Pros
* An all encompassing music score to many of the STAR Trek video games
* Fanfare that pays homage to the diffeent eras of the Star Trek Universe
* 29 tracks ranging from small orchestral bits to full on battle music
Cons
* Mnay of the different tracks could really be applied to any Star Trek game
* Unsure of which track goes with what game
Star Trek games have been around for well over 25 years now, from the days of the Vetrix to the NES and Super Nes and on up through today. While it can be argued that most of these games either are abysmal pieces of trash to others that are great, the one thing that they have done right (to an extent) is the music score that it plays to.
Right away you will hear the classic iconic score that all fans and non fans will instantly recognize straight away. Several pieces of this CD feature that and that in itself is a welcome addition considering over the years many of the games do not feature this even though whomever was responsible for making that particular game or publishing it did not include it but they had rights to it. Star Trek Legacy for example while has the feel of the star trek universe in it’s main theme with strings and horns and typical fanfare it is not the main star trek theme we all know and love in it’s various incarnations which is strange considering that CBS games made it who owns the license for this music in the first place.
Out of the twenty nine total tracks ranging from 58 second clips to full on four minute scores they all have that star trek feel that both James Horner and Jay Chattaway are known for. Brass ensembles with orchestral strings, where combat music features pounding drums and cinematic themes that bring you right into the action.
The biggest problem however is that any of these tracks could belong to any or all of the star trek games, I wish it included music from the super nes era and other games like the game star trek shattered universe on the original xbox. Many of these tracks are from PC titles which is nothing wrong but so many other systems have had these games and deserve a place on the CD. I am surprised since the release of STAR TREK on the xbox 360 and PS3 that it’s theme wasn’t included given it’s popularity even though the game was less than stellar in the reviews. I would have like to seen even the classic Wrath of Kahn theme which was featured in the super nes and pc version game Star Trek Starfleet Academy one of my all time favorites.
Never the less the CD is a wonderful edition to both Trekkers and non Trekkers out there, I for one am going to rip it to my xbox 360 and play either Mass Effect to it or Dark Star One Broken alliance or even Project Sylpheed which would really put that star trek feel to those games which all have Star Trek influences. I am for one also glad this was released, it encompasses many years of titles and the music is a welcome edition to this or any gamer’s library.
Overall: A-
