
	Platform Xbox Genre Action Publisher Atari Developer Paradigm Entertainment ESRB T (Teen) Released Q4 2004

- Great graphics - Makes up for quite a few failings of recent Terminator games - Vehicles and hand-to-hand combat is a good mix

- Doesn't quite fire on all cylinders

Review: Terminator - Dawn of Fate (XB) Review: Splinter Cell - Pandora Tomorrow (XB) Review: Van Helsing (XB)
Newsletter
Be notified of site updates. Sign-up for the Newsletter sent out twice weekly. Enter E-Mail Address Below: Subscribe \| Unsubscribe

Terminator 3: Redemption

Score: 7.4 / 10

No, you’re not going insane. There are two Terminator 3 games out on the market today and the reason to have two might sound superfluous, but after the release of the first game it became the only logical thing to do. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines came out some time back and was supposed to represent the Terminator 3 movie, although it failed miserably in achieving anything. So, in an attempt to “redeem” themselves Atari got together with Paradigm and Intermedia and created Terminator 3: The Redemption to give the series and film a better name. Arnold may have not lent his voice to the new game, but after spending some time going through the missions it’s best to keep Arnold positioned in Sacramento and have

Advertisement

- Xbox Game Reviews
- Action Game Reviews
- Games Published by Atari

him solve his problems over there.

T3: Redemption is a lot better than the last T3 game and does some things right that some games can’t do today.

The game starts off the same as the movie does. Obviously the character you control is the Terminator continuing his quest to save John Connor and Kate Brewster and stop a possible apocalypse.

Advertisement

The beginning mission gets you into the action quickly, setting the pace for the rest of the game. The main emphasis on the game comes in two parts: Combos in hand-to-hand combat and vehicle usage.

Both of these features make the game a lot more fun than the last game. Performing the combos is done simply by pressing the face buttons in an array of combinations, thus performing “combos.” The animation behind these combos is very well done.

Vehicle usage is the best part about T3: Redemption simply for the fact they hit the head on the nail (not literally). Using each vehicle is tons of fun, easy, and fast-pace making T3: Redemption an ideal action game. Certain sequences allow you to perform some pretty cool moves such as jumping from one vehicle to another and taking control of their vehicle (from modern day cars and trucks to futuristic tanks and speedy vehicles) each one is tons of fun and exciting.

If it wasn’t for the impressive graphics T3: Redemption would fall short on delivering an atmospheric world of robots and panic. As each level progresses the Terminator takes damage and it shows on the character model itself. Holes on his clothes, tearing fake skin across his face, and other minute details make each level feel realistic.

T3: Redemption also features a small upgrade screen for the Terminator in which he can upgrade four levels for better performance. Recharge, Vision Time, Vision Damage, and Vision Charge are the four upgradeable features. Each is self-explanatory.

Now comes some of the bad of T3: Redemption. Even though the action is fast-paced and addictive, the excitement of the game loses its fuel far before reaching the end of the game. Most of the missions take on the same style and don’t expand too much. Most of the time you’ll find yourself doing virtually the same tasks; only in a different environment with a different arsenal of tools. This is a major hit to the game as most gamers want variety in their games.

Another disappointed is the swaying level of difficulty from the enemy. Sometimes the game feels far too easy while other times it feels far too hard. Never is there an established difficulty throughout the entirety of the game. The ranging level of difficulty makes it seem as if little progression is being made throughout the game.

All in all T3: Redemption is a great improvement over Rise of the Machines, and actually better than some games in a few ways, but still not in the higher ranking levels of current games. The game does represent the movie the right way and is a lot of fun, but the repetitiveness eats away the fun after a few missions. If you’re a big fan of the terminator series, this is a must buy. For all others, this should be considered good rental and possible purchase when the price eventually drops.

- Eric Lahiji
(October 7, 2004)

POINTLESS FACT: The name of the voice-actor who does the voice of Arnold’s character (The Terminator) is Mark Mosley. That doesn’t sound Austrian to me.