New Look: The Fallen

Simon & Schuster Interactive recently dropped off a beta version of its upcoming Star Trek: Deep Space Nine action game. In The Fallen players assume the role of Captain Sisko, Major Kira, or Lieutenant Worf and play through twelve missions, each of which is made up of three levels. The object of the game is to recover the three missing red orbs of the pah-wraiths. These orbs have the power to destroy the universe as we know it, so understandably the Federation is not the only party interested in their recovery. Players must locate and retrieve the orbs before the Cardassians, the Dominion, or the mysterious Grigari get there first.

The Fallen follows a number of gameplay conventions made popular by another third-person action-adventure game, Tomb Raider. Many doors require security passes or access codes, and you'll often need to traverse a number of obstacles to locate the passes and complete the level. However, The Collective has worked to design multiple paths to success in many of the levels and each of the three playable characters will approach the missions differently.

When running and stealth aren't options you'll appreciate the game's array of beam weapons, including the classic Star Trek phaser. To aid in navigating the levels, your standard Federation equipment includes a tricorder that can scan the immediate area and a communicator that lets you contact other DS9 crewmembers for spoken advice during the missions.

The game - which is powered by an enhanced version of the Unreal engine - ran well on our Direct3D video card, although the load times have yet to be fully optimized. The graphics are in general very good, and the character animations are particularly smooth and lifelike. The environments are impressively detailed, and the liberal use of darkness and shadows effectively conveys a sense of suspense. In several missions The Fallen's developer, The Collective, uses animated textures and particle effects to realistically depict snow, rain, and water. The game's sound is quite realistic and supports 3D environmental audio. During the course of the game, players have ample opportunity to hear the voice acting of all the actors from the television show, except Avery Brooks (Sisko) and Colm Meaney (O'Brian).

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Fallen is scheduled for release in November. For more information about the game, take a look at GameSpot's preview. We will also bring you an updated preview next week.