The Star Trek franchise is one of the most beloved franchises among fans of the sci-fi genre and why shouldn’t it be?  After all, the original show had spawned a number of television programs, several films and a handful of games.  Still, there hasn’t been a Star Trek game that was good enough to be enjoyed by both fans and non-fans alike but Star Trek: Shattered Universe hopes to change this.  It’s your turn to sit in the captain’s chair of your small vessel to boldly go where no man has gone before . . . an alternate universe where the good guys are evil.

The game’s story centers around Captain Sulu, the legendary Starfleet officer who piloted the USS Enterprise when it was under the command of Captain Kirk, who answers a distress call near an unknown anomaly in space.  With his ship, the USS Excelsior, he and his crew find themselves trapped in the anomaly that leads them into a mirror universe where the Federation is no longer a friendly presence in the universe.  Now Captain Sulu must find a way to escape this alternate universe where friends like Commander Chekov attempt to hunt them down mercilessly.  

As a crewmember of the Excelsior, gamers take control of a fighter ship to ward off enemies.  In the mirror universe, the small and defenseless shuttlecrafts are transformed into sleek and dangerous fighter ships that are capable of helping bring down massive captain ships thanks to its heavy firepower.  The fighters come complete with two different secondary weapons and a primary weapon that comes in the form of the powerful phaser beam.  The ship also has a powerful thrust engine that makes you a slightly harder target to hit.  Thankfully the ships also have shields, although they don’t withstand as much punishment as the captain ships, of course.  Yet this is all that is needed even though gamers will be up against familiar friends and enemies like the Klingons and Romulans.

Each mission has a list of mission objectives you must successfully complete (there are bonus objectives but these are always beat the mission in X amount of time) in order to continue with the primary mission and thus keep the game’s story rolling.  Captain Sulu briefs you before each mission but reminds you of your objectives during the action.  Objectives range from acting as the Excelsior’s defense against smaller crafts or act as a scout.  At several points throughout the game, gamers will be bombarded with multiple tasks you must complete almost immediately.  For instance, in one mission you must fend of a wave of Federation fighters while the Excelsior is docked in a repair station and then knock out a clamp that’s holding the ship in place before it blows up.

The game is very similar to Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter SE since both use mission objectives that change during a mission and that the fighter ships take on waves of enemy fighters.  The similarity end there since Shattered Universe fails in the component that would have made it as fun and as exciting as Jedi Starfighter does.  I’m talking about the controls and its flawed mechanics that get in the way of making each fighter ship soar smoothly or at least decent enough to make dogfights thrilling experiences.  Shattered Universe is an action game that would have benefited from tighter controls that keep the ship from flying upside down most of the time.  Games like Crimson Skies and even Secret Weapons Over Normandy handle the control scheme in a more solid but arcade-like manner, something that Shattered Universe could have implemented to make battles more entertaining than a frustration.

Amazingly, not only does the game magnificently and accurately capture the visual essence that makes up the Star Trek universe but also the action looks as if it has been pulled directly from the show and films.  The galaxy doesn’t look plain at all in this game and the ships--including the massive captain vessels--are so detailed that gamers will almost feel ashamed to shoot at them.  The special effects also look straight from the series and won’t fail to impress during the most intense battles.  Explosions--something gamers will see plenty of in this game--are dazzling spectacles.  My only complaint concerns the physics involving the smaller ships . . . they make impossible sharp turns in mid-flight and this just doesn’t look right.

Sound is another factor the game gets right.  In fact, if you close your eyes you’d swear you were listening to the television show.  Shattered Universe is filled with familiar sound effects that loyal fans of the franchise will immediately recognize.  From the sounds of phaser beams and photon torpedoes to the sounds of captain ships going into warp speed, the game captures these sounds perfectly.  The voice acting in the game is also well done, mostly because Captain Sulu and Commander Chekov are voices by George Takei and Walter Koeing--the actual actors from the original television series and films.

Shattered Universe does not quite travel as boldly as it should for a game with all the right Star Trek essentials but it’s mostly due to the controls that keep this from being a truly memorable voyage.  Still, even with all its rough spots, fans of the franchise won’t help but enjoy the dazzling effects and battles that feel straight out of the movies or television shows.  A recommended rental if you love all things Star Trek or yearn to experience a Star Trek game on your Xbox.  

Gameplay: 5.0
Thanks to the poor controls that make ship battles seem awkward rather than smooth and highly entertaining; the game just doesn’t cut it as a true action-packed ship combat game.  The mission objective structure is decent enough and there is no shortage of things to do in a given mission, although the bonus objectives could have used a better variety of objectives than simply complete-mission-in-X-amount-of-time.

Graphics: 7.8
Visually, Shattered Universe is actually a very great looking game.  Gamers will marvel at the beautifully detailed captain ships and, for the most part, fans of the franchise will find it quite disturbing to fire at a beautifully rendered USS Enterprise.  For a game set in the cold darkness of space, the surroundings are never dull to look at thanks to distant planets, space debris and far off nebulas.  The game also wonderfully uses special effects straight from the shows and films and they look good in action.  As for the cinema cut scenes, they look great . . . although characters like Captain Sulu could have been handled a lot better.

Sound: 8.0
Another aspect of the game that is done right is the sound and this is what truly transports each gamer into the Star Trek universe.  Weapons fire sounds straight from the show, as does the sound of damage or the firing of photon torpedoes.  The score feels wonderfully cinematic and it works well with each mission and cut scene.  The voice acting is also very solid and fans will love the fact that the original actors that portray Captain Sulu and Commander Chekov in the original show and movies reprise their roles rather well.

Difficulty: Hard
One thing can be said about Shattered Universe--it’s quite unforgiving.  Gamers will quickly find out that the auto save feature is a much welcome feature since certain mission objectives require you to perform certain tasks quickly.  Often times multiple objectives will have gamers racing back and forth with little time to successfully complete them in time.  Taking on huge captain ships feels like taking on Moby Dick using a yacht.

Concept: 7.0
Fans of the Star Trek franchise will love how the game is designed to look like an episode from a spin-off show featuring Captain Sulu and the crew of the USS Excelsior (there’s even an opening credit sequence and episode title at the beginning).  All the Star Trek elements are present, including captain ships that will easily be recognized by fans as well as enemies such as the Romulans and the Klingons and doomsday machines that are straight from the movies and Star Trek shows both recent and past. 

Overall: 5.5
Star Trek: Shattered Universe is not flight combat at its most graceful and this alone keeps it from being a highly addictive action game set in the Star Trek universe.  This is actually very unfortunate since the story and familiar surroundings that make up this universe can be found in this game.  If you’re a fan of the series, a rental will do just nicely.  However if you’re looking for flight combat set in space, Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter SE can be found at a bargain price at your local store.