Bethesda's first outing with this series is their best. While it's plot and setting feel like an oversimplification of the world and ideas of the Interplay originals, it still has enough fun side content and interesting areas to explore to make it worth a playthrough. 1, 2 and New Vegas are better, but I would still say this is a good game.
An interesting inclusion in the list of Star Trek video games. Elite Force 2 is both one of the best and one of the most off-key adaptions of a product I've ever seen. Where Star Trek (at least before they made the newer series) is about understanding and exploration, Elite Force is about violent subjugation and militaristic preventative measures against any and all potential threats. You play as 'Alex Monroe' the leader of Hazard Team, which is essentially the closes you'll find to the Space Marine concept in the idyllic Trek. Once on Voyager, your team has been disbanded since the ships homecoming, and all of it's members have been delegated to cushy positions far away from the dangers that they had become so accustomed to. This being an FPS, that means that none of them are happy and are in actuality chomping at the bit for more combat. Thankfully, one Jean-Luc Picard of the Enterprise has seemingly lost his gourd and has decided to reinstate a team with the express purpose of kicking ass and taking names. Which is what you and your team proceed to do with reckless abandon. Not to mention, somewhere in between all the shooting, you're expected to pick between being with a stern Starfleet officer lady or a lewdly dressed alien babe who looks like something out of Kirks time, (not that that's an issue, of course.) It's absurd and often times feels like the result of letting a bunch of thirteen-year-olds create a Star Trek story. Though, I'd rather this type of simple irreverence over the awful Grimdark feel of modern Trek like Discovery. All that being said, this game is great fun. The shooting and level design, while not to the level of something like Unreal 1 or Quake, is genuinely great. The weapons are all memorable in both design and their ability to fulfil a specific niche in the games combat. The difficulty felt much more balanced then the relatively easier first game, which is a plus in my book. The only issue I have with the actual game is the continued in
Wasteland 3 is probably the last of an odd line of games that are defined by the succesor of the first. To put it simply these games are defined and designed to be the continuation of not only the orginal Wasteland, but of the first two Fallout games. While this isn't initially a bad thing, it does mean it illicitly draws a comparison with their predecessors. Overall, this game feels like a mess, but not an inherently bad one. The setting, an 80s flavored post-apocalyptic Colorado, provides ample opportunites for interesting adventures and oddball scenarios. if anything, I could say the games side content provides memorable encounters and moments that make me remember it years after I've finished it. However,the story feels boiler-plate, and none of the supporting cast feel developed in any way that feels believable. Your main benefactor/potential antagonist is probably the only one I felt was decently developed, and even then the game goes out of it's way to make the player feel bad for even considering liking him. Weak story aside. what this game does have is solid tactical combat mechanics and fun encounter design. So while you aren't going to really care for why you are fighting, nor are you going to care for who you are fighting as, you'll still probably end up enjoying the act of fighting itself as you go through this 35-40 hour romp.
I own this game on steam. This is a great CRPG for those looking for a choice based, combat heavy game that isn't afriad to let you make mistakes. If you don't mind having to reload your saves every now and again, then you'll feel right at home. Combat is a mix of RNG nonsense and solid, tactical roleplaying fundimentals. Feels like the original Fallout games in that manner. Story is uttely bleak, but in a deserved, well written way. I love good science fiction, and this is it. It's not being dark for darkness' sake, it builds a setting where the player questions wheter or not humankind can persist in such a crushing enviroment while not being afraid of showing glimpses of nobility and goodness buried deep within the wreckage and the misery. It provides the player with several questions, both mechanically and plot-wise, but isn't afraid to let you formulate your own answers. A fantastic little gem of an RPG
As far as space-based RTS games go, this is far from the worst. Fun mechanics work to create an odd game where your favorite Star Trek characters command over battles that make Wolf 359 look like a slapfight. Seriously, having 'Crewman' work as a resource would be something I'd expect out of a 40K game, not the usually optimistic Trek. My only complaint so far is issues with the hideously compressed audio and the weird fact that the game switches between tabs to go from the menu to actual gameplay. Recomended for those looking for an older RTS that isn't too impenatrable for newcomers, and for Star Trek fans who don't mind commiting virtual warcrimes.
