| The past year or two in the video game world has seen a dramatic increase in a certain trend: video games based on movies. Despite the fact that most of the games have been creative and commercial failures, the trend continues, so it was only a matter of time that it spread to include television series. And thus we have a game that many would probably view as an unexpected yet pleasant surprise, Battlestar Galactica.
Anyone under the age of 25 might very well have no idea what I'm talking about, as Battlestar Galactica was a series that faded very quickly out of the mainstream public eye, despite its loyal fan base. Thanks to the Sci-Fi channel however, the series is experiencing a bit of a resurrection, with a new mini-series having debuted recently. So suddenly, a Battlestar Galactica video game makes a great deal more sense.
Battlestar Galactica, the game, is intended to be a prequel to the original series. So if you were hoping to play as Dirk Benedict, you are probably going to be disappointed. (I'll be honest, I was a little bit.) Instead, you play as Adama, a brand spanking new pilot, who of course has a great deal of potential. He's also dating the daughter of the Commander of the Galactica, which most would argue is a risky gamble in a military career.
Despite the lack of the series' most recognizable star, the game does successfully immerse you into the Battlestar world. All it took was one cinema starring the Cylons and hearing the "whoo-whoo" of their eyes and childhood memories came rushing back.
But who are the Cylons, you ask? And why do their eyes sound like trains? Well, let me explain. The world of Battlestar Galactica is set in the distant future. Man has taken to the stars and settled the galaxies, splintering into 12 colonies. Unfortunately, they also forgot their way home, and Earth has become nothing more than a myth. It was a time of great prosperity, until the Colonials made the mistake of creating AI robots, the Cylons, to do their bidding. (Apparently, they also lost their copies of Terminator and Matrix to warn them about the follies of AI robots.) The Cylons, predictably, decided they were superior to all organic life, and rose up and declared war on their former masters.
Mankind's main weapons in the conflict are the Battlestars, enormous spaceships that are half aircraft carriers and half destroyers. And of course, the star of the show is the Battlestar Galactica, where our hero Adama is stationed. While you do not get to pilot the Galactica, you are given the opportunity to man some of the ship's powerful weaponry in one of the game's more entertaining levels. Most of the combat takes place in a Colonial Viper, a small maneuverable dogfighter. However, diehard fans of the show will be pleased to know that you also are given the opportunity to fly Cylon craft as well.
The play control of the game bears a striking similarity to the Jedi Starfighter series. This is not a bad thing, as those games had a very strong element of play control. The Viper has a main weapon, the ol' standard laser beams, and a secondary weapon, which are basically energy missiles. One unique aspect of the game is the ability to modify the speed, power, agility and blast radius of the missiles. Additionally, doing well on missions rewards you with extra points for each category; the better you do, the more powerful your missiles. This makes for a great deal more incentive than unlocking another character design, in my opinion.
While the graphics and sound are certainly average tier for this generation of console games, the little details really do bring you into the world of Battlestar Galactica. The cinematics, especially the ones starring the Cylons, seem to be straight from the series, and the sound effects, especially the lasers, throughout the game will delight old-school fans. Oh, and the Cylons don't really sound like trains when they go "whoo-whoo"; it's just hard to convey their trademark sound on text. Think of the noise KITT from Knight Rider made, only more ominous.
So, great classic sci-fi series, brought faithfully to the console gaming world. Excellent play control - this game sounds like a keeper, right? Unfortunately, Battlestar Galactica has one major flaw. The game levels are very inconsistent in their degree of difficulty. Most are average, with the bonus incentives to give you some extra challenge. However, every once in a while, you come across a level that is nigh impossible. Combine that with the annoying fact that every time you retry a level, you have to watch the cinemas that precede it (you can skip them, but it's still annoying) and the game can get very old, very quickly.
So unless you are a Battlestar freak who must own this game, I would strongly suggest Battlestar Galactica as a renter. A few days should be all it takes to either beat the game for the most advanced gamers, or to grow tired of trying the same level over and over again for the rest of us. | 
