Are you a fellow frustrated adventurer? Do you find yourself spending
your spare time doing mundane things like cleaning the attic and rotating the
tires on your car, all while waiting for the next adventure game to be released?
Fear not, there’s no need to be productive, tune up your ‘puter instead and play
an action game! Yes, an action game, those wretched games that for some reason
many adventure lovers equate with testosterone-filled teenage males. I hope no
one actually believes that stigma, and for those who haven’t played one since
Doom, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how far they’ve evolved. Many of
these games have “borrowed” the best aspects of the adventure genre
and improved upon them in exponential proportions.

Here’s a rundown of
the latest release dealing with the Star Trek universe from Simon & Schuster
Interactive and Collective Studios, obviously a talented bunch of folks: Deep
Space Nine–The Fallen.

The first thing that will impress you are the
graphics. Watching as the camera pans around the station in the beginning is nothing
short of breathtaking. The game is built on the Unreal Tournament engine,
and rather than going into geeky stats, suffice it to say that it simply looks
great. Reflections, shadowing, and all of the other great effects are thrown into
the mix. The minimum system requirements are fairly low; a P2-233 is listed. I
tried it on a P2-300 and it played decently, so for once the minimum requirements
may be accurate. Of course, on a high-end system the game absolutely rocks! There
are an abundance of customizable options for game controls, so getting things
to run the way you desire is only a few clicks away. Two patches are available
for the game; the recommended one is a whopping 33+ MB deal, although kudos should
go to the developers as the game is incredibly stable once you snag the larger
patch.

DS9 aficionados may be disappointed that Avery Brooks doesn’t do
the voice acting for Sisko, but fear not, Kevin Richardson does a fine job filling
in. The same goes for O’Brien–Colm Meany is absent for whatever reason–but again
Michael Gough does a convincing job and sounds very similar to Mr. Meany. Aside
from that, the other voices will be familiar–Nana Visitor, Michael Dorn, Rene
Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, etc., are all there to accompany you through the journey.
So it goes without saying that the voice acting is top-notch and a joy to listen
to.

There’s a training mission that will get you used to the game before
you delve into it. It’s a good idea to try it first in order to get the controls
set up to your liking and to become familiar with jumping, shooting, crouching,
and the variety of other actions that are a prerequisite for the game.

Ah,
the game proper, yes, a brief synopsis of the plot, so as not to give too much
away. The intro begins with Prefect Terell, a Cardassian (or a Cardie as those
wild and wacky Trekkies call them) working with a top-secret project in a research
lab on Terok Nor. The project degrades quickly; a subspace rupture ensues and
an unstable wormhole is created, which is obviously a bad thing. You then fast-forward
to “present” day, the twenty-fourth century. Terok Nor is now referred
to as Deep Space Nine. Your mission is to look further into the mystery begun
by the Cardassians. During your trek (pardon the pun), you’ll learn much about
the Pah-wraiths, the mysterious orbs Terell was so intrigued by, and an alien
race known as the Grigari. Sound complex? It is–this isn’t an overdone stroll
into Atlantis, and you have to pay close attention to the cutscenes to keep pace
with everything.

Here’s where this title really gets unique. You have a
choice to play as Major Kira Nerys, Captain Benjamin Sisko, or Lieutenant Commander
Worf. Depending on which character you choose, the first mission is entirely different.
It really happens in different settings, yet the story is tied into the same overall
theme, a very neat trick. The available weapons vary slightly depending on your
chosen character, and a few mission objectives change, so there is some replay
value to this game. Think of it as a difficulty setting, Worf being the most difficult
(at least for me) as you have to get in the face of an enemy when using his Bat’Leth.
Suffice it to say that a Bat’Leth is a nasty-looking sword weapon. I’m sure seasoned
action gamers would love to play as Worf, although for me it was a nightmare.

The
game is played from a third-person perspective, which can be changed using a code
to the ubiquitous first-person for die-hard shooter fans. I did encounter several
problems when using that particular code, however, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t
mention that the code isn’t supported or recommended by the developers.

There
are many aspects in this game that would interest an adventurous adventure gamer.
Still feeling hesitant about it? Well, S&S has thoughtfully set up a forum
dedicated to the game, and the posts are very friendly even if you’re a newbie.
That should further deflate the myth about action gamers being rude and crude.
There are also plenty of cheats available for the action-impaired. So fear not,
you will be able to finish the game despite your skill level with these types
of games.

The million-dollar question … is this game for you? If you’re
a steadfast-conservative adventure gamer, well then no. If you like to try new
things, then the answer is a resounding yes! Take a trip to the action side of
things and enjoy yourself. You may never want to go back.

One final note,
there is a game in development based on the Farscape series that, from
first reports, will play much the same as DS9. I can’t wait, bring it on!

Final
Grade(s):
As an adventure game: C+ It’s a great game, but the emphasis
leans more toward the shooter aspect.
As an action game: B+ Although
there’s no multi-player option, the replay value with different characters makes
this title special.

If you liked The Fallen:
Watch: A Star
Trek movie, of course
Read: A Star Trek novel
Play:
Another Star Trek game

Minimum System Requirements:

Windows:
233 MHz Pentium
II
64 MB RAM
100 MB free hard drive space
Windows 95/98/NT
CD-ROM
drive
PCI local bus video card
Windows 95-compatible sound card

Macintosh:

200 MHz PowerPC 604
64 MB RAM
100 MB free hard drive space
Mac
OS 8 or higher
CD-ROM drive