Terminator: Dawn of Fate
The shattered remains of what was once familiar landscapes span as far as the eye could see and scuttling along the heaps of broken concrete and blackened metal like rats are human survivors of a horrible disaster caused intentionally by a defense computer known as Skynet. Like a rabid dog turning on his master, the computer can only think about destruction and death. But the human resistance is strong and in Terminator: Dawn of Fate, the hour to put an end to the machines is now.
Taking place before the first film, the game introduces the famed Terminator--half-man and half-machine but all killer--and the leader of the human resistance, John Connor, believes the time to put an end to Skynet's main computer has just begun. Along for the ride is Kyle Reece, who you will be in control of during much of the game (you also play as other characters later in the game), the tragic figure John sends out into the past to protect his mother, Sarah Connor.
At the start of the game, you can take Kyle through a few training exercises so gamers can get to know the controls. Moving Kyle isn't difficult at all, although combat can be another story altogether. You can roll, lock on enemies and use several weapons such as a plasma baton and plasma rifles. While this game is played in third-person view, you can just as easily go into first-person view for a much more precise shot. You can use adrenaline to your advantage, which allows you to hit stronger, run faster and shoot more accurately.
The other characters you assume, such as Justin Perry, are not any different control-wise. This keeps gamers from relearning individual character controls, but it would have been nice if each character had his or her own specialty moves or reactions. Combat, you'll see, remains practically unchanged throughout the game with the exception that at times you'll man a gun turret to aid fellow resistance fighters trying to hold off wave after wave of terminators. And strangely enough, close combat with the plasma baton is just a lot better than blasting away at the killer machines.
Dawn of Fate isn't just running around shooting at Terminators (although, sometimes, that?s what it feels like), you also get a slew of mission objectives that are listed in the Task list screen. Tasks range from putting out threatening fires to escorting resistance fighters to certain locations. The more objectives you complete the better the chance of getting a medal at the end of the level. Medals can be used to upgrade items like armor or weapons.
The game's visual beauty comes in the surroundings themselves. There is much detail placed on the shattered remains of buildings such as hotels and the Xbox version handles the textures better than the PS2 version. Still, the visuals could have been a lot better and the same could be said about the characters that are decent but nothing really stunning to look at. Thankfully the special effects are good enough to make James Cameron pleased.
And speaking of something pleasant, the sound effects department sure deserves a good pat in the back for the great job in capturing effects of the plasma weapons and the mechanical sounds of the exoskeleton Terminator make when they move--they sound straight out of the movie! The score also adds to the drama of the cut scenes and intense battles. My only disappointment in this field is the voice acting that can be a bit overdramatic in certain spots, but it's nothing really bad.
While playing through the film's futuristic backdrop might seem very appealing, there are a number of features, such as the first-person controls, that could have been handled a lot better. There is still enough action to satisfy even die-hard gamers that loved the movies, thus making this a really good weekend rental.
#Reviewer's Scoring Details
Gameplay: 6.3
The combat controls can be both simple and difficult at the same time and this is mostly aimed at the first-person view that can sometimes be confusing when you're in a tight corner. It becomes confusing when you return to the third-person view and find that you lost your sense of direction. This is especially frustrating when you're making your way through a network of tunnels.
Battling the mechanical threat can be fun but it does become repetitive, especial in areas of the game where the enemy comes in waves. Sometimes the game is unfair in this aspect and this clown car effect (how many Terminators can fit in one hole in the wall?) can grow irritating when you really want to carry through an objective.
Graphics: 7.0
Not as visually breathtaking as one would imagine, Terminator's still is pretty decent on the graphics front. With backgrounds that are so finely detailed, you'll get chills just walking through dilapidated structures and what remains of the streets above. There are also some pretty cool effects that make up for the so-so job done on each character.
There is also a number of excellent cut scenes that bring the movies to mind each time an animated cut scene breaks the action to advance the story. It's such a real treat watching these FMV cut scenes that you can access them in the Extras options.
Sound: 7.2
As far as the sound effects are concerned, Dawn of Fate manages to get it right. Plasma weapons and all of the Skynet machines, like the seek-and-destroy ships flying overhead on the top surface world, sound straight out of the movie. Listening carefully, you can hear the explosions reverberate throughout the underground passages or empty structures.
The soundtrack is also pretty good, mirroring the film's score pretty closely with its dramatic overtones during the intense moments during the game or the cut scenes. And, believe it or not, there are a couple of songs from the hard hitting band Fear Factory found in the game. In spite of a really cool soundtrack, the voice acting comes off as something of a disappointment. There moments in the cut scenes that are really overacted or a little too overdramatic . . . fortunately there aren't too many of these moments.
Difficulty: Medium
No one said that fighting cybernetic killers was easy and when they come in multitudes, you'll find yourself wondering how many terminators you have to send to the scrap yard before you run out of ammo. The various objectives you're asked to perform can be as simple as placing bombs in certain places to help guard a door. There are also enemy bosses in this game that vary in difficulty and will have game players really working hard to defeat them.
Concept: 7.0
The Terminator films are well loved and who hasn't said ?Hasta la vista, baby? before blasting someone away in a video game? Dawn of Fate's storyline is not strong but it does connect you to the films in the way games based on movies should do. And the fact that the action takes place before the events of the first film gives gamers the idea of how a character like Kyle Reece has come to find himself in the past in the first place. Or, better yet, how John Connor managed to storm into Skynet to reprogram the Terminator that was sent back to aid and protect the young version of himself.
Overall: 6.7
Although the game is true to the movies, Terminator: Dawn of Fate suffers from a few flaws that will leave gamers just a bit frustrated. And while the graphics could have been a lot better for a Xbox game, the action is still intense enough to consider renting it.
Taking place before the first film, the game introduces the famed Terminator--half-man and half-machine but all killer--and the leader of the human resistance, John Connor, believes the time to put an end to Skynet's main computer has just begun. Along for the ride is Kyle Reece, who you will be in control of during much of the game (you also play as other characters later in the game), the tragic figure John sends out into the past to protect his mother, Sarah Connor.
At the start of the game, you can take Kyle through a few training exercises so gamers can get to know the controls. Moving Kyle isn't difficult at all, although combat can be another story altogether. You can roll, lock on enemies and use several weapons such as a plasma baton and plasma rifles. While this game is played in third-person view, you can just as easily go into first-person view for a much more precise shot. You can use adrenaline to your advantage, which allows you to hit stronger, run faster and shoot more accurately.
The other characters you assume, such as Justin Perry, are not any different control-wise. This keeps gamers from relearning individual character controls, but it would have been nice if each character had his or her own specialty moves or reactions. Combat, you'll see, remains practically unchanged throughout the game with the exception that at times you'll man a gun turret to aid fellow resistance fighters trying to hold off wave after wave of terminators. And strangely enough, close combat with the plasma baton is just a lot better than blasting away at the killer machines.
Dawn of Fate isn't just running around shooting at Terminators (although, sometimes, that?s what it feels like), you also get a slew of mission objectives that are listed in the Task list screen. Tasks range from putting out threatening fires to escorting resistance fighters to certain locations. The more objectives you complete the better the chance of getting a medal at the end of the level. Medals can be used to upgrade items like armor or weapons.
The game's visual beauty comes in the surroundings themselves. There is much detail placed on the shattered remains of buildings such as hotels and the Xbox version handles the textures better than the PS2 version. Still, the visuals could have been a lot better and the same could be said about the characters that are decent but nothing really stunning to look at. Thankfully the special effects are good enough to make James Cameron pleased.
And speaking of something pleasant, the sound effects department sure deserves a good pat in the back for the great job in capturing effects of the plasma weapons and the mechanical sounds of the exoskeleton Terminator make when they move--they sound straight out of the movie! The score also adds to the drama of the cut scenes and intense battles. My only disappointment in this field is the voice acting that can be a bit overdramatic in certain spots, but it's nothing really bad.
While playing through the film's futuristic backdrop might seem very appealing, there are a number of features, such as the first-person controls, that could have been handled a lot better. There is still enough action to satisfy even die-hard gamers that loved the movies, thus making this a really good weekend rental.
#Reviewer's Scoring Details
Gameplay: 6.3
The combat controls can be both simple and difficult at the same time and this is mostly aimed at the first-person view that can sometimes be confusing when you're in a tight corner. It becomes confusing when you return to the third-person view and find that you lost your sense of direction. This is especially frustrating when you're making your way through a network of tunnels.
Battling the mechanical threat can be fun but it does become repetitive, especial in areas of the game where the enemy comes in waves. Sometimes the game is unfair in this aspect and this clown car effect (how many Terminators can fit in one hole in the wall?) can grow irritating when you really want to carry through an objective.
Graphics: 7.0
Not as visually breathtaking as one would imagine, Terminator's still is pretty decent on the graphics front. With backgrounds that are so finely detailed, you'll get chills just walking through dilapidated structures and what remains of the streets above. There are also some pretty cool effects that make up for the so-so job done on each character.
There is also a number of excellent cut scenes that bring the movies to mind each time an animated cut scene breaks the action to advance the story. It's such a real treat watching these FMV cut scenes that you can access them in the Extras options.
Sound: 7.2
As far as the sound effects are concerned, Dawn of Fate manages to get it right. Plasma weapons and all of the Skynet machines, like the seek-and-destroy ships flying overhead on the top surface world, sound straight out of the movie. Listening carefully, you can hear the explosions reverberate throughout the underground passages or empty structures.
The soundtrack is also pretty good, mirroring the film's score pretty closely with its dramatic overtones during the intense moments during the game or the cut scenes. And, believe it or not, there are a couple of songs from the hard hitting band Fear Factory found in the game. In spite of a really cool soundtrack, the voice acting comes off as something of a disappointment. There moments in the cut scenes that are really overacted or a little too overdramatic . . . fortunately there aren't too many of these moments.
Difficulty: Medium
No one said that fighting cybernetic killers was easy and when they come in multitudes, you'll find yourself wondering how many terminators you have to send to the scrap yard before you run out of ammo. The various objectives you're asked to perform can be as simple as placing bombs in certain places to help guard a door. There are also enemy bosses in this game that vary in difficulty and will have game players really working hard to defeat them.
Concept: 7.0
The Terminator films are well loved and who hasn't said ?Hasta la vista, baby? before blasting someone away in a video game? Dawn of Fate's storyline is not strong but it does connect you to the films in the way games based on movies should do. And the fact that the action takes place before the events of the first film gives gamers the idea of how a character like Kyle Reece has come to find himself in the past in the first place. Or, better yet, how John Connor managed to storm into Skynet to reprogram the Terminator that was sent back to aid and protect the young version of himself.
Overall: 6.7
Although the game is true to the movies, Terminator: Dawn of Fate suffers from a few flaws that will leave gamers just a bit frustrated. And while the graphics could have been a lot better for a Xbox game, the action is still intense enough to consider renting it.
Atari
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