“Engage at Warp Factor Nine”
by Susan, HSM team writer
“Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its five year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.“- Capt. James T Kirk
“It’s about frakking time,” is what I screamed when I saw that Star Trek The Next Generation (TNG) was premiering in PlayStation Home. This IP release has been asked for since LucasArts added the Star Wars Cantina to the public space mix.
Enter in a newcomer to the cruel, abusive,vicious, and yet seductive world of a PlayStation Home developer.
You may ask if Home is going to continue on into the next generation; along comes Flashman Studios LLC, a California-based company that has been around for almost ten years assisting brand holders in getting the word out about a specific commodity, and have been publishing avatars for both Sony and Microsoft. A small, dedicated team of seven people banded together in some far far away outpost past the Neutral Zone, they did some research, saw that in the gaming community there was a absence of Trekkie avatars and BAM - in your face at warp speed they threw the awesomeness that is Star Trek.
Flashman Studios has successfully in the past worked with several clients and delivered on time and within budget several multi-platform projects, such as Red Fly Studios’ Star Wars 2-The Force Unleashed, Ghostbusters The Video Game, and Zen Studios’ Marvel Comics Pinball (which by the way is really addicting and entertaining to play). Now they bring to the Home community this iconic late 80’s/early 90’s television series. The show was created 21 years after the original series, and ran for seven years, making it the longest-running show in the series, and along the way it received several accolades such as an Emmy, a Hugo and a Peabody award.
Make my day!
Their initial line-up teases us with a selection on uniforms and avatars from across the galaxy that defined this television series. Let’s start with the Borg. These guys are the ultimate badasses of the universe, because resistance really is futile with them. There is no win-win. Flashman has designed two avatars that are available for those wishing to destroy all civilizations and assimilating them into the collective: the Borg Drone and a Borg Queen.
Those of you in pursuit of perfection may be disappointed, as in my opinion, these two avatars are not really detailed as they should be. No one is ever happy to see the Borg, but if you’re creating an avatar as famous and as detailed as these two are, and I can see they tried to but the drone should have life support tubes everywhere, it’s hands should have been assimilated into a machine operating device and the ever present laser coming out of the eye really needed to be there. The Queen’s outfit is all wrong, as is her head.
So I am nit picky. Hab SoSLi’ Ouch!
Did you know that a Borg queen can be replaced almost immediately by enacting the Royal Protocol? Crew-member Seven of Nine, if you remember Voyager, was Borg; she was mentioned in the Royal Protocol and the talk in some circles is that she would have been most likely the next Queen. How about that for a show-ender?
Next in the “bad guy” line up from Flashman Studios are the two Klingon avatars. I think these are a little better in the detail department but more work still needs to be done to the head. I am not saying that a gorch needs to be added for detail, but if this was the Sci-Fi show called Faceoff, someone would be going home for playing it safe. I will say that they did a good job of recreating the chi chis of Lursa, the older sister from the House of Duras. All the bad-guy avatars are available for $2.99 US each: no bundle options and no accessories for these avatars are available as of this printing. Heghlu’meh OaO jajvam!
If you’re one to team up with Starfleet and want to become a doctor or an engineer, Flashman Studios has you covered literally in head to toe with the three colors of uniforms we all became familiar with. Are you a line officer patrolling the space over Home? Then you will need to outfit yourself in the “Picard” red one – Captain’s pins included. Data and LaForge both sported the gold uniforms of the engineering/tactical divisions, and if you’re having to pull a shift on the Enterprise in the science or medical divisions, you will need the teal blue uniform.
All three include a StarFleet insignia/communicator attached to the chest and are reported to be made of non-flammable material. These are also $2.99US each. There are additional accessories for the protectors of our world, and a phaser and tricorder are two items that you will need if you plan on leading an away team down to a newly visited planet – and at only $.99 US, even a Starfleet officer on a budget can afford these. Last being offered is the visor worn over Geordi La Forge’s eyes. It would be cool to see what Home looks like through that device, and at $.99 US, it is a steal.
Flashman Studios has hinted that this is just the beginning. A Star Trek personal space is coming out next with those automatic opening doors-sound effect included. They have also announced that not only is the TNG franchise is being developed, but the classic Star Trek, also locomotion and companion items are being discussed. Is it possible we could see Ferengi and/or Romulans too?
I for one am glad Brad Young and his team over at Flashman Studios has finally stepped up to the plate and brought us these. I plan on using these all for a ton of reasons, and at a decent price I won’t be setting my phasers to stun.
August 28th, 2013 by Susan | 5 comments
Susan is a team writer for HomeStation Magazine, co-founder of the award winning media group-AvatardProductions, a PlayStation MVP and a Home Guide. PSNID SCEA/xx96791DEATHxx-SCEE/oXx_EnIgMa_xXo. An avid PlayStation Home user, she is most often found setting land speed records at the Sodium 2 velocity racetracks, sitting at the Pier Park or playing with the R/C vehicles at Acorn Meadows Park.
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They should make Tribbles as personal companions. Or that sparkly light creature that they called “The Companion”… you know the one… it looked like being drunk on eggnog and looking at the xmas tree while wearing your grandmother’s glasses… am I the only one who has done that?
Vulcan ears would be cool too. And a DS9 public space… Flashman, I am available for brainstorming meetings and my rates are reasonable… truth be told, my husband mentioned all these ideas and lots more… guess we know who wears the high water nerd pants in our house!
Live long and prosper… make it so!
Yeah DS9 public space… Defenetively!
Tribles? Nooo!!! Imagine if they start multiplying in your inventory!!!
For myself. I now need a white skin tone to make my Data. Always was my favorite.
Proccessing…. All system withn specified parameters
The lightest color skin tone on Home might work… I used it for an avi once and the skin is as white as a cave dwelling ginger.
Defenetively look sick for human… not quite white enough for an android! Anyway, by the time I have the face right we might have a color wheel for skin tone
Great article Susan. I see you as well know the talk of the Trekkies. I too loved this line and had the same thoughts of the Borg. Not enough tubes and tech, but it is a great beginning. I want me a Cardassian! I would love to see a starfleet quarters personal space, namely like crew quarters on board a starship. This was a great opening offering and I WILL buy what ever else they come out with. One thought I did have…I thought that the Klingon suits would have benefited from the famous walnut foreheads actually being a wig so that the face can come through. BTW…my friend MeaBell made a perfect vulcan, ears (yes ears!) and hair, it was amazing. I do thank Flashman for their commodities, and they can bet that I will be buying more…now where’s waste extraction?