sci-fi

I just purchased this game. Be forewarned, there are no training flights or tutorials and the game manual really is not that helpful. Essentially, when you load the game, you are flying your first mission as a novice pilot.

The first mission is difficult and you may get frustrated. Try choosing the different views until you find one that you are comfortable with. Yes, the Battlestar Galatica will be destroyed many times until you get the hang of the game.

The graphics and sounds are awesome. The game is quite enjoyable and even addicting.

My advice for Vivendi Universal is to add tutorials and/or training flights in the future.

Wow. I honestly cannot believe how many people are complaining about this game's difficulty. Granted, I am a seasoned veteran of flight sims, but my brother-in-law is a casual gamer and he beat the first mission on his first try. That, however, is beside the point, because if you're unfamiliar with modern flight sims in the first place, then you have no business reviewing this game. You should have sampled at least one other flight sim in the past, like Ace Combat 04, and should not have bought it based solely on your love of the show.

I'm not kidding, people. In comparison with Star Trek: Invasion and Colony Wars: Vengeance, Battlestar Galactica is a cakewalk. Take, for example, the secondary weapon system. You have a constantly replenishing supply of torpedoes and can lock on to multiple targets at once. What's more, when you gain bonus points, you earn even more torpedoes that can be fired simultaneously and can raise their agility, speed, or power, though they RARELY miss and are powerful enough (even in the first mission) to destroy a Cylon raider. Additionally, your shields recharge automatically, the Cylons are very poor marksmen, and outrunning enemy torpedoes is absolutely NO challenge.

To those who don't like the absence of difficulty settings and training missions, I suppose that's understandable. However, complaints about there not being cheat options are ridiculous. Like I said, you should have been prepared for a challenge, not a chance to tactlessly destroy everything in sight. The manual IS helpful; you just need to read it more carefully. As for saving, try exploring the menu a little. If you still can't figure it out, a prompt will appear after completing a mission. (Note: The first mission involves both defending the Galactica AND assaulting the asteroid.)

That said, veterans of the Ace Combat and Colony Wars sagas (like myself) will undoubtedly find Battlestar Galactica easier, but also very enjoyable. Missions can be replayed as well as cinematics, which are gorgeous. Graphics, sound effects, and explosions are top-notch. This is an all-around great game for those who know what to expect.

Yeah you're right, that first level was one of the hardest. I played and failed at that level for Centons on end. I tried to get the cheat book but no luck.

And I really thought about giving up, but I just felt like any gaming addict, to draw enough resolve to get through it. "Frak!"

Once I figured out that you need to hike up the Viper missle power and kill the Raider Leaders, and in the next scene to find the sattlite quickly and blow them up, take down the asteroid hot spots, then finally, I made it past the first save level.

My advice would be for any buyer or fan: stick through level 1 and once you pass it, it's worth it! better than the easy fortunes at Caralon.

The next levels are quite good. you've got several levels with Cylon BaseStars, one with the derelict old spaceship, another flying the cylon raider, one as the Galactica gunners having a battle while in lightspeed, and many others.

Two particularly difficult ones:

Riding the comet- you gotta blow as many asteroids so it wont damage the galactica, and when the cylons appear, try to blow as many Cylons, and if anyone wants the tip of how to survive, well, all I can say is "run away".

The penultimate level was the absolute hardest, destroy the Cylon leeches, then the hardest thing of all, destroy the basestar and hope paulus dosen't get killed, then a couple of cleverly hard obstacles which i finally figured out, and then the last level is a breeze. but I had fun in that penultimate level.

The cutscenes are first rate, though I wanted to see more full screen Adama character moments. After all, the game revolves around him.

all in all, great game. I recommend the game.

By Your Command.