Vivendi Universal is set to bring one of sci-fi's greatest cult favorites into the video gaming universe this fall with their new Battlestar Galactica game for PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

Set 40 years before the television series, the Warthog-developed game follows the exploits of a young Ensign Adama, later captain of the Battlestar Galactica, as he battles for humanity's freedom against the machine race of the Cylons in the great war that was ultimately lost at the beginning of the TV series.

As Ensign Adama, players will fight their way through 15 missions that will constitute an estimated 10 hours of gameplay and range from escort and bombing missions to fighting off full-scale Cylon attacks on the Galactica herself.

To help players through their missions they will have five different ships to fly: four types of Viper fighter craft and a never-before-seen Colonial bomber. Weapons for the Vipers include long-range lasers, short-range flak lasers and configurable homing missiles.

Players may choose to fly their craft from any of five perspectives: first person with control panels visible, first person with only the playfield visible and three varying-distances, third-person chase modes.

The build at E3 was shown off the floor and was definitely pre-alpha, but it was apparent Warthog drew on its Colony Wars experience to give Battlestar Galactica a dramatic feeling of being in deep space.

Due out this fall, Battlestar Galactica should have fans of the TV series, myself included, lined up to finally experience the thrill of hitting those Viper turbos and splashing Cylon Raiders.