John Bedford (Modojo): If we told you that Star Trek Rivals is a movie game that's assumed the card-battling genre as its format of choice, you'd be forgiven for expecting just another Rage of Bahamut clone. Instead, this is a strictly head-to-head social game that's based on a tic-tac-toe grid format, and contains a surprising amount of cautious and clever strategy.
In Elephant Mouse's 'Star Trek: Rivals' for iOs, players amass a deck of cards, each with an image from the new JJ Abrams "Star Trek," in the middle and four numbers around the sides. In each game, each player is dealt 5 random cards, and the two players take turns carefully placing cards on a three-by-three grid. Game journalist Meg Stivison explains how to improve your strategy to defeat your friends. (This is an intro guide suitable for new players, does not include hints for advanced Treknology)
FEZ writes: Rivals is pleasant in that it’s easy to play and the IAP stuff doesn’t bother much, but it might be too easy to hold your attention (or mine) for long.
If you are a fan of Star Trek, you will also enjoy getting to put yourself in a Star Trek-themed game. If you are a gamer who is into action, adventure, or arcade then you should probably look again.
