Managing Editor Jon Wood recently had a gaming experience that left a bad taste in his mouth, and he has chosen to share that flavor with us in this week's Beyond the MMORPG.

This week in Beyond the MMORPG, I wanted to take a quick look at what I consider to be the single worst game that I've ever played for a console, and how that might effect the production of an upcoming MMORPG. Don't think it's possible? You just wait and see.

Okay, the game in question, I should say, is the first and only game that I have ever, ever played for only two hours and then took back to EB Games. I couldn't get a full refund on it, but I did trade it in. The game was so bad, in fact, that I didn't wait until there was something out that I wanted, and I currently have a gift card for EB with the price of the trade-in on it.

After a lead up like that, I suppose I should just out and tell you the name of the game. It's Star Trek: Legacy. On the surface (and from the boc), this game looked like it was going to be a winner. It billed itself as "The quintessential Trek experience", included storylines written by Trek mainstay D.C. Fontana and used the voices of all five captains.

Read the full article here.

I've read quite a few bits here and there about how the devs over at Perpetual are trying to make an accessible game for all sci-fi fans, Star Trek or otherwise. At least that's a feeling I got from reading what little information there is.

Personally, though, I don't feel as if Perpetual should be making a 'widely accessible' game for the whole market, they should be making a game that caters entirely for Star Trek fans. I am of the belief that this game won't pull in gamers who aren't interested in Star Trek in the first place, so why bother making a game that caters to them? Rather, the focus should lie in providing the quintessential online experience for crazy Star Trek nuts across the world. There has to be more than enough of them out there (myself included), and certainly enough to provide very good subscription numbers.

Every time I read a dev talking about accessibility, I think, 'oh dear, they're trying to copy WoW's success again', when really they should be concentrating on making a game that is fit for all those die-hard Trekkies out there.

Why are these IP-based games almost never accessible to the fans of the IP?

Where is my semi-simulation experience? Where is my LCARS control interface? Where the hell is my Klingon Empire faction and Bird of Prey?! I've also seen devs talking about how everyone will control their own ships, because 'not being the captain isn't fun'. Who says!? I think being a chief security officer or a science junior officer would be bloody fun indeed!

But back to topic, yeah I disliked Legacy too. I managed 3 hours, but also ended up trading it in for some Trek DVDs instead.

60 bucks for a game? you aren't buying STO for PC?

Lol!  Some game company should hire me to be their licensing manager.  It takes a special kind of diplomacy and shmoozing to get these folks to trust you.  If they trust you, they'll let you do stuff; if they don't trust you, you're screwed.  So it's often all about old policies not created for games, a person who doesn't *play* games, and whether that person will allow you latitude.

Back when I worked in entertainment licensing in the early part of this century, I got to deal with a lot of licensing groups that controlled the IP.  Generally the same set of folks review the use of IP, regardless if it's an 18-month calendar, a t-shirt, a shotglass, a graphic novel, or a game.

The whole general industry of entertainment licensing IP largely still wallows in the days when the primary duty of licensing groups was to approve toys in cereal boxes and the stuff that the studios sold in the gift store on the lot.

Nuff said.

Shava

If you want to get an idea of how bad STO could be, look at the negative comments leaking out of Gods & Heroes closed beta.

You can also look at some of the quotes from Perpetual Entertainment Executive Producer on STO, they demonstrate his lack of resepct for the Star Trek fans.

"We're not making a game for Trekkies..."

Daron Stinnett, Executive Producer STO
Perpetual

...and my favorite...

"Don't worry, there is plenty of time to cancel your subscription."

Daron Stinnett, Executive Producer STO
Perpetual

There are more problems than just the gameplay with a Trek MMO.  The main one, and the one many will find most objectionable - the other players.  No matter how many Trek reruns you watch, you will never see anyone saying "OMGWTFPWNZRS!!!!" on the show.  The "legacy" that is Star Trek is rather brainy - there aren't a bunch of MMO l33t speakers running around seeing what can and can't be phasored.  There aren't any gold pressed latinum spammers, either.

Are you enjoyment your STO experience? Need help for gears? We sell GPL @ 12.99 for 100.

hehe, sorry :P

You think the console game is bad, just wait until Perpetual upts out their game.  Just read the forums, you cannot believe how bad the game is going to be.  You can't comment on their forum, they have the worst forum Nazis I have ever seen and woe to you if you post a suggestion about changing something.

When they told us there would be no spaceship interiors, that is when I threw up my hands and said they are clueless.

To top that off you can only be federation and there is no pvp at all.

Eve can get away with one person to a ship, you just cannot do that in STO.

STO will be the biggest MMO disaster ever if it ever makes it live.

Okay, am I the only one who thought this article was sub-par? I've never criticized an article or editorial on this site before, you can look up my post history and see that, but I've written better things my Freshman year of college. Don't you need a journalism degree or something to write editorials and articles on this website. If not, are you hiring.

Okay enough bashing. I think this article sucks, because you didn't tell us WHY it is that you didn't like Star Trek Legacy. All you said was that flying was too hard for you and that it didn't meet your expectations. You failed to elaborate the "why's" on your opinions. People like myself read this site for expert opinions on games. This was not expertly written and I think the writer should take another course in journalism.

What I got from the article was that the writer didn't like Star Trek Legacy, because it didn't meet his expectations and that he feels that maybe Star Trek Online won't meet them either. In a nutshell, that is what I got out of this article.

I've been eyeing Star Trek Legacy for months, but haven't bought it yet, since I am too self conscious on how I spend my money. I was hoping to learn what Star Trek Legacy is all about from this article, but you really didn't say anything about the game itself.

Thanks for nothing,

Unhappy Reader

I personally think there is a simple rule for all games like this (and by 'like this' I mean games that just don't feel like they are going to be any good).

Either #1: 

Get into the beta.  You can experience the game and help make it what it should be.

Or #2:

Do not buy it when it is released.  Let some other sucker do that and then read about their praise or woes on this very forum before you decide.

I am therefore not going to give STO another thought until they are looking for experienced beta testers, at which point I might offer my assistance.

HeHe,

The curse of Star Trek gaming.  If you go back in the franchise history of electronic games you will see a very sad picture of Star Trek.  There are only a few exceptions.  I blamed Paramount always going with the lowest bid on a contract.  That situation has changed with CBS buying into Paramount, however.  I had hoped that might be the thing to improve the situation.  Star Trek Legacy had bad reviews and kept me away.

Word on the STO front has not looked good, either.  I just didn't see the concepts of Star Trek translating over to a MMO very easy.  Further, STO should be techie to match the deep devotion the fans have.  It should be a game that you can "get your Geek on".  I don't mean just Starship Tech but also Alien worlds, Astro Physics and other high brow concepts.  In essance, Trekkers and Trekkies want a world simulator to live and work in and not just a linear game.

Do Star Treks fans all want world simulator involvment?  No, but a good rookie entry with a tall advancing climb to advance hardcore player would keep monthly subs rolling in.

I watch the STO story with much scepticism and prior knowledge.

Originally posted by JK-Kanosi

Okay enough bashing. I think this article sucks, because you didn't tell us WHY it is that you didn't like Star Trek Legacy. All you said was that flying was too hard for you and that it didn't meet your expectations. You failed to elaborate the "why's" on your opinions. People like myself read this site for expert opinions on games. This was not expertly written and I think the writer should take another course in journalism.

As I said in the article, I really didn't play Legacy enough to write a proper "review-style" article about it, and to do so would have been unfair.

As always, I appreciate your input.

Can I have your stuff?

Since the writer explained himself, i'll just add that he did put links to two websites where there are reviews about that game.

About STO, i share the same feeling as the above forumites, the direction it is taking in its development isn't looking good from an ST fan point of view or a ST immersive world for that matter.

Jon, haven't you seen Stinnett's comments?  He's making STO for MMO fans first, Star Trek fans second.  How does that affect your expectations?  

Originally posted by Cerion

Jon, haven't you seen Stinnett's comments?  He's making STO for MMO fans first, Star Trek fans second.  How does that affect your expectations?  

I refer to my previous comment. Why would non-Star Trek fans bother with STO? Surely Stinnett's team should be making a game for Trek fans first, and the MMO fans second.. Seems illogical to me.

All i can say is that it is the continued curse of Star Trek gaming, any game you look at throughout the last 10-15yrs you find one failed title after another. I was rather hoping that STO could break that cycle but it would seem they aren’t even going to be able to make it to release. Perhaps iam wrong but what a disappointment, that and everyone had to of seen the writing on the wall with the news that was coming out on GnH and all the interviews on STO which were nothing.

As for the latest title, it is the same route with Legacy though the company made good money though the other titles for other platforms didn’t do so good. They didn’t even key code the game for PC and you see that it is and was an Xbox360 port.

The final nail in the coffin of Star Trek gaming as it is for when they canceled Enterprise. IF anyone thinks that this new movie coming out will change anything it is only going to hurt Trek even further.

Well, more reason to be concerned, imho. MMORPG..ya got out-scouped:

http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/breakingnews/2324-Breaking-News-Perpetual-Acquired-Gods-and-Heroes-Likely-Canceled

Looks like Rome Rising: Gods and Heros is for now..vaporware. Way to go Perpetual! I'm with The OP/Editor Jon Wood, they'll probably get my initial purchase for STO (though I do hope to make it into the Beta for STO, if it sees the light of day) but whether they get a monthly fee out of me will remain to be seen.

Originally posted by Kept

Well, more reason to be concerned, imho. MMORPG..ya got out-scouped:

http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/breakingnews/2324-Breaking-News-Perpetual-Acquired-Gods-and-Heroes-Likely-Canceled

Looks like Rome Rising: Gods and Heros is for now..vaporware. Way to go Perpetual! I'm with The OP/Editor Jon Wood, they'll probably get my initial purchase for STO (though I do hope to make it into the Beta for STO, if it sees the light of day) but whether they get a monthly fee out of me will remain to be seen.

Saw the demos for GnH at Fan Faire in Vages.  Looked like a solid game but really didn't add anything to MMO's.  I guess what Happens in Vages...

I had a friend in the beta and he said it was rather solid, its just sad this close to a release and this happens. Though we all remember that PE is a new company and its hard to stay above water with a new company.