Terminus Review
Terminus offers flawed but nonetheless decent space combat action, along with an impressive online play feature.
Terminus is an open-ended, multiplayer space combat simulation that's playable on the Windows, Macintosh, and Linux operating systems. It's an ambitious cross-platform game that actually offers multiplayer action and role-playing elements in a persistent online setting, though it also has a single-player campaign. Unfortunately, the game has a number of problems, such that players who aren't very patient may find it terminally repetitive and too inaccessible.
Without a doubt, the most notable feature in Terminus is its ability to run on the three major operating-system platforms: Windows 95/98, Mac OS (8.6 or 9.0), and Linux (kernel 2.2.0 or greater). Multiplayer sessions of Terminus can include any mixture of clients running these operating systems - a definite point in the game's favor.
The basic design of Terminus is similar to other open-ended space combat and trade simulations like Elite, Privateer, and X: Beyond the Frontier. Essentially, you begin as a fledgling pilot and get to pursue your career of choice in a futuristic version of our solar system. Unlike its worthy predecessors, Terminus also provides some basic structure: You can begin the game as one of three types of pilots, in league with one of four different factions. As a fighter pilot, you can fight for either Earth or Mars defense forces in a variety of military operations. As a marauder, you embark upon a career in piracy; while as a mercenary, you can fend for yourself and avoid trouble or welcome it as you see fit. The latter option basically encompasses the open-ended role available to you in Elite, Privateer, and X, while the first two options help to set Terminus apart.
Each type of career has different advantages and disadvantages. For example, mercenaries must outfit and pay for repairs on their own ships, while fighter pilots needn't worry about such things. But regardless of the career path you choose, the basic flow of the game remains the same. As you play through the single-player story mode, you will choose new missions for yourself from a list of available assignments. Successfully completing your missions results in more prestige, more money, and greater opportunities for more challenging missions to come. Another option, free mode, is essentially identical, except that the game's story elements are left out.
The game's mission types range from attack and patrol assignments to mining expeditions and reconnaissance. As a freelance flyer, you can also peruse the latest bounty information and go hunting for fellow pilots with prices on their heads. If you manage to amass enough of a fortune in the game, you can even pay other pilots to tackle missions that you dictate.
The gameplay is fairly typical of a space combat simulation. As in the highly acclaimed capital-ship sim Independence War and Microsoft's own online space sim Allegiance, inertia is a key consideration in Terminus - ships slide and twist while traveling in a completely different direction. This can be initially confusing and requires some getting used to in the game's training missions. If the difficulty proves too significant, you do have the option to tone down the inertial effects for a more relaxed interpretation of Newtonian physics. Combat in Terminus can be exciting and intense - but it can also take a great deal of practice, since the ships often hurtle toward each other at alarming speeds but don't change course easily. Still, the weapon controls and visual aiming cues are generally effective, and there certainly tend to be enough ships to fight.
- GameSpot Scorefair
Player Reviews
Critic Scores
- IGN 8 / 10
- Da GameBoyz 8.1 / 10
- Electric Playground 7 / 10
- Game Vortex 8.5 / 10
- GamePen 3.5 / 5
- PC Gameworld 99 / 100
- GameSpy 75 / 100
- Games First! 2 / 5
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- Vatical Entertainment
- Vicarious Visions
- Space Combat Sim
- Release: Jun 26, 2000
- ESRB: Teen
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