Virtual reality: the final frontier. These are the voyages of Star Trek Bridge Crew’s The Next Generation DLC for Playstation 4 VR. Among the many offerings at Sony’s E3 booth this year was a multi-level demo station for all things Playstation VR. Various titles ranging from shooters to puzzle games were on display, but as an avid trekkie, my fate was sealed when I saw the new “Next Generation” themed DLC for Star Trek Bridge Crew was available to try in all it’s nostalgic glory.

After donning the Playstation VR headset, the loading screen gave way to a very familiar set of images: the intro sequence to Star Trek TNG! While the fantastic theme song is conspicuously missing, it’s impossible not to feel excited by the faithful recreation of the iconic intro. Once the title card fills the screen there can be no mistaking: it’s time to come aboard the Enterprise D.

The demo included a few minutes of playable content for each of the stations on the bridge: captain, helm, tactical and ops. While I admit I went into the experience assuming that my endless hours watching the show would make me something of an expert, each station had very specific procedures that are relatively simple, but definitely have a bit of a learning curve.

While this game is currently playable in both VR and non-VR, I must say there’s something special about the VR experience that I don’t believe would translate to a television screen. The feeling of looking around and seeing the iconic bridge of the Enterprise D is something any fan should experience. Turning to see other members of the crew going about their business, then returning to work on a faithfully recreated control panel is the pinnacle of immersive nostalgia.

That being said, it’s fair to say the game isn’t for everyone. For those who aren’t fans of the show, the cosmetics of the game wouldn’t be nearly as meaningful. Underneath the fantasy of serving aboard Picard’s Enterprise lies a relatively simple game that doesn’t have enough depth to inspire hours of continued play. The game was definitely fun though. Seeing your own, virtual hands reach out and touch the various control panels is an experience well worth having.

I would highly recommend any fans of TNG give this game a try in VR. I would not recommend investing in the headset and other hardware exclusively to play this game, however. Virtual reality is still very much in it’s infancy, but Star Trek Bridge Crew’s DLC effectively illustrates the potential for such games to reach immersive new heights.

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