home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
The Final Frontier 1
/
Final Frontier 1 (Disk 1 of 2).adf
/
MORE-REVIEWS
/
MORE-REVIEWS
Wrap
Text File
|
1991-09-09
|
10KB
|
193 lines
MORE REVIEWS!
---------------
This is the section of the mag where we'll review anything that doesn't fit
into any of the regular categories such as books, videos etc. Usually,
records and soundtrack albums will be in their own section, but as there's
only one, it's here this month.
BRENT SPINER - OL' YELLOW EYES IS BACK
----------------------------------------
Reviewed by Simon Plumbe
--------------------------
This album is a personal project by Brent Spiner, featuring a selection of
12 of his favourite songs that he grew up with as a child, most of which will
be totally unknown to the average Trekker!
All the pieces have been arranged by Dennis McCarthy, who, along with Ron
Jones, has composed the majority of the music for THE NEXT GENERATION.
Surprising, and unlike other TREK actors to release records, Brent can
actually sing! He's appeared in countless musicals on Broadway and it
definately shows. He hasn't got the greatest singing voice in the Galaxy, but
he IS a good singer.
I have found myself listening to this constantly! Normally, I listen to Heavy
Metal with the only diversions from this being Jean Michel Jarre and TREK
soundtracks, so to find this enjoyable came as a pleasant surprise!
The tracks vary in styles from up-beat tunes, to the slower romantic tracks
but they are all done with respect to the original artists. Well, maybe not
all! One of the best tracks is called "It's A Sin" and I think this was
arranged more for the fans and not as a serious piece. Why? Well, it features
backing vocals from a group called THE SUNSPOTS - Patrick Stewart, Jonathan
Frakes, LeVar Burton and Michael Dorn! With saying that, it's quite funny to
listen to, especially Patrick's solo in the middle!
One nice touch was on "When I Fall In Love" (the classic by Nat King Cole).
At the end, if you listen carefully, you can hear an acoustic guitar version
of the STAR TREK fanfare by Alexander Courage!
Overall, if this type of music appeals to you, or if you're a dedicated Brent
Spiner fan, then buy this! If not, it will only appeal to Trekkers as a
collector's item. With saying that, give it a try, you'll be pleasantly
surprised. The only real disappointment is that is it a bit on the short side
(34 minutes), but you can't have everything!
It is released on the Bay Cities label, ref. no. BCD 2004 and retails for
around £12 (CD) or £8 (cassette). It will NOT be released on vinyl.
STAR TREK TALKING HAND-HELD L.C.D. GAME
-----------------------------------------
Reviewed by Simon Plumbe
--------------------------
This is a new game, made obivously to cash in on the 25th Anniversary, by
KONAMI, better known for their arcade games than for their hand-held
machines.
This is a fairly simple, 3 level, two-stage game. The first stage involves
you, in control of the Enterprise (what else?), under attack by a number of
Klingon Birds of Prey. In this stage you must control the Enterprise's
deflector shield to deflect the incoming photon torpedoes, and fire the
occasional shot back. To fire you must let the power for the weapons increase
to maximum and then... let rip! However, after each shot, you need to
recharge which is done automatically. The aim of this section is to destroy a
certain number of ships (it increases with each successive level - 1 on level
1, 3 on level 2 and 6 on level 3).
One nice touch about this section is that the damage indicator tells you
what part of the ship is damaged when you are hit (up to a maximum of five
before you go nova!) - ENGINE, BRIDGE, WEAPON, SENSOR and SHIELD.
Normally, this is just cosmetic, but depending on which areas are damaged,
different effects can be found. If the ENGINE is damaged, it takes longer to
charge up the weapon, if the BRIDGE is damaged, control of the shield will be
slower, if the WEAPON is damaged, the photon torpedoes won't always fire when
you want them to (just like any episode!), with the SENSOR damaged, some of
the Klingon vessel will be invisible so you'll have to guess where thay are
and finally if the SHIELD is damaged, the size of your shield is reduced.
The second phase sees the Enterprise orbitting an alien planet, where you
have to rescue a certain number of humanoids there by locking onto them with
the transporters (positioning the Enterprise over the marker on the planet)
and beaming them to safety. All this is while avoiding the bombarment of
photon torpedoes the planet is launcing against you! You can either beam one
or two survivors at a time, depending on how much power the transporter has
available. You need two units per person and the power level increases
throughout the stage, although you lose all power if you are hit. All this
is played against a time limit.
As with the first section, you can survive for five hits, but this time it is
overall damage. At random points during the game (both stages), Spock's head
will appear in the corner, and by pressing up very quickly you will be able
to restore one unit of damage - on the higher levels you will need it!
Once you have beamed your quota aboard, you set off to do the same thing all
over again, this time harder!
I found the game surprisingly playable for a hand-held. I think part of that
is because it manages to capture that STAR TREK "feel". The graphics are up
to the usual standards in LCD games - detailed, single colour but quite
varied. The games opens with an intro sequnce of the Enterprise flying off at
warp speed, there is a small transporter in the corner, and there is a
reasonable likeness of Spock! However, the icing on the cake has got to be
the sound.
As well as the usual clicks and appaling music (!), STAR TREK features a
large number of sampled sound effects and speech! There are several phrases
such as "Warp Speed", "Orbit the Planet", "That's not Logical", "Fire Photon
Torpedoes" and more including the controversial "Beam Me Up Scotty!". As well
as this the sound effects include engines, photon torpedoes, explosions, the
red alert klaxon and, of course, the transporter. It is quite clear and VERY
load - great to annoy people!
Finally, it has a good 'Game completed' sequence that actually makes it worth
playing, and worth playing to try and see it again. Now, how many Amiga games
can you say that about?
Overall, this is a superb game and at long last you can enjoy TREK games
wherever you are! The retail price is approximately £18 and it needs 2 AA
batteries to operate it (they last quite a while). Well, what are you waiting
for? Go and buy it!!!
STAR TREK - FRANKLIN MINT ENTERPRISE REPLICA
----------------------------------------------
Reviewed by Simon Plumbe
--------------------------
No doubt that many of you (in the U.K. at least) saw the adverts in magazines
either last September or early this year for a limited edition, hand crafted,
10-inch long Pewter Replica of the Enterprise (Constitution Class) made by a
company called Franklin Mint. The only thing that was off-putting was the
price - a staggering £195! Well, I wasn't put off, so for those of you who
didn't buy it, was it worth it? Read on....
To start, at that price, you expect detail, and I have to say that this is
probably the most accurate model of the Enterprise you will EVER see short of
looking at the actual model Paramount used! The model has been created using
Gene Roddenberry's original blueprints so it looks IDENTICAL to the one in
the episodes apart from the fact that the model is not white - instead they
have left the pewter unpainted.
The model comes complete with a stand designed in the shape of the Starfleet
insignia, with a small plaque on the underside of the base. Although it
doesn't look it, the model is quite heavy, so it has to be handled with
extreme care. The advert for the ship boasted about the deflector dish being
plated in 22-carat gold. With saying that, for it's size (less than 2cm in
diameter), who cares!!
As well as the model, you receive a certificate of authenticity with a brief
history and details of the Enterprise. The signature of Gene Roddenberry is
only a print, but it's still a nice touch.
The best way to really appreciate the detail is when watching the old
episodes. The day after I receivd my model, I was watching an episode and I
happened to glance across at the model - big mistake! I ended up spending the
next 10 minutes looking between the two - I was amazed at the quality.
Finally, the burning question. Was it worth £200? A reserved YES! The
advantage is that they alllowed payment in 10 instalments so you don't really
notice the actual cost. The only problem you have is that if any friends see
it, you become very paranoid when they walk even within 10 feet of it!
The only annoying element is that the American price for this model is $195,
which works out at around £130 - £140. Why should there be a difference when
Franklin Mint are supposed to be an internationally-based company?
As a footnote, Franklin Mint have just announced a NEW Enterprise model, this
one is 15" in length and is a die-cast replica, this time in the actual
colours used on the show. Again, the deflector dish is gold-plated, but the
real difference is that you can remove part of the saucer section to reveal a
VERY detailed version of the bridge and the shuttle bay slides open to reveal
a miniature Galileo!! The retail price is a staggering £245 and it will be
released at the beginning of 1992. Expect a full review in issue 3.
Next issue: THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS Soundtrack album and 25th Anniversary
Silver medal by Franklin Mint reviewed.