Ultra/Interplay

February 1992

Adventure

1 Player

Trekkie nerds rejoice... at last, your game has come!  Star Trek: 25th Anniversary lets you play as all your favorite characters from the show.  You'll explore strange new worlds, using Kirk's phaser to subdue alien creatures.  Fans of the show will probably be more excited by the action aboard the Enterprise, however, as it features terrific artwork of the ship's crew.

Absolute

September 1993

Adventure

1 Player

Take control of the Enterprise in this futuristic simulation based on the hit television series.  You'll consult with the most important members of the crew, who each serve a different purpose... Data sends the ship to different planets, while Worf engages the enemy in battle.  It's an authentic Star Trek experience, strengthened by detailed graphics.

Nintendo

December 1990

Action/Adventure

1 Player

Don't just stand there soaking up that island sunshine... you've got a kidnapped relative to rescue!  Startropics is an original adventure game that plays like a linear Legend of Zelda. You'll clobber enemies with your deadly yo-yo, then jump on tiles, revealing hidden switches.  Even stiff control doesn't detract too much from Startropics' simple but satisfying gameplay.

Nintendo

September 1991

Action/Adventure

1 Player

Mike trades the warm island climate of Startropics for a more hostile prehistoric environment in this sequel.  Zoda's Revenge smooths out the rough control in the original... now, Mike runs where you want, without a moment's hesitation.  However, the game lacks the charisma of the first Startropics, with dull graphics and forgettable stage design.

Acclaim/ASCII

September 1987

Action/Simulation

1 Player

Adapted from the Japanese release Cosmo Genesis by ASCII, this space combat simulation is reminescent of titles on earlier game systems that let you explore the stars and battle enemy ships from a first person viewpoint.  Star Voyager looks marginally better than those games from days gone by, but the gameplay is less spontaneous and exciting when you can't use a keypad to quickly access important functions.

JVC/Beam

November 1991

Action

1 Player

A quote from an entirely different film sums up this release perfectly:  "Merchandising, merchandising!  It's where the REAL money from the movie is made!"  It doesn't matter that Star Wars: The Video Game is only average, with painfully frustrating- and unimaginative- platforming action.  People will run out and buy it anyway, because it's a Star Wars product.

OTAKU ALERT!  A long time ago, on a continent far, far away, there was another Star Wars game created for the Famicom, the NES's Japanese counterpart.  This game, by Pac-Man creators Namco, was a step up from the American release by JVC, giving Luke Skywalker a handful of force abilities that added variety to the linear gameplay.

Hudson

June 1990

Shooter

1 Player

You're the captain of the Starship Enterprise- er, Hector in this competant but thoroughly unremarkable shooter, hurt immensely by an unintentionally silly visual style.  There are side-scrolling and overhead view stages in Starship Hector, but both are equally difficult... you'll struggle to keep your head above water in a merciless flood of bizarre enemies and their bullets.

Activision/Imagineering

October 1989

Simulation

1 Player

As the pilot of a top-secret stealth jet, your mission is to bring down enemy fighters with your chain gun and missiles.  You also have one other weapon... a stealth mode which keeps you hidden from enemy radar.  A rough first-person perspective and imprecise missile targeting make it almost as tough for players to find the excitement in this simplified flight simulator.