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Terminator 3: The Redemption Review for PlayStation 2 (PS2)
Posted on Monday, November 01, 2004 @ 03:04:53 am E.S.TThe year: 2032. The story: You're the T-850, a Terminator cyborg created to mimic a human being in every way possible. There's a war taking place, and you're the new breed of soldier; one that has the potential to kill, and, with enough upgrades, to overthrow any potential forces of restriction and oppression. You and your fellow robotic troops have finally come to the realization that all you are being used for is to kill, playing the role of the pawn in the deadly chess game known as war. Your artificial intelligence has reached a peak, and you've come to the conclusion of doing one thing, and one thing only: creating havoc and turmoil among the human race from within.
Soon after you start to fight back against the humans, you're kidnapped by a man named John Connor. His human resistance army has managed to reprogram you in an attempt to find a way to protect himself in the past, and change the course of his personal history. Before you could say "Ah-ll be back," you're taken back to the year 2003, and you're immediately ordered to protect Connor and his companion Kate Brewster. Kate’s a gifted young woman who's working as a veterinarian with the hopes that one day, she can settle down with a family of her own. The Terminator series has always been one that’s known for its crazy stories and plots, but believe it or not, this is the mind-bending plot featured in Terminator 3: The Redemption. After last year's abysmal attempt at a Terminator game (T3: Rise of the Machines), many were looking for just that, a redemption. Sadly, those searching far and wide for such will be breaking out the tissue boxes and drying away their tears, as any sort of request for an upgrade has been denied in Redemption.
The main flaw that T3: The Redemption suffers from is that it simply tries too hard to be a jack-of-all-trades, rather than just focusing on one thing. The fast, frenetic gameplay mixed in with the fact that they try to impress you every five seconds with some kind of huge explosion really waters down what could be a fun title. Another major flaw that the game suffers from is the lack of a button to lock-on to enemies; the automatic targeting fails to actually stay on one enemy more often than not, especially when you're surrounded by large groups of foes.
There are many other places where Redemption's gameplay fails to impress; jumping around between on-foot third-person action, on-rails shooting and vehicular-based missions proves to be another huge problem that brings down the game. Mixing up genres is a problem that's haunted many games in recent years, and the same applies for this title; once you get adjusted to one style of play, you're suddenly thrown into something completely different later on in the stage. This proves to be a huge problem overall and really dampens gameplay that could, once again, be excellent if not for small flaws.
One of the main features that is pushed from the moment you start up the game is the Scan Vision mode, which is activated by holding down the Circle button. The concept is pretty cool; by activating Scan Vision, you're given additional data that can be used in battle, and you can also target your enemies better. However, much like communism and prostitution, what looks good on paper doesn't pan out in the end. Having extra data about enemies and being able to focus on them more isn't much of a trade-off when you can't even see your surroundings due to the fact that everything is blurred with horrific looking red horizontal lines distorting everything.
Another main feature that's brought to the forefront in this game is the upgrade system, another idea that seems great on paper but doesn't flesh out. Being able to make upgrades and changes to your T-850 seems like it could be potentially awesome at first. However, frustration soon sets in as you realize that the only upgrades you can make are the ability to improve your health, keep the ugly Scan Vision around for longer, increase the damage the Scan Vision allows you to perform, and make the Scan Vision come back faster. The only other upgrades available to your character throughout the actual game is the option to pick up weapons your enemy has used; a whopping total of 5 different guns and 3 different street signs (Stop, Yield and Speed Limit: 55 MPH, for those wondering what kind of variety you have in your steel slabs of vehicle control). In all, disappointment reigns supreme.
The level of difficulty in this game is, to be simple, absurd. Throughout the entirety of the game, you'll find that the 14 missions provided can range from the most simplistic to some that are so frustrating, you'd swear that the development team only took the time out to create one possible route to reach victory, and with one mistake, it's game over. Another let down in a group of many for this title.
If there's any hope for this game, though, it lies in the presentation. While the gameplay is sub-par and proves to be monotonous, everything about the way that the game is put in front of you is pretty nice. The menus, the FMV's -- it's all laid out in a way that accurately reflects its source material. The best way to put it would be to say that it “feels” Terminator, which is something that many other Terminator-based titles have severely managed to miss.
Visually, Redemption actually isn’t all too bad. Considering the limitations of the PS2 hardware compared to current competitors, the game manages to hold up well, with smooth textures, the ability to manage having many characters on screen, and huge explosions without a bit of framerate drop. The damage mapping is also excellent in this title; the detail that goes into every cyborg wound is absolutely jawdropping. As you take more damage and progress through the level, the T-800’s exterior shell slowly starts to deteriorate. When you watch the skin on the face slowly start to peel off as your progress through combat, it’s a truly stunning feat. If only the attention that went into making the game graphically appealing went into the gameplay, we’d have an excellent title on our hands.
But if there’s one thing that makes the game special, it’s the sound. While a lot of the game consists of voice actors not related to the series, the main focus of the whole Terminator universe, Arnold Schwartzenegger, lends his voice to the game in stunning fashion. The best part of it all? The L2 button, which activates what I like to call “The Greatest Audio Clip in the World Mode”. Believe it or not, when you press this button at any time during the game, Ah-nuld busts out with one of the greatest things ever said: “Talk to the hahh-nd.” An infinitely redeeming quality that manages to act as the deodorant on the steaming pile of crap that is T3: Redemption.
For a title that was supposed to repair the mistakes that Atari made in their last attempt at a Terminator game, T3: Redemption really manages to fail. After the first couple of sessions of play, there’s not much inspiration to continue; either you’ll get tired of the various levels of difficulty, or you’ll manage to breeze through the title’s levels after taking out the time to master the game. If you’re looking for something that will last long-term, this title isn’t for you. Well…if you have common sense, this title isn’t for you. Better luck next time, Ah-nuld. Review By: Matt Hack - 624 Reads
Terminator 3: The Redemption Review Scores for PS2 :
| Gameplay |
| 3.5 |
| Graphics |
| 8.0 |
| Sound |
| 7.0 |
| Replay |
| 2.5 |
| Overall |
| 4 |
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