Timothy Simpson

When Gene Roddenberry came up with Star Trek, it was about exploration, and seeking peace, while also showing that everyone can be treated equally. When the Federation fired weapons, it was a last resort. This was shown through almost all of the Star Trek series. But, let's face it: most gamers get bored with games that don't have violence through pretty much the whole thing. And when it comes to fighting, Star Trek Online delivers. It's more like Star Wars, but with a Star Trek skin on it. There is no exploration. Every mission is just dialogue, fight, dialogue, fight. Which is what almost all games are. But, there is no "Trek" in Star Trek Online. Just space wars. On top of that, the ones in charge of making decisions for the game decided to add an uncapped ability to add power creep to the game. And any experienced gamer in MMO games can tell you, that just means the game can become a victim of Pay-to-Win mechanics. Star Trek Online always had P2W mechanics after it adopted the Free-to-play method. At first, there was a healthy balance to the game. And, there was a hard cap for power creep. Until the Delta Rising expansion. It brought with it the removal of the power creep cap, meaning they can keep selling more powerful ships, weapons, gear, etc. It added an upgrade system that was a resource and money sink. And added new levels you can go up. The worse part is the P2W mechanics. And while you "don't have to spend money" on the game, it either leaves you at a really big disadvantage, or you can spend months grinding out in-game resources to trade it for the premium currency. Or you can create a bunch of different characters on your account to use the grind out the resources needed to trade for premium currency. If you don't chase the P2W and power creep mechanics, you will find yourself respawning a lot, because once you hit level 52, the game starts being geared towards the highest tier ships and gear. Aside from the grind for overpriced ships, weapons and gear, and the gambling system that most of the best stuff is in, there is a LOT of grinding through "Reputation" systems. Just another system that was just poorly implemented in the game. Many gamers that have played the game (including myself) will tell you that the only reason the game is still alive is because there isn't another open world Star Trek MMO. Especially one that feels more like Star Trek should feel. This is a Razar Review. Razar.