Terminator 3: The Redemption (Preview)

Syriel, GamePro

22/04/2004 11:30:38

When Arnold Schwarzennger first utter the immortal words "I'll be back" in the original Terminator film no one could have predicted how prophetic those three syllables really were. Both the actor and the character have re-invented themselves many times over, with the most recent iteration being Atari's upcoming T3: The Redemption game. Atari may have fumbled the ball on the prior two games, but it finally seems to have a game plan this time around. Instead of relying on licensing and a movie tie-in to sell the game, T3: The Redemption looks like it might be a fun title in its own right.

The game begins during the future war, in the dark bleak 2032 that we all know from the films. An eternal night that is punctuated by the constantly battling forces of SkyNet and the human TechCom soldiers. This is the future with John Connor leading the resistance in a battle against the machines and the future that SkyNet is trying desperately to avoid. During the first act you will take control of a newly reprogrammed T-800 Terminator and fight your way into the SkyNet time displacement chamber in order to follow the T-X back in time to 2003 and prevent her from killing the younger Connor.

From there the game mirrors the film timeline for the second act before flipping to an alternate future where Connor does not exist and SkyNet rules the world. Only by returning to the past a second time can you right a terrible wrong and save the future of the human race.

What makes T3: The Redemption intriguing is its novel approach to the subject matter. Originally called T3: Chase, the developers wanted to focus on that aspect of the movies -- where the heroes are constantly racing against the clock and there is little time to spare. To this end, all of the levels in the game have timed objectives and the majority of gameplay will involving vehicular combat of some sort. It might sound a bit weird, and no, this is most definitely not "Terminator Kart Frenzy," but the concept works.

There is a wide variety of vehicle types in the game, from the typical truck to a number of automated SkyNet tanks. Taking over a SkyNet vehicle is as simple as climbing on board and ripping out the control circuit. This was kept simple in order to facilitate gameplay.

In order to keep things at a manageable page, the targeting AI will feature an assist which will cause the reticule to "snap" to a local target when you are within rage. This allows for some frantic action, while at the same time preventing the player from feeling frustrated because you can't hit anything. According the developers the demo version of the game (which was included with T3: Rise of the Machines) had the targeting assist turned up a bit too much and the result was zero challenge. In the final version of the game the assist will be scaled back a bit.

At certain points you will lose your vehicle and find yourself on the ground in the midst of hand-to-hand combat. The T-800 model is highly detailed -- there is no doubt that this is Arnold -- and it moves with the heft that you would expect of a hulking machine. The combat engine supports combo moves, but all of the fighting is very methodical -- a button smasher this is not.

Learning the combos is a matter of memorization, however once mastered you will be able to tear through town Terminator style. One of the more impressive combos has you ripping a cement covered rod out of the ground, knocking a SkyNet endo up into the air with it, shattering the cement and then impaling the endo with the exposed rebar as it fall back to earth. Another combo has the player walking up to an enemy endo, ripping out its power cell and then using that as a grenade.

Taking a cue from action director John Woo, your T-800 can hold up to two guns at any one time. Don't have enough firepower? Start ripping through your opponents with some double fisted action! You can pick up weapons that your enemies drop so there is always plenty of ammunition on hand.

Another Terminator power that made it into the game is the red Termo-vision. This can be used to find alternate paths in the game or reveal weak spots on an opposing boss. Initially your use of Termo-vision is very limited, however as the game moves forward it becomes more and more useful.

Wrapping things up is the bonus game, tentatively titled TechCom Force. Inspired by the Terminator 2 arcade game, TechCom force is a shooter on rails. The point of the mini-game is to simply blow stuff up and earn points while doing so. The first level of TechCom force will be available at the start, with the rest of the mini-game unlocking as you progress through the main game.

The Terminator games may have had a rocky history with Atari, but it looks like the third time might be the time that Atari gets it right.