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Terminator: Dawn of Fate offers players the unique opportunity to join the Terminator franchise in this prequel to the original Terminator movie. You assume the role of one of three characters, including Kyle Reese, the hero sent back in time to save Sarah Connor, in a series of adventures that explains what happened prior to the whole time machine business. With ten levels, eye-grabbing cinematics and a variety of weapons, this game promises a lot.
Terminator: Dawn of Fate delivers superb motion picture quality cutscenes reminiscent of the original Terminator movie. The early visuals and gameplay convey the sense that this game was conceived and executed primarily as a cinematic action-adventure. From the opening scenes, the presence of the Terminator license makes itself known. Many assets of the original movie, including artwork, characters, soundtrack and sound effects have found their way into this game.
Unfortunately, after five minutes of play, it becomes obvious that the devotion to a "cinematic action-adventure" ideal compromises gameplay to the point of obscuring the visual treat. Using Resident Evil-style fixed camera views, the hero Reese navigates the corridors of the underground base, but the action looks like a security camera replay, and doesn't fit the tone of the story well.
The fixed-point cameras also result in the awkward gaming experience of pushing the control stick to the right as Reese runs through a corridor from left to right, and then quite suddenly the camera will shift, Reese is suddenly running from top to bottom, and the direction of the stick no longer matches your onscreen movement. The camera problem also extends to not always being able to see your target. Given that practically every other modern game allows the player some control over the camera angle, this design decision is inexcusable. First-person is available, but you can't move while in that viewpoint.
On the more positive side, the game does offer a variety of weapons from the Terminator movies, including grenades, futuristic energy guns and the tried and true shotgun. One of the more enjoyable weapons is a hand-held energy baton that helps explain Reese' expertise with a steel pole in the first movie. The game also features an "adrenaline" mode similar to Max Payne's "bullet time" -although this feature is more style than substance, we found it satisfying.
Each of the ten levels includes a checkpoint where you can resume playing if you accidentally die before the mission has been completed. You can't save your game at the checkpoint, but must complete the mission to save your game. This would have been annoying except that the missions weren't really very long, an hour at the most.
After each level, you are given the option of purchasing upgrades to health, ammo, armor and others. You earn these upgrades by completing certain goals throughout the level, such as conserving ammo, going on an adrenaline killing spree, or finishing in record time. It's a nice reward system and allows you to tailor the game to your style of play - the carefree gamers will want more ammo, while the cautious elect for more health.
Each level consists of a series of tasks, most of which involve blowing something up. Some tasks, however, border on banal. The very first task Reese needs to complete is "blow up the mainframes." That sounds fun, maybe even complicated. Sadly, all you have to do is turn around and shoot - they are right there, unguarded and definitely defenseless. Ho-hum. Next, Reese needs to turn a valve. Think that’s exciting? Then tune in tomorrow when Reese is called on to clean Connor's guns!
Terminator: Dawn of Fate offers both kinds of villains - mindless, dedicated killing machines and mindless, dedicated hard-to-kill killing machines. That's an oversimplification, but still accurate. Surprisingly, this is not at all a fault of the game, as the game mimics the movie in this respect. Hey, we liked the hordes of emotionless cyborgs with nothing better to do than march towards certain destruction, but expect many to tire of the simple AI.
Cutscenes are interspersed throughout the game and not only at the end of each level. These help to move the story along as well as reward the player for a job well done. These cutscenes, as expected, look wonderful. The voice acting, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired. Though certainly of professional quality, the lines aren't especially witty, intelligent or original - much like Arnold's acting.
Some bugs, including a show-stopper, sadly plague this title. In certain instances where Reese encounters other humans and needs to communicate with them to get ammo, health packs and other equipment, he occasionally gets stuck in conversation that only resetting the console will fix. A slightly lesser annoyance is when the sound cuts out for no reason and can only be brought back through the setup menus.
Terminator: Dawn of Fate offers many nice features and a certain amount of fun, but this is all mitigated by the problematic control interface and simplistic gameplay. Fans of the Terminator series who already own the DVD Collectors Edition will find enough here to make this worth a look, but any gamers looking for more than that would do well to think long and hard about a purchase.
Terminator: Dawn of Fate delivers superb motion picture quality cutscenes reminiscent of the original Terminator movie. The early visuals and gameplay convey the sense that this game was conceived and executed primarily as a cinematic action-adventure. From the opening scenes, the presence of the Terminator license makes itself known. Many assets of the original movie, including artwork, characters, soundtrack and sound effects have found their way into this game.
Unfortunately, after five minutes of play, it becomes obvious that the devotion to a "cinematic action-adventure" ideal compromises gameplay to the point of obscuring the visual treat. Using Resident Evil-style fixed camera views, the hero Reese navigates the corridors of the underground base, but the action looks like a security camera replay, and doesn't fit the tone of the story well.
The fixed-point cameras also result in the awkward gaming experience of pushing the control stick to the right as Reese runs through a corridor from left to right, and then quite suddenly the camera will shift, Reese is suddenly running from top to bottom, and the direction of the stick no longer matches your onscreen movement. The camera problem also extends to not always being able to see your target. Given that practically every other modern game allows the player some control over the camera angle, this design decision is inexcusable. First-person is available, but you can't move while in that viewpoint.
On the more positive side, the game does offer a variety of weapons from the Terminator movies, including grenades, futuristic energy guns and the tried and true shotgun. One of the more enjoyable weapons is a hand-held energy baton that helps explain Reese' expertise with a steel pole in the first movie. The game also features an "adrenaline" mode similar to Max Payne's "bullet time" -although this feature is more style than substance, we found it satisfying.
Each of the ten levels includes a checkpoint where you can resume playing if you accidentally die before the mission has been completed. You can't save your game at the checkpoint, but must complete the mission to save your game. This would have been annoying except that the missions weren't really very long, an hour at the most.
After each level, you are given the option of purchasing upgrades to health, ammo, armor and others. You earn these upgrades by completing certain goals throughout the level, such as conserving ammo, going on an adrenaline killing spree, or finishing in record time. It's a nice reward system and allows you to tailor the game to your style of play - the carefree gamers will want more ammo, while the cautious elect for more health.
Each level consists of a series of tasks, most of which involve blowing something up. Some tasks, however, border on banal. The very first task Reese needs to complete is "blow up the mainframes." That sounds fun, maybe even complicated. Sadly, all you have to do is turn around and shoot - they are right there, unguarded and definitely defenseless. Ho-hum. Next, Reese needs to turn a valve. Think that’s exciting? Then tune in tomorrow when Reese is called on to clean Connor's guns!
Terminator: Dawn of Fate offers both kinds of villains - mindless, dedicated killing machines and mindless, dedicated hard-to-kill killing machines. That's an oversimplification, but still accurate. Surprisingly, this is not at all a fault of the game, as the game mimics the movie in this respect. Hey, we liked the hordes of emotionless cyborgs with nothing better to do than march towards certain destruction, but expect many to tire of the simple AI.
Cutscenes are interspersed throughout the game and not only at the end of each level. These help to move the story along as well as reward the player for a job well done. These cutscenes, as expected, look wonderful. The voice acting, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired. Though certainly of professional quality, the lines aren't especially witty, intelligent or original - much like Arnold's acting.
Some bugs, including a show-stopper, sadly plague this title. In certain instances where Reese encounters other humans and needs to communicate with them to get ammo, health packs and other equipment, he occasionally gets stuck in conversation that only resetting the console will fix. A slightly lesser annoyance is when the sound cuts out for no reason and can only be brought back through the setup menus.
Terminator: Dawn of Fate offers many nice features and a certain amount of fun, but this is all mitigated by the problematic control interface and simplistic gameplay. Fans of the Terminator series who already own the DVD Collectors Edition will find enough here to make this worth a look, but any gamers looking for more than that would do well to think long and hard about a purchase.
Pah - stoopid kidz !
If he/she put this much effort into - ooh, say... a paper round, he/she'd be able to buy a game, instead of trying to ponce a freebie off SR for someone else's work.
LOL, you cant beat the system Mysterio... and Y the hell did you not post it in the review section the people wouldn't have noticed.... I hope he gets banned for that.
Number 3... lol!!
Cool review, do you also work for GamesDomain too by any chance? It's just I noticed you must have also posted it here:
http://www.gamesdomain.com/ playstation2/reviews/Terminator_Dawn_of_Fate.html
I found it a little strange that you reviewed this game under a different name to the Stuntman review you also did on there. I'm sure there's probably a simple explanation for that though.
http://www.gamesdomain.com/ playstation2/reviews/Terminator_Dawn_of_Fate.html
I found it a little strange that you reviewed this game under a different name to the Stuntman review you also did on there. I'm sure there's probably a simple explanation for that though.
Terminator: Dawn of Fate offers players the unique opportunity to join the Terminator franchise in this prequel to the original Terminator movie. You assume the role of one of three characters, including Kyle Reese, the hero sent back in time to save Sarah Connor, in a series of adventures that explains what happened prior to the whole time machine business. With ten levels, eye-grabbing cinematics and a variety of weapons, this game promises a lot.
Terminator: Dawn of Fate delivers superb motion picture quality cutscenes reminiscent of the original Terminator movie. The early visuals and gameplay convey the sense that this game was conceived and executed primarily as a cinematic action-adventure. From the opening scenes, the presence of the Terminator license makes itself known. Many assets of the original movie, including artwork, characters, soundtrack and sound effects have found their way into this game.
Unfortunately, after five minutes of play, it becomes obvious that the devotion to a "cinematic action-adventure" ideal compromises gameplay to the point of obscuring the visual treat. Using Resident Evil-style fixed camera views, the hero Reese navigates the corridors of the underground base, but the action looks like a security camera replay, and doesn't fit the tone of the story well.
The fixed-point cameras also result in the awkward gaming experience of pushing the control stick to the right as Reese runs through a corridor from left to right, and then quite suddenly the camera will shift, Reese is suddenly running from top to bottom, and the direction of the stick no longer matches your onscreen movement. The camera problem also extends to not always being able to see your target. Given that practically every other modern game allows the player some control over the camera angle, this design decision is inexcusable. First-person is available, but you can't move while in that viewpoint.
On the more positive side, the game does offer a variety of weapons from the Terminator movies, including grenades, futuristic energy guns and the tried and true shotgun. One of the more enjoyable weapons is a hand-held energy baton that helps explain Reese' expertise with a steel pole in the first movie. The game also features an "adrenaline" mode similar to Max Payne's "bullet time" -although this feature is more style than substance, we found it satisfying.
Each of the ten levels includes a checkpoint where you can resume playing if you accidentally die before the mission has been completed. You can't save your game at the checkpoint, but must complete the mission to save your game. This would have been annoying except that the missions weren't really very long, an hour at the most.
After each level, you are given the option of purchasing upgrades to health, ammo, armor and others. You earn these upgrades by completing certain goals throughout the level, such as conserving ammo, going on an adrenaline killing spree, or finishing in record time. It's a nice reward system and allows you to tailor the game to your style of play - the carefree gamers will want more ammo, while the cautious elect for more health.
Each level consists of a series of tasks, most of which involve blowing something up. Some tasks, however, border on banal. The very first task Reese needs to complete is "blow up the mainframes." That sounds fun, maybe even complicated. Sadly, all you have to do is turn around and shoot - they are right there, unguarded and definitely defenseless. Ho-hum. Next, Reese needs to turn a valve. Think that’s exciting? Then tune in tomorrow when Reese is called on to clean Connor's guns!
Terminator: Dawn of Fate offers both kinds of villains - mindless, dedicated killing machines and mindless, dedicated hard-to-kill killing machines. That's an oversimplification, but still accurate. Surprisingly, this is not at all a fault of the game, as the game mimics the movie in this respect. Hey, we liked the hordes of emotionless cyborgs with nothing better to do than march towards certain destruction, but expect many to tire of the simple AI.
Cutscenes are interspersed throughout the game and not only at the end of each level. These help to move the story along as well as reward the player for a job well done. These cutscenes, as expected, look wonderful. The voice acting, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired. Though certainly of professional quality, the lines aren't especially witty, intelligent or original - much like Arnold's acting.
Some bugs, including a show-stopper, sadly plague this title. In certain instances where Reese encounters other humans and needs to communicate with them to get ammo, health packs and other equipment, he occasionally gets stuck in conversation that only resetting the console will fix. A slightly lesser annoyance is when the sound cuts out for no reason and can only be brought back through the setup menus.
Terminator: Dawn of Fate offers many nice features and a certain amount of fun, but this is all mitigated by the problematic control interface and simplistic gameplay. Fans of the Terminator series who already own the DVD Collectors Edition will find enough here to make this worth a look, but any gamers looking for more than that would do well to think long and hard about a purchase.
Terminator: Dawn of Fate delivers superb motion picture quality cutscenes reminiscent of the original Terminator movie. The early visuals and gameplay convey the sense that this game was conceived and executed primarily as a cinematic action-adventure. From the opening scenes, the presence of the Terminator license makes itself known. Many assets of the original movie, including artwork, characters, soundtrack and sound effects have found their way into this game.
Unfortunately, after five minutes of play, it becomes obvious that the devotion to a "cinematic action-adventure" ideal compromises gameplay to the point of obscuring the visual treat. Using Resident Evil-style fixed camera views, the hero Reese navigates the corridors of the underground base, but the action looks like a security camera replay, and doesn't fit the tone of the story well.
The fixed-point cameras also result in the awkward gaming experience of pushing the control stick to the right as Reese runs through a corridor from left to right, and then quite suddenly the camera will shift, Reese is suddenly running from top to bottom, and the direction of the stick no longer matches your onscreen movement. The camera problem also extends to not always being able to see your target. Given that practically every other modern game allows the player some control over the camera angle, this design decision is inexcusable. First-person is available, but you can't move while in that viewpoint.
On the more positive side, the game does offer a variety of weapons from the Terminator movies, including grenades, futuristic energy guns and the tried and true shotgun. One of the more enjoyable weapons is a hand-held energy baton that helps explain Reese' expertise with a steel pole in the first movie. The game also features an "adrenaline" mode similar to Max Payne's "bullet time" -although this feature is more style than substance, we found it satisfying.
Each of the ten levels includes a checkpoint where you can resume playing if you accidentally die before the mission has been completed. You can't save your game at the checkpoint, but must complete the mission to save your game. This would have been annoying except that the missions weren't really very long, an hour at the most.
After each level, you are given the option of purchasing upgrades to health, ammo, armor and others. You earn these upgrades by completing certain goals throughout the level, such as conserving ammo, going on an adrenaline killing spree, or finishing in record time. It's a nice reward system and allows you to tailor the game to your style of play - the carefree gamers will want more ammo, while the cautious elect for more health.
Each level consists of a series of tasks, most of which involve blowing something up. Some tasks, however, border on banal. The very first task Reese needs to complete is "blow up the mainframes." That sounds fun, maybe even complicated. Sadly, all you have to do is turn around and shoot - they are right there, unguarded and definitely defenseless. Ho-hum. Next, Reese needs to turn a valve. Think that’s exciting? Then tune in tomorrow when Reese is called on to clean Connor's guns!
Terminator: Dawn of Fate offers both kinds of villains - mindless, dedicated killing machines and mindless, dedicated hard-to-kill killing machines. That's an oversimplification, but still accurate. Surprisingly, this is not at all a fault of the game, as the game mimics the movie in this respect. Hey, we liked the hordes of emotionless cyborgs with nothing better to do than march towards certain destruction, but expect many to tire of the simple AI.
Cutscenes are interspersed throughout the game and not only at the end of each level. These help to move the story along as well as reward the player for a job well done. These cutscenes, as expected, look wonderful. The voice acting, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired. Though certainly of professional quality, the lines aren't especially witty, intelligent or original - much like Arnold's acting.
Some bugs, including a show-stopper, sadly plague this title. In certain instances where Reese encounters other humans and needs to communicate with them to get ammo, health packs and other equipment, he occasionally gets stuck in conversation that only resetting the console will fix. A slightly lesser annoyance is when the sound cuts out for no reason and can only be brought back through the setup menus.
Terminator: Dawn of Fate offers many nice features and a certain amount of fun, but this is all mitigated by the problematic control interface and simplistic gameplay. Fans of the Terminator series who already own the DVD Collectors Edition will find enough here to make this worth a look, but any gamers looking for more than that would do well to think long and hard about a purchase.