Terminator Salvation (Xbox 360 Review)

If you’re a gamer, you’re probably familiar with the well-known adage that games based on movies always fail to impress. In fact, just like pyramid schemes, these games should be avoided at all costs. This especially rings true for Terminator Salvation, developed by Halcyon and GRIN in conjunction with the movie of the same name.

TS is a prequel that occurs two years before the events of the movie and allows you to play through as none other than the iconic character of John Connor. But before you picture yourself running around as Christian Bale, don’t. The actor’s likeness is not used and he doesn’t lend his voice to Connor in the game. So right from the start you get the sense that this game falls short of what it could have been. However, both Common and actress Moon Bloodgood do voice their characters from the movie, adding a minor sense of realism to the game.

The story itself is passable, but it doesn’t feel important or necessary. Judgment Day has already happened, and Connor, a leader in the Resistance army, takes it upon himself to rescue some allies that are trapped behind enemy lines. Along the way, you encounter many buddies that were killed-in-action and you seemingly risk it all just to save a handful of friends you don’t even know. Things are ushered along by cinematic cutscenes, but the story fails to pack any emotional punch or develop connection to the characters.

As far as gameplay goes, TS plays like a bare bones Gears of War. It’s a third person shooter and you’ll wade your way through a number of levels and unskilled baddies. Probably the most attractive offering is its cover system, which allows you to hug obstacles to escape enemy fire. Similar to Gears, it allows you to bring up an in-game selector that allows you to jump quickly to the next cover point. This is a very useful feature that will help you avoid certain death in battles.

But that’s about it when it comes to the game’s pluses. The novelty of running around as John Connor wears off as you realize that most of the game is repetitive with respect to the enemies you face and the types of battles you fight. You’ll typically come upon an area that has cover points, you’ll fight Aerostats (flying machines), T-600 Terminators and Spiders (ground roving machines) and then you’ll rinse and repeat. Occasionally, the game mixes in vehicle-based missions where you have to use a turret to eradicate foes. However, these can be mechanically difficult to get through, bringing your overall irritation to astronomical levels.

Another huge gripe is the load times, which are atrocious. Given the trial-and-error aspect of the game, you’re going to spend a lot of time in frustration waiting for your checkpoint to reload. There’s no reason why the load times are so long, especially when you’re typically refreshing the board you just died on.

The visuals on the game weren’t cutting-edge, but they sufficed. This post-apocalyptic Los Angeles looks pretty devastating and sets a good backdrop for all the action. But the repetitive nature of the fight sequences tends to negate any awe you may have for the graphics.

Probably the most important consideration is the fact that the game offers up only about five hours of gameplay with absolutely no replay value. The hard mode isn’t hard per se, but it has moments that will drive you up the wall with frustration. For example, there are times where you face T-600 Terminators and it’s damn near impossible to take them out with your current suite weapons. You’ll have to grab some homemade pipe bombs from one of your nearby friends, but you’ll get mowed down each time you attempt to remove yourself from cover. Add in the fact that these terminators can seemingly melee you from halfway across the map and you’ll be ready to yank your hair out.

It suffices to say that this is not a game you want to purchase, especially at the full retail cost of $60. It’s better served as a rental and it’s good for an “easy” 1000 achievement points (on Xbox 360), if that’s your thing. Even staunch fans of everything Terminator will find it a frustrating experience, not worthy of the franchise’s well-known name.