"That famous Shatner humor is still in high gear!" That's what fellow QJ-er Chris Coker said about William Shatner, the actor who played James Tiberius Kirk on Star Trek.

GameSpy interviewed him about what it was like to voice Kirk in the Bethesda Softwork Star Trek games: Star Trek: Legacy (for Xbox 360 and PC), Star Trek: Encounters, and Star Trek: Tactical Assault (for DS and PSP).

How did Bethesda manage to convince Shatner? "I didn't want to do it," Shatner said, "But they kept coming back to me... It was the groveling that got me. It broke my heart." Although Star Trek: Legacy impressed him ("cool" was how he described the game, and with the best graphics among Star Trek games, yeah it's cool).

Is it hard work to do voicing for a game?

GS: Have you ever been doing a voice for something and had the director say you're sounding too Kirk-like?

Shatner: No. But you have to explain that to me: What's Kirk-like?

GS: Well, Kirk is very commanding, very authoritative…

Shatner: No, there's no such thing. I just say the words. "NO!" Was that Kirk-like?

GS: Yeah.

Shatner: But that's also how I ordered dinner last night.

Anyway, Legacy is coming out on November 21, while Tactical Assault has already been released. Shatner said, "Star Trek is coming back, you can feel it in the air." We QJ Trekkers and Trekkies agree.

Great news to all hardcore trekkers out there, Bethesda has just announced that Star Trek: Tactical Assault for DS is now currently shipping to your nearby retail stores in NA!

You can now take command over your very own warship and dodge enemy attacks while protecting your own stellar crew. Assess your enemies' weakness to outmaneuver them and save your warship from attacks coming at you left and right.

And since this won't be an easy task, the game will also feature Skirmish and Wireless Multiplayer modes so you won't go out into battle alone. The Skirmish mode will allow users to test their commanding skills against the AI while the Wireless Multiplayer allows you to battle it out Star Trek-style with your friends. Live out your trekkie fantasies by taking command over the featured ships from the Federation, Klingon, Romulan, Gorn, and Orion fleets.

Developed by Quicksilver Software and rated E by ESRB, the PSP version of Star Trek: Tactical Assault is set to hit shelves on the week of November 13th.

Buy: [Star Trek: Tactical Assault for DS]
Pre-order: [Star Trek: Tactical Assault for PSP]

We'll dispense with the "To boldly go where no man has gone before" nonsense because someone's probably gone that way before. Instead, let's make a reference to the Kobayashi Maru battle simulation.

Imagine that Ubisoft and Bethesda are the incoming warships, the Star Trek fans and game players represent the captains and the ships who are trying to save the Kobayashi Maru, and my fractured sanity represents the damaged ship we're trying to save.

Unfortunately, the combined forces of Bethesda, who are developing three different Star Trek games across the various game platforms, and Ubisoft, who will be publishing the three games, are irresistible. Nothing will stop them from destroying my sanity and making sure you buy at least one version of their upcoming Star Trek games.

Yeah, you lose the scenario, but you were meant to lose it (unless you cheat like Kirk). Luckily for you, this kind of loss doesn't seem so bad since you still get Star Trek goodness on your favorite console. In addition to the already released Star Trek: Encounters for the PS2, you can also wreck some warp cores in Star Trek: Tactical Assault for Sony's PSP (released October 24) and Nintendo's DS (October 26). Lastly, you can surely wait till November 21 (yeah, it's a delay) for the coolest version of them all, the one with the original cast members playing their voices, in Star Trek: Legacy for the Xbox 360 and PC. Just one question: Kirk or Picard?

New Zealand: Is it just us, or it's getting a little Trekky in here?
Australia: No, we're feeling it too.
New Zealand: What are we going to do about it?
Australia: I do not know but resistance is futile...

Okay, that was geeky. Just to keep records straight, no such conversation took place. Thank God. It is true though that Star Trek fans from New Zealand and Australia will soon be getting their version of Star Trek: Tactical Assault (PSP, DS). Publisher Ubisoft announced today that they just signed an agreement with Bethesda Softworks, developer of the game for the handhelds.

Ubisoft also added that Tactical Assault will also see action on X360 for the said markets. Since no further details were given regarding the game, we wonder how the Klingon and the other races would look like in next-gen. All versions of the game are expected by December. We hope Captain Kirk's already landed in New Zealand and Australia to give us all an update by then.

 

Trekkies rejoice as we have some more Star Trek: Tactical Assault screens for the DS version of the game today. Fans will be proud to hear that this game is not dead as this is the first screenshot update we have had since May this year during the hustle and bustle of this years E3 Expo in LA. The graphics on this game do in fact look very good for a DS title when you take into account that there hasn't been abundance of space-faring games to take on the dual-screen challenge.

The screenshots show the game's tactical HUD which will be displayed on the bottom screen of the DS whilst the action takes place on the top screen. Weapons, Shields and Navigation displays can be seen in the screenshots and are reminiscent of other Star Trek titles for the PC such as Starfleet Command. With the collaboration of a great HUD, good graphics and a storyline written by legendary Trek writer DC Fontana, this game should be a hit with fans of the series and non-trek fans alike.

Set phasers to stun - Star Trek:Tactical Assault is set for launch out into the final frontier on the DS and PSP this Autumn.

Preorder: [Star Trek: Tactical Assault]

Bethesda Softworks announced a couple days ago (August 4, in fact) that the famous Dorothy "DC" Fontana is writing the scripts for its upcoming Star Trek: Legacy (for Microsoft's Xbox 360 and for Windows / PC) and Star Trek: Tactical Assault (being developed for Sony's PSP and for the Nintendo DS).

This is big news because DC Fontana is one big writer: she wrote for the original Star Trek series and kept on writing until Star Trek: Deep Space 9. She wrote Star Trek: The Next Generation's first episode (the two-part Encounter at Farpoint) and she also wrote for Babylon 5 and Earth: Final Conflict.

And did we mention that she was inducted into the American Screenwriters Association Hall of Fame?

Star Trek computer games don't seem to do as well as Star Trek movies, but Trekkers and Trekkies are hoping that DC Fontana has crafted wonderful plotlines for both Star Trek: Legacy and Star Trek: Tactical Assault.

Bethesda Softworks was behind the successful Elder Scrolls series, it might be fair to have high expectations for their upcoming Star Trek games. Both games will be released on October 3, 2006.

Prior to this point, all we've been able to give you about the upcoming Star Trek title for the Nintendo DS and PSP, Star Trek: Tactical Assault, were a handful of details and several screenshots. Here's the latest about the game (released at E3).

Star Trek: Tactical Assault is a strategy/action real-time spaceship combat battle game that can be played by one or two people. This game will feature a wide array of weaponry, battle ships and Star Trek races from the universe of the original Star Trek series, giving players choices as to the characters and battle ships that they'll use during the game.

In the game, a player can choose to be be in command of a star ship for the Federation as a Federation Captain. Skills and strategies in battle need to be used to stop the war (brought about by a surprise attack by the Klingons) and to restore order in the universe. As a Klingon, the player will command an Empire where they will have to do anything to survive. Honor is also the most important thing for the Klingons, though there are some who will betray the empire for personal gain.

Star Trek: Tactical Assault is based on the original series, where Kirk is in command and the Klingons are the enemy. The real-time combat mode of the game will involve multiple warships. With this feature of the game, the player's abilities as the captain will be tested as he has to out-maneuver enemy ships, expose their weaknesses, and at the same time, protect his own ship.

There are two separate and full-length campaign modes – one as the hero of the Federation and the other as a champion of the Klingon empire. There are also branching missions that will result in multiple outcomes.

Star Trek: Tactical Assault will allow players to test their skills against others via head-to-head wireless multiplayer mode. In both the multiplayer and Skirmish modes, there will be five playable races. Command ships from the Federation, Romulan, Klingon, Orion and Gorn – all having their own combat philosophy, weaknesses and strengths – can be used in the game.

Star Trek: Tactical Assault for the PSP and the Nintendo DS will be released this fall.

Nintendo Power sat down with Cory Nelson, Producer of Star Trek: Tactical Assault, and talked about the upcoming Star Trek game for the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP. They discussed timeline, battle system, storyline, PSP/DS differences, and multiplayer mode. It seems that the multiplayer will actually be online! Single-Cart/Game-Share is unconfirmed at this point though.

The first handheld Star Trek game will also feature five races - Federation, Klingon, Romulan, Gorn, and Orion - and over 20 ships. The story is set before Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in 2284. The story changes with the decisions you make giving it good replay value.

It's pretty interesting that Nintendo Power is actually asking about the PSP version at all. For the past couple of years, the magazine has basically ignored the competition. After the re-design during E3 last year, they've definitely stepped it up and become more open.

Taking place in the original Star Trek universe, Star Trek: Tactical Assault is a new title coming to the DS. This game gives players control over original weapons and ships in various encounters and battles with enemies. With wireless gameplay modes you can take on your friends and test your skills. The game offers Klingon and Federation ships and missions featuring real-time combat.

With a release date set in early October, fans will have a bit of a wait, so we bring you 6 new screens (as well as the promise of updates as soon as we get new information) to tide you over until the game drops.