 Electronic Arts, $20. Requirements:120MHz PowerPC or better, 24MB RAM, System 7.5, 2x CD-ROM. Supports RAVE and VooDoo acceleration (recommended). For more information, visit
http://www.ea.com
Review by Rich Pizor
I couldn't believe it when I first heard the news. Electronic Arts is doing a Mac game. How many years had it been? Granted it wasn't a title I'd ever heard of before, but that was more than ok; I was severely disappointed when Archon Ultra was all but ignored on the PC and not even considered for a Mac port, and if EA was suddenly going to start developing for the Mac, well hey, who was I to rain on their parade?
The truth, at length, came out: the game had only been developed for the Mac because the programmers had pushed for it, and this didn't necessarily represent a change of EA's heart. Still, the pieces are all falling into place. The iMac has revitalized the Macintosh as a consumer platform (let's face it, how many businesses buy games en masse?) and if EA is able to see the consumer interest we Mac users have in their products, future development is not out of the question.
Future Cop casts you in the role of a bright up-and-comer in the Los Angeles Police Department (amid various disclaimers that the game is neither affiliated with nor endorced by said department) in a dark future where technology and criminals run equally rampant. You are equipped with the latest and greatest in law enforcement technology, an armed-to-the-teeth hovercar that transforms into a mechanized assault walker. Your mission is to search out and destroy the bad guys, whether that means machine gunning them, missiling them, bombing them, or (my favorite) just stepping on them.
Thankfully, the interface to this bevy of destructive options is fairly straightforward. Your vehicle's systems automatically target your opponents (you can, of course, designate a different target as you desire) and Future Cop has full InputSprocket support, so configuring the keyboard or your favorite controller is a snap. But the elegence of the interface does not end there. Each mission contains a fully-rendered and well-narrated briefing, outlining the objective for the mission and offering a rudementary overview of the opposition you'll be facing. The help system is equally elegent, showing you all the basic maneuvers and controls while a perky narrator explains the ins and outs of basic gameplay.
Gameplay itself is fast and furious. The levels are large and dramatically detailed, and crawling with evil doers who would like nothing more than to see you reduced to a pile of slag. Surprisingly, detail this impressive isn't taxing on 3D accelerators; the basic 4MB Power3D card used for this review was even able to handle the game at a resoluation of 800x600, with no discernable drop of speed, quality, or responsiveness. Even toggling through the game's camera modes doesn't slow things down, though it may completely disorient the player, so be warned. The thumping techno music soundtrack heightens the experience nicely.
Multiplayer options abound. The game supports two player cooperative play with a somewhat unique twist; the two players share a common life pool, and damage to either officer (including friendly fire from your parnter) will cause that life pool to go down. This innovative system makes it imperative that you cover your partner's butt as well your own. Competative play is possible via the "SkyCaptain" mode, an LAPD training exercise that's sort of a cross between Steal the Bacon and Capture the Flag. And taking a nod from console games, Future Cop allows both players to sit at the same terminal if you lack a second computer or an easy way to network it. Of course, modem, LAN, and TCP/IP networking options also exist.
The graphics are not only amazingly effecient, but the game is covered with little details that suggest just how much thought went into producing this title. Grafiti covers the walls in public parks and freeways; off ramps near the site of a police action are clogged with rubberneckers, making maneuvering to your assigned target difficult; each weapon has it's own unique, self-styled pyrotechnic when it impacts the foe; the quick mini-cutscene that runs when you transform your vehicle is even rendered on the fly so as to include background graphics depicting your current location. And as you work your way through each of the eight harrowing missions, you are given audio clues as to where to go next via satellite uplink to the precinct. This thoughtful touch makes it easier to navigate the levels without detracting from the game's challange; being pointed in the right direction rarely if ever spoils the challange of figuring out what you're supposed to do once you get there. And the voice acting, while it won't be nominated for any Academy awards, is of the highest quality, with just the right amount of distortion to simulate radio static without making the message obscure.
At a $20 price point, you will be sorely pressed to find a better value for your gaming dollar. Even if you somehow manage to slag your way through all eight levels in a brief space of time, the SkyCaptain mode keeps things fresh; the one player version of this game gives you a truly intelligent opponent, and the multiplay options make it almost criminally easy to give yourself a live targ...er, opponent. Adjustible difficulty makes it accessible to nearly all players, and there are gore settings for parents of younger children. Run, don't walk, to your local retailer. Buy a copy of Future Cop. Revel in the glory that is a professionally-done EA Mac title.
And send in those registration cards. |