Battlestar Galactica Online is a video game based on the science fiction television series of the same name. This game follows the events of the more recent television series previously seen on the Sy-Fy network and not the 1978 original. The game places you right in the middle of the war between the robotic “Cylons” and the human faction known as ” colonial”.
Please note that this game takes a long time to load depending on the quality of your computer due to its fancy 3D graphics. If you have an older computer, be prepared to wait before you can play.
Before you start Battlestar Galactica Online, you can choose which faction you want to play as. It doesn’t really matter which side you choose, though there are some bonuses waiting for you if you choose to play as the Cylons. As in any video game, before any action can take place you are forced to play the tutorial level. You have the option to skip the tutorial, but it is better to stick with it, as this is not the type of game that you can pick up and play.
You get to control a cool looking spaceship and fly through the void of space. The graphics are fully rendered in 3D and perfectly capture the look and atmosphere of the TV show. There is a tense and suspenseful score playing in the background and the game also has full audio. Listening to the intensity of the laser beams and missiles being launched around you can be a very successful experience. It reminded me of the time I saw a Star Wars movie in the theater for the first time – the sound is really good.
While playing the game, you have the option to take out your enemies with laser beams or missiles. Aiming in the game is easy as all you have to do is highlight the enemies using your mouse and shoot. Some targets can be hard to hit as they may be out of your reach. Don’t worry as you have the option to use the throttle to fly fast through space with ease. It might not be as fast as the hyperdrive on the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars, but flying and destroying enemies in space can be a lot of fun. It’s unfortunate that most game developers focus on real world combat and no longer delve into science fiction.
It would have been a much more user-friendly experience if you could use the keyboards to navigate your ship around the battlefield. Sometimes mouse clicking has its moments as you might hit the wrong button a couple of times. I wanted to fire my lasers but several times I ended up dying because I pressed to see the map instead.
Not only that, but the game is quite difficult, to say the least. Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of a firefight and have no choice but to take out all the targets. This is easier said than done, as flying your spaceship while shooting is difficult to achieve using just your mouse. As I said before, using keyboards or even a controller would have made for a more enjoyable experience.
As you progress through the game, you will have the option to upgrade your ship. This includes upgrading the ship’s thrusters so it can travel faster or improve its firepower. There isn’t much in the way of customizing the ship’s appearance, though the ships already look classy in my opinion anyway.
Fans of the TV show may be a bit disappointed that characters from the show rarely make an appearance in the game. All they do is appear on the in-game HUD and basically tell you what to do, though fans of the show will notice various references here and there from time to time.
Battlestar Galactica Online is a browser-based title with very high production values. The game could have easily been a full-price PC game, but now you can play it for free. Fans of the TV series will have a lot of fun while playing the game, while general sci-fi fans will love the aerial space warfare that this game offers. If the controls were easier to use it would have been a much better game.
