Star trekking across the universe

Recently I got my claws on a brand new monitor for my computer - and to celebrate I decided to have crack at a game that I've been longing to have a go at and have been unable to play until now:

Star Control 2!!

And not just the original - the Ur-Quan Masters revamp! After all how can you improve a game twenty years old? By giving it HD graphics. And making it available for free.

As this blog has indicated, I've played a lot of games form the early nineties but whereas I've both revisited games I've played before or played games I've had a vague idea of what it was about, Star Control 2 is a rare exception. It's one of those games I've gone into completely in the dark as to what to expect.
And so far I've been completely surprised: It is a space exploration game that offers an incredible amount of freedom. I like traveling from one of the galaxy to the other in a sandbox fashion. I like upgrading my flagship and building up a fleet of space ships. I like utilizing diplomacy and forging alliances with the alien races. And I even enjoy finding minerals to sell off. If anything, Star Control  2 seems to do the Star Trek schtick better than any Star Trek game I can think of. And, dare I say it, it's mechanics are done so well that they even outclass similar mechanics utilized in Mass Effect 2.

Of course this is just first impressions - it is only matter of time before any problems show their faces. And so far one has: I do not like the aliens in this game.
My beef? They're ANNOYING! They have annoying voices and they jabber on in such a nonsensical fashion. Maybe that is the case to convey that the only races that can assist the PC aren't really the warrior types - and thereby raising the stakes - but did they have to come across as so deplorable?!
I've seen various scifi alien species done well (ie Klingons, Borg, Cardassians, Salarians, Turians, Quarian, Krogan, Daleks, Sontarians, Go'Auld, Narn, Centuari, Minbari and Vorlons) but never have I seen such an alien species handled so badly! If anything they come across as so infuriating one would be tempted to let the Ur-Quan's destroy them - or better still join the Ur-Quans just so to wipe the annoying aliens out of existence.

Still this is only but the beginning: what happens next will indeed be something to see...