Uprising X

When I'm at my "real job" I usually have a decent amount of free time on my hands. This time is usually spent reading video game magazines. I like to read the reviews of many publications, to keep myself from wasting my money on crappy games.

As I was reading reviews, one game kept sticking out in my mind. This game however didn't get great reviews. They weren't bad, but weren't stellar either. Overall it pulled an average mark from most of the magazines I read. Normally, this would cause me to completely pass. This time was different. Something about the game kept saying "buy me"! So, I did!!

From what I read, and saw on the back of the box, I knew the game had qualities I'd like.  It had cool lighting effects, was fast paced, and rendered an incredible amount of ships at any given time. Just my style!! A well lit, quick moving, action packed shooter with strategy elements thrown in to boot! I knew I'd be happy.... I was!!!

Uprising X is unlike anything I have ever seen on the Playstation. At it's core, it is an action packed shooter. What diffrenciates it from other shooters it that it has strategy elements thrown in. At your disposal, you have a large amount of weaponry which includes: tanks, bombers, infantry, and various other machines. You must properly place, and deploy these weapons to successfully complete your task.

The game is mission based. As expected you have various goals to complete before you accomplish your mission. What makes it different is the strategic building, and placing of your armies. These armies are crucial to the outcome of your mission.

When you play, you must first establish a Citidel. A Citidel is a tall command structure. Once you have a Citidel established, you can then build troops, AAV's, bombers, tanks, or gun turrets. You have a limit of what you can build, so mission objectives are only met if you have built and deployed the proper armies. One neat feature of the game, is the ability to switch from your primary vehicle "Wraith" (Looks like a tank), to the Citidel. You can then take shots at the enemy from high in the sky. This is especially useful because it brings you much closer to the various aerial assault vehicles that will be attacking your troops.

This game is fast, and action packed!!!!! I can't even explain how cool it is to go into a mission with a hugh array of ground troops, as well as a large amount of air based ships. The action takes place on all sides of you, and is quite an awesome sight to behold!!! Kinda reminds me of a Star Wars movie with the action taking place on dozens of fronts.

When I was reading reviews for this game, the graphics were dissatisfing to some. Common complaints were overuse of fog, and an overall average look. Well, I gotta tell you, those guys are crazy!!! The graphics are completely awesome for what this game is doing. This game renders so many ships at one time it is completely amazing! Cool lighting effects are everywhere, armies are everywhere, and the visual "punch" is definetely there. Sure, if your gonna compare the graphics to a hand drawn, still piece of game art, it may not look so good. Obviously, designers are not as limited in art like that. Most 2D games look way better then 3D games (from a purely art standpoint). However, this is primarilly a technical issue. This game is a very fast paced 3D action shoot-em-up, and looks quite amazing when compared to most other 3D games. As far as the fog goes, I hate fog as much as the next guy. Developers sometimes use it to hide "draw in" of polygons. In many cases, it is overused but here it is not. Yes the game is foggy, but it never completely hides any of the on screen action. Besides that, in this game the fog is cool looking. It is done with various colors (greens, reds, ect..) and actually has a positive effect on the game. Needless to say, the graphics "ROCK" in this game!!!!!! I don't think you will be un-happy.

Control and learning the game are other issue that were a problem for some. To properly play this game, you must utilize all of the Playstation controllers buttons. I have to admit, at first, I didn't know what the heck I was doing. I couldn't get anywhere in this game. The mission objectives seemed complex, I didn't understand about building troops, and I couldn't control the vehicle. It did take quite awhile to learn about these features.  Controlling my "Wraith" became second nature after I got over the initial learning phase though. To help with this learining curve, there is a much appreciated "practice" mode. This mode teaches you the basics of building and deploying troops. It also helps you learn to control your "Wrath", as well as how to build Citidels. It comes in quite handy for a game like this that is not a pick-up-and-play game like some others on the market. Once you learn a little, playing the game becomes quite easy. Don't let the learning curve scare you off. It's definetely not as bad as it sounds.

The game tries real hard, to assure replayability. For every mission, there are an various ways to try to finish. Can't beat them with tanks, try bombers, or AAV's.. ect.. ect.... There are also a number of two player modes available. These help increase longevity, but don't quite make it a game you will keep going back to. A mission, is still a mission. Just because you can complete it one way, doesn't mean you will want to complete it another. To me, the fact that it is mission based, makes it less likely to be replayed then a non-mission based game. That doesn't mean it isn't fun!! The game is great fun!! There are a ton of missions, and you won't get tired soon. I just mean that once you complete it, you probably won't try to complete it again.

My biggest complaint with the game is the lack of a save anywhere feature!! Why the heck don't developers add this to all games!!!! I'm one that really hates to be forced to replay parts of games that I have already sucessfully made it past. This game forces you to re-do long missions, once you lose your Wraith on the battlefield. To the credit of Cyclone, the game is never completely the same the next time you try. It helps, but you are still forced to replay things you have already overcame.

All in all, Uprising X is a pretty cool game. It has action galore, cool weapons, and a strategy element not found in your average shooter. Had the game added a save anywhere feature, I probably would put it as one of my all time favorite shooters. As it is, I like it alot, and would recommend it to anyone!!! I just can't say it's my favorite.... too bad, because it could've been!....... I just wish I could save anywhere!
 
 

RATINGS
GRAPHICS 92%
SOUND 90%
GAMEPLAY 85%
ORIGINALITY 95%
REPLAY VALUE 80%
OVERALL 88%