THE MANY FACES OF.....STAR
TREK:SOS
This is a new feature where I will look at the many different versions of
the same game and explore some of the differences between them. I would like to
thank Doug Saxon for this suggestion. I will put them in order of best to worst.
I also gave them the Olympic medals for what place they come in, just for fun.
Once again, these are only my opinion and yours may vary. Feel free to dispute
them with me.
Our first game to look at will be Star Trek: SOS
(or Strategic Operations System). The three versions we will explore are the
Atari 2600, Atari 5200 and Colecovision. So let the games begin!
Atari 5200 (Gold Medal)
This is by far the best version of the game as far as playability and
presentation (i.e.: graphics and sound). There is one
minor thing that keeps it from being great and that is the joysticks. While the
lack of centering isn't a major problem most of the time, it can be quite a pain
in the stages where you have to weave through the asteroids. If you take that
away, this would be a excellent version of a great arcade game.
Atari 2600 (Silver Medal)
Probably the best playing of all the versions. The skill level is hard
enough to be a challenge, yet easy enough to get into. The learning curve is set
nicely and while the graphics and sound aren't on par with the later systems,
they are fine and everything is easy to identify. Out of all the Star Trek
games, this is the one I play the most.
Colecovision (Bronze Medal)
This is the best looking and sounding version out there! It is a near
perfect translation of the arcade game. But there is one major flaw, it is way
too hard. Those Klingons will smoke you before you can say "Beam me up Scotty".
Too bad as this would have been a killer game. If you really like a challenge,
this is right up your alley.