"Oh no! Not another Star Trek game!"
This was the call from many when Klingon Honor Guard was first announced. Well they were right; this isn't just another Star Trek game, hoping to cash in on the captive Trekker audience. License or not, Star Trek: The Next Generation -- Klingon Honor Guard is a truly excellent game in its own right.
Klingon Honor Guard uses the state-of-the-art Unreal 3D game engine to portray a totally realistic first-person shooter adventure with an engaging story. Unlike some of the earlier releases to use the Star Trek license, Klingon Honor Guard is a stand-out game that could comfortably be compared to Quake, Unreal, or even Duke Nukem in terms of gameplay and style. The tie-in to the ever popular, ever growing Star Trek franchise is certainly a bonus, but it's not really the main point of the game.
Star Trek - The Next Generation: Klingon Honor Guard is a gorgeous game. The opening video sequence and pre-mission full-motion video segments are beautifully produced and use extensive Next Generation footage to add all of the atmosphere you'll need to get into the story. Each game area is juicily rendered in 3D and the action can take place anywhere from the bustling corridors of a mighty Klingon Bird of Prey the lonely surface of a strange planet.
You take the role of a novice Klingon guard, who is suddenly thrown from a regular holodeck training exercise into the real world and who must then battle real live opponents to survive and rise in rank and honor. The game features lots of what you'd expect from any good Klingon story: combat. The Klingon blood is plentiful (and purple!). Weapons in this game are lethal and often complex. Some advanced weapons can create mini black holes that suck the victim into nothingness, while others have detachable blades that ricochet around the room. It can get messy at times.
Your enemies, like yourself, are Klingon. They are so wonderfully represented, though, that you don't even really mind looking at their ugly BabyRuth-bar foreheads. Some of the Klingon characters you'll meet may retreat at the first signs of impending conflict, but most are prepared to die with honor and are extremely intelligent. There are times to approach at full speed with your phasers blazing and other times when you'll need to slowly sneak around with extreme caution.
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Klingon Honor Guard is a game that will appeal universally. It has all the simplicity of the fast, furious, shoot-or-be-shot Doom style of play complemented by inventive missions, rich graphics, sonorous voice acting, and special effects that will mesmerize even the casual observer looking over the gamer's shoulder while passing by. Whether you're a true Trekker, a first-person shooter fan, or just an eye-candy junkie, this title will not disappoint you.
Graphics: Three dimensional characters and environments instill a sense of realism.
Sound: Deep, grizzly speech and ambient music will scare the Klingon-issue pants off you
Enjoyment: Impossible not to enjoy immensely - even when you die horribly...
Replay Value: Can be played at a variety of skill levels to ensure that everyone can get the maximum benefit from the game
Klingon Honor Guard is a superb first-person shooter set in the Star Trek universe. Designed by MicroProse and released in 1998, KHG was definitely the first Star Trek computer game in a long while that broke the trend of mediocre Trek games (including MicroProse's own very disappointing Star Trek: Generations). Based on acclaimed Unreal engine, KHG looks great, and captures the mood of ST:TNG almost perfectly. The only downside - at that time - was the hefty system requirements: at least a P266MMX, 64MB of RAM, and preferably a 3D accelerator. Given that these specs are below an average PC today, most gamers are in for quite a treat.
KHG casts you as a newly appointed member of the Klingon's Honor Guard: the Empire's most elite group of warriors and bodyguards to the Emperor. As the game begins, you learn of the assassination attempt on the Empire's Supreme Chancellor Gowron. Being new with no idea about what is going on, you are chosen to investigate the conspiracy and pays back the assassin - Klingon style.
If you have played Unreal or any game based on its engine, you will know what to expect in KHG: a wide variety of enemies and weapons, fluid action, and excellent background details. You will battle in many Klingon locations including a suburb, the penal atroid Rura Penthe, and even the interior of a famous Bird of Prey spaceship. In true Star Trek spirit, you will make use of various gadgets throughout the game, including the tricorder, combat goggles, and of course the very deadly D'k Tahg dagger and spiky Bat'Leth sword, two traditional Klingon weapons. Also like in Unreal, the enemy AI is excellent. Your opponents will stage ambushes, and they do dodge and fire accurately especially on the "Klingon" difficulty setting which I find very challenging. Multiplayer, via IPX and Internet, is supported, although the levels are not very interesting for multiplayer action.
Overall, KHG is an excellent FPS that does the coveted license the justice it deserves. It is very faithful to the spirit of the TV show, and will hook even non-TNG fan for hours on end. Highly recommended for both TNG fans and FPS gamers in general.
People who downloaded Star Trek TNG: Klingon Honor Guard have also downloaded:
Star Trek: Klingon Academy, Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Fallen, Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force, Star Trek: Elite Force 2, Star Trek: Klingon, Star Trek: D-A-C, Star Trek: Captain's Chair
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