Set phasers to frag with Activision's "Star Trek Elite Force II." Once again you sport the tight-fitting uniform of Lt. Alex Munro, leader of the elite Hazard Team. Created for down-and-dirty away missions during the Starship Voyager's stay in the Delta Quadrant, this crack group of specialists lives shoots first and asks questions second. In the sequel, the Voyager is out and the Enterprise is in as "X-Play" beams aboard.
Voyage to Enterprise
"Elite Force II" does a fine job of bringing hard-core first-person shooting action to the morality-heavy Trek universe. The game opens with a heroic assault on a Borg cube in the Delta Quadrant, when Munro and team must free the Voyager as she struggles to return home through a Borg-made wormhole. Once this brief jaunt through "Star Trek Voyager" is made, the game quickly moves to the Enterprise and her famous captain, Jean-Luc Picard. Munro soon finds his hands full, as the Enterprise crew runs into a brutal, unknown alien force.
These aliens are a bloodthirsty race of manufactured beasts with impulse drives built into their backs. As the plot thickens, you'll meet a variety of alien friends and foes, including no shortage of hot alien babes who, despite being educated scientists, persist in wearing thongs and see-through clothing. Environments range from Federation starships and space stations to planet surfaces, ancient ruins, and moody planet interiors.
Mindless intelligence
The action is solid the whole way through, with hordes of aliens to crack down. Phasers, assault rifles, lightning guns, and a shotgun provide ample fuel for the killing frenzy, and the variety of locations helps keep boredom from setting in. The design, however, is strictly old school. Locked doors and blocked passages prevent exploration and keep the levels linear. The boss fights will bring massive bouts of simple nostalgia, the action and puzzles are never complex, and the AI is abysmal.
Seldom have aliens been as stupid as they are here. That the hordes of creatures lunge toward you mindlessly is plausible given the plot, but the friendly AI is worse. Team members and NPC aliens just stand around and act stupid most of the time, even at the cost of their lives. During the missions where they supposedly should provide backup, they either do nothing at all, or just get in the way.
On the plus side, the game throws optional pass or fail sub-missions that involve protecting people or throwing switches. Thankfully, if you fail the game will continue.
Sounds abound
The game looks good, although the "Quake III" engine is showing its age. There's an over-abundance of bright, pretty colors and flame effects, and it gets a little tacky after a while. The lip-synching effect is downright bizarre.
The sound is a winner. "Trek" scores highlight the intense action, while familiar voice actors and sound effects from the series add a further air of authenticity. Multiplayer action is always a plus, and "Elite Force II" builds on the fun Trek holomatch and team games of the original. Capture the flag, action hero, and disintegration complement the extremely solid deathmatch game. Fans of the original are sure to love the updated online action.
Engage!
There's nothing innovative or new about "Elite Force II," but that doesn't stop it from being an entertaining shooter both on and offline. It's not great or inspired and almost everything in the game has been done many times before, but the action is engaging, the level design is impressive, and the weapons and aliens look good. Flawed though it may be, "Elite Force II" fits the bill for anyone looking for a cool, familiar sci-fi action game.
"Star Trek Elite Force II" (Xbox)
