Nerds That Geek Game Review – ‘Star Trek: Hidden Evil’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

​Over the course of its illustrious, fifty-plus year run, Star Trek has accomplished a great many things. For this franchise has provided fans everywhere with some powerful and inspirational stories that are timeless in their own right. Plus, this saga inspired much of the modern technology we use today, including the phone that you may or may not be reading this blog upon as we speak. Whoa. That got real meta. But I digress. Because while this storied franchise has blown us away with incredible storytelling and ideas that ignite our imaginations, not everything that has been tied to this saga has been successful.
 
Take for example, the video game side of Star Trek. Because for many years computer game and console releases involving the five-year mission or The Next Generation and beyond, were fairly sub-par, and they were derided often by critics and ignored by gamers simply because they never once captured the spirit of the saga and the game in question, was outright terrible. But as the years rolled on, more effort was put into trying to make better video games from this rich franchise, and for a time some solid ones came about from Interplay and Spectrum Holobyte. But back in the late 90s, Viacom and Activision decided to try something new for the gaming side of the franchise and worked side by side to try and create a series of Trek related games that would stand out from the rest… with mixed results of course.
 
Take for example, the flagship game from this partnership, Star Trek: Hidden Evil. Which offered up quite the unique storyline. For this particular story took place shortly after the events of Star Trek: Insurrection and that’s a good thing. Because there was so much more to learn about the Son’a and the Ba’ku’s strange ‘home world’ that was introduced in that film and this game takes the time to allow for the player to explore it, and the strange mystery that lurks beneath its surface. Which means the player was able to dive into a grand mystery involving a mysterious genetic seed and well the true highlight of this game is the sheer fact that Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner reprise their roles from TNG and it is a delight to fight alongside them and enjoy a fascinating story that allows for you to see rich and beautiful places, and to a lesser extent, explore the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E.
 
Yet while the game does offer an interesting story and some unique and beautiful locations to explore, I made mention of the fact that this game is a bit of a mixed bag when all is said and done and sadly, that relates to some of the graphics and the gameplay. For while great detail went into the backgrounds of the Ba’ku planet and the ships that you board, not as much detail was dedicated to the characters themselves, which does make the game look a little goofy at times. Plus, the gameplay also left a lot to be desired, for I distinctly recall huffing with frustration on multiple occasions while playing, because of the clunky targeting system for the weapons, and the controls in general often struggled to properly function and that is a shame when all said is and done. Simply because had the controls been smooth and the characters received a little more care, we’d be celebrating the wonder of this game.
 
For those elements would have provided fans with a beautiful cinematic experience, the kind that could have become a true unofficial sequel to Insurrection. But instead we are left with an inconsistent but enjoyable game, one that really did put a smile on your face when Captain Picard sends an order your way or when Data begins to work that powerful positronic mind of his and I really cannot stress enough the quality of the story. Because it really does bring about some fascinating moments and it definitely offers up some high stakes, the kind that lead to a satisfying ending and well, this game more or less served as a hopeful entry when it came to the sheer potential of this partnership. But alas, it never quite lived up to said potential, despite the fact that it always flirted with greatness.   

---