Star Trek: Judgment Rites
Star Trek: Judgment Rites is a computer game first produced by Interplay Productions in 1993, featuring the original cast of the classic Star Trek in a series of new adventures, including one featuring Trelane, the omnipotent child from the original episode "The Squire of Gothos". "Judgment Rites" uses the same MS-DOS game engine as the earlier ""; however, it had sharper graphics and sound, particularly with the CD-ROM edition. All of the initial cast members provided voices for their characters on the game in that edition. William Campbell also reprised his guest role as Trelane . The game is a change from the previous game in the series, "Star Trek: 25th Anniversary", in that at least half the missions are part of an ongoing story arc, and one is a direct sequel to the final mission of the previous game. The space battle sequences are now completely optional, with adjustable difficulty. It was designed by Bruce Schlickbernd and Jayesh J. Patel, with scenarios by Michael A. Stackpole, Scott Bennie, Mark O'Green, and Liz Danforth. The canceled 1997 game "" notwithstanding, this game marks the last time DeForest Kelley played the role of Leonard McCoy. It is also  the last time the original Star Trek principal cast appeared in its entirety in a Star Trek production. A special commemorative edition of this game was released on CD with several items, including a copy of the classic series episode "The City on the Edge of Forever" and a commemorative pin symbolizing one of the missions. Gameplay. Gameplay is similar to that of "Judgment Rites"s predecessor, "". The player controls Captain Kirk of the USS "Enterprise", and interacts with Spock, McCoy, and other crewmembers while solving eight "episodes" on and off the ship. Combat sequences, in which the "Enterprise" battles enemies  in space, are optional unlike those in the first game. Plot. Throughout the story arc, the "Enterprise" crew attempts to go on shore leave, but are often waylaid by the many missions of the scenarios, as if they were part of a "to be continued" story not often featured in "Star Trek", due to the greater story arc. They are not seemingly random missions. Expansion pack. The "Movie & Sound Pack" is an expansion pack for "Judgment Rites" which, advertisements said, "expand[ed] the experience with fantastic new cinematic sequences and digitized sound effects from the original television series". Collector's Edition . A "Star Trek: Judgment Rites - Collector's Edition" was issued in 1995. It included a CD-ROM with a 20-minute interview of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. The interview took place in 1988 as part of a " - Behind The Scenes" special television presentation. Reception. Together with "25th Anniversary", "Judgment Rites" sold more than 300,000 copies by April 1994. "Computer Gaming World" in March 1994 said that "The individual adventures are far more interesting" than that of "25th Anniversary", and liked the "nicely upgraded" graphics. The magazine concluded that although experienced adventurers would finish the game quickly, "it would be  a shame for Star Trek fanatics to miss out on "Judgment Rites"". Charles Ardai said in April 1994 that "Judgment Rites" "is a better game in any number of ways" than its predecessor, with optional and less combat, more and larger episodes, a unified plot thread, and bigger roles for supporting characters. "Judgment Rites" was a runner-up for "Computer Gaming World"s 1993 "Adventure Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to "" and "Day of the Tentacle" (tie). In 1996, "Computer Gaming World" ranked it as the 96th best PC game of all time, calling it "the first "Star  Trek" game that truly captured the feel of the original episodes." In 1994, "PC Gamer UK" named it the 43rd best computer game of all time. The editors wrote, "Previous "Star Trek" titles failed miserably, but this one shows how well it can be done when the designers treat the subject with the respect it deserves." That same year, "PC Gamer US" named "Judgment Rites" the 44th best computer game ever. In 2011, Adventure Gamers named "Judgment Rites" the 58th-best adventure game ever released. In 2017, "PC Gamer" ranked "Judgment Rites" among the best "Star Trek" games. In 2021 , "Den of Geek" said that "Judgment Rites" was done so well it was worthy of being a good "final season" of the television show, praising the writing and gameplay.