Star Trek will celebrate its 40th anniversary this Sept. What is in store you asked? Well, I only have a tid-bit of information for you. As more news comes out I will try to keep you updated.
Yesterday an exclusive licensing deal was announced with CBS Corp.’s CBS Communications Group, Bethesda Softworks LLC will publish Trek games for consoles, handheld systems and personal computers. The terms of this deal were not disclosed.
Rockville, Md.-based Bethesda's first title will be "Star Trek: Legacy," where gamers can orchestrate space battles as a Starfleet admiral. A second game for handheld systems will let players control either Federation or Klingon forces. Both are scheduled for release in September to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the franchise that introduced to us pointy-eared Vulcans and photon torpedoes.
Also, if you jump into your shuttle and visit http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/gaming/online/article/6632.html you will find that Star Trek Online is coming aboard the world of internet gaming as well. As of July 2005 Perpetual Entertainment (based out of San Francisco created by MMO and networked game veterans) is in pre-production of Star Trek Online. The Beta for this game is due out in 2006. Sounds like more plans for their 40th anniversary are in store.
The setting for STO is set at some time following the latest movie "Star Trek Nemesis." Missions will be included from other storylines and characters from Star Trek. STO is a PC platform game, which will be available internationally with releases in a variety of languages. STO will deliver the essential experiences associated with Star Trek: shipboard & star base life, away missions, holodeck, and starship encounters. Players will have the opportunity to engage in exploration, combat, problem solving, and diplomacy in addition to character development and social activities. The player point of view in all modes of play will be predominantly 3rd person. At launch all players will be part of Starfleet. Additional factions will be made available via expansions.
The real-time combat system is planned to take advantage of many of the skills and abilities seen in Star Trek: using heavy weapons, energy shields, pattern enhancers, and more. Players can form away-teams with any mix of defensive, offensive, and support characters. Players will have the opportunity to join with other players on the bridge of a starship to engage in large-scale space combat with NPC enemy controlled vessels. PvP will not be a primary means of advancement at game launch, but the holodeck will provide many opportunities for players to fight each other in ships and on the ground in a competitive holographic environment. Also, STO will use the Holodeck to offer imaginative and historical experiences for players, including player vs. player competitions.