Star-Trek-Online posts (Subscribe to this feed)

Atari has just basically announced ahead of time who the most annoying Star Trek Online players will be -- those who buy the Digital Deluxe Edition. This special edition of the game, available for $59.99 at launch from both Direct2Drive and Steam (the retail Collector's Edition is $80 and includes different stuff -- see an image here), gives players the ability to "relive Kirk's unforgettable moment of fury, with the timeless cry... 'KHAAAN!'" And just like that, the game is ruined. You will never hear another sound in Star Trek Online. It will be one continuous refrain of "KHAAAN" on every starship, every planet, every Starbase in the galaxy.

The Digital Deluxe Edition also includes Original Series-style uniforms, a Klingon Blood Wine Toast emote, the NX- registry prefix for your ships, an "Automated Defense Battery" tactical module and the exclusive "Joined Trill" species (like Dax on Deep Space Nine).

[Via Big Download, image: I Can Haz Cheezburger]

Seriously, Cryptic Studios and Atari -- you are drowning us in screenshots for Star Trek Online. We had to go out and purchase another external hard drive just so we could keep tabs on our ever-burgeoning "STO Assets" folder. We feel like, if scanned through quickly enough, we could accurately recreate gameplay segments from the title. Really, really disjointed gameplay segments.

Check out the latest batch in the gallery below, then check out all 104 images we've received to date and dropped in this gallery. Then, try to approximate how many more we'll receive before the game's February 2 release date. We're guessing somewhere within the vicinity of 3,000, but that's a fairly conservative estimate.

Much like the dreaded Kobayashi Maru, there really is no right answer to the question, "Where should I pre-order Star Trek Online?" In its ongoing mission to make games as hard to purchase as possible, Starfleet has issued different pre-order bonuses to each major American retailer. Want to pilot the Enterprise? You'll have to order from GameStop. Need a pet Tribble? Best Buy. How about a gun that beams projectiles directly to their intended target? Target. That "Liberated Borg" bridge officer you always wanted? Amazon.

And here we thought all we had to do to get the full enjoyment out of our games was buy them. Those days are over, friend. Check out the full list of pre-order bonuses -- and where to find them -- after the break.

Klingons aren't the only thing in the galaxy you should fear, as your inner desire for paraphernalia and in-game items could push you over the edge to purchase the Star Trek Online Collector's Edition from GameStop. The online retailer details the $80 package as including a small, metal Communicator Badge, an in-game Red Matter Capacitor that gives all of your ships a little extra energy and exclusive Next Generation and Deep Space Nine uniforms for your crew. You'll also score some guest passes for a few friends and a deluxe, hardcover manual and requisite special packaging.

Above, you can check out a new trailer showing off some of the ship-based combat and, should you desire a look at the full Collector's Edition packaging, you can make it so by engaging past the break.

[Via Big Download]

With our rudimentary knowledge of the expanded Star Trek universe, we have a hard time following Cryptic Studios' series of lore briefings for Star Trek Online (the latest installment of which is posted above). Still, you don't have to have a Ph.D. in Klingon-Starfleet relations to appreciate the gargantuan space battles featured in the video. You just have to have eyes. We suppose an appreciation for lasers helps, too.

In addition to the moving pictures, Atari has released a batch of new stills, as well, which we've tossed into the gallery below. Unless you have some aversion to wrinkle-headed alien species, we think you'll like what you see.

Star Trek Online may launch on Stardate 63554.5 (February 2, 2010), but beginning January 12, fans can beam into the open beta. The intergalactic guinea pig session will take place from January 12 until January 26. Players interested in kicking the warp nacelles should head on over to startrekonline.com to enroll.

If you're also interested in learning more about life in the 25th century, check out some of Star Trek Online's videos and developer interviews.

Atari has released some new videos of Star Trek Online. The first, embedded above, is a detailed look at the game's space combat. In it, the developers at Cryptic discuss the overall thrust of combat and also the many things that players can do to customize their ships. Everything from ship type to different equipment to a player's choice of bridge officers has an impact on combat effectiveness. Oh, and once again, there's a Borg cube. Only this time ... it explodes.

After the break, find a quick trailer showcasing the ability for players to visit their ship's bridge. Thrill as you watch your avatar stand up and point at the view screen! Just try to keep it quiet when muttering the words, "Make it so." The video also touches on ground combat, visits alien landscapes and throws in some phasers and explosions for good measure. Enjoy.

Cryptic understands that you have questions about Star Trek Online, and now, thanks to Massively, you've got answers. The Joystiq sister site got hold of the folks at Cryptic and got some answers to burning questions about the ships featured in the game. Want to know the gameplay difference between a Klingon Bird of Prey and a Carrier? Does the custom look of your ship affect its performance? Can you visit the inside of your ship? Head over to Massively for answers to all these questions, and be sure to keep an eye out for more Star Trek Online Q&A sessions soon.

Star Trek Online officially beams into retail on February 2, 2010, keeping in line with what an unearthed Atari financial document expected last May. Players will boldly enter 2409 and continue "the story of the latest film installment," according to the press release. Huh, and here we thought it took place after the poorly-received Nemesis and not the "latest" Star Trek movie, which was actually the acclaimed reboot.

We contacted Atari to find out which layer of the sci-fi series' multiverse we'll be playing in and a representative apologized for the confusion, saying , "Events in the movie that happened in the prime timeline -- the destruction of Romulus, and the disappearance of Spock and Nero -- have affected STO. You can learn more about the aftermath of these events in the Path to 2409 and in STO itself."

We've got a double dose of Star Trek Online video goodness for you today, as Cryptic has seen fit to not only release part two of the "Future Past" series, but also a new gameplay trailer. The trailer -- handily embedded above -- is comprised mostly of pitched space battles and ground encounters. It's also packed with more phaser and disruptor beams than you can shake a tribble at. One more thing: Borg cube.

After the break, see part two of "The Future Past," which details the outcome of the Klingon / Nausicaan / Gorn war. In short, the Klingons are pretty much bad guys again by 2409, the year in which Star Trek Online begins.

Cryptic executive producer Craig Zinkievich has confirmed with Videogamer that the upcoming Star Trek Online is set to launch during the first quarter of next year -- which falls in line with an Atari document we reported on back in May. Zinkievich also confirmed that Cryptic will soon offer gamers a taste of the experience to come, stating that the game's closed beta is "right around the corner."

Though Videogamer set its phaser to "pester," Zinkievich wouldn't budge on any details about release date beyond the quoted Q1 2010 placeholder, citing that he would receive the full wrath of the marketing department should he crack. We'd like to imagine said department being full of Klingons, but we all know Cardassians really make the best marketers.

Cryptic has put out a new behind-the-scenes video for Star Trek Online, in which members of the development team lay down the fictional history behind the title. The game is set to take place after the final Next Generation film, Star Trek Nemesis. Unless you're pretty up on your Trek lore, that's really all you need to know. For the rest of us, the video goes into thick detail about the various conflicts that follow, leading up to a massive war between Klingons, Romulans, the Gorn and Nausicaans.

Don't worry if you don't know your Dyson spheres from your Crystalline entities, as there are plenty of space battles and explosions in there, too.

The folks at Cryptic have released some new screens of the upcoming Star Trek Online, and let's just say that Locutus fans should be pretty pumped. That's right, we finally get to take a look at the Borg (sounds Swedish ...) as they appear in the game. We can't help but imagine actually playing as a member of the Borg collective in the game, though that might be just a tad unfair to the rest of the organic exploring the virtual universe.

The screens also show off some of the spacecraft available in the game. Peruse them all in the gallery below. It's not like you have a choice in the matter.

[Via Massively]

Do you want to die a whole lot during your first interstellar excursion in Star Trek Online? If not, we'd advise you not to dress yourself in the lowly, crimson vestments of a Starfleet security officer -- or, as they've appropriately been nicknamed, "Redshirts." It's a well known fact that most hostile extraterrestrials are bull-like in their profound hatred for the hue. Strangely enough, these same adversaries are placated by the garments of a Starfleet Admiral, inspiring them to give long soliloquies instead of, you know, murdering people.

If the latter clothing choice sounds more in your wheelhouse, you'll be happy to know that a Starfleet Admiral outfit is being offered as a Star Trek Online bonus for purchasers of Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3 on Blu-ray, according to TVShowsOnDVD.com. Not only do you get sweet duds for your character when the game drops in early 2010, but the television episodes will allow you to brush up on other important pieces of Star Trek errata. For instance, you should never hug a Klingon -- or Vulcans, for that matter. In fact, just keep those deep space hugs to yourself, okay?

[Via Big Download]

You're going to buy and subscribe to Star Trek Online if you're a Star Trek fan.

I'm really sorry to be the one to break it to you. You might not possess the fungible assets required for such a commitment -- heck, you might not even like MMOs. These facts don't matter. Cryptic hasn't just made a game based on Roddenberry's magnum opus -- it has managed to create a flawlessly adapted interactive extension of the show.