Review: Future Cop: LAPD
Product Information
Published by: Electronic Arts
Web: http://www.futurecop.com
Demo: http://www.futurecop.com
Phone: (800) 245-4525
Price: $19.95
System Requirements
System 7.5 or higher, 120MHz or higher PowerPC, 24 MB of physical RAM, thousands of colors,
QuickTime 3.0
The year is 2098. Crime oozes through the streets of Los Angeles. A new hero is needed to clean it all up, one that’s bigger and badder than some namby-pamby robocop. From the glory days of Atari comes the X1-Alpha, a transforming police vehicle with plenty of jumping power. Nevermind dodging cars and jumping from log to log. This Frogger wears a badge, and he’s packing heat.
Future Cop comes in two flavors. The first is scenario mode, where you battle your way through successive stages. Your goal is to find and eliminate the end-of-level boss, blowing up everything from crazed civilians to mutant slugs along the way. They’re all just begging for an introduction to your three firepower options, which improve as you progress through the game. You can also mix and match them at the start of each new level, so accessorizing is never a problem.
The third-person overhead navigation is adequate in most circumstances, but occasionally you’ll find yourself destroying targets you can’t even see. They’re there all right, because the thin red line of your targeting sighter tells you so. It automatically finds the nearest target based on where you’re standing, leaving you free to concentrate on destroying it, blowing it up, or some combination thereof.
As you make your way through the maze-like terrain of each stage, your Lara Croft-like dispatcher offers poignant tips to clue you in on what you need to do and how you need to do it. Initially this is a big help. After the fifth or sixth run through a level, being told “That looks like a door switch” loses its novelty. Fortunately, a newly released patch (in beta) allows you to adjust the dispatcher’s volume independently from the rest of the audio. It’s available from the Mac Gamer’s Ledge Hotline Server.
The best part of the X1-Alpha is its ability to morph from walker mode into hover-craft mode. Gameplay usually isn’t dependent on one or the other, so you’re free to be what you want whenever you want. At least in single player mode, though, most of your time will be spent in walker mode since it offers the most precise control over movement and weaponry. The option to transform is a nice one to have, but sometimes it can feel entirely superfluous.
Things change considerably when you enter one of the multiplayer modes. If you decide to share your keyboard and run through the levels with another player to back you up, the screen splits in half vertically and you’ve suddenly lost half your viewing area. If the second player is at another computer, though, all is well.
When pure competition is what you crave, FutureCop’s second playing mode will keep you more than occupied. The goal is now to defend your base from the oncoming onslaught of Sky Captain’s forces (or those of a second player) while you try to make your way into his base. Being the computerized genius that he is, Sky Captain is a force to be reckoned with. You’ve got gun turrets? He’s got gun turrets, too. And he knows how to steal yours. Game play revolves around a point system—the more you blow up, the more points you can use to fatten your ranks with drones, tanks, and other fun stuff.
Hey, watch the paint job—someone should teach Sky Captain some manners
Network play suffers from a slight lag, but gameplay isn’t crippled. Unfortunately, you can’t play with more than two people, nor can you communicate with the second player while a game is in session.
Where graphics are concerned, Electronic Arts has managed to please Voodoo-ready G3s and iMacs without leaving the regular PowerPCs in the cold. If you’ve got the hardware to appreciate it, FutureCop’s graphics approach those of Unreal. If not, this is still a finely detailed game with hardly a polygon out of place.
Even without 3D acceleration, the X1-Alpha can still bring down the thunder
It’s easy to nitpick over Future Cop’s minor flaws, to harp on the fact that when you’re stuck at a certain point on one of the levels and just going through the motions to reach it, the game is little more than a series of conditioned responses to the same set of preprogrammed events. But that’s true of any game. At least Future Cop gives you a hefty amount of action to quench your thirst for explosion. What makes Future Cop a great is its smooth graphics, a storyline well woven into game play, and best of all, a cheap sticker price. Long live the X1-Alpha Frogger.
Copyright © 1999 William Lovett, wlovett@atpm.com. Mr. Lovett is ATPM’s Shareware Reviews Editor. Reviewing in ATPM is open to anyone. Contact reviews@atpm.com for more information.
Reader Comments (120)
Joking aside, many games require that their original CD is in the drive during game play. There are usually two reasons for this. It saves having to copy all that information on someone's hard drive and take up space, and it is also a method to help cut down on software pirating ... although this second theory was thought more of before everyone had CD-R drives.
I have the Mac version of FutureCop.
Vicki
Ishan Dixit
Zone Name Password 2 Zuma Beach TAFRGYBLRR 3 La Brea Tar Pits CRGRGYBLRY 4 Venice Beach FUMRGYBLRL 5 Hell's Gate Prison SICUGYBLLI 6 Studio City TAFUGYBLLR 7 LAX Spaceport CRGUGYBLLY 8 Long Beach FUMUGYBLLL Long Beach Completed SIFYGYBISRPrecinct Assault mode single player level passwords Game Shark CodesAnd Amazon isn't the only place to check. eBay goes without saying, as well as the vendors who are based on Yahoo!, ad infinitum.
I'll once more share this problem with the staff. Don't forget that even though ATPM tries to help as much as it can, the only support we can offer is that which falls within the knowledge of the staff, in which case, the ideal option is to ask the software author for help.
"Ah, that was as fun game. Very unstable and I think it had a nasty
copy-protection mechanism. It might not work with a newer Mac/OS version. Can he try an older OS or maybe making a disk image? Just some ideas."
I had the old 1.02 version on a CD and loaded it, thinking the ATI drivers would be better than 1.0 but it's actually worse and, even with the Preferences screens configured,, it just won't start any games. I had exported Mouse and Keyboard settings along with saved Level 10 games. None of these work in v1.02. :(
Reverting back to v1.0 works okay, but obviously one doesn't have the optimized ATI options for RAVE cards. Some of the game's functionality doesn't render properly, such as the awesome Shockwave Generator Weapon (on Cantina level, especially). It is just a little transparent ripple instead of the beautiful white expanding ring.
Very disappointed.
The FutureCop CD v1.02 still runs beautifully on my old system, a Sonnet G3/400-upgraded Power Mac 7600/120, now with 512 MB of RAM, an original Radeon Mac Edition, and a screen resolution of 1152 x 968, all running on OS 9.1. My old faithful!
Anyway, back to Unreal Tournament (v400-v436 update was a buggy joke). It is perfect on my new setup. Actually, awesome is the right word. I've maxed everything and am there's seemingly endless frame-rates.
Maybe I'll dig out Marathon Infinity now, too.
They have put old files into the archive, but this will not prevent us from playing. This file is an update, not a full game.
can someone help me please!
How do play in multiplayer mode. Is there a server or do you put in an IP address
See Ya
Search Amazon or eBay.
Future cop IS available new. I bought it from ebay still in shrink wrap for $15 including P/H.
It comes on ebay often.
I definitly reccomend this product it is EXCELLENT. I was playing it just a couple minutes ago.
I recomend you view the HELP on the future cop main screen. It has some helpfull hints for FC LAPD survival.
Can you tell me once youve read this buy just posting another reply.
Try googling your problem. I didnt have that problem. You could also try using a CD emulator.
May Work
But please take a moment to scan through prior comments. Two or three different steps for switching have been offered, above.
i have the demo and it's relly relly cool but i want the full version!!!!!!!!!!!!
press your ACTION key at the same time as your CHANGE TARGET key. Any different suggestions posted above are people telling you to use the keys they have set to action and change target.
If no one knows what to do at least say so!!
I love that episode of Code Lyoko, I made me cry. Now, it goes to the loading screen and intantly goes back to the main screen.
Macintosh HD
->Applications
-->Application folder 1
-->Application folder 2
->Future Cop
->Utilities
-->Utility folder 1
->Some other folder
->System Folder
...
A quick comment on the disk becoming scratched...I, too, have had problems with this. I bought the game in the days before CD burners were affordable/ubiquitous. I wish I had made a copy back then, as several movies absolutely won't play anymore because the media is too scratched up. I had purchased a copy for my nephew, and he was able to send me a disk image which I have used to run the game on the Mac, but he wasn't able to save it so I could burn a new hybrid copy. Thus, on the PC, it has some real issues.
Not to start another rabbit trail, but wouldn't it be wonderful if EA would open source this game? I know that the technology is way ancient, but it would be really cool to have it updated a bit for both Mac and Windows. A lot of games have gone through this metamorphosis like a lot of the old skool Bungie games (Marathon series, Myth II) and even some of the old Sierra games (Lode Runner, Prince of Persia). (sigh)
However i can't understand why EA (Electronics Arts) can make another sequel or a remake for this title ("I hope you are listening EA"), i'm not too sure if this game was a hit or a best seller though, but if it is they should reconsider in making a new title especially after reading most of these comments for this site.
For those who didn't get that far, hit the three caged switches in order from furthest to closest to the door, get in, and turn left. Then, head along the canal for a switch in the center.
Go ahead, turn left, along the back and then the front of the building, to get the gun weapon power-up, and hit the switch, then jump across for the other. go through the door, and right and up the building for the switch. Go across the bridge, and go into the gray pit. Turn right, at the end turn left, hit the switch. Go up the slope, go into the pit, hit other switch, get out, head along the ledge, and go through the door to shoot the helicopter and save the boat.
If anyone knows what to do after, please tell me
This is where it gets tough. I had to beat this level 4 times until I had it memorized.
Go all the way to the end of the beach. You should see a huge wall, and a little block. Shoot the block to get and enhancement I believe. Face the wall, in which to your left should be water. Switch to hovercraft and go on the water. You should see a way into the base from there. It's guarded by some gun turrets, can't miss it.
this was an instand hit on my lan party last year;)
5/5
I got my FutureCop for Win/Mac back in 2000, and I have the patches, and *none* of the above problems (CD insert, the changing from walker to speeder etc.) and I've stopped by to lend some advice:
first, to 2004 anymous: "I'm playing this game and can't get past the timed sequence of la brea tar pits"
Yes, it is a chore. It takes lots of trial and error. The first thing you want to do is kill any and all enemies in the canal. Then, go back to start your run. Don't make any wide turns, try not to bump into anything. Even on the "easy" level" (hah!) this isn't a walk in the park.
There are some levels which has puzzles that require right timing and can be a pain in the neck. The LAX level and the "takeoff" bit is one of them.
I hope everyone found thier K9 Drones. I have mine.
LAN play? Might be interesting. I'll have to wait and see from some responses here.
Oh...one last thing. I have noted a lot of commenters are asking why EA never followed up. Let me shed some possible light here, although it is, at best, a wild educated guess.
When I got my store bought CD/box, there was a little "card" that was a survey from EA. If the card-survey was mailed, it "might influence" EA to "make more games for Mac". I mailed mine. But here's the thing: if nobody sent these 'survey cards' in...well, you can see where that theory leads.
Well, as for FutureCop fans and players, better late than never.
how is this possible.
help please.
I dont understand how a second one never got made, or how nobody has used the game concept for a new game.
i installed classic and im playing it now. definitely not as fun as the ps1 version though..
My old PowerMac 7600 is still going strong in the attic. I need to load up this old game again (have been playing Multi-player HALO 1 for the past 5 years - which runs superbly on a MacPro after all the years of upgrading to play it better. HALO is my new Futurecop!)
Thanks!
I would like to let all the fans of Future Cop L.A.P.D know that their is a site that wishes to attempt and resurrect the classic game. The site is as follows:
http://resurection.extra.hu/
I would still wish that EA (Electronic Arts) produce a second part or even a remake of this game on PS3/Xbox.
Future Cop L.A.P.D is and will always be one of my favourite game of all time as even to this date its FMV sequence's still have outstanding graphic quality, which can be viewed over and over again.
keep pressing the button 0 and after 2 (action key) and finally .. can play in peace!
For transforming you have to hit the use-Key (Action-Key) in combination with the targeting-Key.
Also if you keep the Action-Key pressed the moving around is slowed down.
Don't know if there are even more combos.
also, I HAVE CONNECTION PROBLEMS ONLINE ARG! can anyone help? refuses to find games from a friend i would like to play with, even though we pre-arrange the games by phone before we click away.
I honestly wish someone in the programming community could update the Futurecop APIs to work on Mac OSX on modern Intel kit to give everyone a go at this again. It would still stand up as a brilliant, very playable game now.
I still have my old PowerMac 7600 G3/400 and I know Futurecop is still loaded on there. That 14-year-old PowerMac just got itself a 19" LCD monitor attached to it this year, so maybe it's time i dusted off my Futurecop and loaded it again for a blast.
Maybe I'll give
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