4. Birth Of The Federation
In what has to be among the dumbest naming decisions ever, Birth of the Federation is not, as the name implies, set in the Enterprise or TOS eras. Instead, it's a TNG/DS9-era 4X (explore, expand, exploit, exterminate) turn-based strategy game, where the goal is to control part of the galaxy or destroy both of your faction's enemies. Much like the XCOM games, Birth of the Federation has both a strategic layer for faction management and a tactical layer for handling combat. With five playable factions (the Federation, Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians, and Ferengi) and numerous minor factions (mostly recurring or one-shot Trek races), Birth of the Federation does manage to capture the scope and depth of Trek universe well. One of the problems with the game, besides the limited resolution of the graphics, is the interface. With controls styled like Trek interfaces, turns grow ever longer the further you get into the game thanks to the amount of micromanagement there is on the strategic layer. Another problem is that the AI sometimes doesn't act like it's supposed to (such as the Klingons seeking peace when losing or the Federation demanding tributes). And while not a flaw (the game was supposed to ride the publicity wave of Insurrection), the lack of material from outside TNG makes the game feel a bit smaller than it could've been (although not having the Borg was a welcome omission). If anything, this game feels the most like it should be rebooted rather than remade, preferably by the team making Galactic Civilizations III.