4 Games That NEED to Happen in 2016

Written by: Adam "ManKorn" Korenman, CC2K Video Games Editor

4) Battlestar Galactica: Age of the Cylon

I’ll come right out and say it. I LOVED the Sci-Fi (SyFy) Channel remake of Battlestar Galactica. The original was powerful and fun, but comes across as more than a little hokey when compared to today’s super dramas. Taking the beloved cast of characters and renewing them in blinding HD was a stroke of genius. There have been games made based on the franchise, and most have been adequate. My favorite so far is the Homeworld mod, Fleet Commander. While it’s not perfect, it is the best way to satisfy my urge to blast some toasters in deep space. 

But this isn’t “How to Make a Couple of Bucks,” this article is about hitting Big Ol’ B. A Billion Dollars. How can we take a series that famously went insane in its final season, and then spin that shit into gold?

Easy. We take the universe of BG and set it in a Mass Effect style game. 

Oh, what’s that? You’re freaking out a little? Yeah, so am I.

Imagine taking on the role of an intrepid pilot aboard the infamous Galactica. You’re a nobody, just a nugget waiting for their chance to shine. You’re pretty well trained, earned high marks in all your schooling, but never had a chance to prove yourself. We will set the story moments before the attack on the 12 colonies, so we can even have an epic set piece where you flee a burning world.

Now it’s your job to rise through the ranks, keep the piece of a broken species, form alliances, fight corruption and crime and Cylons all at once. It’s an epic universe where you’ll be struggling for food and fuel one day, then fighting for your very existence the next. 

Or, maybe, you don’t want to waste your time in this universe playing over the shoulder diplomat. Okay, I’ve got you covered. What if, instead of just accepting a decent mod for Homeworld, we made a AAA Battlestar 3D Space RTS? 

You have control of Galactica, as Commander Adama himself, and you are responsible for the lives of everyone in the fleet. Fight from system to system, searching for resources and a new home. The story would follow the TV show for a bit, but allow for multiple paths to completion. 

Oh, and here’s the kicker. You have a FINITE number of humans on your ships. If you waste them in battle after battle, you will doom humanity to extinction. All of your pilots earn experience while fighting, and they gain abilities and rank throughout the game. You can level up one rookie all the way to handing them their own frigate. Or maybe you pull that Ace off the line so they can become an instructor, speeding up the leveling for your new recruits. But if they die, they’re gone for good. Taking a cue from X-COM, you’ll be able to see a memorial wall of everyone you’ve lost, adding some personal drama to it all.

Either one of these games would delight fans and play to the strength of the universe. And it would make a Billion dollars.