Star Trek: boldly defying expectations, by looking pretty good

If there's a worrying pattern that everyone recognises in a PR campaign, it's this: an announcement, followed by a long stretch of game-free silence. We're weeks before the release of Star Trek now and the clear implication is that the combined evil marketing genius of corporate Earth can't think of an exciting way to show off the game. We went to a Star Trek demo expecting an alarming sodden fart of a game. Shock: it's actually rather good. In the looks and sounds department, apart from some unfinished animations, it's spot on. That's thanks to a 100-piece orchestra, and a closer-than-usual working relationship that gave Digital Extremes good access to the moviemakers.

So the set design, from the opening moments of leaving the bridge and walking the corridors, to the engineering sections with those pipes that Simon Pegg got sucked through, feels convincing. Then there's the Cowboy Kirk and Nerd Spock banter, scripted by seasoned videogame writer Marianne Krawczyk, and recorded by the actors from the film. It's entirely, and unexpectedly likeable.

And in case the fan service wasn't enough, the bad guys are the Gorn - a race of furious, tunic-wearing Godzillas who've been around since the original TV series, and endlessly referenced in the extended universe. The Gorn's first appearance was in 1967 - a creature used by the god-like Metrons to resolve disputes in a trial by combat. They fought like fearsome warriors in crap rubber suits.

Digital Extremes has been working with Paramount since the 2009 movie reboot, and its game is set just after that movie ends. So, after having their homeworld destroyed, the off-world Vulcans have begun to coagulate and establish a new Vulcan colony. Here, they're using their sexiest logic to repopulate their race. That is, until the Gorn take a fancy to their Helios device - a doohicky that will, in their hands, let them attack any race at any point in time. That's not the kind of tool you want in the hands of a gang of angry Godzillas.

Tricorders are your versatile companion. One tap of the left bumper and you can scan through walls, hack terminals, check life signs, check your objective location, issue co-op orders to AI, and scan local fauna for scientific curiosity (and more importantly, upgrade points). It's the classic bit of "whatever the plot needs it to be" tech, so it works perfectly.

This is a game you'll want to play as a duo - having an AI companion is fine, but many of the co-op moments will feel flatter with an always-efficient partner. To that end, you can play split-screen or online, against friends or anyone else who'll have you. While this is an original story, the game itself isn't breaking new ground. It's a cover-based co-op shooter with simple puzzles, stealth, platforming, hacking and a sense of the cinematic lifted from Uncharted's Nathan Drake.

But there's a time to reinvent gaming, and a time to give fans what they want. This is a competent adventure that knows how to deliver drama, and keeps changing the pace. With a full supporting cast and a convincing universe, we're amazed that this game's suddenly an exciting prospect.