Pyramid Review: Birth of the Federation

Pyramid Review

Star Trek: The Next Generation -- Birth of the Federation

Published by Microprose & Hasbro Interactive

$49.99

The clash of galaxy spanning empires is a mainstay of the science fiction genre, and any fan of Star Trek can't help but be attracted to Hasbro's new game of galactic conquest. While the game is a lot of fun, it does have flaws. In Birth of the Federation, players assume control of one of the five major races familiar to Star Trek fans, each with their own advantages and style of play. The Federation is diplomatic, the Romulans are sneaky, the Ferengi are masters of finance, the Klingons are militaristic and the Cardassians have a strong military intelligence that exploits the people they conquer. Game play is similar to Masters of Orion and is turn based. Players manipulate the resource production of each of their planets, expand their empires through colonization or diplomacy and build ships to protect themselves. Pretty standard stuff that we've seen in many other PC games, but never based in the Star Trek universe.

It is the wedding of a fairly standard strategy game with the Star Trek mythos that makes this game so attractive. Like last year's Star Wars: Rebellion, this game capitalizes on an immensely popular world to draw players into the action. The appeal of taking control of your favorite race and conquering the galaxy is very powerful, and there are enough significant differences between the five galactic powers to make them feel . . .

This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.



Article publication date: July 16, 1999

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