iPhone App: Star Trek
= 2 stars
Help Captain Kirk command the starship Enterprise through a dangerous deep space mission to blow as many things up as possible. Loosely based on the recent Star Trek movie.
The Good
- This came continues with the film’s theme of “this isn’t your father’s Star Trek” by taking a blowtorch to many Trek conventions. The Enterprise tilts back and forth like a plane, and fires off photons and phasers in a manner more similar to an old shooter like R-Type. There’s also some amusement in crazy power ups and weapons upgrades based in an alternative timeline (deflector shields, EMP bombs, chain phasers that bounce onto multiple targets, and quantum torpedoes).
- The iPhone’s multitouch is used in appropriate manners: you can tap on a power up, which initiates the Enterprise’s tractor beam and sucks it to the starship. You can control the Enterprise using an on screen joystick or the accelerometer.
- Amusing bits of conversation from Kirk, Spock, and others. Kirk has size issues, commenting on how the enemy boss ships aren’t as large as he thought they would be.
The Bad
- Too easy, mostly because the Enterprise becomes too powerful after a few upgrades between levels. Only a day after purchase, I had beat all the levels, and actually said out loud, “That’s it?”
- Goes too far with the canon-shredding. Die-hard Trekkies will groan at later levels when the Enterprise encounters Cardassians.
- The game is ultimately too similar to a slide-and-shooter like Galaga where you destroy hundreds of enemy ships without a scratch on yours, which should sound ridiculous to even the most casual Trek fan.
Conclusion
I admit getting to getting temporary thrill out of playing Kirk commanding a different Enterprise, but once that new car smell wore off I realized this was a highly illogical, five minute voyage to nowhere in particular. Skip it.
iTunes App Store Link: 