Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

"Suprisingly good, though it has its flaws"

I was looking forward to this game for a while even before the movie was released. I have always been a fan of FPS and of course Terminator so it was a perfect mix. The DVD was released followed by the game. So I was off to get both.

Presentation: 10/10
The presentation of this game is nearly flawless, the terminator theme is looped at the menu screen and there are endless terminator unlockables.

Story: 9/10
The story is almost exact as the film, although you are able to play through the future fighting with the resistance and trying to locate the time machine to head back to protect John and Kate. So essentially the beginning of the game is a prequel to T3. Although I had to take a point because the story is misplaced at points. In the game we finish the vet level and leave in Kate's truck but the next mission shows our characters riding in the RV, though being able to kill John was cool, it is out of place. Wondering why its out of place? well because the mission following that has us arriving at the cemetery in Kate's truck again. Wait? Wasn't I just in an RV? yeah well this could have been an easy fix as the two missions could have just been swapped. But its a small gripe on an otherwise great reproduction of the movie.

Gameplay and Controls: 9/10
The gameplay is what is expected from an FPS, the game is much like Red Faction in controls and they are customizable. Though a point had to be taken off for the very rare occurance of bullets simply passing through an enemy. Otherwise it a great FPS.

Graphics: 9/10
The graphics are fairly good, but they are also surprisingly dated. The environments aren't spectacular but they aren't bad. The in game CG Scenes are downright awesome, and each character looks shockingly realistic. Although I had to take a point because of the in game graphics just being above average and nothing else.

Overall: 7/10
You'll either love it or hate it. The game has gotten horrible reviews by many different people and gaming magazines. But, I for one think it is a great experience. It may be a little short but it also the best use of the Terminator license. I enjoyed Dawn Of Fate but this is just more fun. An underrated experience in my opinion. The added bonus includes the demo for Terminator 3: Redemption in the special features. Redemption looks like it could be the best terminator game yet.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/29/03