If a machine is looking at you, it's generally a good idea to duck. |
This varied array of enemies has allowed the designers to make careful use of the hardened endoskeletons to brilliant effect, whether it be a last stand backed into a corner or trying desperately to stall them as your allies rig explosive charges around you. They take some serious firepower to bring down, with carefully meted out ammunition supplies helping to keep players on their toes throughout. It's this careful pacing and build up in dramatic tension across the whole of the campaign that makes for a very engrossing experience. When that tell-tale booming bassline kicks in from the movies and you see their glowing eyes appear in the darkness, things become very tense.
This is a very bad situation, it's best to always keep a few RPGs ready for moments like this. |
None of the guns feature much in the way of recoil but this isn't really a problem thanks to the enemy designs. The likes of the Aerostat are able to make rapid, low inertia movements lending them a degree of erratic behaviour that forces the player to repeatedly re-aim as oppose to merely controlling the kick of their gun. During vehicle segments the camera constantly adjusts with the bump of the road resulting in much the same effect. And when it comes to the slower adversaries the emphasis then comes back to targeting weak points and outmaneuvering them, with your opponents able to turn in response almost immediately once you open fire. So despite the simplistic weapon behaviour the combat is kept involving thanks predominantly to the enemy attack and defence patterns.
Aerostats are capable of making quick, random movements. Note the way your AI friendlies aren't braindead too. |
The cover layouts themselves are somewhat blatant in terms of the tactics they allow but there's usually a couple of different options to choose from and depending on your weapon loadout it's always possible to break out the explosive weaponry if you feel comfortable with your ammunition level. The usage of the left analog stick for moving between cover, whereby the player points in the direction of the piece to dash to, also enables some denser packed scenery without causing control issues and frustration. Overall Terminator: Salvation keeps a reasonably well balanced difficulty curve throughout, with most players able to find a challenging and enjoyable offering on either the normal or hard difficulty settings.
The co-operative play is well integrated into the campaign structure. |
Terminator: Salvation stands strong as a solid shooter experience that is fun for both the lone and co-operative player. It has stayed true to the universe it exists in without compromising on gameplay mechanics or balancing. Despite the issue of its brevity the combat model is still refined enough to warrant attention beyond just fans of the movie and books.
Players:
1-2
Genre:
Third person shooter
Developer:
GRIN
Publisher:
Evolved Games
Platform:
Xbox 360
Version:
European
Pros:
-Captures universe well.
-Good co-operative play.
-Solid combat model.
Cons:
-Brief campaign.
-Rough edges.
Score: 6/10
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