Da-da-dun-da-dun, this is Terminator Salvation
by Majed Athab 
{ Mar 20th 2009 at 10:40PM } 
Taking place two years before the movie of the same name, Terminator Salvation: The Video Game puts players in post-apocalyptic Los Angeles at the time AI-overlord Skynet rises to power. This means series hero John Connor is still a legend-in-the-making, and time-traveling Terminators have yet to learn the catchy Spanish phrases that would make them famous.
We watched a live demo of Salvation earlier this month, taking in the shooter's "cover and flank" battle system, the cinematic, HUD-less interface and the constant barrage of that thematic riff (the one that goes *Da-da-dun-da-dun. Da-da-dun-da-dun*). As much as we love hearing the tune, we're not too enamored, thus far, with the game's presentation regarding its generic weapons arsenal and bland on-rails sections; however, that opinion might change once we finally get some hands-on time at GDC next week. For now, here's a trailer and some screen shots to check out.
We watched a live demo of Salvation earlier this month, taking in the shooter's "cover and flank" battle system, the cinematic, HUD-less interface and the constant barrage of that thematic riff (the one that goes *Da-da-dun-da-dun. Da-da-dun-da-dun*). As much as we love hearing the tune, we're not too enamored, thus far, with the game's presentation regarding its generic weapons arsenal and bland on-rails sections; however, that opinion might change once we finally get some hands-on time at GDC next week. For now, here's a trailer and some screen shots to check out.
Gallery: Terminator Salvation
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
b trumpet @ Mar 20th 2009 10:46PM
Some super nice graphics. Basically another Gears of War it seems though.
Doug @ Mar 20th 2009 11:12PM
Well, we certainly don't need another Gears of War. Too many overrated games as it is.
jetblack423 @ Mar 20th 2009 10:53PM
For PS3 it has 11 gold and 1 platinum trophy for just beating the game. So its probably going to suck.
Obie @ Mar 20th 2009 10:57PM
You're an idiot.
You have been targeted for Termination.
EI8HT @ Mar 21st 2009 2:52AM
ah How many Bronz?
muir666 @ Mar 21st 2009 11:59AM
there are no bronze trophies. it is just 11 gold and a platinum. its ridiculous
Obie @ Mar 20th 2009 10:58PM
T3 was just horrible, but this one seems to be more in the spirit of the first two films.
But then again, it's directed by the guy who did the Charlies Angels movies...so we'll see.
Doug @ Mar 20th 2009 11:12PM
T3 was an underrated film with a great ending. Instead of copout, easy writing at the end, it chose something rather interesting that actually almost made up for the entire movie.
I'm not saying it was as good as the first two, but it wasn't crap either.
Vcize @ Mar 20th 2009 11:20PM
Yeah, the first 95% of T3 sucked, but the ending was cool.
Obie @ Mar 20th 2009 11:27PM
"Instead of copout," I dunno dude. What is cool about an ending that negates all the actions and sacrifices of the first two films. The ending of T3 was written so there could be sequels. Terminator Salvation looks cool, but if it is a stinker like T3 I will just pretend it doesn't excist...like the third film.
But that is all my opinion of course. ;)
Popfrogs @ Mar 20th 2009 11:35PM
"What is cool about an ending that negates all the actions and sacrifices of the first two films"
That's really cool actually because it hints at some invisible hand of fate or destiny, and that rather than being a constant, predictable path, time is multithreaded and actions to affect the future by making changes in the past may be for nothing. The Sarah Connor Chronicles proves this over and over, because everything Skynet tries gets defeated by humans that go back in time to help Sarah and John. It ends up being a zero-sum game on both sides.
It kind of hinted that if John Connor had died in T2, someone else would have stepped up and been in his place instead. The fact that his life isn't critical to the resistance is a blow to the entire series (especially the TV series). However none of this stuff is set in stone so it's responsible for the resistance to keep sending people back to the past to defeat Skynet's attempts at winning the war.
Obie @ Mar 20th 2009 11:48PM
@Popfrogs: I see your point, yet that is exactly why I stopped caring about the series.
But to each their own I guess.
Dr Jeckyl and Mr ESC. @ Mar 20th 2009 11:58PM
Actually all the sacrifices were made to keep John Connor alive so he could lead the resistance.Now that why his future self didn't send any intel about skynet plans and future events that would help to reduce human cassualties is beyond me.
Also why don't just send the Terminator to kill the guy who would create Skynet (Like you know what Sarah wanted to do) or if you want destroy skynet satelite while its being created?
B @ Mar 21st 2009 12:11AM
I thought T3 was ok, watchable but doesn't do the franchise any favors at all. I absolutely hated the actor who they got to play John Connor.
Premature ejaculation man @ Mar 21st 2009 1:38AM
The resistance going back in time caused the sky net uprising which was caused by Kyle Reese going back in time since he John Connor's father.
Its kinda like futurama where Fry is his own grandfather
Discotheque @ Mar 21st 2009 1:50AM
This looks more like Transformers mixed with Mad Max than a Terminator flick.
McG's a crap director, so expect a diluted film here. Unoriginal and boring as hell. Wake me up when James Cameron's Avatar comes out. That's when real epic blockbuster action will show.
mcwattersm @ Mar 21st 2009 3:00AM
No, it just shit on everything that Cameron ever worked towards.
Obie @ Mar 21st 2009 9:49AM
"Wake me up when James Cameron's Avatar comes out. That's when real epic blockbuster action will show. "
Hellz, fuckin' yeah!
chimaera9 @ Mar 20th 2009 10:59PM
*crosses fingers* Come on, don't screw this one up! Looks good so far...
Moptimus Slime (Leader of the Taylor Swift Defense Force, Gobot in disguise) @ Mar 20th 2009 11:06PM
Sure it looks good, but will this game KICK YOUR FUCKING ASS?
Popfrogs @ Mar 21st 2009 12:09AM
Only if you're all duh-duh-nuh in the background in the scene.
Hiroken @ Mar 21st 2009 12:18AM
I hope not because that would be FUCKING DISTRACTING!
ill trooper @ Mar 21st 2009 11:00PM
Once I get all the achievements, this game and me, we're done professionally.
Cellien @ Mar 20th 2009 11:20PM
Just finished watching the latest Sarah Connor Chronicles (which was f-ing awesome) so I was exited to see this post. However, this is the old trailer. :\ Few new screens tho.
Almozd @ Mar 20th 2009 11:21PM
is anyone else having trouble connecting to psn
H Choi @ Mar 20th 2009 11:24PM
I'm guessing the developers were scared shitless to hire Bale to do the voice work.
RockerAnimeFreak @ Mar 20th 2009 11:25PM
Is the first current gen Terminator game? it looks pretty! :)
da-da-dun-da-dun indeed.
yolarrydabomb @ Mar 20th 2009 11:36PM
The bridge is outttt
Hiroken @ Mar 21st 2009 12:18AM
HELEN!!!
Obie @ Mar 21st 2009 9:50AM
GHET DOWN!
Dr Jeckyl and Mr ESC. @ Mar 20th 2009 11:51PM
"Your entire life has been lived for this moment"
And that's so depressing.
To be honest in the preview it looked awesome but then again is a game based on a movie.
t_m @ Mar 20th 2009 11:53PM
Can't watch the video from here... but does it have LASERS???
The recent Terminator Salvation trailers have looked surprisingly good (for McG), but they don't have any frickin lasers!!!
Why are they all using machine guns, when we all know they use truck mounted laser rifles in the future, because you can't stop a terminator "with these weapons"????
Dr Jeckyl and Mr ESC. @ Mar 21st 2009 12:00AM
Is years before they have lasers but then again when did exactly got teh lazors and why didn't Skynet build nukes instead?
F*ck it just enjoy the CGI.
Deeznuts420 @ Mar 21st 2009 12:04AM
it looks good but DOES IT HAVE CANOES?!?
Popfrogs @ Mar 21st 2009 12:10AM
Hahah, well played sir. That's an underrated meme.
Discotheque @ Mar 21st 2009 1:51AM
Thank you for bringing that meme back. More people should use it.
B @ Mar 21st 2009 12:09AM
Looks good, hopefully it is, dieing for a half decent Terminator game. Terminator 3 is still mocking me on my shelf.
The voice actor though... doesn't seem to fit that sitting. Needs more rasp
Misfit Toy @ Mar 21st 2009 12:33AM
Nice. Makes me want to watch Terminator 3 in prep for the new movie. Might rent the game. Looks nice. If it seems quality I'll buy a copy. Always willing to give the publisher my money if its actually a 'good' game.
Eingau @ Mar 21st 2009 5:59AM
It looks as if they will use a lot of AI controlled sequences where you have to point and shoot. A usual set up for movie based games, so it can "try" to shadow the game play.But its never bad to hope for a real good movies based game, Aladdin for the SNES was good.
Bissy Boy (PSN johnnynumber5) @ Mar 21st 2009 1:44AM
As others have also stated it looks like Gears. Looks pretty good for a liscensed product and it's one to keep an eye on for the future.
EI8HT @ Mar 21st 2009 2:55AM
Im Lost
do we watch the movie then play the game
or play the game then watch the movie,,,,
Damn it... can log into my skynet ... keeps telling me system overide
Balloonfighter99 @ Mar 21st 2009 2:58AM
The biggest flaw of the Terminator series is the first movie. How could J.C. send his own father back in time to porkulate with his mom and be conceived. It don't add up.
StGermain @ Mar 21st 2009 4:55AM
The only way to explain this is alternative timelines. It means that you can go back but it will never change the timeline that you are coming from. If that is correct they can make movies ad infinitum. What happens is John Connor already has a father but in the timeline where he exist this is not the guy he sents back in time. The guy who gets sent back in time humps John's mother and fathers another John Connor in an alternative timeline. The original John Connor will never know what happened as his timeline remains unchanged = messed up by Skynet.
They could create a timeline where the bots don't rise up if they ever came up with a decent plan though...
The coolest thing is that we have an internet provider called Skynet in Belgium, when it was still my provider I had terminator@skynet.be as an alias :)
The Dark Wayne @ Mar 21st 2009 11:18AM
it's called the predestination/grandfather paradox. No matter what happened, in the future John Connor would always send Reese back in time and he would always be his father. Another example is the time in futurama when Fry traveled back in time to the Roswell incident and accidentally killed his grandfather, but he slept with his own grandmother and became his own grandfather. The only reason fry didn't just disappear from time forever was because he was always going to be his own grandfather
Premature ejaculation man @ Mar 21st 2009 11:12PM
I already said that Batman!
Easo @ Mar 22nd 2009 2:43PM
The simplest explanation is that fate is predetermined. If you assume that any alterations to the past will only effect How an event happens, then the events of a timeline will stay the same, and only the people/situations around the event will change. If this is true for the terminator universe, we can assume that kyle reese is only john conners father Because john sent him back in time. If he had sent anyone but kyle reese back, than whoever he sent would be his father. If he had sent back a female, then his mother would still survive, move to mexico, and john would be half mexican. If sarah conners dies, then another conners woman gives birth to john, who in the future sends back a man to protect her... rinse, wash, repeat. Get it.
Easo @ Mar 22nd 2009 2:48PM
Looks like StGermain gave the same answer that I did. lol
stoik @ Mar 21st 2009 3:43AM
Spanish phrases like "chill out, dickwad" :)
Fireaxe888 @ Mar 21st 2009 4:21AM
Did anyone notice the transport? Ripped right out of battlefield 2142!
Thor @ Mar 21st 2009 6:45AM
It appears that many of you are talking about the classic Terminator Time Paradox.
Judgement Day was always going to happen because the Terminator was sent back to kill John in the first movie. Even though Sarah managed to kill it, somewhere in the future it was being sent back to the same moment as before otherwise John Connor would never have been born. So we can actually blame Skynet for the existence of John Connor.... BUT... if in the future, Skynet had never sent back a Terminator, would it have existed? Is Skynet responsible for the creation of itself?
Considering all of this, how is it possible? Is Terminator Salvation a prequel or a sequel?It happens before and after the events of the other movies, yet without my earlier theory was it ever possible that there was a Judgement Day without John Connor?
On another note, why didn't the Terminator just go to where Sarah worked and find her there? I'm sure they would've known in the future that they had failed with their attempt. I know it's a lot but it's something to consider.Judgement Day was inevitable and the ending of T3 just brought us to that point.