Star Trek: The Next Generation: “a Final Unity”

Now if you’re one of those people who have seen all the original StarTrek episodes, been to all the movies (even seen poor old Captain Kirkget killed off), and are now deeply into The Next Generation and DeepSpace Nine, you are in luck with A Final Unity. There is enough Trekkie stuff here to make Spock want to throw a party.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: A Final Unity One of the most underrated and overlooked games based on Star Trek universe, Star Trek: The Next Generation: A Final Unity (STAFU) is a great adventure game that is very

In A Final Unity you take the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, in charge of the Starship Enterprise. All the regular crew are present, including Commander Riker, Lt Cmdr Worf, and Doctor Beverly Crusher. You are on a routine patrol of Federation Space near the Romulan Neutral Zone, when suddenly you are hailed by a Garidian scoutship. It seems that the crew on board the ship are on the run from Garidian persecution, and claim asylum.

Before Lt Cmdr Data can even begin to expound on the intricacies of theGaridian social calendar, a huge Garidian Bird-of-Prey decloaks right beside the scoutship, but inside Federation Space. We all know what Captain James T. Kirk would do (strike one Garidian Warbird), but this one is up to you…

Spectrum HoloByte Game

The main plot of A Final Unity consists of finding a mysterious Fifth Scroll, which will help the Garidians free themselves from tyranny. There are loads of short quests and adventures that pop up too, most of which have no bearing on the main plot, so it’s up to you to take them on or not. Usually these adventures arise via distress calls, urgent messages from Starfleet etc.

Can you imagine a Star Trek game without some fancy aliens in it?

There are two parts to A Final Unity; onboard the Enterprise, and adventuring planetside (which is by far the most fun). On the Enterprise, you can navigate, talk to your crew and guests, conflab with Starfleet and so on. This is also where the ship-to-ship combat happens. The combat in A Final Unity isn’t exactly TIE Fighter or Wing Commander III style, rather it is a matter of deciding on offensive or defensive manoeuvres, putting up shields, and letting loose a few photon torpedoes.

Never trust a Ferengi. Not in this game, though.

When the time comes to transport down to the planet (or ship, laboratory etc), you select four people to make up the Away Team, and give them a range of equipment from stores. From here on it’s the usual point and click, with a range of icons to use. Obviously the team members have different skills, and on the easier difficulty levels they will suggest who should do what.

Picard weighs his next decision on the bridge of the Enterprise.

The graphics are beautiful and crisp SVGA. The adventuring screen is clear, and its easy to see what’s what. The cut-scenes are as good as anything in Wing Commander III or TIE Fighter, and keep the story moving along. The sound is excellent in A Final Unity; with the theme music in the background, and all the original actors speaking their parts, you really feel like you’re in last nights episode.

Picard and Riker discuss the Chodak crisis.

In fact that would have to be my only real quibble with A Final Unity; sometimes there is so much talking and scene-setting going on, that its almost like watching the TV. But then the Away Team beams down, and it’s all up to you again.

Star Trek: The Next Generation, A Final Unity is a best-selling graphical adventure game set in the Star Trek universe, and featuring several technical

There are three difficulty settings. At the easiest level, the Away Teams are selected for you with all their equipment, and they feel quite free to tell you what to do. At the hardest level, there are no clues or little hints from the crew, and you’ll have to choose who to send down yourself.

A Final Unity requires a 486 33MHz, 8MB RAM, CD-ROM drive, SVGA graphics, and a mouse. It supports Soundblaster compatible soundcards.

All in all, A Final Unity is a fun game, one to really get your teeth into. All fans of Star Trek will love it (they have to, it’s in their contract), but it will also appeal to those who like a serious science fiction adventure game.