[DeWolfe]

Buckle up, fellow UFPers! I've embarked on a whirlwind journey through "Star Trek: Infinite," and I'm here to share my cosmic escapade with you. While I won't be diving into every nook and cranny, and encourage someone else to provide a more in-depth look. My mission is to put out a fast personal take on this celestial adventure so you can decide if it’s worth the price.

Embracing Cosmic Bureaucracy

"Star Trek: Infinite" brings back memories of "Birth of the Federation," a game that also had me balancing planets, industries, and populations in a cosmic empire. Espionage options and counter-espionage strategies await your command, making you feel a bit like a spy handler.

Navigating Galactic Glitches

First things first, let's talk bugs. One that left me bemused was the audio's penchant for drama. Every time a leader went through an upgrade, discovered a hidden treasure, or even faced the cosmic rollercoaster of an election, my ears would chime in with, "We've lost a great leader today." Even when they were not in fact gone, but were alive and thriving – it's almost like a cosmic hoax.

Naming Conundrum

Ever tried naming Earth "Earth" in the game? Bet you’d expect it already be called that but no I found myself stuck with the moniker "Larth." No matter how many times I put in Earth. It's a humorous cause after a while you realise its just fainter on the upperhalf of the E for some reason and its a cosmic twist that certainly keeps you on your toes.




Inbred Assimilation

The game occasionally stumbles over the concept of vassals, leading to comical declarations like "The Cardassian Union has been Assimilated by The Cardassians." Was it assimilation or just a cosmic family reunion? You be the judge. In actual fact this was how it told me Bajor was integrated into the CU.




Klingons from Downtown Abbey

In a move that could make George Lucas proud, all Englishmen are now honorary Klingons in "Star Trek: Infinite." The voiceover for the Klingon faction may have you pondering whether you've stumbled into a cosmic crossover. Especially if you paid extra for it as part of a DLC, be ready to contemplate the wisdom of such an investment. You might find yourself investigating ways to muffle those peculiar terribly spoken ungraveled Klingon British accents, as it's a linguistic adventure all its own.

Cosmic Symphony of Sounds

While the game's overall audio captures the essence of Star Trek admirably, there are some head-scratchers. Imagine the sound of weapons fire every time you upgrade or move a ship, accompanied by a loud and unidentifiable noise that seems to symbolize the impulse or sublight drive. It's a fascinating soundscape, to say the least.

Homeworld Intrigue

Ever experienced a silent alarm sounding on your homeworld every five minutes? It's not an emergency but rather another empire's ship playing interstellar hide and seek. Countermeasures are supposed to exist, but my attempts to thwart these cosmic spies were more comical than successful. Your mileage in this cosmic caper may vary.

Starship Selection Surprises

For a game set in such a vast universe, ship selection might leave you wide-eyed. Even with all the tech and resources at your disposal, your options are as rare as a cloaked Klingon bird-of-prey. So, don't expect to find a Defiant-class ship in this part of the galaxy.



Addendum: Someone informed me you can get the Defiant but only if you get Sisko as a leader. However he never showed in my entire game so its not a given that you'll get him or it in your playthrough either.

A Familiar UI

The user interface won't inspire any cosmic revolutions. While I secretly hoped for an LCARS-inspired interface, it's a typical grand space opera aesthetic. After a bit of cosmic exploration, it's as user-friendly as its Stellaris cousin.

Cosmic Artistry

"Star Trek: Infinite" dazzles with its visual storytelling, showcasing small events and stories in an aesthetically pleasing manner. However, the cosmic curtain falls a bit flat beneath this dazzling surface.

Infinite Potential, Finite Reality

In my cosmic journey, I've uncovered that "Star Trek: Infinite" has potential but isn't quite warp-speed worthy just yet. My advice? Save your space credits for now and keep a close watch on its development. The modding community may swoop in to tackle the quirks, making this cosmic adventure truly shine. Maybe wait for a sale or until it matures – right now, it feels more like a cosmic demo than a full-fledged adventure and you’d find more content in the Stellaris mods Star Trek: New Horizons and Star Trek: New Civilizations which has multiples of starship classes expanding different eras of Trek.
So, there you have it. If you decide to venture into "Star Trek: Infinite," do so with an explorer's spirit and a sense of humour. The cosmic horizon might hold more surprises than you'd expected but unlikely will have wanted.

[JCarrill0]

Simply amazing!

[DeWolfe]

Simply amazing!

Was going to reply sooner but got called away. Wasn't expecting such kind praise. Sincerely, thank you.

[Heyallo]

I had a laugh at reading parts of this, thanks for that, definitely needed after being a chew toy to Popoto!

[DeWolfe]

I had a laugh at reading parts of this, thanks for that, definitely needed after being a chew toy to Popoto!

My pleasure. I was imagining it was being written by the Clone Wars guy the whole time like a 40-50s New Reporter hence the overuse of Cosmic.

[O'Neill]

Nice review. Bugs are to be expected whenever a new game releases these days. Hopefully they will be ironed out when the game goes on sale.

[Kerry Malone]

Thanks DeWolfe for a really comprehensive write-up on it.

I got it myself, but I'm not really enjoying it as much as I would've liked to have. Can't get past the fact it's a reskin of Stellaris v3.1 and it's not even as UI friendly as that variant.

I'll hold fire until it's had a few QoL patches

[Kyuusaku]

Great write-up! I also noticed the "Larth" name on the planet, but when you zoom out, it switched to "Earth?" And I think (stupid explanation) that the drop shadow from the planet image in the sidebar menu is casting itself over the top of the letter E, and it's looking like an L somehow? During my game, I kept being annoyed by that spelling but sometimes I could see the E properly and other times, it looked more like an L, so... might be a UI glitch and not the text itself.

-- Kyuu

[DeWolfe]

Can't get past the fact it's a reskin of Stellaris v3.1 and it's not even as UI friendly as that variant.

I'll hold fire until it's had a few QoL patches

Sadly this is very much the case.



They didn't even bother to remove the Stellaris files, causing the game to be bloated with files not used. That is a shot of the sound files but the gfx folder is littered with unused Stellaris assets as well.

[Stryker]

I have this game on my wishlist. Is it "worth it"? Or, should I wait? I've heard it is basically Stellaris "Lite" as it functions similar but not much content, kind of making way for DLC's no doubt.

As "rare" as Star Trek games go, we don't have much options except game mods. But is this game worth getting in the current state?

[Koala]

It's a fun game, yeah, I've enjoyed it. Overall, I'd consider it "worth it". I am sure we will be waiting on the DLCs for more content but I've enjoyed it so far. I have about 60 hours in.

...and I just noticed I am replying to your post from months ago.

[Adster94]

Nice write up! Something to bare in mind, just a minor update, the Defiant class can be unlocked - you just need to complete the mission where the Enterprise gets upgraded to the E!

I really like the game and will keep playing it but it being so strongly just a reskin of Stellaris is easily felt, with resources being named the exact same and the odd sound effects and colours for weapons.

[darthnovawave]

Just saw a Dev blog today confirming that Star Trek: Infinite will not receive any further updates. Link below to blog if anyone is interested.

https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum...ehind.1629503/