It's time for another Xbox Live Arcade 2D shooter! Brought to us by Sierra Online. Only this time instead of what we've all grown to love and hope for from Geometry Wars, we've taken a spin back to ol' Galaga meets Asteroids in this new title called Battlestar Galactica. I have to say at first, I was not too impressed with the game. The cause of this being the controls, but after the first two maps (and a lot of starting over), I found myself feeling at ease finally and being able to enjoy the experience that the designers of this title were going for.
As I said before, this game is reminiscent of both Asteroids and Galaga, which in itself made me excited to play and attempt to become more than a novice at it. The game's learning curve makes it fairly easy and enough of a challenge to entice gurus of the game to come out of the woodwork and into — yes, friends — multiplayer, which I feel puts this title ahead of its predecessors. Who doesn't want to go online after all that practice and show off your 2D plane maneuvering skills and show who still rules the high scores of the Galaga/Asteroids genres!
In campaign mode, you play a recruited pilot (low-end ranking) who's obviously thrown into what we all know is a galactic space war from the hit series "Battlestar Galactica." Fans of the show will feel right at home with the overall tone of the game, which matches that of the series: crisis in the stars, never-ending battles, death-defying outnumbering odds; timing is everything, and wasted shots and ships are equal to death, etc. Granted, when any new player begins, the controls take a minute or 60 to get used to — but this is nothing to be discouraged about. It's pretty simple after you have the basics down, but I actually loved the fact that you jump right into the action on the very first level.
Each stage consists of goals and or achievements you have to meet in order to advance. These missions, as they're called in the game, consist of anything from the basic "you go make all those ships dead and be quick about it," to escorting precious cargo, to finding and destroying certain spy ships and cargo holds. Each mission is actually difficult ... an experienced player can pass with flying colors, barely taking damage, but if he gets just a bit lazy, he'll barely scrape through with a badly banged up ship and a crew waiting back home who's steamed at the new rookie hotshot pilot. This difficulty adds something to the game that we know and love which is game replay value, and that's a wonderful thing in an XBLA title.
During these missions, you get plenty of power-ups and weapons to help you take the enemy down. These helpful bonuses consist of upgraded missiles, gun cannons and shield regenerators — just to name a few — which help you in the perilous fight that surely awaits you around the next asteroid field.
Now, just because the game is 2D, do not be fooled and think that the graphics' engine is lame and to be ignored. No, no; the game's engine is fast, sharp and actually pretty to look at for a top-down space shooter. Throwing in interactive 3D foreground environment maps is something that makes you forget it really is just a 2D game. Once or twice, I found my self letting go of the controls and drifting while talking about how I felt some map backgrounds were very deep and colorful — the same as when I admired the particles in Geometry Wars.
Anyhow, the game itself, like I said earlier, is beautiful and detailed where it needs to be and cuts the right corners in the other areas that's just fluff when it comes to what these games give us. To me, this is a fun-filled, action-packed, 2D top-down space shooter that all ages can enjoy and challenge themselves to become masters of. Yes, even those of us who haven't touch many games like this since the glory days of Asteroids will find themselves chuckling and entertained when playing this little gem. The only thing I could say that's negative about it is that the multiplayer was ... well ... nonexistent. I actually couldn't get a game. So, apparently not many people have discovered this one yet. Here's hoping to see that change soon, though. I highly recommend this title to all ages and look forward to seeing how much improvement I can make.
In summary, Battlestar Galactica is a great game with great gameplay. You can sit and play it without having to invest a large amount of time. It's also a completely skill-based game that takes practice to become good at. Mix all of this with multiplayer, and you have a winner, especially for the low cost of the download. I say good job, Sierra Online, and keep 'em coming. Be sure to check this one out.
