The New Star Trek Game Boldly Goes Where No Star Trek Game Has Gone Before

Just as J.J. Abrams brought us a fresh new look at the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise in the 2009 theatrical revamp, Paramount Digital Entertainment’s 2012 Star Trek takes the series’ games in an exciting new direction, casting players in the role of Kirk and Spock in an epic co-op action adventure.

Over the years Star Trek video games have covered plenty of genres. We’ve seen point-and-click adventure games, arcade space battles, tactical combat simulators, first-person shooters, and even a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. It’s amazing to me that there’s still new ground to tread, but Paramount Digital and developer Digital Extremes are walking on it with 2012’s Star Trek

For the first time in Trek gaming history, players will be able to step into the shoes of Kirk and Spock, working together to save the galaxy from a “legendary alien race”. The story is a continuation of the 2009 film, so expect to see the likenesses of Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto instead of Shatner and Nimoy. I’m fine with that. Judging by the game’s description of action-packed combat and the initial screenshot, the latter pair would have looked terribly out-of-place here anyway.

Star Trek features a brand new story written by God of War writer Marianne Krawczyk, overseen by movie writers Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman, so expect a compelling narrative that closely follows the fiction of the new film franchise.

“Star Trek challenges the boundaries of co-op gameplay with a galactic adventure that gamers and fans have never experienced,” said Tom Lesinski, President of Paramount Digital Entertainment. “Working closely with the Star Trek filmmaking team throughout development, the game is sure to deliver AAA production values, a wide variety of gameplay and all the action you would expect from the hit franchise. This will be the definitive Star Trek gaming experience.”

Those are some bold words there. The definitive Star Trek gaming experience for me was Interplay’s Star Trek: 25th Anniversary from back in 1992. If Paramount Digital can dethrone that classic, then we’re in for something pretty damn amazing.

Star Trek is due out for the PlayStation 3, PC, and Xbox 360 in the summer of 2012, though we might be getting an early glimpse of it next week at E3 2011. I’m tingling with excitement.