FutureU
Encyclopedia
futureU is an educational
video game developed and published by Aspyr Media
on November 5, 2008 for Windows
, Mac OS X
, and the Nintendo DS
, and created in association with test preparation company Kaplan, Inc.
Like the SAT
s, futureU has three sections: Reading, Writing, and Math, each with two subdivisions. Reading has a Glyph mode, which gives the player a word that has a prefix and a suffix. Next to the word are several images that can be use to construct the word. In the other Reading mode, Predictions, sentences with two words missing are shown to the player, who must fill in the blanks.
The Writing section contains the Ante Up Grade and Writing Wrong modes. In Ante Up Grade, the player is given one part of a sentence and three possible phrases that can complete it. The Writer Wrong mode provides a sentence and asks the player to identify if it has any errors; if there is one, then the player must identify where it is. Afterward, the player must choose the phrase that corrects the sentence.
The Math section features the Grid Swap mode that gives the player four math questions and a grid with scrambled numbers; the solutions to each question are found in the grid. The Connection mode lets the player choose one of two problems to solve; four possible solutions are then presented, requiring the player to choose the correct answer to each question.
, which found that the game was a decent and affordable SAT preparation program, despite several interface issues. However, they still recommended preparing for the SATs using different methods, and considered futureU to be only correctional rather than instructional.
Educational game
Educational games are games that have been designed to teach people about a certain subject, expand concepts, reinforce development, understand an historical event or culture, or assist them in learning a skill as they play...
video game developed and published by Aspyr Media
Aspyr Media
Aspyr Media, Inc. is an Austin, Texas based company that specializes in porting Windows games to Mac OS. It has been in business since 1996, and as of 2003 owns 60 percent of the Mac entertainment market...
on November 5, 2008 for Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
, and the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, and created in association with test preparation company Kaplan, Inc.
Kaplan, Inc.
Kaplan, Inc. is a for-profit corporation headquartered in New York City and was founded in 1938 by Stanley Kaplan. Kaplan provides higher education programs, professional training courses, test preparation materials and other services for various levels of education...
Gameplay
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
s, futureU has three sections: Reading, Writing, and Math, each with two subdivisions. Reading has a Glyph mode, which gives the player a word that has a prefix and a suffix. Next to the word are several images that can be use to construct the word. In the other Reading mode, Predictions, sentences with two words missing are shown to the player, who must fill in the blanks.
The Writing section contains the Ante Up Grade and Writing Wrong modes. In Ante Up Grade, the player is given one part of a sentence and three possible phrases that can complete it. The Writer Wrong mode provides a sentence and asks the player to identify if it has any errors; if there is one, then the player must identify where it is. Afterward, the player must choose the phrase that corrects the sentence.
The Math section features the Grid Swap mode that gives the player four math questions and a grid with scrambled numbers; the solutions to each question are found in the grid. The Connection mode lets the player choose one of two problems to solve; four possible solutions are then presented, requiring the player to choose the correct answer to each question.
Reception
futureU was given a score of 6.8 of 10 from video game critic website IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, which found that the game was a decent and affordable SAT preparation program, despite several interface issues. However, they still recommended preparing for the SATs using different methods, and considered futureU to be only correctional rather than instructional.