Mac software > All Reviews > Software > Games > Battlestar Galactica: Beyond The Red Line Review

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 Battlestar Galactica: Beyond The Red Line Review

Critically acclaimed sci-fi revival gets its own space battle simulator

Karl Hodge

Manufacturer: Game Warden
Pros: Superb models of ships and planets, professional standard mission production
Cons: Control system is tricky to getused to. There’s not enough of it, yet
Price: FREE
We rate this 5 out of 5.Star rating:

Battlestar Galactica, the cheesy ’70s space opera, has been remade for the noughties. Gone are the polyester robes and plastic star cruisers, in comes political intrigue and breathtaking battle scenes. If you haven’t already seen it, you should. Beyond The Red Line is a 3D space shoot-em-up based on this new, grittier BSG. Built on the space battle simulation engine FreeSpace 2, the first demo for the Mac has just been made available.

FreeSpace 2 started life as commercial software, but the source code was released to non-profit developers in 2002. Since then, the original game has continued development and there are several full conversions available, while FreeSpace 2 itself is available to download from www.edgefiles.com.

We’re talking about Beyond The Red Line here though, which is a real treat whether or not you’re a fan of the TV series. Of course, if you are, you’ll thrill at the chance to fly a Mark VII Colonial Viper through the stars, past beautifully rendered planets with a Cylon Raider chasing your tail.

Though based on an arcade-style space sim, Beyond The Red Line adds complexity to the flight system. The demo comes with a campaign of three single-player missions that thankfully begin with basic training. Those Raiders move fast, proving difficult targets to destroy with sidearm fire only. It may be time to dust off that old joystick if you have one – we soldiered on with a combination of keyboard commands and mouse control. The breakneck action’s balanced evenly with the suspense of patrolling with your wingmen, with impressively realised comms chatter crackling away in the background.

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