“What the FRAK is this?!“

Stand alert, soldiers! Battlestar Galactica Online has been in beta for while now and I decided to give it a shot.

Battlestar Galactica Online is a browser based MMORPG being developed by Bigpoint. (@humanorcylon) It is completely free to play and doesn’t require much in terms of system requirements. The game runs on the Unity Game Engine, which allows developers to make fully fledged 3D online games that run in your web browser.

The game is currently in open beta, and takes place in season 2 of the TV series after the Cylon resurrection ship was destroyed in the TV series. The gameplay centers on the ongoing conflict between the Cylons and humans.

Right away you must choose your side in the war and are sent off to test fly your ship. Almost the entire game takes place in your ship as you fly around space. It typical MMO fashion, the majority of your time will be spent gathering resources with the occasional asteroid scan or dog fight. As BGO is a a tactical space combat game, the game lives or dies by it’s flight control. Personally, I was hoping for some more dog fight twitch based combat like the days of X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter. Unfortunately, this is not the case. I found the controls to be very clunky, you use the typical WASD keyboard layout in conjunction with your mouse as you click on different icons, very much like World of Warcraft.

To its benefit, the game doesn’t really have any striking resemblance to EVE online and does well to make you feel like you are in the realm of Battlestar. You will see many familiar faces along the way and find many of the series themes and struggles come into play.

As the game is still in open beta, I can’t critique it too hard. With the exception of the space world, the graphics are sub-par and characters look like they are from a 1st gen PS2 game. Other that the phenomenal sound track, the audio effects wasn’t anything to be enjoyed and the game could really benefit from some needed voice-work.

I got bored often and don’t think I’ll return to this game until it gets some fraking joystick controls. It’s also worth mentioning that you are strongly encouraged to purchase upgrades and credits. I’m sure this will bother most people as it creates an unfair experience and diminishes the hard work of the free gamers. While I had absolutely no problems with getting the game to work, many people are complaining about compatibility issues. This is to be expected with browser based games as complications can arise from many different aspects, browser compatibility, Java settings,  etc.

It’s a great start to what could be a great game. If you’re a Battlestar fan, then I’d recommend checking this game out for yourself. If you’re not, then pass on this.

Battlestar Galactica Online is said to already have 1 Million registered accounts. Join the fight at Battlestar Galactica Online

So Say We All!

- Jon Duryea (Follow @Artifact911 on Twitter)