The cast of Battlestar Galactica test drive Xbox 360 game

Source: Gamepro

Sierra Entertainment brought a playable build of the new Xbox 360 Battlestar Galactica game to the set of The Sci-Fi Channel TV series, which is currently taping the fourth and final season of the show.

Amidst elaborate new sets for this month's (November's) two-part TV movie, a pair of pilots from the Galactica, Grace Park (Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii) and Tahmoh Penikett (Lt. Karl C. "Helo'"Agathon) took the new downloadable high definition game for a test flight.

"Like any videogame, I think you need some time to get to know it," said Penikett, the resident gamer in the show's cast. "I was embarrassed at how bad I was in the beginning, but after 10 minutes I was really into it. For a downloadable game, it's impressive."

The new Xbox Live Arcade game, which was developed in Australia by Auron Games, offers single-player missions based on episodes of the first three seasons of the show.

"I thought that was a fresh new take on it as a way to bring the show into the videogame," said Park. "Playing past episodes allows fans to be interactive with their favorite shows."

While walking through the huge soundstages that are home to the Galactica is an amazing experience, it also takes away some of the magic from the show. Every single button in Galactica's Command Information Center (CIC) is operational on set. The two full-sized Vipers and one Raptor on set don't actually fly, but they do in the new videogame.

"Compared to how the Raptor controls in my make-believe world on the show, the game's Raptor controls fine," said Penikett.

A big part of the game's longevity will be in the multiplayer modes. The Xbox 360 game will offer eight player online combat in Firefight, Skirmish and Domination modes. PC gamers will be able to engage in dogfights with up to 16 players.

"I think it will be a great way to get your friends into the game and even engage in battle with people that you don't know," said Park. "Seeing who's going to go on which side and even switching sides."

Battlestar Galactica is available now as a download on Xbox Live Arcade.

Thanks to All about Tahmoh Penikett for the heads up