List of Terminator video games

This list of Terminator video games includes video games based on the 1984 film The Terminator, a science fiction action film that has been followed by four sequels. Some of the games follow part of the plot of the films. The characters and related events are described, below, using in-universe tone.

Background plot

The first four films featured the concept of a "terminator", specifically the titular character, a virtually unstoppable cyborg assassin who is sent back from the year 2029 by a race of artificially intelligent, computer-controlled machines bent on the extermination of mankind. The Terminator's mission is to prevent Sarah Connor's son, John Connor, from forming a resistance against the machines. Rebel Kyle Reese tries to stop the Terminator. The first film became a pop-culture phenomenon, leading to various computer and video games. The games are either based directly on the movies or are heavily involved in the film series' expanded universe.

The Terminator (1984 film) games

The Terminator (DOS)

There is a DOS computer action-adventure game based on the first movie. Developed and published by Bethesda Softworks in 1990, it was the first officially licensed game based on the Terminator film series, which allowed Bethesda to sublicense the film's rights for the console versions.

This game was written in 100% assembly and takes up more than 35000 lines. The game contains approximately 20000 3D objects. It was developed using Turbo Assembler and Turbo Debugger with all debugging being done remotely. It was created on a variety of 286 and 386 computers. All graphics were created on IBMs and Amigas using DPIII and DA. More than 700 frames of animations were created. The delta mode compression yielded a 100-to-1 ratio.

The player takes on the role of Kyle Reese and protects Sarah Connor from the cyborg sent back in time to kill her. Alternatively, the player can become the Terminator and eliminate Kyle and Sarah. Either way, the player chases his opponent through Los Angeles, buying or stealing weapons and equipment, while attempting to eliminate his enemy and avoid the police.

The game takes place within a huge (roughly 10 × 6 miles or 16 × 10 kilometres) 3-D rendered area of central Los Angeles. The game area runs roughly from Beverly Drive to Central Ave (lengthwise), and from Mulholland Drive to National Blvd (vertically). A game map is included in the box for reference. Though the buildings and their placement within the world is generic, and highways/overpasses have been removed, the streets and their layout are largely accurate. The game also includes some landmarks, such as Dodger Stadium, Griffith Park, and the Silver Lake Reservoir.[1]

The Terminator (NES)

A Terminator game for the NES platform had been in development since 1989. Sunsoft's game, Journey to Silius, was originally conceived as a game based on the original film. The license expired during production and the final game altered its graphics and created its own storyline.[2] A NES game was eventually developed and released in December 1992, it is a side-scrolling platformer developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Mindscape and Bethesda Softworks. The player plays as Kyle Reese, starting in the future, with a gun and grenades, fighting

The Terminator (Sega)

This is a video game first released in 1992 based on the original 1984 film of the same name. It was coded by Probe Software and released by Virgin Games on all the Sega video game consoles available at the time (Mega Drive/Genesis, Master System, Game Gear). In 1993, another game coded by Virgin Games USA was developed and released by Virgin for the Mega-CD/Sega CD.[3]

The Terminator by Probe Software is an action shooter game for the Mega Drive/Genesis programmed by David Perry and scored by Matt Furniss. The main character, Kyle Reese, traverses through levels that closely parallel the movie's environment. In all levels, the main character has a jump and has various weapons throughout the game. The first level takes place in the future, and the main character has hand grenades, timed bombs, and a machine gun as weapon choices. The later levels take place in modern settings, and the primary weapon is a shotgun only. The final level takes place inside the Cyberdyne factory, where you battle the Terminator alone. The objective of this level is to lead the Terminator into a compactor which destroys him. Conversions of this same game were also developed by Probe for the Master System and Game Gear.

The Mega-CD/Sega CD version, released by Virgin Games USA, was an entirely revamped game which had all-new levels, with development based on the David Perry engine, and was noted for its musical score by Tommy Tallarico, Bijan Shaheer, Joey Kuras, and TeknoMan. This music is generated in Q Sound. The objective is identical to the movie, which involves future soldier Kyle Reese going through the Time Displacement equipment located inside a Skynet base in the year 2029 AD, to go back in time to Los Angeles 1984 to protect Sarah Connor from the Terminator. It is considered to be the best game based on the original The Terminator.

The name in text on the scrolling intro, "Hemdale's The Terminator" (only in the Mega Drive/Genesis version) refers to the independent Hemdale Film Corporation, who produced the original movie. Once the studio closed, Orion Pictures became the owner of most of the films Hemdale had once owned.

Mean Machines gave the Mega Drive/Genesis version a 43 percent rating, and said that the game featured "some of the best Megadrive animation ever, plus fitting and highly detailed backgrounds," as well as, "Some great tunes and effects, but there are a few crappy ones there too." The magazine also criticized the game's "Four short levels which take no time to complete. After that, there's nothing to hold your interest."[4] Mean Machines gave the Sega Master System version an 82 percent rating, praised its graphics and animation, and called it, "A top-notch platform shoot 'em up which is slightly spoiled by being just a mite too short."[5]

Shawn Sackenheim of AllGame gave the Sega CD version four stars out of five and wrote, "The graphics always stay pretty bleak, this time from design and not from the system's limitations. Even in the neon lit dance club, TechNoir, the backgrounds remain dark, lit only by the bars of neon lights around the level. [...]. The dark and dreary graphics actually lend themselves nicely to the mood of the game." Sackenheim also praised Tallarico's score, saying that it added "a ton to the impact of the graphics and the mood of each level." Sackenheim concluded, "While it may not have been the best looking action/platformer around, it could definitely give any other game a run for its money."[3]

The Terminator (SNES)

The SNES version is a side-scrolling shooter developed by Gray Matter and published by Mindscape in 1993 for the Super NES. The player plays as Kyle Reese trying to stop the Terminator from killing Sarah Connor. The main levels are side-scrolling shooters, the two sub-levels are pseudo-driving levels, where the player has to shoot the Terminator to stop him from shooting back. The game is very difficult, due to the length of the levels and the fact that the player gets no continues if losing all lives. There is minimal music in the game, as the sound effects tend to be much louder.

The Terminator (mobile game)

A shoot 'em up developed by In-Fusio and Cybiko. It was released by In-Fusio in 2003 for the Mobile phone platforms BREW, ExEn and Java ME.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991 film) games

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (arcade game)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (8-bit version)

An Action/Adventure beat 'em up that was released on NES and then ported to Sega Game Gear and Master System. Developed by Software Creations and published by LJN on NES and by Flying Edge on Sega systems. It is based on the film of the same name.

The game consists of five levels. Level 2 is an isometric racing game, whereupon the player must race fast enough to catch John Conner on his moped whilst using weapons to beat back the T-1000, who is fast approaching in a tractor trailer. All the other levels are side-scrolling beat 'em ups. Level 2 is omitted from the Master System and Game Gear versions. From Level 3 onward, the player is not allowed to kill human enemies, to which he will be rewarded with upgraded weaponry at the end of levels for doing so. Level 4 requires the player to visit all ends of the gamescreen in order to set explosive charges. Levels 5 has the player doing some platforming, before finally taking on the T-1000 in the final battle.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Game Boy)

The Game Boy version is an action-adventure game developed by Bits Studios and published by LJN. It was released for the Game Boy in 1991. It is based on the film of the same name.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Ocean Software)

A platform game with top-down perspective levels that was published by Ocean Software based on the earlier NES version by LJN. The game was released in 1991 for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, and ZX Spectrum. Each version features very similar levels. Versions of the game for the aging Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum featured very primitive graphics, compared to the other platform releases.

The game is loosely based on the film of the same name. The objective is to save the leader of the Human Resistance, John Connor, and his mother, Sarah, from the T-1000, a mimetic poly-alloy Terminator, bent on killing them both.

Colin Campbell of Amiga Power gave the Amiga version a 65 percent rating and called it, "A typical movie licence in just about every sense. It follows the plot closely, gives you a lot of sub games for your money, even provides a few digitised animations," but also wrote, "There really isn't much in the way of worthwhile gameplay in here."[6]

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (pinball)

A pinball game designed by Steve Ritchie and released by Williams Electronics in 1991. A follow-up to this game is Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, featuring a very similar playfield design and rulesheet.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (16-bit version)

An action-adventure game developed by Bits Studios for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and Super NES. Both versions were released in 1993; the Genesis version was published by Flying Edge, while the Super NES version was published by LJN. Based on the film of the same name.[7][8]

One plays as the T-800 sent back in time to 1995, in order to protect John and Sarah Connor from the T-1000. There are two gameplay types: side-scrolling and driving. During the side-scrolling levels, the player's objective is to locate and retrieve all future objects, which are gray boxes with a flashing light on top, that, when broken open, look like endoskulls. The player must complete all objectives for that mission. Once all objectives are completed, the player goes back to the beginning of the level to finish the mission. Between the side-scrolling levels are the driving levels. During the driving levels, the player's objective is to drive to the next mission location by following compass directions, while avoiding pursuers.

In the side-scrolling levels, the T-800 has 100% health to begin with, but gets 50% health from the secondary power supply if its health drops to 0%. If the secondary power supply drops to 0%, the T-800 dies and the game ends. In the driving levels, the T-800 has 100% vehicular health, but the game ends if the health reaches 0%.

Starting with Level 3, the T-1000 will appear (or Level 2 if the alarm is tripped or too much time is spent there). The T-1000 attacks using a pistol and arms morphed into stabbing weapons. The T-1000 will mold back into shape if shot, but it will be temporarily incapacitated if it suffers enough damage. The T-1000 does not appear in level 6.

The T-800 must also protect John Connor starting with Level 3, and Sarah Connor starting with Level 4. If either one loses all of their health, they will start dying, and the T-800 must heal them by ducking down over them and transferring some of its health to them. If they are left alone for too long, they die, and the game ends. However, Sarah Connor wields a pistol for extra defense. Neither one appears in levels 5 or 6.

Both versions have different musical instrumentation, different sound effects, and some minor graphical and control differences, but are otherwise identical.

Brett Alan Weiss of AllGame gave the Super NES version one and a half stars and said the game was on his list of least favorite 16-bit film-based games. Weiss said, "Although it's pretty easy to figure out given a little time, it's not always readily apparent exactly where you're supposed to go or in what order you must do things within each level. Another thing I can say about this game that doesn't sound completely incendiary is that it does a reasonably good job of following the storyline. Oh, and the music's not too bad, either. It can get a little repetitive, and it may grate on some people's nerves after a while, but it rocks pretty hard, as music in a game of this type should." Weiss also said, "Large areas of blank space (such as the blue backgrounds on level one and the brown walls in level four) hurt this game's visual appeal tremendously, and it's not that great looking to begin with."[8]

Weiss gave the Genesis version one star out of five and wrote, "T2: Judgment Day for the Genesis is a truly wretched gaming experience. [...]. It does follow the storyline reasonably well, and you may be interested in playing the game through once, just to see what there is to see, but you won't have a good time doing it. [...]. The graphics are barren in many places and ugly in most others. The sound effects are limp, and the music is in-your-face annoying. The controls are awful. The punching and kicking in this game is less convincing than that of most bad 8-bit games." Weiss said the Super NES version "is superior in every way. While still a lousy game, it has better graphics, music, and sound effects."[7] In both reviews, Weiss negatively compared the game to Last Action Hero and Lethal Weapon.[7][8]

Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Chess Wars

A chess game developed by IntraCorp and published by Capstone Software for DOS platforms in 1993. In this game, characters from Terminator 2: Judgment Day act as chess pieces. White is the "human" side, with the T-800 as king, Sarah Connor as queen, two John Connors as bishops, two Miles Dysons as knights, and soldiers in green uniforms as rooks and pawns. Black is the "machines" side: grey-coloured robots with metal skeletons, without the T-1000. The pieces are not taken on the chess board but in futuristic battlefield settings resembling the scenes of man-machine war from the movie.

The player can choose from several game types and difficulty settings. The game rates the player in accordance with the United States Chess Federation scale.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (slot game)

Developed by Isle of Man based betting software developer Microgaming and released in June 2014, this video slot game is a 5 reel online slot machine with a feature free spins bonus with a T-1000 theme. Microgaming CEO Roger Raatgever said, "We've taken the core elements of the iconic Terminator 2 film to create an online slot that does the brand justice. Visually it is stunning and it has a fitting game mechanic that is completely unique to the online gaming market. Our operators and their players will be awestruck by our creation; we are incredibly excited about the game launch today."[9]

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003 film) games

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (video game)

Terminator 3: War of the Machines

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (pinball)

A pinball game manufactured by Stern Pinball for release in 2003. It is based on the movie of the same name.

This game marked Steve Ritchie's return to pinball, following 1995's No Fear: Dangerous Sports.

The playfield design is similar to Terminator 2: Judgment Day pinball, with the exception of the ball cannon on the right side, which is replaced by the RPG minigame in the backbox.

Arnold Schwarzenegger provided voices for the game.

The purpose in the game is to light the following features to engage in a "Final Battle" (the wizard mode) with the T-X:

Terminator 3: The Redemption

Terminator Salvation (2009 film) games

Terminator Salvation (video game)

Terminator Salvation (arcade game)

An arcade game, developed by Play Mechanix and published by Raw Thrills was released in 2010. It is based on the film of the same name. It is a light gun game featuring next generation graphics. Two players can cooperate simultaneously using machinegun style light guns to blast terminators, drones, and other enemies while pulling a clip on the gun in order to reload.

Non-film based games

The Terminator 2029

A DOS action-adventure game developed and published by Bethesda Softworks in 1992. Based on the film series the player assumes the role of a member of John Connor's Special Operations Group. The objective of the game is to destroy Skynet. Although the game is played from a first-person perspective, gameplay is restricted to four directions as turning spins the player around by 90 degrees.

The Deluxe CD Edition of The Terminator 2029 includes the original game along with the Operation Scour expansion pack, giving a total of 34 missions. This edition also includes 330MB of additional mission briefings and character speech, as well as featuring new gameplay music.

Computer Gaming World liked the graphics and gameplay, but stated that "along about the 1,000th destroyed target (and twentieth maze) ... the game "ceased to be totally engrossing, and began to feel like a glorified shooting gallery".[10]

RoboCop Versus The Terminator

The Terminator: Rampage

The Terminator: Future Shock

Skynet

Main article: Skynet (video game)

The Terminator: Dawn of Fate

The Terminator: I'm Back!

A shoot 'em up mobile phone game developed and published by In-Fusio in 2005.

Terminator Revenge

A mobile phone platform game developed and published by In-Fusio in 2006. The action takes place in the year 2020. The player assumes the role of a terminator in the Machine Army. The objective of the game is to "seek and destroy the scientist who stole parts of the Skynet code".

References

  1. ↑ The Terminator at MobyGames
  2. ↑ "Pak Watch - Terminator". Nintendo Power. Vol. 7. July–August 1989. p. 86.
  3. 1 2 Sackenheim, Shawn. "The Terminator (Sega CD) Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on 15 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "The Terminator (Megadrive) review" (PDF). Mean Machines. June 1992. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  5. ↑ "The Terminator (Sega Master System) review" (PDF). Mean Machines. June 1992. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  6. ↑ Campbell, Colin (October 1991). "Terminator 2 review". Amiga Power. pp. 26–27. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 Weiss, Brett Alan. "T2: Judgment Day (Genesis) Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on 16 November 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 Weiss, Brett Alan. "T2: Judgment Day (Super NES) Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on 17 November 2014.
  9. ↑ "Microgaming's Terminator 2 Slot Goes Live". casinonewsauthority.com. 4 June 2014.
  10. ↑ Goble, Gordon (June 1993). ""Terminator 2029" from Bethesda Softworks". Computer Gaming World. p. 116. Retrieved 7 July 2014.

External links

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