free Demo + game now $20
And if you want to try out the game but haven’t before, there is a free demo at (startrekonline.com/demo). And if you choose to buy you can get the game for $20 and that includes a one month subscription.
Since it’ll be free, definitely enjoy the Welcome Back Weekend if you can. However, I still wouldn’t recommend that you pay to start playing STO right now. BTW, as cool as it was to see Chase Masterson do all the voiceover work for Dabo, the game itself gets boring very quickly and there aren’t any good rewards to get for all that Latinum you’re winning.
The only things you can buy are holoemitters that turn your ship into another ship for 15 minutes. Then the item disappears. The item costs anywhere from 20 to 75 THOUSAND Gold Pressed Latinum, and after playing Dabo for 3 hours I didn’t even have 40k yet.
Great stuff! Everyone should try out this game. Tell your friends, too!
I love Chase. She’s a hoot to work with.
Welcome Back Weekend is going to turn into Well, Goodbye Again weekend when everyone finds out how some missions don’t even work!
The fact that we have an ongoing Star Trek game is great. Not sure why the critics keep complaining. By not supporting the game it will just go away and we’ll have no game. Oh and surprise. There won’t be another developer waiting to come in and make that super perfect game that people like Bryan won’t complain about.
5 — thats always the fan’s dilemma, isn’t it? Support an imperfect product or boycott and risk losing the thing entirely. It really just comes down to enjoyment. I would really like to have a star trek mmo that is fun for me to play. But It’s not worth it to me to upgrade my computer for this when every unbiased review (not counting trek fanatics either way) says its pretty uninspired. So technically I’m one of those who is “not supporting the game.” But I’d rather have no trek than bad or even mediocre trek. I really would. There is more to contemplative science fiction than trek, more to great storytelling than trek. Trek is a great vehicle for all those things when it is doing it right. But if someone else is doing trek-type things better (say Inception or Doctor Who), I have no problem giving those things my money instead.
@ #1
Why would you not reccomend it right now? How about in a year?
In the mean time, fans like me are supporting the game so it will actually make it to the better game it will be in year’s time so if people subscribe by then, I sincerely hope they get charged double, triple what I’m paying now even though in reality they’ll still be paying cheaper by then…
you get a free month when you buy the 20$ game. After that, sub if you want to, as long as you want to.
What is 20 bucks + 15$/month to a Star Trek fan?
as for your latinum rant, I sold 2 mk X prototype consoles and made 600k Latinum
What I hated about STO was the small things, and I doubt those have changed.
I recently met Masterson at the Vancouver con.. i gotta say that woman is a trainwreck.
Hearing her voice in game would remind me of the dissolution I felt meeting her in person; it was like someone’s gross mom who used to be hot.
i never found her hot on DS9 anyway…she’s no Terry Farrell.
I wouldn’t recommend STO right now either, cause it’s not on Mac, so can’t play-
I think they should ban Mac’s anyway, or at least all the people who use them. But that’s just me.
#6: “I’d rather have no trek than bad or even mediocre trek.”
Yes, plus also yes. In the affirmative.
” … if someone else is doing trek-type things better (say Inception or Doctor Who), I have no problem giving those things my money instead.”
So very much yes to this.
Won’t do it for me. I still regret I wasted 50 bucks when I bought the game back in February. I payed for it, and it was the biggest disappointment in ages. Most early 200x games have been much better.
Let STO die already.
Yeah, I not only paid my 50 bucks, but also a couple months after my “free” month. The most fun I had was table dancing in Club 47 with my fleet mates. When you have to make your OWN fun to enjoy a game that costs that much… it’s just wrong. I “supported the game” longer than I should have. I supported Voyager longer than I should have. I folded in mid-season-6… And watching THAT was FREE.
What’s worse is, if you’re a real Trekkie, and I use the word with reverence, the mission with the Deltan Admiral sealed the game’s fate for me. I trust that’s vague enough to avoid spoilerflame. Did that in ANY way seem like good Star Trek to anyone that played the game? It offended me. Literally. An unforgivable breach of fandom that EARNED its uninstallation from my machine. Not because I’m unsupportive, or bitter, or elitist, but because I respect Star Trek. Any captain, even Harriman, wouldn’t have “played that mission” on the rails it was built upon. But a free weekend? Sure. Why not?
cryptic has ruined sto and its beyond repair their vision is wack and im offended enough by it to protest everytime gtfo cryptic look at star trek excalubar or star trek bridge commander as example on how to go in the right direction or just concentrate on superheroes with that poor engine and leave trek for someone better.
“9. Khan was Framed! – August 4, 2010
I recently met Masterson at the Vancouver con.. i gotta say that woman is a trainwreck.
Hearing her voice in game would remind me of the dissolution I felt meeting her in person; it was like someone’s gross mom who used to be hot.
i never found her hot on DS9 anyway…she’s no Terry Farrell.
I wouldn’t recommend STO right now either, cause it’s not on Mac, so can’t play-”
You can play it on a MAC computer, if you use Crossover Games software.
Wow, looks like there are some bitter people out there.
I myself have been having a blast playing this game, from the totally customized ship and crew, the different planets and different types of missions to the beautiful battles and awesome views.
And they keep adding more missions, and special items to enhance the game. It just keeps growing!
Great game, everyone should give it a try.
If you don’t like it, you don’t have to play, no one is twisting your arm. Or go post on http://WWW.IMABITTERPERSON.COM. They will understand you there.
It would be great if you could have the NCC 1701 Refit in this game and play as Kirk, instead of creating your own bad fan fiction.
@16
That website is BS… The bitterness continues…
@5 Have to disagree with your assessment that we either (1) live with a bad game, or (2) no game at all. The third alternative is the audience rejects shallow offerings like STO, thereby forcing developers to create games with more depth and thought if they want it to be successful. It’s all about market economics. They won’t invest in the development of a game unless they expect to get a return on their investment. Cryptic figured they could make money on an MMO with only a superficial resemblance to the universe Roddenberry envisioned because they knew there were loafs like you out there who would pay for anything Star Trek. As a result, instead of spending time on intelligent adversaries, scripted missions or situational outcomes, they concentrate instead on the latest bridge set or “skin” for your avatar. Play an MMO like Lord of the Rings and you’ll see exactly what this game is missing. Unless/until the audience demands more from their MMOs, companies like Cryptic will continue to roll out mindless crap like STO.
I love Star Trek: Online, and have never looked back.
Yes, it has had some problems and slow delievery on content, but it shows a great deal of hope and with Season 2 and diplomatic missions, it just gets better!
completely agree with #19 Tidras
You know when a MMO is dying when…………………..
@19 – Agree 100%.
I watched STO from its inception and genesis with Perpetual, all the way through release with Cryptic. And it truly broke my heart to see what they did with the IP. I played it from Closed Beta right up until a month after release, and gave up all hope that they would make it decent. An awful game, really.
@19 Tidras, you have to put into perspective the mentality of some of the STO fans. It literally is a case of “The Emperors new cloths” syndrome and they will love any PoS that just happens to have a Trek label slapped on it.
It’s a bit of a worry because it demonstrates where the line is blurred between fandom and fundamentalism and I am not exaggerating.
Take, for example, any post that Magic Dan makes in relation to STO, He will offer his support for “a great game” and then attack anyone that happens to have a negative opinion on STO.
I’m all for a Trek MMO, but certainly not a third rate rush job like STO and because of my position some would even question if I am a Trek fan at all, well I am, but I am a bigger fan of precious time and money.
Anybody else see that image and think “oh snap they added V’GER to STO!!!” cause ya.. I was almost ready jump in.. but alas..
#24 Who are you to say that other people can’t like what you consider a bad game?
If someone plays Star Trek Online (I refuse to abbreviate) for a couple of hours now and again and enjoys flying their ship around and doing the odd mission then doesn’t that make it a good game to them?
I feel offended by the Star Trek Online bashing personally becaue I enjoyed the game when I played it, I stopped playing it because I had more or less finished it and I’m a casual gamer anyway. No game grabs my attention forever. I tend to find other things to do with my time because I feel it’s wasted by filling it with gaming.
So the “mentality” as you put it of some of those fans (me included) is equally as valid as yours and I’ll thank you to get off your pedestal.
Dabo is fun, but I’m saving my Latinum. I’m hoping that in the next big update for season, Latinum can get you more stuff.
You are extremely transparent, Khan Was Framed. You honestly think we don’t know who you are? Go back to masturbating, loser.
I appreciate STO very much. It’s not a perfect game but I never played a PC game as long as this before und I love to invest myself roleplaying into the Star Trek universe.
“Better no game at all than a mediocre game” is not my opinion. If STO would fail, there wouldn’t be any other Star Trek game that’s so immersive.
And considering other Sci Fi shows… sorry, but I don’t like them at all! No Stargate, B5, Star Wars, Who… And I can’t envision my other favourite TV shows (Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy) as MMOs.
I’m no Trek purist at all, but I’m a Trek Addict!
This is my first MMO and I am having fun with it. I played the open beta and subcribed for a year. Should they add cooler stuff? absolutely. Is it beyond hope? Not in my opinion. I’m teaching my 6 year to play now and she loves it. It all depends on what you expect. I don’t play games that often, besides Age of Empires so my expectations for a video game aren’t that high. I look forward to future “seasons” of the game eagerly!
I love how every post on STO turns into a debate as to whether the game is any good or not.
(Personally, I like it quite a bit. Though I think the ground environments could be a lot less repetitive.)
I know the devs mean well, but the whole let’s nickel and dime people @ the C store and get lifetime memberships for a completely shallow and hollow gaming experience really bothers me.
I did nothing but hit my space bar and turn in circles in space, and ground combat was a lagged, incomprehensible quagmire of bad AI and tiny, restricted environments.
I went in expecting the expansiveness, the wonder and depth of something like Star Wars: Galaxies (when it launched) — What I got was StarTrek DAC with a 15 dollar a month fee.
No thank you.
@24
I only attack those who’s only comments on the game are “It’s just horrible, boring, third rate”
With NOTHING to back up their comments, just trash talking a game they just happen to not like. We get that, you don’t like this game. Go AWAY.
Just in case someone who hasn’t played this game reads these posts, I sure as hell don’t want them taking your descriptions of this game.
I want more people who want to play Star Trek.
I really don’t care if this is not your personal vision of Trek either, nothing ever will be.
A group of bitter negative people generally brings everyone in with their bitterness, and can make everyone only see ONLY the bad side of things.
I’m here to always remind everyone what good this game has to offer. With examples.
Along with all the other great things this game has (short description: Totally customized ship and crew) we now have:
Fluidic Space
New Klingon episodes
2 new “mini” games
Brand new weekly episodes
The Federation Diplomatic Corps
New ships for Fed & Klingon
New gear
More added all the time.
Come on, jump in. Lets play!
Sure. Anyone want my disc/account?
I just bought the game about a week ago, but I can’t imagine paying for it beyond the initial 20 bucks. It’s already repetitive and I’m barely a week into it. There are only so many times I can enter a secret asteroid base, er I mean a secret Klingon base, er I mean a secret Gorn base and walk through the same effing floorplan. I dunno, perhaps some people simply have more patience than I do. I’ll fully admit I’m not a gamer. There’s some potential in that game, but they don’t seem to be using any of it.
They should bring back Quark for a voice.
@33 If people are bitter about this game (I count myself as one of them), it’s because Cryptic has so blatently and transparently taken advantage of our love for Star Trek. What in the game besides the uniforms, ship exteriors and the occassional voice over from Nimoy makes this game relate at all to Roddenberry’s vision? From an MMO standpoint, the only new concepts offered by STO not seen before were the space vs. ground environments and crew officers/away teams. That’s neat, but not food enough to cover for the complete lack of depth in gameplay. In an effort to get this game to market as fast as possible, Cryptic obviously ported over the gameplay code from another MMO into STO. This code supports little more than dumb NPCs pacing/orbiting one location back-and-forth until engaged in combat by the player. No matter how many pretty backdrops (e.g. Fluidic Space) or weekly episodes they introduce, the gameplay will ALWAYS reduce to attack this group and/or find this object to complete the mission — precisely because the code they ported over cannot support anything else. Unless/until Cryptic invests some development time in the gameplay mechanics instead of new novelties for the C-Store, STO will never amount to anything more than a casual PvP environment for those with ultra-disposable incomes.