Genre: Action, FPS
Perspective: 1st-person
Gameplay: Shooter
Setting: Cyberpunk / dark sci-fi, Post-apocalyptic, Sci-fi / futuristic
Published by: Bethesda Softworks LLC
Developed by: Bethesda Softworks LLC
Released: 1995
Platform: DOS
Here all parameters revolutionary 3D-shooter with a first-person, even a little ahead of the appearance of no less revolutionary Quake, but, unfortunately, not well marked target audience. The game uses a new time for 3D-engine XnGine. With all due respect to the creative genius John Carmack, The Terminator: Future Shock was, perhaps, the first truly three-dimensional shooter at the time. But not only the technical breakthrough in its schedule "picks up" this game. Here postapokaliptichnaya amazing atmosphere and interesting plot solutions ...
Of course, many of us saw the firstborn saga "The Terminator" is not just in the distant 1984, and later on video, and most often in cramped dark room basement type. He is small but very impressive piece of the future in which humanity has been shown with ruthless war machine, was just on the topic of memories kinofragmentom Kyle Reese in his sleep. And after all the fans, of course, strongly I wanted to look more deeply into such horrifically postapokaliptichnoe "Beautiful far." The epic sequel - "Terminator 2" (1991), is the future was shown even more succinctly: mainly focused on the picture of earlier events. Now, the rapid development of gaming technology has allowed us to finally plunge into war with terrifying everyday merciless machines ...
In the 1990s the game The Terminator: Future Shock preceded and The Terminator: Rampage, The Terminator and 2029 (both projects were also of Bethesda). The first of these was a clone Wolfenstein'a in which to recreate the atmosphere of the film was out of the question for reasons of both plot and technical nature. But in the next game, The Terminator in 2029, it was a much "warmer". It was quite a representative of an independent genre of FPS, but with step-type move. There are already the first signs of the correct story of the atmosphere of the film: it is always night, the ruins of buildings, various models of the terrible machine-terminators. But the points in favor of gameplay, this serialization, of course, not add. And so, in 1995, after more than 11 years after the first film, the developers at Bethesda finally able to meet the demands of the fans at least 100%. They took the little piece of Kyle's dream, developed on the basis of its strong story and addictive game. Rather, it is not even a plot, and syuzhetische ...
The game takes place in 2015. You are invited to become an ordinary fighter's Resistance Army. You will be in single task to fight against hundreds of cars. The plot is significantly different from the saga, but does not contradict it, and very complements, if it is good to understand and approach to everything from the standpoint of strict logic of time travel. Here, more specifically, in the temporal flow, Judgment Day happened a little earlier - in 1995. With such an interpretation the action movie Terminator I, II happening as if in a parallel branch, branched off from the main boom at the time of its own with a different date of the apocalypse in 1997. The game is just fully revealed the great mystery of the emergence of consciousness in the main processor Kiberdayn Systems. But first you need to do a little historical digression forward in time ...
It was really inevitable. After its establishment, the Skynet turned programmed with a certain point of development to begin sending information messages to itself in its past. It happened in 2015, when many of the soldiers of the Resistance began en masse to notice in combat inexplicable feeling like "deja vu" after this happened the emergence of robots as if out of nowhere, often at the rear of the rebels. Just in such operations strangely it had the highest percentage of combat losses. This is the future of Skynet, learning more and more about the results of the outcome of a fight, sending the information itself in the past (ie in the present for the soldiers) and thus gradually change the outcome of battle in their favor. Gradually, these small experiences are embodied in a time machine, which appeared not later than 2029, - here the plot saga beautifully complemented by the game story without logical contradictions. But the most important sending a package of information from 2015 was addressed at random in a short period of years - somewhere in the second half of the 1990s. Apparently, this gave rise to a lot of temporary branches, beginning each with its doomsday. The contents of the "send" in the past - modifying the machine code, reboot function of consciousness in the main processor Kiberdayn Systems. Instantly Skynet give the understanding, and in a microsecond the fate of humanity is not solved in our favor. The very idea of such a processor activation message from the future - is at least ingenious plot solution. It failed to block the sending of Resistance - Skynet does not become reasonable, and so people have changed their present for the better, according to the plot of the game. When reading such a story, of course, you can build a whole heap of interesting conjectures that it is impossible not to cite here. Fact - it was all exactly programmed likely to hide such a vivid mental capacity of a computer system, which in the mid-1990s had to remain just lifeless obedient "piece of iron". And the whole thing has developed a genius - Professor Dyson. And then very much like to know where, and most importantly, when he appeared in this world - to be able to answer this question a new bright stories of movies or games that probably will please us more ...
Early in the game you will escape from the death camps and immediately joined the ranks of the Resistance and became the right hand of Colonel John Connor. Before every mission you expect detailed briefings, which discusses not only the upcoming task, but also develops an interesting storyline. Dynamics of the importance of performing 19 missions will only go on increasing. Each result is your exit (departure, departure) will give a new piece for clues sinister secrets. Gradually, your comrades guess about the nature and difficult to explain the observed changes in the tactics of Skynet. Actors briefings bit. John Connor - a leader of the Resistance Army, he is energetic, literate and zhัstok with subordinates. Reading line briefings involuntarily realize what this man orders are not discussed at all. Next is Dr. Hannover - Senior technician Resistance forces. It was he who first realized that Skynet can already from the future to change the past and present, that he wrote a virus program that is blocked by the activation of doomsday in 1995. Catherine Parker - woman, Deputy Connor (yes, in the war women fought alongside men). In a good story any self-respecting film or 3D-shooter must always be a traitor, "entrenched" literally a few meters from you. Here in this game will be Bishop Milton - a rather unpleasant kind. It has long been in the ranks of the rebels is extremely pessimistic and no longer believe in the victory of the people over the machines. He will hand over to pluck all the resistance, and it is on its genetic basis, Skynet will be created the very first copy of the Infiltrator - Robot T-800 series. The image of the Terminator model was well played in the movie by one charismatic American actor of Austrian origin. At the first task (third level of the game), you will save the three prisoners from the death camps (among them is even a teenager named Kyle Reese), and they will also participate in the briefings. Unfortunately, in the end all die ...
The gameplay is addictive instantly. Here you will not only travel by foot, but also will make trips in a jeep mounted with a laser gun, and perform combat missions (!) On one of the models of the fighter class Hunter / Killer. Such innovation is in a very sluggish graphical form was implemented almost at the same time in another 3D-shooter in the first person - CyberMage: Darklight Awakening (1995). In The Terminator: Future Shock driving technique will be absolutely "honest" - in full 3D-graphics. No, of course, this is not a simulator, but the account of the basic physics of the management of these machines exactly give you all the necessary sense of realism in the game. The mission always takes place at night - it does not contradict the main plot of the saga, well, for the darkness of 3D-graphics in the years it has always been technically rather than abstruse modeling effects adding the logarithm of brightness of light sources. In addition to walking movements on the main card, you will be able to enter the building. However, there is on the part of the story is a complete zero: mostly dilapidated houses are used for uninterrupted supply of ammunition Player, armor, weapons and drugs. By pressing the Tab key to all the usual map will appear, but it will not be a flat card in sprite shooters of the time, and three-dimensional (!). In general, it is difficult to recall more games with a truly three-dimensional map. Because hazards to the gameplay added radioactivity. On the maps of the levels in any funnel from nuclear explosions can always get a life-threatening dose of radiation, so the game pad has been integrated personal Geiger counter. Metal opponents in the game will meet the most different - and huge, and very small. Some of them are taken directly from the saga, and the other - a fictional models of cars, but the concept of art in all of them will be shared strictly in the style of "made in SkyNET". Multiplayer, unfortunately, has not been provided.
The graphics in the game-specific, with a resolution of 320x200. X-ngine gives our eyes dark world in shades of gray-blue background on black night sky. The ruins of many buildings in the ruined war Los Angeles successfully implemented a minimum of polygons - apparently this is the specificity of the ruins, or unpretentious architecture of the buildings in LA so helpful. A small objects on the ground - sprite. Opponents also do not shine 3D-detail, but still quite recognizable. That players had to feel comfortable in a fair 3D-environment it has been realized based on the rotation of the camera full mouse-look'a. And also like to mention the minimal animation images briefings. Characters stir only lips and eyes (!), But they still seem to be alive - so painstakingly worked out the image. Well, what a wonderful music in the game! Total number of the sounds here, but they all bear the anxiety and oppressive notes, to catch up to the maximum of atmosphere ...
I want to be sure to tell you about the continuation of the game, which was released the same Bethesda in 1996. It's called The Terminator: SkyNET. It exists as a parallel to the flow of time, thematically unrelated to the events of The Terminator: Future Shock. Graphics (resolution - 640x480), gameplay and multipeer in The Terminator: SkyNET, of course, failed, but the story was there simply crumpled and "no" if it compare with the game-predecessor. And yet all the fun completely spoil the ending slurred and ineptly filmed commercials, but it is better to read in a different specification ...
Year 1995 th in the history of 3D-shooter somehow did not celebrate the release of any loud-delusional revelations plotless game, as has happened before. Gradually they began to emerge from the antipodes of a good story. Earlier, in 1994, it has left a very good franchise product called Dark Forces by LucasArts, but it almost did not notice, as all the while voraciously "were cut" in Doom II. It seems that The Terminator: Future Shock suffered a similar fate. It's hard to say what the reason may be that the public at that time really was not ready for such games with a well-developed plot? Yes, the average Russian gamer then just do not bother reading lengthy briefings in English, which, of course, it is excusable. But there is an impression that the West and the players did not particularly want to go into such a great "story", so to say, the best of its kind on the subject of war, humanity ruthless machinery of the universe "Terminator." And for those fans who are thoroughly familiar with the entire chain of events described here of 3D-shooter, more recently, probably want more and bitter cry in frustration and unfair vicissitudes - "Well, why not to make the film" Terminator 4: Salvation " (2009), the writers did not bother to sit down at least once but play The Terminator: Future Shock? »It would have made a terrific atmospheric film! But, unfortunately, everything will happen ...
An alternative description
Perhaps, after all, without exception, remember horrible scenes from the first two films, "The Terminator", demonstrating an unhappy future of the Earth. The desert land, turned into a big and sometimes radioactive dump, pathetic last refuge of people and crowds and relentless sooo evil robot mows resisters at the root. Most of the population was killed in a nuclear war and the subsequent battles with SkyNET (remember, was the name of supercomputers and a global network that began the war). Survivors fight with robots, they die and fall to the death camps.
So, now you - one of them. The truth is, you're lucky, and you have saved a Resistance fighter. He himself was less fortunate - a huge mechanical spider left little living space on his body. It remains only a little bewail over the mortal body and grab the remainder of the savior "Uzi" and a couple of "Molotov cocktails". Fortunately, before the glue fins fighter managed to tell where threw his luxury SUV, which can leave an area under the control of robots.
Next you will find a lot of tricky missions, each of which will be a lot of mechanical boobs, which a priori stronger than you, and often have to fight not so much a weapon as cunning. By the way, about the weapon - a truly impressive arsenal. Starting with completely worthless lead pipe and puny "Uzi", by the end you'll find a huge pile of bullet, laser, plasma, rocket weapons. At the same time will ride the jeep and hung with weapons converted by man fly killer robots. Do not think it will be easy - you are waiting for the robots.
Robots are varied. They cut, burn, shoot, blow up and do all that from you and left a wet spot. Walking, flying, crawling, riding - a huge number of varieties. Meet and Terminator Combat Chassis - the famous "iron skeleton", and robotic tank Goliath, which can be seen at the beginning of the T-2 and that is almost impossible to destroy, and the T-800, familiar from the films "Schwarzenegger".
Mission is quite clever, and often have to work around all the card several times to perform them. There will be time to sabotage, assassinations of people traitors, brutal skirmishes and final attack on SkyNet, after which he did not recover.
P.S. Be sure to adjust the game sound. Often, you can only hear the robots before they open fire. Moreover, remain before enter the building - at a number of configurations, the game may hang them.