Star Trek: Elite Force II has received upbeat reviews from online critics, who gave the first-person shooter above average ratings despite a few design flaws.

• Adam Pavlacka at Games Domain said the attention to detail in developing the storyline was one of the highlights of Elite Force II. "Ritual went the extra step and ensured that the world came off as a living environment by giving nearly every character you encounter something to talk about," he wrote. "As you wander down the halls, you will hear everyone talking; it can be a joy just to spend a few minutes eavesdropping. There are even little subplots that progress if you listen to the same characters' conversations over the course of the game."

  Although the game was said to be a "bit dated" because it used the Quake 3 engine and wasn't quite as good as the first Elite Force, Pavlacka said it was "well worth playing whether you're a casual gamer or a hardcore Star Trek fan." The game was given a score of 4 out of 5 in the full review.

• IGN PC's Ivan Sulic said Elite Force II is a "solid, fast, but always dumb action romp", but emphasised it may not appeal to certain Trek fans. Here's an excerpt from his review:

  It just doesn't seem to be enough Star Trek to appease fans. Yes, some voices are in there, as is the now typical onslaught of blatant and obscure references to the fiction (specifically premises and mentions of episodes from other series'), but the pacing is anything but Trek. Fans will agree with some of the additions, but disagree with others. Why are so many levels so dark and moody (which wouldn't be so bad if I had a flashlight and not just night vision to rely on)? Why am I on a "shoot first and never scan" basis with everything I see? What the hell is this weapon I'm using?

  Nevertheless, Sulic's final assessment was upbeat ("quality gaming deserving of a purchase"), and Elite Force II was given a score of 8.4 out of 10.

• "Like its predecessor, Elite Force II is a good, well-rounded shooter that should satisfy fans of similar games, as well as Star Trek fans looking to shoot first and ask questions later," wrote GameSpot's Greg Kasavin. However, he did criticise the AI, which "often leaves much to be desired", especially in regards to the tactics (or lack thereof) of the enemies during battles.

  On the graphics front, Kasavin said that although "the game doesn't look incredible by the high standards of the genre, it looks better than previous Star Trek games, and features convincing environments and effects, crisp textures, and fairly detailed character models". Overall, Elite Force II was given a rating of 7.9 out of 10 in the complete analysis.

• Sal Accardo's assessment was simple: "Elite Force II is a highly polished game and an absolute must-have for Star Trek fans". Writing for GameSpy, he said the game is "soaked in Star Trek atmosphere and loaded with inside jokes" and praised the producers for their determination to give Elite Force II the Trek touch.

  There were some drawbacks, however, with the worst offender being the game's AI. "Fighting the Exomorphs -- which you do a LOT -- is simply BORING," Accardo wrote. "Waves of creatures mindlessly hurl themselves at you with little regard for their own well-being, and this quickly becomes monotonous as the creatures get stronger and larger in number." In the full review, the game notched up a score of 82 out of 100.

• Andreas Misund Berntsen at Gamer's Hell said Elite Force II comes across as polished product. Here's an excerpt from his review:

  The excellent graphical presentation continues with the levels, the monsters, the cool weapons and all the objects that are scattered around to make everything realistic. In my opinion the first level in the game is the worst one but once you pass that you start realizing what group of talented people were put to work in this game. The levels are usually nothing but less than awesome in terms of architecture and texturing because you never really get stuck and have no idea where to go and the textures never make you stop and think "that sure looks crappy".

  Berntsen awarded Elite Force II a score of 8.7 out of 10. Read more of his thoughts at this page.

In other Elite Force II news, Activision's Doug Pearson told Ritualistic the game was number two in the charts in the United Kingdom and Germany last week. Also, TrekNews.de has posted a 16.37 MB DivX version of the Babes of Elite Force video.

To order a copy of Elite Force II and support TrekToday, please use the following links: Amazon.com - Amazon.co.uk - Amazon.de.

Thanks to Ritualistic and Blue's News for these!

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