Bethesda Softworks announced this week it will be releasing a new strategy / action game called Star Trek: Conquest this Christmas, available for both the Wii and PlayStation 2 game consoles.

"Conquest" is a game of galactic domination that mixes turn-based strategy game with arcade elements," lead designer Frank Arnot told the unofficial Beth Blog. He revealed gamers will be able to choose from six playable races: Federation, Klingon, Romulan, Cardassian, Dominion, and Breen. In addition, players will encounter Ferengi, Born, Orion and Xindi fleets as they explore the galaxy.

Although the game will be set in the Next Generation era, Arnot suggested the game's storyline will have little to do with the galactic situation seen on that show. "Because of the nature of the game we have a very straight-forward back story," Arnot said. "It is a time of unrest, all the major races are at war. Age-old alliances are forgotten, diplomacy is dead. Powerful fleets prowl the galaxy establishing outposts and vanquishing indigenous and enemy fleets alike in the pursuit of the ultimate prize - the capture of all home worlds and galactic domination."

Specific elements from the Star Trek universe will come into play when gamers decide which race to play. According to Arnot, each race will have different strengths and weaknesses in areas such as ship types, infrastructure, the technology tree, and a number of special weapons. Each race will also feature its own specific Admirals. Arnot explained, "there are three types of admiral in the game, Attacking, Defensive and Movement Admirals, with each type offering different strengths in the tactical play. The Movement Admiral for example can make two moves per turn. Each race has a different spread of Admiral types, for example, the Klingons have more attacking admirals to reflect their warrior nature."

For more details from Arnot, head over to the Beth Blog, or check out the official Bethesda site for a press release announcing the game. Star Trek: Conquest will be available this Christmas for both the Wii (at a price of $29.99) and the PS2 ($19.99).

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