Future Tactics: The Uprising

"Like hide-and-go-seek with guns and explosions."

Story: 5/10

Well, the story goes up and down. At points, it's very un-understandable and boring. At other points, it's interesting and exciting! I can see how people could get into the story, and I can see how people could hate it.

I won't reveal anything, but, it centers mostly around a boy named Low, and his perky and amusing sister, Pepper.

Gameplay: 9/10

The gameplay is VERY interesting and exciting. You have three basic commands - Move, Shoot, and End Turn. Simple, right? Wrong. There are several sub-commands; for example, just the End Turn command has three - Heal, Rest, and Shield.

The shooting is very interesting, too; once you use the shoot command and choose the normal shooting style, you get a first-person view point. Aim for you enemy, and shoot. However, there is a bit of a problem...the aiming controls can be frustrating. But, after a bit of practice (I practiced in Boot Camp mode), you can easily overcome this problem.

There are also several other firing modes like a special scope mode and healing abilities. You may also find Power-Ups hidden around stages that can make your weapons stronger.

Moving around the map is simple. Choose the move command, and use the control stick to move. Jumping is labeled on the bottom of the screen (Y on Gamecube, not sure about X Box or PS2). Different characters have different moving and jumping abilities; Some can barely jump at all, and some can jump over almost anything.

Graphics - 7/10

This game has good, solid graphics. They are a strange type - somewhat cel-shaded, somewhat 3-D. Environments are well made and detailed, with plenty of nice features that make them feel realistic. The characters also look quite realistic, minus a few. Their mouths move along with the voice acting quite nicely, and seldom get off sync.

Sound: 7/10

The music in this game is fair, and the voice acting is decent. In my opinion, the sound directors did an good job.

The music in battles may get you dancing at times, as it did to me, but, out of battles, the music can get you muting the T.V. and covering your ears. For the most part, the music is decent.

The voice acting on the other hand, is pretty good. Sometimes, you run across a person with bad V.A., but, luckily, there isn't much dialogue in the fights.

So, remember, when you aren't in a battle, mute, or at least turn down the volume on, your T.V.. When you're in a battle, turn it up!

Replayability/Length - 9/10

There are SO many different way to do a chapter. - you can go back through the game and try different strategies for every level. You can try out 'Boot Camp' mode, like a training mode, to hone your skills and have some fun. Also, there is a 2-Player Battle mode, which adds to the fun!

This game is also somewhat long, as it can take a while to complete a chapter. Some chapters, however, can be completed in a matter of minutes. But then, the longer chapters helps balance out the length.

Overall - 9/10

RENT, BUY, or IGNORE?
Buy. This is a fun game, well worth anyone's time and money.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/18/04