Terminator Salvation Review

BY Rabie Hassoun | POSTED: 02 July 2009

Your cash won\'t "Be Back".



Love it or hate it, Terminator is a big name in the entertainment industry. Sure it is old news by now, but after the new movie hit every theatre on the planet earlier this year, a game tagged along was guaranteed. The least we have come to expect from a licensed movie game is the appearance of the star (Christian Bale) in some action packed scenes from the movies supported by some fantastic cut scenes. To set the record straight, The Terminator Salvation game has nearly nothing to do with the movie whatsoever.



Salvation is that kind of movie game that features a random star character with no link to the movie story at all. You will come across a few characters from the movie, but what’s the point with the main star missing! The story line itself takes place two years before Mr. Bale takes over. The story is actually pretty straight forward. You are an unknown and unranked soldier who decides to go on a suicide mission to save some friends, only to save the world on his way as well.  Do not expect any twists or drama here, simply fight your way through and get out of there.  The story itself will leave you wanting more. A little drama here or there would have made a huge difference. But this is certainly not the only thing we are complaining about.

Both the game and the movie have the same name, but that is not the only thing they share. They both seem to last the same number of hours as well. Salvation, at best, will last you a good 3-4 hours to complete. For a movie that might sound long, but for a video game that is a bit of a letdown. Just as you start to get a feel for the game, it will finish. Based on our time with Terminator Salvation, a few hours of boss fighting and exploring could have easily added something to the mix. Sadly, the game altogether feels a bit rushed up.

 The gameplay elements are not that bad, making the quick finish even more disappointing. You will get used to the action sequences pretty fast. The only problem with the gameplay actually is the AI enemies. Each set of enemies will act and react in the same identical way. The experience might turn out to be a bit too easy if you get the right combinations down, but that does not mean the battles are not fun and exciting while they last. A far more interesting way to complete this game is to play it Coop with a friend. No online Coop is available; a cheesy split screen Coop is all you are going to get.

All the negatives aside, we at least have the high quality cut scenes to look forward to, right? Oh we wish. The game does not even give us that. It does feature a few, maybe a couple, of high quality cut scenes but that is about it. How did a movie related video game manage to fail in this department we have no idea. At the end of some boss fights all what you will get is some sound effects telling you the monster just got destroyed. Graphics overall are pretty decent, the characters look good and the animations are somewhat fluid. A ruined Los Angeles is well done as well.

The game actually features some voices done by actors from the movie. You will recognize them alright, but that doesn’t make them good. Some of the voice acting jobs are very badly done with some soulless comments flying around like fire crackers. Other then that, both the sound effects and soundtrack are actually pretty good. The sound track running in the background is actually identical to that from the movie thankfully!



Value is what kills this game. The game is too short no matter what you compare it too. And seriously when it comes to burning money for a game, size does matter. Four hours of solid gameplay backed up by some good graphics and sound effects. No replay value at all or any items to collect. Even the achievements are based on you completing the game. And that is why we defiantly cannot recommend this game. If you can somehow rent it or borrow it for a day, then go ahead and do so.