14 DAY TRIAL // A new Star Trek video game is on the way, ready to accompany the launch of the movie that J. J. Abrams is preparing for next year, but the action nature of the big screen experience will not necesarily be at the core of the cooperative focused game from Namco Bandai.
Sheldon Carter, who is the creative director working at studio Digital Extremes, has spoken to IGN and said, “The question that comes up a lot is, ‘What’s exploration like in Star Trek? What does it mean to seek out new alien worlds and technologies, and to relate to them in a way that’s not just cover shooting?’”
He added, “That’s something that’s been on our minds right from the beginning. This is not just a game where you’re going to run and gun and kill everyone. These characters kind of lead themselves. They react differently to different situations. Realizing that in gameplay is challenging, but it’s also super fun.”
The development team is working directly with the team developing the movie at Paramount Pictures and the dynamic of the new video game, which focuses on Captain Kirk and on First Officer Spock, is set to reflect one of the major themes of the motion picture.
Digital Extremes says that Spock will be the logical element in the partnership, understanding the environment and proposing a rational approach, while Kirk tends to be hotheaded and will rely on his emotion and rush into confrontation before realizing he might be outmatched.
Digital Extremes plans to create a number of situations where the two characters need to work together in order to solve simple puzzles and overcome the environment around them.
The Star Trek video game will be launched on the Xbox 360 from Microsoft, the PlayStation 3 from Sony and the PC during May 13.
Neither developer nor publisher have commented on the possibility of a Nintendo Wii U version.