Despite the fact that Uprising-X has a pretty heavy fog effect going on, the graphics are actually quite pleasing. The display is not extremely detailed, but maintains a dark, foreboding mood which helps submerge the player into the game. Uprising-X is a mixture of shooter/strategy, and strategy games are not known for their elaborate graphics. In this light, the graphics are nicely handled, and possibly even elaborate for a strategy game. Although, as far as shooters go, Colony Wars is FAR prettier than Uprising-X. It depends on your priorities. If you demand beautiful games, regardless of the quality of gameplay, then you should probably pass on this on... or at least rent it first.

I like this game. Uprising-X is one of those rare games that takes more than one genre, mixes them together, and manages to make a game that is better than the sum of its parts. The strategy plays a small part in the game during the earliest stages, but as the game progresses, strategy becomes crucial if you hope to achieve your objectives. Among the most notable moments I experienced was the first time I used the Citadel to destroy an enemy tank with a single shot, the first time I simply ran over enemy troopers on foot, and the first time I was in charge of a group of allied tanks. One example of a more challenging mission involved escorting a (extremely slow) Rescue craft to a crash site to save some allied forces, and then escorting it to a specified jump-point while being shot at by enemy forces. This game starts slowly enough, but increases in difficulty, constantly increasing the necessity to consider your moves wisely.

The controls of the Wraith are easily mastered. It’s a bit hard in the heat of battle to switch to the correct weapon (if you have the ammunition for several), but otherwise, it’s easy to just jump in and tear into some enemies. The Citadel’s weapons are controlled in the same manner as the Wraith, but the Citadel also has menus dealing with the building of factories and turrets, which may take a little longer to master. Uprising-X is of average difficulty, and will be easily picked up by fans of both shooters and strategy games.

Uprising-X is an interesting blend of Shooter and Strategy game. The shooter aspects keep the tempo up, while the strategy aspects allow the game to challenge your brain (as well as your thumbs). The “fog” in the display is exaggerated, but fits the mood. I do wish that some locations had less fog than others, allowing the fog to be more easily attributed to the local environment. All things considered, this game works well.