First Impressions:

Graphics:

Imagine my surprise when I realized this particular Star Trek game came with 3D support for both TnT2 and Voodoo3. We've come a long way since the 80's! The graphics are good, but nothing spectacular. Thanks to the 3D, you do have your choice of camera angles, some of which fully rotate around either you or your target. One particularly nice touch was watching a close-up of a cloaked Romulan ship taking a hit from a plasma charge. Upon impact, the ship fluttered into partial transparency before recloaking. One problem I noticed is that a lot of nice visuals go unnoticed in the run of play, because in order to see what's going on around you effectively, you have to zoom out rather far, making the ships little more than busy icons. Subtle things such as shuttles launching, missiles being caught in tractor beams, and inner explosions will only be seen if you choose to watch your mission film after the scenario is played out. While this is a fun feature, you can't fastforward or rewind, and so you are stuck watching 10-15 minutes of cruising you might not want to see, just so you can get to the good bits!

Sound/Music:

Some of the sounds are actually sampled from Star Trek movies, and George Takei (the voice of Sulu) is your Academy Tutor. Music is also from the Star Trek genre, and fits nicely into the background while you fight.

Gameplay:

You have your choice of 6 races in Starfleet Command. You can choose to play single player or multiplayer, either via LAN or online through Mplayer.com. While I did not get a chance to multiplay, there is a lot of potential for enjoyable multiplayer games. In the single player mode, you can choose to play single scenarios, run through the Academy training sessions, or start a campaign as the race of your choice.

The gameplay of Starfleet Command is what disappointed me the most. While it is a great Starship flight simulator, the game advertises a dynamic Star Trek universe that your actions influence and evolve into a universe unique to your efforts. This idea really seduced me, but either my anticipation was too high, or my Star Trek persona wasn't magnetic enough to sway the events of the universe to my liking! The missions seemed a bit flat, and the interaction with Starfleet Command (or the Navy Command of whichever race I chose) felt a little stale, terse, and not very intriguing. I found myself missing the depth of a good storyline.

Enjoyment:

Though I did not become immersed in the story, I still found myself enjoying the missions, and spending far too much time pushing to complete just one more before bed!

Multiplayer:

Even though the computer AI seemed more than competent in its ability to eradicate me from the galaxy, I longed for the thrill of going head to head in a ship configured to my specifications with other players. The simulation of running a Starship is convincing enough to bring enjoyment in multiplay long after the single player game has lost its appeal.

Overall Impression:

This is a great Starship simulator, and a good game overall. Folks who like to explore strange new worlds and seek out new life in order to destroy it with extreme prejudice in the name of science and posterity will enjoy this game.

Marketing Efforts Towards Women:

Star Trek games fall into a unique situation where marketing efforts are concerned. Starfleet Command is definitely marketed towards Trekkies with a penchant for simulated combat. Since you are the main character, as captain of your Starship, there are really no gender roles to speak of. However, I must admit that I found the more subtle elements of the Star Trek universe to be missing in this game, as it seems to focus mainly on combat and command situations, with very little interaction with anything other than your photon torpedoes. I can't help feeling that this limited view of Star Trek seems to be targeted towards a male audience.