For about a year now, 2J and I have been tracking a PC game that has promised to be one of the most fun Space Simulators of all time. Beyond the Red Line is based on Battlestar Galactica and uses the FreeSpace2 engine.

A couple of weeks ago they released the first demo. It was immediately posted on the SciFi forums and pinned to the front page of FilePlanet. I downloaded the game (via torrent at 400K/sec) and after some configuration woes was able to finally play it with my Thrustmaster Top Gun Fox 2 Pro.

I have to say for a game as old as FreeSpace 2 the folks at BTRL got it right. The viper flies just as you see it in the show–a tribute to choosing the right engine and programming the ship controls accordingly. The textures and ships are amazing. They look exactly like you would expect them too. So far there is a Cylon drone, Cylon Raider, Mining Ship, A Viper Mark VII and the fan favorite: The Viper Mark II. All are beautifully detailed with cockpit lights and everything. It is a demo (and probably considered somewhat in beta still) so there are little glitches here and there with the UI that I suppose they’ll iron out. For a free game (so far) it certainly is a lot of fun. The first campaign puts you in the Scar scenario based on the episode of the same name.

The voice acting is pretty good… long winded at times–sometimes the actor doesn’t put the right emphasis on certain works but overall they aren’t bad for a video game. But they do a great job with the special effects when you’re in the cockpit. They used the right filters to make it seem like they’re talking to you on the ‘wireless’.

I would highly recommend checking out this Space Sim. It makes you feel like a viper pilot.