Future Tactics: The Uprising
 |
| Future Tactics: The Uprising | |
|---|---|
 North American cover art for PlayStation 2 | |
| Developer(s) | Zed Two |
| Publisher(s) | Crave Entertainment, JoWood Productions |
| Composer(s) | Tim Follin |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 GameCube Xbox Windows |
| Release | GameCube PlayStation 2 |
| Genre(s) | Tactical shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player Multiplayer |
Future Tactics: The Uprising is a turn based tactical shooter video game by Zed Two. Once known as Pillage, this colourful turn based shooter was stuck in development for a number of years before being picked up by Crave for a US release, followed shortly by JoWood for a European release. It plays a lot like the Worms 3D games and has a story penned by Paul Rose, who used to write the video game page Digitiser on Channel 4's Teletext. The game features a geo-mod system in which almost anything can be destroyed, leaving battlefields scarred by craters.
It was released on PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and Windows. A Gizmondo version was planned but canceled after Tiger Telematics went bankrupt.
Story
The plot of the game revolves around Low, his sister Pepper, and any other survivors they can find, trying to rid the world of the mysterious and malevolent "creatures" that are slowly taking over the planet.
The Humans
Low - A determined teenager who wants nothing more than to rid the earth of the creatures and take revenge on them for killing his father. He uses a laser pistol in combat. He later "gets to know" Peace and have a baby named Hope.
Pepper - Low's little sister. She keeps record of her and the others' entire journey in her diary. She uses grenades in combat.
Scallion - A stereotypical tough guy with a big gun. He rarely speaks during the game, although it is suggested he is fairly good friends with Low. He uses a missile launcher in combat.
Wardwarf - A robot introduced as Caraway's bodyguard. He speaks in a British accent. Wardwarf uses a laser pistol in combat. He blows himself up later on after combat along with General.
Caraway - The "Science Witch" living in the Valley of Screams. Her home is discovered when Low accidentally leads creatures to its location. She figures out how the "Immortality Machine" works then later on accidentally spawns some creatures. She uses a laser pistol in combat.
General - An old man who seems to have seen battle many times before. He rarely speaks in game, although it is highly suggested that he is very protective of his daughter: Peace. General uses a missile launcher in combat.
Peace - General's daughter. She is impregnated by Low, and gives birth to their son: Hope. She uses a laser pistol in combat.
The Stranger - A mysterious man with a scar above his eye. Shares a brief rivalry with Low. He uses a laser pistol in combat. He later on states that he's from the future, and he's Low.
Father - Low's father. He was killed when creatures raided Low's camp.
Hope - Low and Peace's baby.
The Creatures
Hubrik - A small and weak creature that acts like a suicide bomber. These enemies have dynamite strapped to their backs.
Sentrik - A large heavily armored creature that acts as a sentry. Uses a laser that emerges from its chest.
Grenadak - A normal sized creature with a powerful ballistic weapon on its back. Its name may be a pun on grenades.
Insidiak - Slender creatures that appear to act as snipers in most battles. Uses a laser pistol that extends before firing.
Patriok - A creature with the ability to heal. Its weapon is a staff capable of firing a laser.
Gnarlak - A normal sized creature with a gun attached to its arm.
Gameplay
Gameplay always involves a set of two teams. One team moves all its players, and then the other. The characters fire by aiming at a target and then matching two lines for the precise firing zone. Depending on the upgrades received, the player characters may also zoom in or add an extra boost of power before firing. Firing can destroy parts of the environment, which is one of the selling points of the game. Character progression is based on experience attained from killing enemies, or finding hidden items in the environment. Gaining a level lets the player pick a new ability or boost for the character. The first levels have the player fail a level upon the death of a character, but eventually the characters can be resurrected.
Episode Titles
Episode 1: A Savage Earth
Episode 2: The Message
Episode 3: Scallion
Episode 4: The Immortality Gambit
Episode 5: The Valley of Screams
Episode 6: The Stranger
Episode 7: An Enemy Defined
Episode 8: My Lover, My Comrade
Episode 9: A Legend Grows
Episode 10: The Secret of Peace
Episode 11: A Winter's Tale
Episode 12: The Dambusters
Episode 13: Unlucky for Some
Episode 14: Turning Point
Episode 15: A Fatal Error
Episode 16: My Enemy, My Self
Episode 17: Into the Lair
Episode 18: The Mutation
Episode 19: The End
New Game Plus
Although not a new game plus in the traditional sense, if a player continues the game after finishing all 19 episodes, a change to the turn mechanics in combat is made. Instead of an entire team moving at a time, only one character may move before it becomes the other team's turn. Turns are then rotated throughout the characters.