Star Trek may be 40 this year, but the classic sci-fi franchise has contributed little to the world of video games, having inspired only a handful of half-cocked space adventures that sullied the series good name. And things dont get any better with Encounters.
Spanning all Star Trek periods - from Enterprise to Voyager, via the original 1960s series - Encounters spectacularly fails to capture the spirit of the TV show, ditching the human drama, alien interaction and interstellar exploration that made Trek an irresistible classic. The games lightning-paced shootouts are also ridiculous, ignoring the fact that the starships are supposed to be gigantic, sluggish hunks of metal, not nippy attack vehicles like a Star Wars X-Wing. And as if that wasnt bad enough, controlling your ships requires using most of the controllers sticks and buttons simultaneously, a bewildering set-up thats barely playable unless youre blessed with a third hand and thumbs to spare.
Although its being sold at a budget price, Encounters is an unspeakable disaster thatll enrage even the most forgiving Trekkie. Dont even think about it.