Rating: 
Summary: Very Disappointed
Review: ....The interface is extremely confusing, the view is always from the outside of the ship, the movements are again 2 dimensional, and to top it off, there are no instructions with it. When you finally figure out how to make your ship do anything there is no room for thinking or tactics, just click "attack" and it gors through it's motions while you sit back and wonder if you're going to win or not. All in all, not well thought out, challenging, or fun. Now I have to countdown again for "Bridge Commander" to come out.
Rating:
Summary: Bad and Good
Review: After waiting so long I finally received my copy of Dominion Wars. I am writing this short review because many of our fleet members want my opinion the game. This "short" review will cover the Graphics, Interface, Concepts, and stability.Graphics: Think of this game as a movie with great special effects. Like everyone else, I like to go to the movies; however, I prefer to see films with great stories and lest special effects. Too many producers spend millions and millions of dollars on the special effects and spend only a few thousand dollars on story development. These types of movies usually have no depth and never wins an oscar. Such is case with Dominion Wars, the graphics are the best but the games itself lack depth. The graphics are very sharp and clear - all StarTrek games should have graphics like this. Interface. It is a pleasure to be able to rotate the camera at any point around the ships and to view all ships in detail. The interface to the game is not that bad - in fact, it's good. The interface is not as detailed as the standard set by StarFleet Command - you do not have control of all aspects of the ships, but it does provide a true feel of the LCARS system which is the Next Generation standard interface. Unlike Klingon Academy, you can not truly control your ships. At best, you can issue very "General" orders of when and where to attack. The Mini Map looks nice, but is hard to manage if your ships are not together. Is it also difficult to know the attack vector of the enemy ships; they sometimes come out of no where and start attacking - You would think doing a sensor sweep would help but that does not always work. This would not be a problem if the Dominion uses cloak ships, unfortunately that is not the case. Concepts. This is not Klingon Academy or Starfleet Command - it is not a star ship simulation game! It is a strategy game - That's the bottom line. You must spend more time planning your strategy before each mission in order to win. If you like Starfleet Command or Klingon Academy because of there great detail, stay away from this game you are not going to find that in Dominion Wars. If you like the ability to "Generally" control a fleet of ships like in a game called Startrek Armada, then you will like Dominion Wars. You will also like the ability to choose captains and special devices for each ship, if you can afford them. Stability. I began to like this game a lot...... then it began to crash on me; forcing me to reboot my computer. I then began to hate the game! I downloaded the latest patch so that game crashes a lot less. I would prefer for Gismo Games to release the game 5 months late and have a stable product than to release an unfinished product to the public! I have to literally save the game in the middle of the action so that the next time is crashes I would not have to do the mission over. Needless to say....this is a real pain. In short, this could have been a great game but is it not because of the lack of thought, depth and stability. Game development companies really need to spend serious time with people who actually play these types of games so that they could get an idea of what the public is look for. Dominion War has proven that they do not have a clue. We have been disappointed with so many startrek titles. Only Klingon Academy and Star Fleet Command Version 1 did a good job a representing the Startrek universe. I give it 2 stars. HG-Admiral out
Rating: 
Summary: Not a bad game once you get it to work
Review: Basically the game is like Starfleet Command. The main differences are: - you get to assign captains to different ships and you get to command the newer ships. - You tend to control the ships at a high level by issuing general orders on which systems of an enemy ship to attack and what attack pattern to take. So in that sense it is a more like how it's done on TV. i.e. invoke attack pattern delta (whatever that is...) - You can command several ships at the same time in a large battle sequence. In Starfleet command you get about 3. - Since your commands are issued at a relatively high level you get more of a chance to admire the battle unfolding. - Also as the ships get hit their hull starts to deteriorate like on TV. You get to see more and more of the skeleton of the ship. Kind of neat. Major cons: If you have an ATI Rage Mobility graphics card then you have to replace the video driver with a 3rd party one. The support site for the game has a link to a download. I have also posted detailed instructions on how to install the driver on their message board. Other than that I hear the game is buggy. I haven't encountered the bugs yet but at least they are releasing bug fixes. I give it a 4 because it isn't a bad game overall and I am a big DS9 fan. Otherwise the level of frustration I went thru installing the game would have resulted in a 1/5 followed by a call to the better business bureau. The game also comes with Starship Creator Warp 2 for free- a thoroughly avoidable "game".
Rating: 
Summary: too many bugs equals too much frustration
Review: Beautiful graphics (if you can get the game to run) and fun scenarios (if you don't have to repeatedly reload the game due to lock ups). Talk about frustration. Okay, I didn't spend last years salary on a computer but give me a break. System requirements should include 'state of the art computer with a separate room for the graphics card and RAM.'
Rating:
Summary: too many bugs equals too much frustration
Review: Beautiful graphics (if you can get the game to run) and fun scenarios (if you don't have to repeatedly reload the game due to lock ups). Talk about frustration. Okay, I didn't spend last years salary on a computer but give me a break. System requirements should include 'state of the art computer with a separate room for the graphics card and RAM.'
Rating: 
Summary: Trek games are going in the right direction
Review: Considering this game was supposed to come out this month, October 2000, I'm a little disappointed that I have to wait 6 months to get it ... although I'm used to it by now considering I have purchased many Blizzard products and I am used to delays there. However, Star Trek games have gotten bad raps forever. Recently though, Star Trek: Armada and Voyager: Elite Force have both been superb games, and I believe Dominion Wars should be another similar step in the right direction. One thing I'd like to see now is some, any information on the website ... anything, even a couple of screenshots or a ship description, or the engine they used to create the game. Oh well, I will wait the 6 months in great anticipation.
Rating:
Summary: The best war in the alpha quadrant in your hands
Review: Dominion war is in your hands. You can be a the dominion or the Federation, Klingon, and Romulan. YOu have to get it.
Rating:
Summary: Can't Wait
Review: Dominion Wars is a 3D tactical game that takes place during the two years of the Dominion War that we saw on DS9. You lead a six-ship task force, for either side -- The Federation/Klingons or the Dominion/Cardassians. You lead from your flagship, and each of the other ships in your fleet has its own captain, which you assign, based on attributes such as aggresiveness, command rating and such. However, the combat is all external -- you're looking at your ships, not out from inside them. You can zoom and move around using the mouse You also can customize to some extent the ships themselves. If you're going on a pure combat mission, throw in some extra guns and dump some speed capability, and even stuff like how many engineers or security officers you have on board. Though you only command one ship at a time, there are 24 different ships to choose from, so you can upgrade to better ships or faster ships or whatever between missions. How well you do on missions controls how much money you make, which determines how many upgrades you can get. Keep in mind though -- this isn't a micromanagement game but an action game. And the graphics are awesome. Also, as an added bonus, in this game you can import captains from the Starship Creator 2 game.
Rating:
Summary: One Heck Of A Game
Review: For me, the 'Star Trek' story has always been about the thrill and adventure woven into the lives of those characters who live and serve aboard 'Starships'. Just the concept of such machines as those portrayed in the series' leaves me literally quivering with excitement. In every new episode I look forward to the dedicated work of those special effects geniuses who bring starships to life. Whether they're jumping to warp, combating the enemy, or simply gliding through space, I can't help but be captivated by the sleek gracefullness of these magnificent creations. I believe this feeling of captivation is what 'Dominion Wars' was founded upon. The creators used the war with the Dominion as the perfect background to at last give the player that sense of true command which previous Star Trek games lacked.
I'm talking about being able to watch the ships under your control perform graphically beautiful maneuvers from literally any camera angle you prefer. Because of the completely interactive, 3D environment, the player comes to feel that they're truly there, right in the heart of the action. With so much control over the vessels, it's hard not to get excited when you manage to pull of something cool. I remember at one point in the game, and this left me truly breathless (if you're not an avid Star Trek fan, this will sound geeky). I was engaged in a fierce battle with several Jem'Hadar fighters, my two Akira class starships were taking heavy damage while holding the line against the opposing strike cruisers. Meanwhile my Flagship, an Achilles class vessel (with shields severely damaged and venting plasma - which looks really cool graphically by the way) was frantically attempting to gain the edge on a circling Jem'Hadar War Cruiser. The USS Bastion (my faithful 'Steamrunner') was a flaming pile of wrekage spiraling towards a nearby planet. The long range sensors aboard my 'Achilles' were picking up Cardassian reinforcements moving in fast. Frantically, I checked the progress of my 'Defiant' class vessel, whose engines had been damaged and was at least 30 seconds away from the fight. Knowing I wouldn't be able to survive without the quantum torpedoes aboard the 'Defiant'. I re-routed all available power to the rear shields on each of my engaged vessels and high-tailed it back towards the Defiant so that I could make my last stand with all guns blazing. Unfortunately, one of my Akira's wasn't fast enough and was dispatched readily by the pursuing Strike Cruiser. Panicking, I re-group and wait for them to come to me. I figure I only have one chance: The Secret Maneuver! It doesn't always work, but I figured I had nothing to lose. As the blips on my sensors get closer, I form my remaining ships into a sort of 'V' and prepare to 'joust' with the enemy. As soon as the Jem'Hadar and Cardassian ships were within visual range, I brought my ships up to full impulse and charged the War Cruiser (their ultra omega death ship), targeting its shields with one concentrated alpha strike in an attempt to knock em' down, if just for a second. As my beleageured fleet charged, I swiveled the camera angle to the get the best shot of the action. The specially equppied long range phasers aboard my Achilles were the first to light up the scene, followed by multiple spreads of torpedoes and intermingled phaser bursts. Scanning the War Cruiser, I could see that I had almost done it, I just needed a little more. The quantum torpedoes aboard my defiant were the last to fire, and in a blaze of graphical magnificance, the shields aboard the War cruiser dropped. Instantly I beamed aboard all available boarding teams in an attempt to gain control of the vessel. I had equppied extra security personel for just this purpose, with upgraded weapons to provide that extra punch. While the battle raged on the War Cruiser, my fleet held against the Cardassian Tonga's just long enough for my boarding teams to gain control of the War Cruiser. I had 2 security dudes left after that fight, the image of the War Cruiser popped up in my ship bar, signifying control. After that, it was only a matter of beaming aboard a small command crew, and mopping up the competition with the heavy weapons aboard my newly aquired vessel.
Nacelles smoking, my fleet limped back to starbase for repairs. It was a close fight. See, this is what I'm talking about. This is the kind of gaming action that every trekkie dreams of. The creators did a superb job of adding just the right amount of detail, without flooding the player with list upon list of complicated commands. The learning curve is about 2 hours, after that, you're ready to rock. The graphics in this game are absolutely amazing, providing a level of detail and style that is breathtaking in all its glory. Nebulas, planets, and gas clouds offer a spectacular setting to fight your way through, while the ships just look gorgeous. The story is based upon events from the Deep Space Nine series, so if you weren't into that show, you probably won't get as much out of the plot as the die hard trekkies. There are a lot of references to particular circumstances that only a portion of gamers will recognize. However, the basic plot line is laid out for those who know nothing of Star Trek. The Jem'Hadar, who abide in the Gamma quadrant are seeking to conquer the Alpha quadrant. Due to the vast distance between the two areas, they must use a wormhole to transport their fleet. This wormhole exits near and is monitored by the Space Station 'Deep Space Nine'. The baddies come through, despite resistance, team up with some Cardassian dudes and duke it out with the Federation. You will participate in many battles in two separate campaigns (good guys and bad guys)...Ya. Of course, from what I've said so far, I would love to give this game 5 stars, and if it weren't for all those damnable bugs, I would. The game doesn't seem to be compatible with certain 3D cards, in certain combinations with different PC's. These combinations seem to vary with each copy of the game. So, if you're like me, living with a 500mHz Pentium 3 (that's pretty bad now a days), you could be hooped, even with a 3D card. The game doesn't actually even work on my computer anymore. When I upgraded my 3D card, the game looked nicer, but got really slow and choppy. How does that work? Then there's all those multi-player and sibgle player glitches that detract from the game. Patches are available, but still...
Anyway, if you have an Ultra Death Dream Machine Pentium 4 or something, you'll probably have nothing but good to say about this title. In summary, Dominion Wars provides players with the type of action and visual prowess that demands attention, while keeping the player interested in the evolving story. Despite bugs, a great buy! The Starship creator that comes with the game is also a blast, almost as fun as the game itself, with rotating 3D customizable models and such. Good fun was had by all!
Rating:
Summary: News Flash: Dollars Down Dominion Wormhole
Review: For those who expected to see a game with the same quality as "Star Trek: Armada," expect a disappointment. For those who were disappointed with the former, need I say more? The introductory cinematic sequences were particularly poor. Unlike Armada, Dominion War's sequences were static, as scintillating as a slide show. Like Armada, it has its share of "CD stammer" and associated bugs. The instructions are cursory. This game boasts of the capability of integrating ships customized from the same manufacturer's "Starship Creator: Warp II" product, but this capability only works in multiplayer mode.For some reason, the tutorial display is dim, like an underdeveloped photo.The very first mission takes place in "The Badlands," where the control interface is badly garbled. Other than that, the game was fine.
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