Battlestar Galactica (franchise)

Battlestar Galactica
Basic Information
Type(s)	Franchise
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2, Xbox and Xbox 360
Digital Platform(s)	Xbox Live Arcade

A number of video games have been released based on the various incarnations of the Battlestar Galactica franchise.

Original series

"Space Battle" & "Space Attack"

Mattel-developed Space Battle for Intellivision and its M-Network counterpart, Space Attack for the Atari VCS/2600 platform, were originally slated to be games based on the Battlestar Galactica series. One of Mattel's subsidiaries, Concepts 2000, had the license to produce Battlestar Galactica electronic toys, so it was figured to be a lock that Mattel would get the license to produce the official Battlestar Galactica video game. The game was well into development when they discovered Mattel didn't get the license. The name was changed, but the graphics remained the same. The "flying saucers" in the game are actually Cylon Raiders; this is mostly imperceptible, due to the lack of detail that could be used in graphics of the platforms of that era.

Battlestar Galactica (2003)

The 1978 Battlestar Galactica series inspired a video game for Sony's PlayStation 2 and Microsoft's Xbox in which the player plays as Commander Adama as a younger man, and flies a number of missions in different craft against Cylon ships, following Adama's career during the First Cylon War. It retains many design elements from the 1978 series though it was set in the new series universe. The game was an attempt at a bridge between the new and old series and feature the voice talent of Dirk Benedict as LT Starbuck and Richard Hatch as Capt Apollo. It was developed by VU Games and Warthog Games.

Others

In 1976, Mattel released a handheld electronic game called "Missile Attack", which was later resold as "Battlestar Galactica Space Alert" due to difficulties with NBC who refused to air commercials for the Missile Attack game. Battlestar Galactica Space Alert was obviously based on the original Battlestar Galactica film and television series.

Cylon Attack by A&F Software for the BBC Micro in the 1980s was another game based on the original series.

The computer game Epic, and its sequel Inferno, released by Ocean software in 1992, featured a similar plot to Battlestar Galactica as well as similar ship models and characters.

Reimagined series

Battlestar Galactica Online

Main article: Battlestar Galactica Online

Battlestar Galactica Online is a browser-based game based on the 2004 remake of the television series Battlestar Galactica. Released in open beta on February 8, 2011, it was developed by Bigpoint and Artplant using the Unity Game Development Tool. In less than three months of release, the game surpassed 2 million registered users.

Story

Man created the Cylons. The Cylons evolved. The Cylons Rebelled. The game begins 40 years after the first Cylon war. The Cylons paid a visit to the Twelve Colonies to annihilate the humans and take their resources. The aging Battlestar Galactica managed to escape the attack, gather a fleet of civilian ships, and set out for the home of the legendary 13th Colony (Earth). The Cylons pursued Battlestar Galactica for months until Battlestar Galactica reunited with Pegasus, the other survivor from the Cylon attack. Together, they were strong enough to retaliate and destroy the Cylon’s Resurrection Ship.

When the Cylons discovered that the humans destroyed the Resurrection Ship, they launched a colossal counter strike against the Colonial Fleet. The unsuspecting Colonials were forced to jump away to safety, but they suffered a mechanical malfunction in the process. A massive pulse of energy overloaded the FTL drives on both fleets, which triggered an uncontrolled jump that threw them off target.

In Battlestar Galactica Online, the Cylons and Colonials are stranded at the edge of one of the galactic arms. Both Colonial fleets are heavily damaged and low on critical resources. The race begins for the Colonials to repair and rearm their ships, escape and continue their quest for Earth before the Cylons gain enough strength to obliterate them once and for all.

The official game page is www.battlestar-galactica.bigpoint.com.

Battlestar Galactica (Mobile)

Superscape, a mobile phone entertainment company, announced the launch of an action-game based on the series. Through a licensing deal with Universal Studios Consumer Products Group, the Battlestar Galactica mobile phone game is available for download now worldwide for Java enabled handsets. It was released for mobile phones on February 6, 2006. The player starts as a rookie pilot. Players take over the controls of the Colonial Viper Mark VII high performance fighter, and are quickly drawn into the ongoing interstellar war. Fighting their way through 20 levels and a variety of missions, players battle with the deadly Cylons.

Battlestar Galactica (2007)

A Battlestar Galactica game based on the new series was released for Xbox Live Arcade and Microsoft Windows on October 24, 2007. The game was developed by Sierra/Sierra Online and Auran.

The Xbox Live Arcade Game takes the player through the major fights of the first two seasons of the show as a Viper pilot, it also incorporates multiple achievements and online multiplayer, not to mention unusual abilities Colonial and Cylon fighters possess, such as shielding, stealth, and advanced weapons. Reception of the game by critics has not been overwhelmingly positive; it has received an average score of 55% from major publications

Fan Made Games

BSG: Beyond the Red Line

A fan modification for FreeSpace 2 known as Beyond the Red Line had a demo version released on March 31, 2007. A dogfight space combat simulator, the Beyond the Red Line demo allows players to play a tutorial, two missions and multiplayer. Although it's not an official licensed product, it has been featured in multiple publications. It has also been updated to allow third-party campaigns, of which there are currently 2.

Diaspora

A fan game based on the open source FreeSpace 2 engine known as Diaspora began development in May 2008 and was unveiled in October 2008.[1] This dogfight space combat simulator is still in development and as of July 2010 had no public releases. It was begun by members of the Beyond the Red Line team who split off due to creative and management differences.[2] (Official Website)

Battlestar Galactica in Second Life

As well with other popular scifi shows, there are several Battlestar Galactica themed sims (simulators) in Second Life. Most are centered around the rag-tag fleet theme and usually provide themed events, Viper vs. Raider dogfights, and general combat.

Currently, there are several active sims based on the Re-imagined Series, with several more under development. These are:

Battlestar Pacifica (BSG-47): The Columbia Class Pacifica was the first of the sims based on the series. It opened in 2007 and currently is the oldest of the sims currently active. The Sim is currently preparing to restart their story, having completed their storyline in December 2009. The sim featured a number of ships seen in both series, including a version of the Celestra. BSG-47 was closed recently, following a leadership restructuring, but has since reopened.

Battlestar Mercury (BSG-21): In May 2008, The Battlestar Mercury sim opened and was created by former members of the Pacifica sim. The Mercury, a Mercury Class Battlestar similar to the Pegasus, featured the signature double sided landing decks, which allowed participating residents to land their ship upside down. As of January 2010, the Mercury concluded their own story and are preparing to start a new story. Like their predecessor, the Mercury sim also featured ships from the Reimagined series, including a version of the Zephyr.

Battlestar Universe (BSG-33): Currently inactive. In September 2009, the Columbia Class Battlestar Olympia opened their story. Unlike their predecessors, The Olympia sim was set during the first Cylon War. Several months ago, Battlestar Universe closed their doors and the sim on which play occurred was sold.

Battlestar Athena (BSG-99): The Warstar Athena, a design based on the Warstar concept, is currently under construction. The story is based on the RDM concept, but with a more offensive stance with other little twists. The Sim is scheduled to open during the first quarter in 2010.

Battlestar: The Twelve Colonies (BSG-118): In January 2010, the latest BSG sim opened featuring a pre-Cylon attack cityscape as well as a new, non-canon class of Battlestar, the Phoenix, which features four landing bays, an expansive two story CIC, and low prim construction that greatly reduces simulator lag. This particular sim differs from others in that when the Cylon attacks occur, the Twelve Colonies will not be completely lost, resulting in expanded roleplay potential located on the various Colonies themselves. Located in Galactica, the city contains familiar sets from the series, including the Riverwalk Market and other notable landmarks.

The Twelve Colonies is currently running storylines that lead up to the Cylon attacks, which are due to take place on 18 September 2010. (Official Website) (SLurl)

Fan Made Game Mods

Game modifications of various games have been made.

BSG: Fleet Commander

Battlestar Galactica: Fleet Commander is a Homeworld 2 total conversion. Beta versions of BSG: Fleet Commander are available for Windows and the Macintosh. This is a real-time strategy game in which players command human or Cylon fleets from both the original series and the 2003 reimagined version of the series. It has been mentioned by many gaming publications.

BSG: Dawn of War

Battlestar Galactica: Dawn of War is a modification for Freelancer. The first version was released in March 2007 and it has since been frequently updated. The game allows players to pilot colonial or cylon fighters, transport and battleships and engage in space combat, trading or deep space exploration in an attempt to find Earth. (Official Website)

BSG - Colonial Wars

Battlestar Galactica - Colonial Wars is a Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption modification.[3] It was featured as the 'Mod of the Month' in the May 2008 issue of PC Gamer. The mod development was finished at version 5.0, and development focused on a follow-up project, which was set to be a larger, total conversion mod. The follow-up was titled Battlestar Galactica - The Awakening. The original site for the mod became largely overwhelmed, thus forcing the development to create a new website. The mod will be completed under a new name,Battlestar Galactica : At War. This uses the same concept for the game, and is set totally convert Star Wars Empire at War into Battlestar Galactica.

Other

There are also Battlestar Galactica fan modifications of the games Battlefield 1942, Homeworld, Star Trek: Armada II, Star Trek: Bridge Commander, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, and X3: Reunion, as well as add-ons for the land and space simulator Orbiter.

External links

• 'Battlestar Galactica' at MobyGames
• Battlestar Galactica Space Alert at the Battlestar Wiki
• Official site for the 2007 game
• [4] A fan based Modification for the game Freelancer, based on the old and new series.
• [5] Website of Freespace2 Mod Beyond the Red Line

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