I'm a long-time fan of the original 1970s series Battlestar Galactica. I remember drooling over the official flight jackets advertised on the back of Starlog magazines. I recall the toy Colonial Viper toys being recalled because of the "dangerous" red missiles that would fire and cause a potential choking hazard for kids. Yes, I truly enjoyed the series-- for its entire ONE season! Aside from some odd TV movies, the show only lasted a short time, but left a mark on sci-fi fans all over. What geek could resist the haunting theme, Dykstra effects and sleek ships?

Fast forward to now. The Sci Fi Channel has brought it back to a more modern, edgy life-- in December 2003. Gone are the silver evil Cylons with red beacons for eyes. The new incarnation has the Cylons as a human-created race of machines that have risen against their Creator. Wisely, the game sets its stage some 30 years prior to when the older TV series takes place. You play a young Adama, the rebellious fighter pilot who must come to the aid of the human race-- which has been slaughtered to a minority thanks to the Cylons' raiding rebellion. 

Universal Interactive has brought this new (and only??) space shooter to the deserving XBox. Battlestar Galactica is a tough game. Hard to learn, and harder to excel in. It is difficult to master the critical moves, coordination and "understanding" required to make it through the various challenging missions.

Sure, it starts off with a semi-tame somewhat tutorial mode to get used to the Viper (your dandy, well armed ship) as you defend the flagship Galactica. Even though an introduction to playing, flying and shooting, this is tough. It's all downhill from there, too. You are aided with in-cockpit sensors and front displays to assist with radar and locations of allies. This is a jumble of information. There is so much going on, it takes a sharp eye and strong focus to filter what you need and visualize the enemy enough to be effective. If you are successful (which took me many tries) in the first mission, things really heat up.

The missions alter from blasting from a turret within the Galactica to piloting a enemy Cylon Raider. The ships are many, and the variances are nice; though hard to earn. Getting to the next mission is extremely rewarding and difficult, but lest you err, you will be sorry. The save on this game it terrible. You can fight until your fingers and brain are toast, only to lose and have to restart the mission--- from the absolute beginning. This is painful, and kills your eagerness to start again. This is a horrible, cruel oversight in replay value. Aside from that, accomplishing your goals provides nice payoffs-- if your sanity remains intact. One mission matches you up with some wing-men that enable you to control a squadron of elite fighters into battle. That was a lot of fun.

The Viper ships are very nice. They have always been a sci fi favorite of mine, so piloting one was a joy. The boost, laser fire and various missiles are fun, but using too much too soon will drain your ship into a flying liability. Yes, your ship is propelled and armed by an energy factor, which has to be monitored closely or you'll deplete what you need. Run and gun won't work here. Using the targeting methods and focusing on your immediate needs is crucial to keep your power reserves ready for use.

The graphics are not bad, though somewhat clustered and some things appear to be in disarray. There can be so much to see at one time, it's hard to zero in on what's most important. The view from the cockpit is nice, and the blasting-away looks good. Using the boost on your Viper is very nice to see, but must be used sparingly for the previously mentioned energy concerns. Still, you can't resist doing it-- for fun. 

The sound is decent, but lacking in depth. I tried playing it through a couple of different surround systems, but found it lacking. Maybe it was a false expectation, but I really thought this would have better sounds. Some seemed almost generic-- as if ripped from some video game public domain sound resource. After the dramatic opening sequence, the music is minor and effect sounds are subtle.

The cut scenes are nice and add to the feel and nostalgia of the game. There is some good storytelling and voice acting in the opener. Aside from that, the scenes are minimal and sparse. They don't offer much after a while. It's fun to play, though there are a lot of annoyances that make it hard to come back for more. The lack of a "on the fly" save is a crippler. The frustration factor is off the charts. Still, it's fun to fly in a Colonial Viper and defend the human race. I've waited for years to do this. Now, if I could just get the jacket from the Starlog magazine!!

Graphics: 7 
There are some very nice details on the ships and in the way they move. The laser fire looks nice and the missiles fire with a ominous glow. At distances, things get ugly and cluttered. Using the radar is difficult with the mess of objects you have to filter-- quickly. While you are trying to find the objects that need attention, you are being hunted and the pressure is on. 

Sound: 6
Without the opening "canned" sequences and some good blasting noise here and there, the sound was one of the biggest weaknesses of the game. It's a shame when any sci fi game comes up short in this aspect. You have no "rules" for reproducing sounds, so there is so much that can be done. When a game like this fails with all that freedom, it's a shame.  

Difficulty: Hard
This game is hard. Not impossible or unworthy of effort, but not easy to pick up and play, either. I had to use the manual more than usual. I often forgot the firing specialties and things I needed to be watching for. 30 minutes of intense play can be undone by an error, and with the lack of a SAVE, you are back at ground zero. That makes it very hard to come back for more. 

Concept: 5.5 
I think this is the first blasting-through-space game for the XBox. It was fun to play one on my favorite system, but there was nothing much to celebrate in originality. It played like a lot of games in this genre. It actually plays a lot like many non sci fi flying games. There are missions and dogfights. Same game, different locale (outer space). How do you improve on a theme? I have no idea, but this isn't the game to demonstrate that. 

Overall: 7
This is a solid, fun game to play. If you're a die-hard fan of the old show, and maybe like the new one, you may have to get it regardless of the actual play factor. There are some extremely difficult missions to complete, but the reward and satisfaction is made even more sweet when accomplished. I loved the feeling of being in a Viper, but some of the views were less than clear. Being a gunner for the Galactica was a lot of unexpected fun. The difficulty and (lack of) replay factor diminishes an otherwise tempting game from a tested, if not brief, legendary franchise. Maybe the new mini series will cause a resurgence and more effort on making future games with more thought and options. Fans will have to get this one, but casual space-gamers might want to get ahead of the Fleet and wait this one out. Adama would understand.