Description
The Vesuvian cruiser Poiniard has been attacked by the Shivan Demon class cruiser Watooka. Alpha wing is sent in with a little bit of help to save the Poiniard, HOL makes an appearance also.

Storyline:
Read the description for all you need to know. The "little bit of help" is an Orion class destroyer, but with the appearance of an undamaged Typhon on the enemy side, there's no hope of winning. Alpha is the only fighter squadron in the mission - the two wings of fighters and two of Ursas referenced in the briefing don't seem to make an appearance. This inaccuracy is unexcusable, as no explanation is made.

Balance:
I cannot adequately describe how bad the balance is in BBCTP. The only weapons available are a Prometheus and a Banshee for each fighter, and 15 Interceptors. There really isn't any ship choice, as the Valkyrie is the only ship available that can hold the Banshees other than the Hercules, which has no advantages here. The capital ships alone make the mission impossible, with a badly damaged Typhon and an Orion facing off against an undamaged Typhon, Demon, and a couple of Cains. The enemy fighters come in relentless waves, Nephilims, Dragons, Scorpions... far too many for a single wing of fighters to kill.

Design:
This is a textbook example of Battle of Endor Syndrome. Endor Syndrome is the affliction that causes a mission to contain nothing but huge numbers of capital ships and fighters, badly balanced to boot. The framerate dropped several times and impaired combat greatly. There is very simply no way to win.

Gameplay:
For a time, fun. There are plenty of fighters to blow up, and it seems that the Ursas will be arriving any minute. But after all of Alpha wing has been destroyed and there are still over 20 fighters and bombers remaining, with both friendly destroyers clearly doomed, it just becomes frustrating.

Other Thoughts:
Big Boys Come to play is pure Endor Syndrome. There is no way to fix the problems it has, so you'd best avoid it.