"A complete lack of difficulty makes Arnie look like a girly man"

A smash hit action movie is always going to follow with a game based on it. The Terminator is no exception. Despite the fact the movie came out in 1984, we still see games being release about the movie in the 90's. Heck, this game was released in 1992. But there is always gonna be a problem with these Movie to Game conversions. They're usually rush jobs. The Terminator is no exception. It almost made it. Almost.

James Cameron's The Terminator follows the story of a young lady, named Sarah Connor. Apparently, she is to be the mother of the leader of the Resistance, a human force battling a computer called SkyNet, after the end of the world, the 28th of August, 1997. SkyNet sends one of it's new T-800 class terminators back in time to dispose of Ms. Connor. The Cyberdyne Systems Model 101, or the T-800, is the newest class of terminator. It looks human, it breathes like a human, it bleeds like a human, but underneath the skin, its a machine. After a heated battle, John Connor, Sarah Connor's son, manages to capture a time machine, and sends a soldier, Kyle Reese, back in time to defend Sarah Connor. And that's about where we start the game.

You control Kyle Reese, and you must pass through 4 levels packed to the teeth with bad guys, so that you can defeat the Terminator once and for all. 'Only 4 levels!?!' I hear you cry. Yes, hence the almost...

My experience with this game began on Christmas Day, 1992. Having been to Brisbane a few weeks earlier, my brother picked this game out the be our Christmas present. Of course, being kids at this time, we weren't the best at games. It took us a few days to beat this game. Of course, we were amazed by the graphical and sound quality. But then again, there wasn't much out here in 1992...

This game features amazing graphics, as was the case with games developed by Probe Software in the days of 16-bit. Reese is very well animated, setting him above the usual 3 framed stiffs seen in games around this time. The backgrounds are also quite nice, although certain levels do look a little plain. Bad guys are fairly generic however. The future is full of T-400's and Hunter Killers, both aerial and ground units. The present is full of vigilantes and police officers. The enemies do look quite tough. There are also a few nice touches added, such as the intro (which was ripped straight from the movie) and the 'direct-from-the-movie' pictures that appear in between the levels.

The soundtrack is excellent. When the action gets tense, the music speeds up. Generally, the music is set in mood with the level you are in. Great for atmosphere. The few tracks that compose the soundtrack are quite memorable too. Sound effects are quite nice too. Plenty of explosions, gun blasts, and the sounds of people being hurt. All audio is as clear as you can get. Nice.

The game plays like a dream. Which you would expect, seeing the game was developed by the ever-so-great David Perry (he went on to make classics such as Aladdin and Earthworm Jim). While it is just a typical side scrolling shooter, the execution is quite good. Starting with only grenades, you must take out a ground Hunter Killer, and piss-bolt to the underground base, and find yourself a machine gun, to fend off the legions of T-400s. Once you destroy the main computer, it's a race against time to the time machine. Then it's off to 1984 for you. 1984 is full of street punks and every so angry cops, who have been after you since your arrival. Whilst fending off these baddies, you must find Sarah Connor, but watch out for the Terminator. The game does stay fairly faithful to the movie, except for one large thing, which would destroy continuity, but don't worry, this thing is explained. No bonus stages or any real bosses added to the mix, but the gameplay is good enough to hold its own. A little hard to describe, though.

Controls are good. No collision detection errors present either. The D-pad moves Kyle around the screen. The A button will set down an explosive charge, the B button will throw grenades or fire your weapon, and the C button will jump.

So what's my major gripe with the game? Well, it has absolutely no foreseeable difficulty. None. Nadda. Zip. Zilch. When playing the game to refresh my memory for this review, I finished the game in 6 minutes. Not bad for someone who hasn't touched it in 7 years. Not good for what could have been a fantastic game. Maybe a boss encounter here and there, and an extra level or two could have done it justice. Come on, I mean four levels is just far too few. None of the enemies put up a fight, not even the big tough Terminator. This game proves that Arnold is a bit of a girly man. The worst thing is that almost every enemy drops a canister which will boost your health. A redeeming feature of its difficulty is that you have only one life. Still, despite this cheap tactic, the game is too easy.

Let's break it down.

Graphics: 8.8

Great clear graphics, with plenty of detail in the animation department. No bland colouring to drag the mark down. Some backgrounds look a little plain.

Sound: 8.9

Fantastic soundtrack, with several tunes coming from the movie. Sound effects are varied, clear and very crisp. No muffling to speak of either.

Story: 8.6

Essentially it follows the story of the movie, which was pretty good. There is one major factor that doesn't follow the movie, but it is ironed out at the end. Don't want to spoil it for you.

Gameplay: 9.0

Great. Take Kyle through the future, and the streets of LA to save Sarah Connor. Despite being a normal side scrolling shooter, the quality of play is good enough to set it apart. A few better boss encounters could have boosted the mark.

Lastability: 3.7

Only 4 levels, weak as piss enemies, plenty of health boosting powerups, no real tough boss encounters. Heck, it took me 6 minutes to finish it. The only levels offering the slightest challenge are the last two. Could have used another level or two.

Movie to Game port: 9

Excellent. Almost set a new standard for these sorts of game. Maybe a few extra levels could have helped it. Stays close to the plot.

Pro's

- Great Graphics
- Excellent Soundtrack
- Plays like a dream
- Almost what a movie to game title should be

Con's

- The complete and utter lack of difficulty

Does it belong in my collection? Depends

It's all up to you. If you wanna see what a movie to game title should be, buy it. If you want it as a normal game, avoid it, unless you are a really avid fan.

Overall: 6.4 (Adjusted to 6 for GameFAQs and 6.5 for FBGames respective reviewing systems)

So, all in all, The Terminator is a great game, which was ruined by it's complete lack of difficulty. It almost forever changed that trend of Movie to Game conversions sucking bad. Missed it by that much Probe. Try again.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/05/01, Updated 08/05/01