GENRE
	Action
	DEVELOPER
	Paradigm Entertainment
	PUBLISHER
	Atari
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-2
	CONNECTIVITY
	no
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The Redemption is certainly the name of the game, but more importantly, it seems to be the state of the franchise after this game hit shelves earlier in September. For those of you who follow multiplatform gaming, you may have remembered the last couple of Terminator titles that hit the PS2 and Xbox. Things seemed to start off on two left feet with the release of Terminator: Dawn of Fate. When summer rolled around last year with the impending release of the highly anticipated Terminator 3, Rise of the Machines was launched to horrible reviews and sobbing Terminator fans. It seems as if Terminator 3: The Redemption is more than just a game. It’s more like Atari cried “Do Over!” and came out on top. To sum things up right now, let’s just say that Atari and developer Paradigm called one of the best mulligans in the history of licensed video games.

visuals

Starting things off on the right foot, Terminator 3: The Redemption is a very well-rounded game. Well-rounded in the sense that it isn’t necessarily the best looking game available, but it manages to capture the intensity and all-out chaos of a post-apocalyptic war zone. The character models, even the T-850, don’t look extremely detailed. However, once he’s seen a bit of action, he can get a little knocked around. His face will start to peel up and you’ll begin to see hundreds of bullet holes through his jacket. Sometimes, you may be able to catch a few chunks missing from his body. It can be a little freaky, but the effect quickly wears off when a cut scene is triggered and he looks perfectly fine. Once things heat up, however, is when things begin to get interesting. Sometimes, a cut scene will feature a scene from the film and it will transition into the game, ala EA’s Lord of the Rings series. In-game, the pacing is amazing and the camera follows the hectic combat like butter. In a sense, the eye candy can be a mixed bag, but at least it has enough style and flash to get the job done.

audio

Arnold reprises his role as the T-800 in Redemption, but only in the smallest meaning of the phrase. He does provide his appearance, as well as some of his voice, but most of the time it’s as if the producers hired a local radio DJ to do the impersonation. Perhaps it was simply one of the mailroom dudes who can always do a “perfect” impersonation. Frankly, it’s hilarious to hear the T-850 speak most of the time, in any situation throughout this game. The rest of the production is great, however, providing some stunning musical stylings and plenty of in-your-face, booming sound effects. In the end, they all even out the production value to create an average listening experience.

gameplay

It’s not very easy to call Terminator 3: The Redemption your normal, garden variety third-person shooter. It’s far more than that, when all things are considered. The play mechanics enter a deeper variety, putting the T-850 into the seat of several different vehicles, as well as rail-shooting from larger vehicles like helicopters. It’s this wide variety of action-packed gameplay that makes this game such a success. Throughout the game’s fourteen long, challenging missions, you’ll run across several opportunities to lay the smack down on sometimes hundreds of endoskeletons. Driving through them is a breeze, but they’ll usually try and climb up to shoot or claw at you. They’re easily disposed of, but the additional effect of a robot soldier’s torso climbing after you really draws you in, no matter how many times it occurs.

Other than driving around, you can also walk on the ground with your own two feet. It may seem boring, but it can provide some interesting encounters. For instance, if you run across a sign post, you can beat any enemy across the face a couple of times before pinning their chest to the ground. Trust us; this is easily the most therapeutic experience in an action game since the Grand Theft Auto series. You’ll also run into a few mounted machine guns which you can use to mow down dozens of endoskeletons in order to continue on your designated path. The best part of this is if there are any sneaking up behind you, you can grab them and throw them in front of your fire.

In order to add a bit more depth to playing through the game, the game allows players to upgrade the T-850’s statistics using terabytes, which are collectable throughout the game. The more carnage you create, the more terabytes, and eventually more power, you can collect. For the most part, you’ll be upgrading his scan mode. The scan mode isn’t really essential to victory, but it helps out for the most part. The only real benefits the player can receive by using the scan mode is an increase in accuracy and a brief advanced notification of any incoming hazards. That and the fact that scan mode simply makes the game look a whole lot cooler.

Make no mistake, The Redemption can be very fun, but it can also become a little bit frustrating. With fourteen missions, you’d expect to have a bit of trouble making it to the end. Each mission, save for the first which acts more as a safe tutorial, can provide a great amount of challenge, especially once you reach the last few remaining levels. The best part of the challenge, however, is that you have unlimited lives. The non-existence of mid-level checkpoints balances this issue out. Now, it may seem very frustrating to start each level over at the beginning, but each experience is fun enough to check it out again if you can’t manage to get past it. In fact, it seems to draw inspiration from the good old days when checkpoints meant the end of a boss battle and the beginning of a new level.

multiplayer

Surprisingly enough, there is a two-player co-op mode in this game. You’ll pair up for a few different rail-shooting levels, old school style. The main objective is to kill anything and everything. Quite literally, too, considering that you can’t move on until you have. It’s not the best multiplayer experience, especially on the GameCube, but for what it’s worth, it’s more than welcome in a single-player focused game.

overall

Terminator 3: The Redemption is definitely one of the best Terminator games since the old coin-op light gun shooter based on 1991's Judgment Day. This is certainly impressive, especially after over ten years of duds. If Paradigm and Atari can manage to make a longer, more interesting, and possibly less frustrating title based on the license, we’re likely to see a very good follow-up. This game could have been great, but some may not find the game as accessible as others. Personally, I had a blast playing through the game, but it only takes a day or so to do that. After it’s all over, there really isn’t much of a reason to check the game out again.

7.7/10