Uplink: Hacker Elite

"Hacking in 2010, life is good..."

Uplink... it's kind of a surprising hit considering that, it's not 3D. Yes, Uplink, a 2D hacking simulation which allows you to hack, using methods such as cracking software, decryption, downloading, uploading, etc. You, basically saying, are a freelancer, except for the fact that you are working for the Uplink Corporation to help you freelance. Anonymous people from around the world hire people like you to hack into servers (which includes corporate servers, government-type servers, you name it). There's even a storyline, but you can continue doing the freelance thing if you want.

Gameplay
(9/10)

The game is quite original during it's release in the UK, as it, and I repeat, is not your average 3D FPS game, but a GUI-like interface that allows you to hack. With that being said, once you start out, the interface is indeed slick. The front page, as I would like to call it, contains everything you need in other to hack. You got your URLs, programs in a convenient list (like your Windows Start button), and such.

The gameplay is awesome. If you're a first time player, there's even an in-game tutorial to help you start off! Otherwise, you can start off your freelancing. After connecting to a network, you will see what appears to be like, the classifieds in a newspaper, but they all say, ''Hacker needed.''

Sound
(7/10)

The music is great, kind of. I usually turn it off as the game is OpenGL and my Voodoo 3 just isn't cut out for that kind of game. But, during the few times I did turn it on, it seemed techno but had a nice electronic beat to some of the music. Some of the music you will hear will actually fit in nicely to whatever work that you are doing, and some will even get your heart pumping! The music changing is seamless, it's pretty undetectable, so you won't suddenly 'break away' from the groove.

The sounds, however, is good, but not great. Although it fits in nicely with the rest of the GUI, some of the sounds really doesn't sound all that 'technological' to me.

Graphics
(9/10)

The graphics are a nice purple, for the standard set of graphics. But, after the 1.2 patch release (which you can get at their homepage), Uplink is even skinnable! You can choose choose many 3rd party sets from various web sites around the Internet.

While hacking, there will be pictures of actual people. The weird part is, there is no women. Sorry, guys.

Replayability
(8/10)

Besides from the fact that the missions you will encounter in this game will get quite boring, there's many other things you can do. Easter eggs? Why, yes there is! The people at Introversion planted many, many secrets all around the place!

And you can do stuff outside of Uplink! You can make your own skin, or your own gateway (yes, as unbalanced to the game as you want), stuff like that. Remember when I said there is no pictures of women? You can add some of your own pictures into the game! Heck, you can probably edit your own save file, if you're skilled enough!

Overall
(Scoring at an 8 out of 10 for Uplink: Hacker Elite)

This game will add hours of good fun into your gaming experience. If you're an avid computer user, and don't believe me, play the demo (also available at their web site), or buy it!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/11/03