Star Trek: Legacy

Star Trek: Legacy was released in 2006 simultaneously on Xbox 360, with noticeably reworked controls adapted for a gamepad instead of a mouse and keyboard. While the PC version by Mad Doc Software relies on directly pointing the cursor at targets and a more extensive interface with many keyboard shortcuts, the console version replaced this system with simplified targeting via the analog sticks and context menus controlled by the d-pad, so the game could be played comfortably even without a free hand for the keyboard. The menus and ship status overviews were also visually simplified so they could be read from the couch on a TV screen at a greater distance than on a monitor.

This rework came at a cost — reviews at launch pointed out that aiming ships with a gamepad is harder and focusing fire on specific systems of an enemy ship is less precise than with a mouse, making the pace of battles on console feel somewhat clunkier and less snappy than on PC. On the other hand, the Xbox 360 version benefited from the comfort of playing on the couch, uniform hardware with no need to upgrade a graphics card, and integration with Xbox Live, letting players pit their fleets against each other online without needing a powerful computer or worrying about technical requirements. Still, some reviewers appreciated that after a bit of practice the controls could be mastered just as effectively as on PC, just with a slightly different feel.

Why play it: The Xbox 360 version of Legacy makes the most sense for players who want to experience Star Trek's space battles comfortably from the TV with a gamepad in hand and don't mind slightly clunkier aiming compared to a mouse. It's an interesting example of how the same game managed to adapt to a completely different control scheme, even at the cost of certain compromises in combat precision that PC players often cited as the main difference between the versions. Still, the gameplay and campaign story remained identical to the PC version, so players on both platforms went through the same story across the eras of Star Trek.