Frak this.
The re-imagined Battlestar Galactica TV series is deep, complex, funny, and moving. Strange, then, that Sierra thought the best digital translation of the show would be a light, simple shooter that can be breezed through in about an hour and a half. There is fun to be had with Battlestar Galactica, but it is short-lived. At twice the cost of the same game on Xbox Live Arcade, this battle really isn't worth it.
The single-player campaign missions are based on episodes of the TV show. Players are placed in the cockpits of several recognizable spacecrafts and must carry out a variety of tasks such as escorting transport ships or defending the Galactica from nuclear attacks. There isn't any voice acting, though, and none of your favorite characters from the show make appearances in the game.
It's great that your objectives are always changing from level to level. But Battlestar Galactica is a pretty easy game. You can blow through the ten single-player missions in around a couple hours. There is no limit to how many times you can be killed; you simply respawn in a few seconds. Colliding with other ships and space debris won't damage your vessel.
The Fratricide level requires players to command a Cylon Raider and stealthily take out enemy ships. As long as you're not firing, the enemy won't bother you. But since there isn't any penalty for being noticed and shot down, you don't have to use stealth at all -- just fly into the thick of things with guns blasting and you'll eventually wipe them all out. Granted, Sierra was very open with the fact that this title is aimed at casual players. But that doesn't mean a game has to be shallow or can't offer a nice challenge.
The default control scheme is a little awkward, mapping forward and reverse to the "W" and "S" keys and steering to the arrows. Controls can be re-mapped to your liking, but we found the game wouldn't always recognize our customized input. If you're aiming for a casual audience, ease of use is crucial.
Once the short single-player campaign is over there is a limited multiplayer game. Up to eight players can battle it out in Firefight, Skirmish, and Domination modes. Good luck finding anyone to shoot down, though. It would appear the Cylons have already decimated the galaxy and there is no one left to play against. Killing your friends is always fun, though, and if you have enough for a match Battlestar Galactica offers some mild amusement.
The game does an admirable job of recreating the quick-zoom camera work of the television series. Where it fails in imitation, though, is the music. It's a tribal, jungle drums affair, but it sounds really cheap and amateurish. Kind of a step back for videogame music, actually. And cut scenes lack any sound effects, a detriment that robs them of their effectiveness.
Closing Comments
The single-player campaign in Battlestar Galactica is mildly amusing, I just wish it were longer and more challenging. When you consider this same game is half the price on Xbox Live, the reasons for enlisting become difficult to find. I'm not really sure who the target audience for this game is -- Battlestar Galactica fans would probably appreciate a game that comes closer to matching the depth of the show, and if you don't watch the show you probably aren't interested in a Battlestar game. This is a waste of a property that could be great game fare.
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