Terminator Salvation
Description
Terminator Salvation is a third-person shooter action video game that was first announced on November 15, 2007 and released on May 19, 2009 to coincide with the release of the film. It is developed by the Halcyon Games with GRIN and published by Equity Games and Evolved Games. Set in 2016 in Los Angeles, it takes place between the events of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Terminator Salvation (the movie).
The game follows John Connor (Gideon Emery; Christian Bale refused to lend his voice in the game), and his team which consist of Angie Salter (Rose McGowan), Barnes (Common) and Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood). Both Common and Moon Bloodgood reprise their characters from the movie in this game. The game takes approximately five hours to complete and is basically a linear game with little changes to it other than its difficulty levels. Information in-game is presented through the musings of the protagonist’s squad and through radio calls. The game also features a campaign that can be played alone or cooperatively with one other local player via split-screen.
Review
Games based on movies sometimes suffer from the same malady as book adaptations of movies. Terminator Salvation unfortunately, is a victim of this crime. It is a third-person-shooter that is hoping to cash in on the franchise of the new movie, but does little to prove it’s worth with its shallow storyline and bad voice acting. The game basically revolves around the same premise of going from place to place, fighting of the same enemies and using the same maneuvers. There is no online mode to provide salvation to this game, and the only multiplayer mode provided is through a split screen mode.
The majority of time is spent on foot in game, and players move from location to location destroying enemies along the way. You are basically jogging around the game map most of the time, except when you’re taking cover from enemy fire. While the game mechanic’s allows maneuvering around the battlefield a fair bit easy, it is often inconsistent and can leave you exposed to enemy fire. The AI teammate(s) should be able to get you out of a pickle, but because they aren’t really keen on using more-powerful weapons or explosives, and are prone to inconsistency too, you are pretty much left to your own devices to blast your way out of a knot.
While it does provide you with detailed environments, the action in the game isn’t as engaging as one can hope for. Like the limited action, the downside of Terminator Salvation is compounded by the fact that there are only three types of enemies throughout the entire game for you to battle. These three enemies are destroyed by three different types of ammunition: bullets, shells, and explosives. Very matchy matchy, isn’t it? So you end up going around with basically three formulas: destroy flying drones with shells, shoot crablike robots with bullets, and blast T-600s with explosives. Where’s the fun in that? While it is possible to inter-use the weaponry with other enemies, you will find yourself expanding ammunition as quickly as your acquire them. The elation of encountering vehicle action is soon short-lived when you realize that you cannot control any of the vehicles at all. You’re confined to sitting at the back and shooting at enemies with an unlimited supply of ammunition.
The linear gameplay in Terminator Salvation is totally alienating for a player. The game can be completed in under five hours, and the only salvaging point for re-playability is through the split screen with a friend or hiking up the difficulty level. Terminator Salvation is just basically a cash-in attempt to pack in uninspiring and routine action that is just not worth your money.
