The movie tried to and I think reinvent the Terminator franchise but unfortunately the same can't be said about the game
But we are not here to talk about the films, let us cut to my review for Terminator Salvation on the PlayStation 3.
Lets face it games based on films don't usually work. The same can be said for films based on video games. When ever a summer blockbuster comes along, there will be a video game tie in. From ET to more recently Transformers 2, tie-ins have always existed since the dawn of video games and they will probably always exist.
Game Outline
Terminator salvation is based 2 years prior to the film of the same name. It sees you playing the role of John Connor who fights for the Resistance against machines. At the start of the game you start out in a large unit of the Resistance. But when you 'decide' to separate from this group to rescue a group of other Resistance fighters your true mission begins.
Controls
Are straight forward and easy to pick up. You use the L2 trigger to aim and the R2 trigger to fire. Movement of the character is done with the Left Analogue Stick with the Right Stick controlling the camera. In all the experience in controlling the character is very straight forward and you have no trouble in getting straight into the action.
Gameplay
Single Player: Very straight forward, you play through the game by proceeding through a number of chapters. The game is quite linear you are just making your way from point A to point B while shooting down/flanking the enemies you encounter. The cover system that you use in the game is one aspect that works as it makes flanking the enemies seem satisfying. If you've played an action game similar to this before it should be an absolute walkthrough. The Trophies are very easy to obtain.
Multiplayer: CO-OP Split Screen. I haven't had a chance to test this feature of the game.
Online: N/A
Sound
Is incredible. I love the atmosphere that the soundtrack in this game creates – the music is excellent throughout. The only problem I have with this game are some of the character voices – especially the character Angie who accompanies you through from chapter 4 to chapter 7.
Graphics
The city environment looks impressive. Comparing this to the environments in the film and you can see that the developers have taken their time in recapturing the feel of the film. One of the only let downs is the environments seem to be very static and aren't destructible in any way at all. The character models are ok. From behind John Connor look superb, however when the game cuts to its cut scenes you can see the flaws in the character faces. John Connor doesn't look like John Connor – he looks too clean cut in the game.
Problems
There are many. For starters the game is incredibly short – at only 6 hours long the game doesn't really have a peaking point you are only just getting into the game and then it ends. It could be a bit more challenging – the game is a little on the easy side and I had no problems in completing it first time around (I did my first playthrough on easy and usually I die a few times when playing a game on easy – just a few mind – any way in this game I didn't die once which was a little disappointing). The game is very linear. Like I said A to B. The enemy AI is incredibly poor which makes taking down the enemies incredibly easy.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
+ Love the soundtrack.
+ Environments look impressive
- Linear gameplay
- Enemy AI is broken.
- You see the loading screen far too much.
+ It's a Terminator Game
- It's a Terminator Game!!
Final Thoughts
Overall I enjoyed the game despite its flaws. I found the game easy to pick up and play and though it was short in length the story flowed along nicely.
I would recommend renting this game as you can easily finish it over the period of 2 to 3 days. However if you like your Terminator games then I would recommend to buy it. If you're looking for an easy to pick up sci-fi shooter then give it a try.
Overall I give this game 6.5 out of 10.
Rating
6.5 / 10