The latest entry in a console legacy strewn with poorly-executed ideas and half-baked action, the prospects for Terminator Salvation were never rosy. Mercifully, this ferocious blaster is a step in the right direction.
A thinly-veiled homage to Gears Of War which sees players rushing between cover to dodge gunfire, and working with computer-controlled comrades to outflank rivals Terminator Salvation captures the thrills and heart-pounding tension of the movies and fills in important backstory details, a dizzying mix that will doubtless delight fans whove followed the series since its Schwarzenegger heyday. But while its hard not to get a rise from the games blitzkrieg of flashy visuals, stark futuristic battlefields and rampaging robots that never know when to give up, the straightforward levels and predictable nature of the battles means the experience lacks depth and becomes tiresome as you approach the final fight. Similarly, the stress of playing as a puny human surrounded by seemingly-indestructible machines often becomes an irritation and strips the fun from the action, making the act of smashing T-brand nasties into shrapnel something of a chore.