Minimum Requirements:

CPU: Pentium II 300Mhz or AMD K6-2 350Mhz
RAM : 64MB RAM (128MB for Win2k or XP)
HD Space : 500MB
Video :16 MB DirectX 8 compatible sound card
Operating System : Windows 9X/2K/XP

The story of the Battlecruiser franchise and the man behind the project is reaching levels to where someday, it might be a good story to tell kids at a campfire. For the last six+ years, Derek Smart has been working hard on rebuilding and establishing the Battlecruiser name. For those that do not know, Take Two released his previous product, Battlecruiser 3000 AD, with enough bugs to render it unplayable. Derek defended his product, and four the next four years, he worked on making this game as Smart originally intended it. Now with his independent developing/publishing company, 3000 AD, Derek has released the latest installment in the Battlecruiser franchise, Battlecruiser: Millennium. With huge environments, some very intense gameplay, and an almost infinite replay value, BCM is in a class of its own. I'm not even sure what genre to put it in, because it fuses so many together.

Gameplay:

Battlecruiser: Millennium allows you to choose between one of twelve available races, and the option of selecting the type of career you would like to have. The types of careers range from a Commander to pilot, and the way the game plays out will depend on what career path you have chosen. BCM primarily focuses on the Commander career, but those that choose this path may find it the most difficult of all of the available careers. Your age will increase the longer you play BCM, until you have reached the age of sixty-five, at which point you are forced into retirement.

You now have the choice of selecting between roam or advance campaign modes. The roam mode allows you to go anywhere and choose any missions you like. With more than 100 space regions to explore, expect to do a lot of roaming. The advance campaign mode however, is not so free. They give missions to you whether you like it or not. If you do not like to participate in the mission, then don't. The mission will continue without your presence, though your absence in the mission will keep you from gaining any rewards (like money) should the mission becomes a success. Should you choose to take part in a successful mission, you will be give money and experience points, which will allow you progress in rank during your career.

The design of BCM is unique in the fact that not only does it space and air simulators, first- person shooters, and role-playing elements, it allows you to play the game in those particular gaming styles. So when flying in space is wearing you out, head onto the planet and get yourself lost in some good-ol' first person shooter action. Separately, they may not be the strongest in their respective fields, but combined, it strikes a massive blow. In addition, there are well over sixty planetary vehicles and spacecraft in the game, so creating different ways to destroy your opposition shouldn't be much of a problem. The AI for the most part, is quite challenging. When the fighters attack, they attack with a purpose, so no playing around with the enemy in this game. Not quite the level of difficulty of Independence War 2, but difficult nonetheless.

If there is one thing more difficult than playing against the AI, its learning how to play BCM overall. With so many commands and functions to learn, you will definitely get your money's worth out of your keyboard and joystick. If you are one of those people who likes to install a game and play it without reading the manual, then you are in for a rude awakening, because no one will be holding your hand in BCM. The manual is not as big as those 100+ Star Trek: Armada manuals, but it is still big and full of information that you will need to know to become successful in this game. Casual gamers will probably turn away with the game's steep learning curve, but those willing to stick it out will find out that it well worth it.

Graphics/Sound:

The graphics in BCM are not the best on the market by any means, but they manage to show enough detail and flair to get the job done. Though, when playing on the planet, there were some major draw-in and clipping, and the ground textures really looked flat and blurry. From time to time, I would actually get stuck in the terrain when using an aircraft. Because of BCM focuses on accuracy in space combat, you won't find any of the wonderfully lit stars and nebulae gas clusters found in other similar games. Nevertheless, there is so much going on that many people playing the game won't complain. Though I should point out that game allows you seamlessly to land on a planet from space and vice versa, so a lot of flare could have slowed this game down significantly. With a lot of ships on screen simultaneously some major slowdown can occur. Although the graphics are not the best, you will still need at least a mid-range system with a hardware TnL card for a smooth experience.

The sound is a mixed bag. When playing the game, I was disappointed to find that the sounds seem outdated, and did not pack a punch. Weapon fire was mediocre at best, and the sound of enemy fire striking your ship's hull was rather weak. There is some minor voice acting in the game, but they usually give minor hints and do not go into lengthy dialogue. One thing that I did like was the background music. It is a good blend of techno and new wave, and fits in well with the game's atmosphere. I even found myself staying on the main menu just so I could hear some of the great tunes.

Multiplayer/Devices:

At this time there is no multiplayer. The game will have multiplayer support via a patch in the future, which is good because the game doesn't reach its full potential without multiplayer. The good thing is that this gives gamers more time to work on their careers, because when the game does go online, you may not have the time to build up your career as you would playing a single player.

This game has many functions and commands that you will need to learn, and unless you play this game about 2-3 hours a day, it is a sure bet that you will forget what keys perform certain functions. The game can be played with a joystick and keyboard to help alleviate some stress, but you may need something more. That is where Gamevoice and Gamecommander come in. With the ability to speak your commands, it really enhances your experience of being a real space pilot or commander.

The Wrap-up:

Battlecruiser: Millennium is off to a great start, but it has not yet reached its ultimate potential. The addition of the multiplayer mode will quantify the replayability of BCM to an all new level of excellence. But for now, I can say that the BCM is a sci-fi buffs' dream. The depth and infinite replay value of this game makes this one of the must have sim games of 2001. Still, its mediocre graphics, overall average sound, and steep learning curve, and somewhat weak story may turn away all but the hardcore sim gamer. If there is one thing that BCM has going for it, it is that it has one of the most dedicated product developers behind it, and in this day and age where product support is not that great, it is good to see someone willing to support their product if people are playing it. With Derek Smart at the helm, BCM can only get better.