Reviewed: January 29, 2004
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Publisher
Vivendi Universal Games
Developer
Warthog
Released: November 18, 2003
Genre: Action
Players: 1
ESRB: Teen
7
8
6
6
7.7
Supported Features:
“Hey, I played this game when it was called Colony Wars.” That was the first thing I said to myself about 15-20 minutes into Battlestar Galactica, the latest space shooter to come from veteran developer Warthog and Vivendi Universal Games. But after about 30-45 minutes into the game things began to get serious. I actually had to start thinking (gasp) and worrying about my ship configuration, energy management, and other things I had previously reserved for PC games like Wing Commander and X-Wing.
And that is what makes Battlestar Galactica more than just another average space shooter. Sure it’s got the famed license of the beloved 70’s sci-fi drama that will have 30 and 40-something geeks glued to their game controller for countless sweat-filled gaming sessions, but at it’s heart there is a serious game here; something we just don’t get on a console these days.
The 70’s series kicked off with the near-total destruction of the human race. All 12 planets (or colonies cleverly named after astrological signs) were destroyed by covert Cylon attacks during peace talks. The entire Battlestar fleet was wiped out with the exception of the Galactica (and another ship we learn about later in the series but I digress into true geekdom) who escorts the last vestiges of humanity to the legendary 13th colony, Earth.
Battlestar Galactica, the game, takes an interesting approach to the story. Rather than mirror the 70’s show or even the 2003 remake, this adventure takes place back in the golden age of the colonies where humans and Cylons where just getting into the thick of the conflict. To put the timeline into perspective, Commander Adama (from the 70’s show) is now a hotshot Viper pilot about the same age as Apollo (his son) from the original series.
Battlestar Galactica is surprisingly deep. After playing so many mindless shooters I admit I fell into the normal pattern of rotating my ship around like a turret and mashing the laser and missile buttons in uncontrolled frenzy. I died. I died a lot. I then read the manual and discovered a rather complex system at work. I learned how to manage my precious energy reserves, prioritize targets, work with my wingmen, and become an effective Viper pilot.
The X-Wing games were one of the first to implement energy management, forcing you to transfer energy from shields to engines or from engines to lasers or any complex mix of the three. Battlestar Galactica takes that system and makes it much more integral to the gameplay while simplifying the process with an intuitive interface.
Your Viper has a fixed amount of power that slowly replenishes over time. It’s up to you to make sure you have the power when you need it since proper management gives you special flight maneuvers like evasive snap rolls and automated repairs. Yes, your ship will repair itself but only when your power meter is at 100%.
Controls are really slick and make the most out of the limited buttons on the gamepad. Pushing the missile button will fire a missile directly forward but holding that button will lock-on for a guided missile. You can also custom configure over 30 types of missiles in mid-combat using a very nice interface. Tapping the target button will tag the nearest target but holding that button will tag your mission objective or priority target. This also pans the camera around so you can see this target in relation to your position allowing you to move your ship so you are lined up for an attack.
You also have intuitive control over your wingmen through the now traditional command cross used in just about every other game that has wingmen. Just push the D-pad in the direction of your desired command and hope they comply in time.
Missions range from typical dogfighting to escort missions and sophisticated attacks that require tactics and strategic planning. You even get to man some big space turrets and shoot down endless waves of ships. Missions are often very long and consist of multiple parts and that is where my one huge complaint comes in. The game saves between missions and there are a few arbitrary mid-mission checkpoints but these are totally unpredictable. You will often get to the end of a 20-30 minute mission and fail then groan in dismay as you return to the very beginning. I don’t expect to be able to save after every kill but when there are obvious transitions in an ongoing mission the game should save itself.
This annoying trait occurs in the very first mission where you have a substantial dogfight, then warp to an asteroid field to blow up some communication satellites then blow-up some fixtures on an asteroid then fight off even more waves of enemy fighters. By this time you are about 15-minutes into the mission, low on energy, out of missiles, and your wingmen are calling for back-up and before you know it somebody is dead and you failed the mission and it’s back to the mission briefing. Unless you are really good at these kinds of games prepare for lots of frustration and repetition.
Battlestar Galactica covers the complete spectrum when it comes to space vistas. Often, it’s just you and a bunch of blips and targeting circles on the black canvas of space, but other battles take place against stunning backdrops of nebulas, planets, moons, and other gorgeous scenery that look like they were ripped right from the archives at NASA.
Special effects are spectacular with colorful laser bursts, missiles trails, fiery explosions, and dozens of ships streaking across your view at any given time. There is an ultra-cool warping effect when you kick in the turbo boost that streaks the textures of your ship. The only thing more intense is the visual overload on your HUD. Considering the amount of information being communicated the HUD is surprisingly intuitive and you get instant feedback on your ship stats and easy interfaces for energy management and wingmen control.
Ship design is great with the classic Viper design slightly retro to compensate for the timeline, and the Galactica and other capital ships looks very impressive, both in scale and detail. Cylons have their traditional saucer shape and all the ships have incredible textures and detail that reflect the light. Unfortunately most combat takes place at a distance that you will never get to appreciate much of this detail.
The camera system is flawless and follows the action from a nice chase view that has a slight delay to it. This allows you to see the movement of your ship moments before the camera falls in behind it – very nice for the popular 180-reversal. For sim purists you can choose a cockpit mode that is also quite stunning. It offers a realistic Viper cockpit full of flashing lights and integrated instruments, but you might find this fancy instrument panel blocks out crucial visual information like enemy ships.
Framerate is rock solid for the most part which is surprising considering the number of elements and special effects going on at any given time. There are a few dips when the backgrounds get especially fancy or vast enough that they fill the entire screen.
From the very beginning of the game when the classic theme music begins to play, Battlestar Galactica geeks everywhere will get a tingly feeling. The music is really great and even when the famous theme fades away and the in-game score kicks in you will find it more than suitable for your Cylon killing pleasure. Oddly enough, the game supports custom soundtracks so if you would rather mix it up with your own tunes feel free. If you are a true geek like me then you have the Battlestar Galactica soundtrack lying around, and this fits the game perfectly.
By now it would be pretty hard to screw up a sci-fi sound effect mix and Battlestar Galactica delivers the tried and true package of lasers, missiles, and explosions. The show never really had a signature sound (other than the launch scene) and neither does the game. There is a nice Dolby Digital mix that does a great job of surround you in these epic space battles.
The voice component is hit and miss. First of all you have the trademark electronic voice of the Cylons that is so very cool. Listening to them talk over the radio just as much as the humans is a bit unnerving. Richard Hatch (Apollo) and Dirk Benedict (Starbuck) lend their voices in cameo rolls - obviously not their original characters – but even this isn’t enough to save the voice package from a destiny almost as worse as the fate of mankind. The simple fact that the character of Adama is voiced by a total tool just ruins this aspect of the game. Just about every one of his lines is delivered in smooth emotionless fashion, even when he should be quite excited or at least partially panicked. The rest of the cast performs well enough considering most of the speech is limited to mission briefings and radio chatter during the mission.
The main story mode will take a good gamer 18-25 hours to finish, but a lot of that will be spent replaying missions over and over because of the lame save system. You are also graded on your performance after each mission, and excellence is rewarded with a host of unlockable bonus items – a nice reward if you are into artwork and other behind-the-scenes goodies.
The total lack of any multiplayer dooms this game to a one-pass experience. The potential of multiplayer combat, either split-screen on online would have been amazing, especially with voice chat and team tactics. As it is, you will play the game through once and put it on the shelf, sell it to a friend or return it to the rental store.
I’ll admit I didn’t like this game at first, probably because I was expecting just another shooter and got a sophisticated blend of arcade action and simulated space combat. Taking the story into the past was a nice direction on the part of the writers, and the story and missions are inventive and flow nicely, but the poor performance of Adama tarnishes the overall presentation.
Fans of the series might find there isn’t enough authentic Battlestar Galactica content to warrant the license, and it’s true, you could strip away the title and the game would play out just the same. License or not, there is still enough quality gameplay here to make this a definite rental and a possible purchase if you are really hard up for a difficult space shooter.