Keep in mind, I’m only in the second level of the game. Star Trek is made up of 11 chapters which are broken down into more... chapters. I’m not kidding. I finished this mofo hoping there would be some redeeming quality. While co-op made it bearable, even that had its own specific flaws.
Overall the game was better with a partner. Misery loves company. Star Trek supports two player local co-op or two player online co-op. Online co-op is pretty basic. You can join or host a game. You can also leave your game open to the public if you fancy random experiences. It’s a tired, straightforward third-person shooter as far as co-op is concerned. Boost each other up to ledges, pry open doors, revive each other when someone goes down in combat. You can use your trusty tricorders to buff each other’s shields and weapons. We never once used those abilities in the game. Local co-op is another story
The split screen implementation works against potential local co-op players in certain scenarios, mainly during a particular five minute space battle (the only space battle) and during the Frontier Station finale midway through the game. The horizontal split makes it difficult, if not impossible, to see objectives above your character. I was running blind in both those missions. I somehow lucked my way through them. My co-op partner barely made it through one, and quit the game for good in the middle of another. Honestly, I had a full screen view for the second half of the game. There are most likely other parts that will plague couch co-op, but I didn’t see them.
There are a few co-op specific scenarios where you’ll be glad you have a partner. One early scene has Kirk holding off the Gorn while Spock mends the captain’s busted lag. Oh yeah, the Gorn are in the game. They look like small generic dinosaurs and don’t add anything compelling to the story. They fill the role of a generic conquering alien race.
The overall presentation not only feels unpolished, it feels unfinished. Transitional cut scenes are either missing, or they may as well be. Most of the action and cinematics are separated by a generic fade to a transitional load screen. There are a few scenes that are actually displayed via split screen, with the same cinematic happening on the top and bottom displays.
The Star Trek game is supposed to take place between the 2009 reboot and the upcoming Star Trek: Into Darkness. This game made me want to skip the new movie. I disliked it that much. While not completely broken, it’s a ragged experience where I felt I was influencing my character on screen, but not really controlling him. I don’t have the time or space to list all of the flaws and design missteps I found in this title. Only delusional fans and gaming masochists will find entertainment here.
A copy of the Xbox 360 version of the game was provided for review by the publisher.
Verdict
Co-Op Score
Overall
The Co-Op Experience: Play through the entire campaign as Kirk and Spock in two player local or online co-op.
Co-Optimus game reviews focus on the cooperative experience of a game, our final score graphic represents this experience along with an average score for the game overall. For an explanation of our scores please check our Review Score Explanation Guide.