Movie tie in games usually run the gamut from dreadful to inoffensive. Trying to crank out an interactive experience in a relatively short window of time while trying to oblige filmmaker’s wishes is usually a recipe for disaster, as evident by the glut of awful licensed titles over the past thirty years. From E.T. to Avatar, it’s been a long line of disappointing software.
When Namco Bandai slipped a brief trailer for their new Star Trek game, I started to get the same sentiment. “Here we go again,” I said as I sat back and watched a mercifully short, quick-cut sequence that neither showed nor told much of what the game was going to be about. Then a funny thing happened. Specifically a 3D live demo, at which point my lowered expectations were salvaged and transformed into a mind of curiosity and excitement. Much to my surprise, the folks at Digital Extremes appear to have charted the right course.
What’s said and what’s witnessed is sometimes unusually divorced, like the marketing team got a hold of a few design concepts and started kicking around buzzwords. In the case of Star Trek that buzzword would be “Asymmetrical Co-op,” however said terminology, in the context of the game, seemed authentic instead of forced. Star Trek, as we understood it, will primarily be a game about exploring the relationship between Kirk and Spock, both as a cooperative experience and a narrative foundation.
In the vertical slice of gameplay this concept was explored via a tandem sequence that looked at each characters strengths and weaknesses. Enemies had swarmed the Enterprise, and after a thrilling Iron Man inspired space-entry sequence, Kirk and Spock were tasked with wiping some of them out. Each had slightly different versions of phasers, both of which we were told would be upgradeable throughout the game. Eventually a scripted sequence took place where Kirk was poisoned, requiring Spock to performed a Vulcan Mind Meld on an enemy, causing that enemy to go rogue and turn on his comrades. From there Spock picked Kirk up and helped him to the medical bay with Kirk handling the shooting with Spock walking. Finally, Kirk was down on a gurney while Spock engaged in a minigame to rid the parasites of Kirk’s body.
While that was sequence was certainly cooperative, aside from the context it didn’t seem all that different from what we’ve played in other top tier action games. Faced with this question later in the day, some of the team from Digital Extremes grimaced in anticipation and stressed over and over that Star Trek was to be more of adventure than straight action, and seemed to imply certain restrictions concerning unreleased information in regard to how Spock and Kirk’s onscreen relationship was going to play out. Basically, they expressed a restrained confidence broadcasting they know what their expectations are, and that they have a plan in place to beat them. They freely admitted that most movie games are terrible, and weren’t shy about rattling off the miserable failures (and few bright spots, citing Elite Forces 2 as particularly influential) in Star Trek’s interactive history. They explained the difficulties of satisfying longtime Trekkers and those who have only seen the 2009 reboot, and they expressed excitement and coolness about meeting those expectations.
They also talked about two relative aces in helping them meet their goals. The first is the addition of writer Marianne Krawczyk , best known for her work on the God of War series. When another writer asked why the writers from Paramount weren’t at the helm of the project, the guys from Digital Extremes took the time to explain the difference between writing for the screen and writing for an interactive experience, and cited examples of how merging those two worlds doesn’t usually lead to an endearing videogame. They did, however, promise that the writing would contain the series trademark levity, and not resemble a cookie cutter action/drama. The folks at Digital Extremes also boasted about their exclusive access to ILM’s assets, stating that every artifact and set piece you see in the game was pulled directly from the official assets wherever it’s contextually necessary.
So what’s left to say about Star Trek? Mostly informed speculation. The third person shooting and cooperative experience looked promising if not slightly vague, as if they were either holding back for an E3 reveal or not completely confident with the game in its current state. In fact, it looks like Namco is keeping most of their cards close to the vest. Star Trek, for example, takes place after the first movie but seemed deliberately unclear about whether it would be before, during, or after the 2013 sequel. Likewise, they were equally tight lipped on the villains (other writers kept asking questions about Klingons, all of which were politely ignored) or the use of either Chris Pine or Zachary Quinto as voice actors. In any case we’re sure to know more soon, check back with us at E3 2012 for a full update.
