Battles are controlled through you and your crewmates respond to your every command, the ships you engage should be a varied bunch but mostly large capital ships with some stunning real-time rendering. It will be possible to take over any of the standard crew positions as well as giving orders. Crew will report on everything to do with your ship from damage to engineering, you will not find anyone going slack under your command.

All battle stations that you have seen on either the silver screen or T.V. are all present and correct from the tactical position where weapons, power and defensive systems can be controlled, to engineering where you will control power, engines and control away teams. The viewscreen is also included and commanding "on screen," should prove to be immensely satisfying as an enemy ship pops up on screen.

We're Being Hailed Captain

While the battle mode is quite obvious, there are other parts to the game; diplomacy, exploration and discovery all play their parts and are just as important as the battle mode in Bridge Commander. We're hoping that it will be possible to speak to the commanders of the potential threat of their ship before engaging in battle or perhaps form an alliance against another foe.

Parts of the game still remain largely incomplete and no doubt many features are still to be implemented, however it does not look like you will be able to walk about the whole ship. Work on cut-scenes has been started with a few finished which suggests that the story has been finalised and is currently being worked into the game.

Star Trek: Bridge Commander should start appearing on store shelves in 2001, amongst increasingly stronger competition from other games, Bridge Commander looks to be a strong contender with originality as one of its main selling points. Already with a strong fan base (people who watch the Star Trek series) and well-known label, the delights of commanding your very own Starship Enterprise in the Star Trek universe shall hopefully be realised.

Developer - Totally Games
Website - http://www.bridgecommander.com
Release Date - 2001 - No official release date yet

by Chris 'Archaon' Wagg

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