Review: Experience Battlestar Galatica Like You Never Experienced Before
By Vincent Haoson, OnRPG Journalist
Battlestar Galactica Online is a 3D Browser-based MMO. As the name suggests, the game puts you smack dab in the middle of the Cyclon-human war in control of either a Raider or a viper, depending on your choice of race.
The game does away with any preamble regarding the establishment of the game’s context and puts you in the cockpit of either a raider or a viper. The first few steps into the world of Battlestar Galactica Online double as your tutorial. This also serves as the make and break period for the game. I’m saying this because whatever impression you will have in the game once you start playing will practically set your continuous BSG play. The gameplay doesn’t change once you go into BSGO. What changes though is the perspective since you will be going out of your fighter once in a while.
BSG is a good example of how far browser games have gone. For those who are new to the idea of a 3D MMO will surely get their heads blow off because BSG just looks spectacular, for a browser game. For those who aren’t new to browser based 3D MMOs, BSGO looks definitely better than the other games of the same type. The game looks soo good that I think BSGO would be better off if it was a client-based game rather than being a browser one.
One of the many limitations of the game on the browser platform is that the controls can be very hard to get used to. Most of the ship controls are on the mouse which serves as your fighter’s throttle. The fighters in the game move clunky and awkwardly since you still have to upgrade its parts to make it fly smoother. For a guy who got used to ships/fighters who turns smoothly even if the ship has no upgrades whatsoever, this was pretty taxing. Also it quickly shattered my image of raiders and vipers flying smoothly in space on the TV series.
As you keep on playing BSGO, you’d slowly realize that it’s not the BSG you used to watch on the tube. It’s a whole different universe compared to the TV series and this time around, it’s YOUR story in that is being told. Or, at least as much of a story as you can get out of the BSGO.
I just need to clarify though that BSGO isn’t just a browser game plastered with the title BSG without respecting the material it was lifted from. You’d see familar faces in the series (which are integral characters in the BSG story) that you’d interface with. Examples are interactions with number six and number one for the Cyclons and connecting with Starbuck in the human side. These little tidbits would really excite BSG fans but not those who aren’t familiar with the BSG mythos.
All in all, BSGO is a fun browser game to play regardless of any familiarity to the BSG story. As a browser based game it really brings the oomp to the 3D MMO browser game genre. However the less than smooth controls and some persistent bugs has kept me from gushing over it. Still, the game is on its early stages so maybe in due time it’d be better.
