The Terminator: Future Shock

From Terminator Wiki

The Terminator: Future Shock is a first-person shooter computer game released by Bethesda Softworks in 1995.

The game depicts Judgment Day as happening in 1995, then the setting jumps forward to Los Angeles in the year 2015. The gamer plays a human escaping entrapment by terminators. After escaping hostile enemy territory in the first mission, the player meets with John Connor, the leader of the resistance. From that point on, one plays as a resistance fighter. Skynet's uprising in 1990 has left most of humanity dead, with control in Skynet's hands. All around is death and decay, scattered with remnants of a past society shattered.

Contents 1 Gameplay 1.1 Single Player 1.2 Multiplayer 2 Features 3 Graphics 4 Characters 5 The Machines 6 References 7 External links

Gameplay

Single Player

Future Shock is played in the first person perspective at all times. Each level in the game requires the player to solve a number of objectives before continuing to the next level, while fighting enemy robots with a wide variety of guns and grenades. Another obstacle in each level is the harsh terrain, as many areas contain too much radiation for the player character to remain alive. The terrain is navigated in three ways, 'on foot', in a jeep with a mounted cannon, or in an Aerial Hunter-Killer.

Multiplayer

Future Shock had no multiplayer component. A multiplayer feature was finally available in the sequel, The Terminator: SkyNET, which featured a deathmatch mode.

Features

Future Shock is driven by Bethsoft's Xngine, which was one of the first game engines to have the following features:

• A full 3D perspective.
• Real-time light sources
• Full texturing

While the majority of the game used textured polygons to display levels and structures, many of the items, weapons, and level decorations were still shown using sprites.

Graphics

It was one of the first computer games to use full 3D graphics and totally free mouse-look in a first-person shooter ^[1]. The mouse-look allows players to aim at and continually shoot the moon in the sky on the levels that take place outside. The game will display the word 'ow!' in red a few times, then the moon will fall from the sky.

Along with the usual information and credits, the game manual comes with many illustrations, including an artist's image of the game design team dressed corresponding to some of their personality traits and pet projects, such as designer Robert Stoll sporting his prototype railgun.

Characters

• Milton Bishop
• Laurie Brinks
• John Connor
• Bill Hanover
• Thomas Jensen
• Sergeant Menendez
• Kathryn Parker
• Kyle Reese
• Sergeant Roberts

The Machines

• Flencer
• Goliath
• Heavy Tank
• HK-Bomber
• HK-Drone
• HK-Aerial
• HK-Scout
• HK-Tank
• Raptor
• Seeker
• Spiderbot
• T-600
• T-800
• T-Rex
• Terminator (Combat Chassis)
• Turret
• Truck

References

External links

• Bethesda homepage
• Future Shock Gameplay video - ogg-theora, cc-by-sa