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Klaudia Aricas
With the commercial failure of the Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines video game, Atari was hard-pressed to create another Terminator game based on the third movie. The sub-title Redemption is said to reflect both the "redemption" of the Terminator's mission half-way through the story and also to reflect a redemption for the Terminator franchise.
In 2032, a squad of Tech-Com soldiers stormed a Skynet facility just in time to stop a T-X from entering the Continuum Transporter. However, they were no match for the T-X's superior combat capabilities and all were gruesomely killed. The T-X managed to enter the Continuum Transporter without any fuss.
Meanwhile, Kate Connor and the Resistance ambushed the T-850 that was responsible for the death of John Connor. Rather than destroy the machine, Tech-Com's technician Daniel was called in to reprogram the Infiltrator to be sent back to 2003 to protect Kate and John's younger selves. Shortly after, Daniel was quickly killed by an FK Hover attacking the Resistance Headquarters, but the T-850 shoots it down and it was sent by Kate to fight its way to the Continuum Transporter.
The T-850, with the assistance of several Tech-Com soldiers managed to fight its way to the main gate of the Skynet bunker, but it was forced to retreat when ambushed by two FK Hovers. It destroyed them both, but the helicopter its rode was shot down by a T-900, Skynet's standard infantry unit. The T-850 managed to reach the Skynet bunker again by taking control of a FK Tank, but a helicopter got the T-850 inside and it travelled back to 2003 to ensure the survival of John Connor and Katherine Brewster.
During the T-850's battle with the T-X in the Cyber Research Systems building, it was thrown into an electro-magnetic accelerator, which is revealed to be a primitive Continuum Transporter, and was sent back to an alternate 2032 where it discovered that both Kate and John had been terminated and humanity exterminated.
In this bleak reality, freed from the need to constantly fight off the Resistance, Skynet had been able to create a number of massive machines made to rebuild the planet in Skynet's image. In order to reach the Continuum Transporter, the T-850 first piloted an FK Venom through the ruined streets to reach a giant FK Titan. Hijacking the Titan, the Terminator then piloted it towards a parked FK Carrier. Boarding the Carrier, the T-850 managed to fight off several attacks before the vehicle was too damaged to fly, where it then crashed lands into a terraforming plant. The T-850 then piloted an FK Hover deep into the base, where it then used a Venom to catch up to and commandeer an escaping FK Bomber, which it then flew into the chamber of Continuum Transporter. Defeating the FK Guardian along with T-900 Terminators guarding the time machine and reactivating the device, the T-850 traveled back to the 2003.
However, not all was lost as the Terminator once again fought his way through Skynet and sent himself back to 2003. He appeared just in time to fight off the T-X with John and Kate trying to escape to Crystal Peak. By this time, the T-850 fought with not only the T-X, but other prototype T-800 units that were reprogrammed.
In the final moments, the T-850 was shot down by the T-X and his hydrogen fuel cells were ruptured, slowing him down. However, he prevented the T-X from reaching John and Kate by blocking her route to them, and eventually catched up to them and placed his fuel cell in the T-X's mouth, thus leading to the destruction of both Terminators.
John Connor introduced himself and it is made clear to the T-850 in FK Reaper that they are now in the future and the T-850 has been "resurrected" into an extensively modified FK Reaper. John ordered the Terminator to provide cover fire and it stomps into battle, aiding the Human Resistance once again.
For a second, I wondered why the new Terminator game was subtitled The Redemption when the T3 movie had the tag Rise of the Machines. Then I came to my senses. There already was a Rise of the Machines game, also published by Atari. And it was . . . well, let's leave terminated cyborgs lie and hope Atari also came to its senses this time around. After all, there is a new developer on this title: Paradigm Entertainment. This alternate take is a whole other machine, from its substantial endoskeleton to its faithfully reproduced appearance. Put any preconceived notions aside and prepare yourself for what looks to be a satisfying ride.
The game follows the terminator that killed future resistance leader John Conner after it is reprogrammed by Conner's wife and second-in-command, Kate Brewster. The year is 2032, and the first of four acts covers the terminator's attempt to secure a time travel device and make it back to 2003. This act serves as an intense introduction to the multiple types of gameplay you will enjoy over the course of the adventure. The terminator stars out on foot but will hijack a truck, ride a helicopter, and commandeer a super-advanced tank on the way to its goal. Once it's in the past, it will find and protect John and Kate from a more advanced and far deadlier cyborg that hopes to wipe them out before they can even begin to pose a threat.
Ranged combat, both on foot and in/atop vehicles, utilizes one trigger for the primary weapon and one for any secondary weapons. Since this is an all-out action showcase, there are no time limits (though there were in earlier builds) and no ammo clips to pick up. You can lean on the main fire button to your heart's content without worrying about running out of rounds. Auto-aim also gently helps you make the most of your potential for carnage. Just guide your crosshairs over the enemy you want to destroy and you'll see how true a cyborg's aim can be. Melee attacks are suitably brutal and more are unlocked as you progress and upgrade. These include dismembering robots and using them as shields as well as pulling out their power cells and tossing them like grenades. Terminators never play nice.
At the end of each of the fourteen levels, there's an opportunity to use any "terabytes" (data storage units) earned to upgrade the terminator's stats. Levels can be played over to gain any terabytes you may have missed - generally by beating the level more effectively. In addition to unlocking new attacks and increasing the benefit of life-restoring charge zones, upgrades can be applied to the terminator's special scan mode, which bathes the screen in red "termivision" and increases the damage done to enemies. Damage and duration can be increased and the length of time it takes to charge up can be decreased. It's up to you what upgrades are applied first, but you'll want to choose wisely, since there is so much to contend with.
Those who've seen the movie are probably wondering how the famous crane truck scene is handled in Redemption. The good news is that the chase is broken up into a couple of parts - one where you go after the crane truck and one where it comes after you. One segment has John Conner drive Kate's veterinarian truck while the terminator mans the guns; another has the cyborg on the roof of the getaway truck trying to get in. The main enemies of the game, the self-aware artificial intelligence Skynet and its agent, the TX, try to overwhelm you with force and numbers at each step of the way, and you will find that the crane truck is just one of many chase scenes that will see the terminator use a variety of vehicles and methods to accomplish its mission. In modern-day Los Angeles, you can jump from a motorcycle into a moving police car or ambulance, and in the future you can take over tons (literally) of high-tech machines. There is some flexibility as to what vehicle you can use in some places, to keep things fresh.
Action fans have flocked to the Terminator movies in three different decades now, and Redemption looks like a big success in bringing a lot of that excitement to the consoles. Fans should appreciate the mix of frantic vehicle hopping, laser blasting, and hand-to-hand fighting; the cinematics; the two-player co-op shooting stages; and the third act, which explores an alternate future where John Conner died before he could rise to his leadership role. Sometimes you can't change the future, but that doesn't mean you can't improve upon the past.
Bottom Line While The Redemption is a redemption of sorts for Atari's Terminator games, its still not a very good game. Its the best Terminator game in a long time (nothing will ever top the arcade lightgun shooter), but when you compare it to Dawn of Fate and Rise of the Machines, is that really a huge accomplishment? Like any Terminator, Terminator 3: The Redemption takes a lot of hits and refuses to fall down. It starts off slow, gets better, but never becomes great. And its a sad day when the best part of your "game" is the CG and movie clips.They're getting closer, but a great Terminator game is still not here yet.
The end. A thought that daunts us all but yet entices us at the same time. What will the cause of it be? Disease? World War? terminators? This curiosity is what inspires iconic film series such as the terminator legacy.
Casting had a clever blend between original and upcoming stars. Original terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger and exemplary heroine Linda Hamilton have the audience go on a trip down memory lane while performances from stars Natalie Reyes and Mackenzie Davis display the talent of upcoming actors/actresses.
Stunningly produced action scenes with an appropriate balance of humor and unique plot is what allowed this film to rise up beyond the other failed films. In addition to the plot and overall action, the input of solid acting implemented more tense moments throughout the film.
Ayman Mirkhan is the co-managing editor of The Voice and is going on his second year on staff. Ayman is an immigrant from the U.K. and has lived in the U.S. for 10 years. In his free time, Ayman likes to cook, play tennis, and read psycho-thriller novels.