Before Raven Software came along and debunked the myth that it was impossible to make an exceptional game based off the Star Trek universe, fans of Gene Rodenberry’s ongoing sci-fi epic had been left in the dark, forced to make believe with underwhelming titles such as Away Team, Hidden Evil, and Armada.  Luckily, we live in a post-Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force world and our expectations for Star Trek-themed digital entertainment are substantially higher.  Though Raven Software may not be the brains behind this sequel, Ritual Entertainment has proven that their development team has the gumption and panache to sate fans of the original, FPS enthusiasts, and indeed fans of Star Trek in general.

Elite Force II reprises the role of Alex Munro as the game’s central character, though unlike the original you won’t have the option of playing as a female version of Munro.  The game starts as you (as Alex Munro) and your Hazard Team board a Borg Sphere.  Upon boarding, your team is misplaced due to erratic energy interference, so the first mission largely revolves around rescuing your comrades.  Once you make it back to Starfleet Academy, the headmaster decides to split up the hazard team and assigns each elite soldier to relatively menial duties around the Academy.  The members of Elite Force struggle to come to terms with this decision and for two years Munro teaches small-unit tactics to wet-behind-the-ears Starfleet recruits.  At this point, Jean-Luc Picard, while on federation business, notices Munro kicking some serious tail in one of the holodek’s combat simulation programs and the rest is, how shall I say, history.  Or future, as the case may be.  Jean-Luc quickly snatches up Munro and his old teammates for elite tactical use on the Enterprise.

The plot in Elite Force II is certainly a breath of fresh air (compared to the original game’s utterly far-fetched story) and includes enough interesting, true-to-the-show elements to keep fans enthralled till the end.  But Ritual Entertainment did not rely solely on elements of the established Star Trek universe in order to construct Elite Force II’s story, they have taken a few liberties and introduced three new alien species that work their way into the game’s plot.  First on the list of fresh interspecies faces is the Attrexians, who reside near the Neutral Zone and have inexplicably fell victim to another alien species known as the Exomorphs, who have declared war on the Attrexians for reasons unknown.  The history of the Exomorphs is shrouded in secrecy, even their origin is unknown.  You’ll also come across an interesting species called the Idryll, who are widely known for holding a few grudges against the Attrexians.

While the original Elite Force focused almost entirely on mindless combat, with a slapdash story thrown in, Elite Force II is decidedly more of a Star Trek fans dream when it comes to friendly interaction, interesting exploration, and inside references.  The in-game cut-scenes interspersed throughout the experience help to push the story further and between combat missions you’ll get a chance to check out the various locales of Starfleet Academy or chat up crewmembers aboard the Enterprise.  The sheer geek-factor of being able to realize the various nuances of the Star Trek universe in all their glory via a mouse and keyboard is off the charts and should appeal to anyone who’s ever wanted to closely inspect the interface controls of a tricorder.

Like its predecessor, Elite Force II uses the Quake 3 engine as the backbone of its innerworking, and while the Quake 3 engine is certainly nearing the end of its technological expiration date it has never looked so good.  The fluidity of movement coupled with the engine’s spot-on precision and satisfyingly fast pace make for one visceral FPS experience.  Not much thinking is required to blow through the game’s 11 missions, most are fairly typical shooter excursions, but the environments lend themselves nicely to a believable Star Trek experience.  Expect to make your way around twisting corridors, crawl through Jeffries tubes, and interact with control panels in any given level.  Of course, members of your Hazard Team will constantly be by your side to provide insightful discourse and additional firepower in hairy situations, though they do tend to get in the way on occasion.

Ritual Entertainment went to the effort of including a fully functional tricorder in Elite Force II that allows the player to scan various objects and life forms, information retrieved from the device is usually limited to vital statistics and such but it’s definitely a welcome addition.  Sometimes you’ll be able to use your tricorder for more practical tasks, such as demodulating energy barriers or hacking into computer systems, but even in these instances interaction is limited. 

While the game’s story is substantial enough to keep gamers intrigued, the combat-centric theme of the game begins to grow old after the fifth or sixth mission.  The basic method of consistently deploying groups of enemies to dispose of through the course of the game, with quick intermissions of dialogue or simplistic exploration will not bode well for those looking for an extra dose of originality or innovation over the first game.  And the fact that both friendly and enemy AI is severely lacking in the “intelligence” department won’t help matters, either.

Luckily, once you’ve invested the requisite 10 hours or so to complete the single-player story mode you’ll have a wealth of additional modes of play to keep you busy.  Deathmatch, CTF, Tag, Control Points, Power Struggle, and Bomb Diffusion modes are all included and spread across 10 different multiplayer maps.  As expected, these modes are available for both LAN and online play.  But what should really tickle your tricorder is that you can also utilize these modes offline against computer-controlled bots.  Yay! 

Visually, Elite Force II is noticeably sharper and more detailed than Elite Force, though not nearly on par with next-gen FPS games such as Doom 3 or Half Life 2.  The Quake 3 engine that this game uses has never been stretched to the limit seen here, but with that aging engine comes a few insidious side effects, such as the lack of ragdoll physics (pretty much a standard among FPS’ nowadays), bump-mapping, pixel shading, and stiff character movements.  But these gripes are mostly minor and hardly affect the playability and enjoyability of the game.  Besides, Elite Force II sounds exceptional.  There are a dozen or so Star Trek style tunes that will come into play during the game, and the music is dynamic so that the aural accompaniment shifts and varies in accordance with the on-screen circumstances.  Sound effects are dead-on and seem lifted straight out of the TV series’, and the 3D sound positioning system makes for a incredibly immersive experience.

Overall, Elite Force II does justice to the legacy left by its predecessor despite the fact that a completely new development team handled it.  The combat can get a little mundane at times and some of the weapons seem truly outlandish by Star Trek standards, but the cinematic pacing, outstanding storyline, and addictive multiplayer modes should keep fans of the FPS genre and Star Trek alike happy as a Ferengi in a Latinum-plated bathtub. 

Gameplay: 8.7
Smooth as buttah.  Remember Quake 3?  It’s like that.

Graphics: 7.7
Highly detailed and appropriately stylized, though noticeably lacking in contrast to upcoming next-gen FPS games.

Sound: 8.9
Beautifully orchestrated music that shifts in tempo and style depending on circumstances.  Excellent voice acting. 

Difficulty: Easy
Keep that trigger finger in the upright and ready position ‘cause beating this game will entail plenty of mindless blasting.

Concept: 8.5
Personally, I think a Star Trek game that doesn’t suck is a great idea.

Multiplayer: 8.6

As addictive as the original.  Offline bot play will be appreciated by lowly dial-up users and frantic online play will be welcomed with open arms by hotrod broadbanders.

Overall: 8.4

Star Trek fans couldn’t ask for more than this in a shooter.  One of the best Star Trek games on any platform or genre.