Future Tactics: The Uprising

by Crave Entertainment

Product Features

• Lead a ragtag band of guerillas in missions across a deadly, destroyed planet
• Fight against large, green, deadly aliens in 19 high-intensity levels
• New style of turn-based playing keeps people in the action, not juggling stats
• Rich, full 3D environments and unique, stylized characters draw you into the action
• Deformable terrain - Landscape can be permanently destroyed, leaving behind craters and canyons

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0001CNRPM
• Item Weight: 8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: May 5, 2004
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,910 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Game Informer Review

Future Tactics started out on a good note with me at first because it reminded of two games that I enjoy: Worms and Final Fantasy Tactics. It was also refreshing to see a game trying new things, mixing turn-based strategy with platforming elements and massively destructible environments. Unfortunately, things went sour quickly when it became clear that none of these innovative features came together well, resulting in a smoking wreck of ideas that should have been fun.

The game's premise is pretty basic: a small group of good guys fight off an overwhelming alien force. Despite the simple setup, Future Tactics is surprisingly difficult, but not in that good "this game is challenging my strategic combat skills" kind of way. The monsters are overpowered, can communicate telepathically (which means if one sees you, they all do), and often respawn once they are destroyed. On the other hand, your characters are few, weak, and the death of a single one can mean game over. The result is numerous frustrating losses rooted in poor game balance rather than tactics.

Don't expect these problems to be lessened at all depending on which version you play; there are essentially no differences among the three. Even though the Xbox version is Xbox Live aware, there are no features that allow you to play against friends online. This means that Future Tactics is an identically mundane experience across the board. However, it does have a tempting $20 price tag, so if you really enjoy turn-based strategy and want to see an interesting new take on the genre, this could be worth a look.

Concept:
Turn-based strategy meets generic 3D action

Graphics:
They are either overly stylized, or just plain bad. The character models are pretty cool, though

Sound:
The thick British accents add some character to an otherwise unremarkable soundtrack

Playability:
There is no way to tell when you're entering an enemy's line of sight, leading to a lot of trial and error

Entertainment:
Despite its cartoony presentation, it is really too frustrating to enjoy

Replay:
Low

Rated: 5.25 out of 10
Editor: Joe Juba
Issue: June 2004

2nd Opinion:
As much as I enjoy turn-based strategy games, I really couldn't find anything to like about Future Tactics. The aiming system was conceptually interesting, but adjusting the floating reticle quickly grew so tiring that I stopped going for perfect shots, and was left with a wholly unappealing gaming mess. The graphics can only be described as awful, missions are boring, and combat ranges from dull to frustrating. The enemy AI is terrible, as is the fact that losing one unit can end the game. Other than the price, Future Tactics has nothing to offer.

Rated: 4.75 out of 10
Editor: Jeremy Zoss


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Product Description

Future Tactics: The Uprising is a tale of heroism against impossible odds. In this turn-based role-playing game, you'll live after the alien conquest of Earth. Humanity is now ruled with brutal oppression. The last hope for resistance is a brother & sister, and their friends. Build up your character through the experience point system -- go from bare-bones guerilla to experienced, well-armed, well-trained warrior

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars one of my favorites, November 8, 2011

By 

michael (traverse city mi) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Future Tactics: The Uprising (Video Game)

future tactics is a great rpg/srategy game the other review covers the game im just giving you my opinion great game highly reccomended

4.0 out of 5 stars Innovative and Under-rated, December 22, 2004

By 

Esc - See all my reviews

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Future Tactics: The Uprising (Video Game)

"Future Tactics: The Uprising" is not a spectacular game. It doesn't allow the freedom of GTA or the plot of Final Fantasy. But it is fun and challenging; and it's worth more than the price for which it's offered.

"Future Tactics" is a tactical RPG that does all but throw away the stats common to such games, leaving only HP and Levels left and leaving it to the player to gain EXP and find upgrades across the battlefield.

Gone is the grid used for movement; each character has full movement within a circle. Most of the weapons are long-range guns of some sort (sometimes missiles) for both players and enemies, so one necessary tactic is to hide behind rocks or walls... which can be destroyed. The entire terrain is deformable; you can blow craters in the ground, holes through the walls, and re-arrange the scenery of boulders, cars, and other destructibles as you see fit. It's fun at first, but soon becomes a strategy for victory.

The game includes 19 Story Mode levels, with hidden unlockables for the multi-player. My one complain with the multi-player is that it should allow players to have at least 4 characters on their team; 2 characters per person just isn't the same.

For this RPG, it's almost necessary to ignore the plot. It would have been better off if left to just Humans vs Creatures, but the writers decided to complicate things and the writing simply isn't good enough for that. Everything's handled so poorly, you'd almost think the plot was a parody of the typical complex RPG plot, but it's presented way too seriously for that.

Graphics are good and are mostly cartoonish, as expected from Crave. Music isn't something you'd listen to on a soundtrack, but it does well for the game and sets a good pace for the battles.

"Final Fantasy Tactics" this is not, but it is a good tactical game and is easily worth the $10 it now costs. Try it out and have some fun.