Tag: Terminator: Salvation

Defiance Review

Editorial Team

8 / 10 Banzai!s

The Game:

FromĀ Trion World, the recently founded American developer which seems to specialize in MMOs, brings usĀ Defiance, a sci-fi third-person shooter MMORPG for theĀ PlayStation 3, as well as theĀ Xbox 360Ā and PC. But this is more than just a game – it’s also a TV show!

DefianceĀ takes place in a future San Fransisco Bay Area, which has been both ravaged by war and terraformed by aliens. In back-story, a group of different alien races – collectively called Votans – came to Earth looking for a new home and began changing the environment to suit their tastes, unaware that the planet was populated with people. After having seen so many alien-invasion films, the humans took the Votan’s terraforming as a threat, and started a war. This went on for a number of years, until both humans and Votans decided to put their differences aside and give peace a chance.

Players have limited customization, though outfits can either be earned or purchased later in the game. Rather than classes, you select yourself one of four special abilities to begin with, but gain the others as your character levels-up. Weapons and vehicles also level-up as you continue to use them.

Like most MMOs, the map of the San Francisco Bay Area is littered with quests to fulfill, time trials and races, merchants, and the occasional “Arkfall” in which pieces of an alien ship have fallen to Earth, allowing for a vast collection of XP and new weapons while fighting off creatures along side the gathered online players. In addition, both co-op campaigns and competitive arenas are available for your enjoyment.

What makesĀ DefianceĀ unique is that it’s fueled by a TV show by the same name. The program, airing originally on theĀ SyfyĀ channel, takes place in St. Louis during the same time as the game, and the two cross over. Characters in the show may leave St. Louis and wind up in San Francisco in the game, becoming a participant in a quest. Meanwhile, the top players will get to have their name mentioned as a real character in next season’s show.

 

What I Liked:

I have to admit, what first attracted me to the game was how it crossed-over with an ongoing TV show. Yes, it’s a gimmick. And yes, it’s pretty cool that they thought of it. There’s titles likeĀ Dragon AgeĀ andĀ The Elder ScrollsĀ which contain a lot of backstory that can add an extra layer of depth and interest to the game’s plot – that is, if you feel like picking the books off the shelf and reading them off your screen. ButĀ Defiance took that a step further, and instead just made a whole new sci-fi program. You get a better feel for the setting, the different alien races, the politics happening behind the curtain, just by sitting back and watching the show as it better orients you in the setting of the game. And if that’s not cool enough, the two stories – game and TV show – cross paths with one another.

Defiance ReviewI’ll give an example. I watched one episode in which a woman tried to destroy a town by using pheromones to attract alien-like creatures. She was caught, her plan was foiled, but she escaped prison by leaving St. Louis. The next day, I loaded up the game and there she was in San Francisco, as a character in a quest. Now, I didn’t need to see the show in order to understand why she was there, but knowing her backstory simply made the quest all that more interesting. In a nutshell, the game and TV show fuel each other.

But likeĀ Tetris, it’s hard to be specific about what I like about this game, other than it’s addicting. It’s fun to run around and shoot stuff – which is the majority of the game. You can team up with online players, or simply do things on your own. The Arkfalls, which are both randomly timed and randomly placed on your map, is a good spot to recruit people into your group and share in the XP. Or join a Shadow War – another random event – in which you help your team defeat enemy players.

Everything you do in the game somehow affects the improvement of your character. From driving around, to shooting mutants and raiders with different weapons, to killing certain types of enemies, to fulfilling your goals. The weapons and vehicles themselves level-up as well, which you can modify and enhance. There’s certainly a lot to do in this game, and while so far I’ve put in a good +60 hours, I’m still not bored. Unlike, ahem,Ā DC Universe Online.

The graphics are great for an MMORPG, and again – unlikeĀ DC Universe OnlineĀ – the setting is richly colored with strange terraformed landscapes, ravaged cities, farmlands, lakes, and military installations – and all with warp-points on your map. In many ways, it feels a lot like playing an online version ofĀ Oblivion.

 

What I Didn’t Like:

The bugs.

Granted, it must be hard to keep things running smoothly when you’ve got hundreds of players all on one map. And for the most part, while I’m on my own, everything runs honkey-dory. But once you’re in the vicinity of other players, suddenly the map or your inventory takes a while to upload – and that’s a problem, considering there’s no pause button on an online game. Imagine both your weapons are out of ammo, so you hit start to bring up your inventory and change weapons, but you have to wait almost 20 seconds, and meanwhile you’re getting shot. Yikes!

Defiance ReviewThese bugs get worse as your screen fills with other online players. During an Arkfall, you might have about 20 or 30 people running around shooting enemies. Suddenly you can’t change your weapons. Holding the square button over an ammunition depo doesn’t work, and then there’s a horrible screeching coming through your speakers which never stops until the Arkfall is destroyed and all the action subsides.

As far as freezes, I’ve only had this happen once. Granted, I’ve played worse.Ā Fallout: New VegasĀ andĀ Terminator: Salvation, to name a few. And those weren’t Massive Multiplayers. So yes, I’ll giveĀ DefianceĀ some leeway with its bugs. But running around with an empty pistol because you can’t change your weapons does tend to take the fun out of an Arkfall event.

 

Overall:

DefianceĀ is a fun online action-shooter with plenty to do and lots to improve your character on. It’s also a nice little pick-up-and-play game with quick loading time, allowing you to shoot a couple bad guys or complete a mini-quest before rushing off to work or school. Plus there’s a TV show to fuel the story of the game, with fun cross-overs. There’s hundreds of missions waiting to be completed, creatures and cyborgs waiting to be blown away, and online players to give you a hand. Yes, there are some bugs – but hopefully these will be patched in the near future.

As far as trophies go, with the exception of some challenging PvP-related trophies, the platinum is totally doable – just very time consuming.

And who knows? Maybe you’ll become the top player and wind-up appearing in Season Two or Three of theĀ DefianceĀ TV show.

 

written by Damon Finos

Terminator Salvation Trophy Guide

Editorial Team

Terminator Salvation Trophy Guide. Difficulty: * Ā A third-person shooter and a prequel to the 2009 film of the same name. Since all trophies are story related, only a single playthrough on Hard mode will unlock the Platinum.

Game Name Difficulty Trophies Developer Country Bronze Silver Gold Online DLC
Terminator: Salvation * 12 Grin Sweden 0 0 11 0 0

Terminator: Salvation

The game is a third-person shooter, which takes place just before the storyline of the film with the same name. You play as John Connor, on your way to save a small band of survivors from the evil clutches of Skynet. Along the way, you meet and team up with such characters as Angie and Barnes, whom appear in the film. The object is to flank and locate the best vantage point to take-out the enemy in an almost chess-like scenario.

Terminator: Salvation received negative reviews with an average score of 46%, criticized for its poor visuals, repetitive gameplay, and technical bugs.

For more information, check out our Terminator: Salvation Review.

The Platinum can be obtained overnight. Simply select Hard, and in one playthrough you will have 100% completion. Perhaps the only easier game out there would be Hannah Montanna.

Maybe it was laziness, or the rush of releasing the game on time with the film, but whatever the reason, the developers at Grin decided that ALL trophies would be story-based only, which means no extra challenges are required. There are nine chapters in the game, which means 9 trophies, plus those for completing the game on Medium and Hard.

This game is great for those who wish to: 1) Add an easy Platinum to their collection, and 2) Add some Gold trophies to their list, since there are no Bronze or Silvers in this game

Perhaps the most challenging trophy is Veteran Commander, and even that isn't particularly difficult. The game simply requires good aim, and some landscape strategy; deciding where is the best position to take cover, depending on the enemy and its location. If you find yourself low on health but are in a safe place, try just sitting there and let your NPC team-mates do the shooting, since they can't die.

Also, be aware of several glitches in the game, such as T-7-Ts getting stuck in walls, in which case you WILL have to restart the game on that level.

If, for whatever reason, you're having some difficulty completing the storyline, check out the following Walkthrough:
http://guides.ign.com/guides/14219356/index.htm

Here's a great Trophy Guide by olsen77, posted on PS3 Trophies:
http://www.ps3trophies.org/game/terminator-salvation/guide/

For some general Tips, here's:
http://playstationlifestyle.net/2009/06/24/trophy-guide-terminator-salvation

Finally, here's a basic Trophy List:
http://www.ps3trophies.org/game/terminator-salvation/trophies/

Terminator Salvation Review

Editorial Team

6/10 Banzai!s

The Game:

Based on the film of the same name, Terminator: Salvation was released just two days before the movie, on May 19th 2009 internationally. A third-person action shooter, the game takes place shortly before the events of the film. In 2016 Los Angeles, John Connor, along with the characters Angie Salter and Blair Williams, head off towards Skynet in hopes of doing the impossible – rescuing survivors from a helicopter crash. On their way, they meet a demolitions expert named Barnes in a hidden survivalists camp in the subway tunnels. Together, they must battle a set number of robots – all having been previewed in the film – cause some damage to Skynet, while restoring Connor’s faith in the future of humanity.

What makes this game rather famous, is that Terminator: Salvation is the last title ever to be developed by Grin. After issues with a game in development titled Fortress, which was to be designed for SquareEnix, the project was dropped – leaving the Swedish company Grin financially in trouble. They filed for bankruptcy on August 12th 2009.

 

What I Liked:

Rarely do I play a game that has been adapted from a film, and thought it was good. Most of the time, the video games try to be as close to the movie as possible – thereby altering the style of play in order to suit the film’s storyline. The Harry Potter games come to mind, where it feels more like playing a set of mini-games. Most often than not, the game doesn’t add any incite into the film’s story or characters. Essentially, you’re just playing the movie.

Terminator Salvation Review

 

The game Terminator: Salvation, however, I felt didn’t follow that path. Rather, if the movie didn’t exist, the game could still stand on its own. From beginning to end, it’s a third-person shooter, with a few moments of turret-gun action.

In many ways, it’s a duck-and-cover game, much in the style of Gears of War on the Xbox 360. What I found interesting, is that a bit of strategy was involved. The action sequences take place in a certain setting with options of cover; however, certain enemies can only be hit from behind, while others must be attacked from the front. In each sequence, you must decide which position to hold, and for how long before switching to another position – like a watered-down version of chess. It’s not a question of finding a “safe” zone, or getting closer to the enemy – it’s all about position and timing, on top of having good aim. I found this style of gameplay a bit original, and give Grin kudos for using it in a film-adapted game.

Moon Bloodgood, who played as Lt. Blair Williams in the film, and Common, who played as Barnes, both lend their voices as their respected characters in the game. That was nice, I thought. Too bad Christian Bale wasn’t interested. In fact, he wouldn’t even allow his “likeness” to be used, which is why Connor’s face in the game doesn’t really resemble Christian Bale. Guess he was still upset after his tirade with the crew member.

 

What I Didn’t Like:

One thing that always drives me nuts about a game, is bugs. Though not as many as Fallout: New Vegas, there were enough problems with this game that I wonder just how much attention was given to the QA team. There were a few times when the robots would get stuck in the walls, unable to be attacked, and unable to proceed walkthrough the game without destroying it – leaving me to reset the game and play again from the last checkpoint. Once, I had to replay the same scene three times – and guarded that wall! – to reach the next stage.

There were other issues with the game which, I imagine, is why most online magazines game Terminator: Salvation such low scores. These issues, I believe, were either the result of being rushed to finish the product before the release date of the film, or their financial difficulties. After all, Grin has made some pretty kick-ass games in the past, such as Bionic Commando: Rearmed. It’s not like they lacked talent.

Terminator Salvation Review

The main issue is that Terminator: Salvation just doesn’t feel completed. When you first start up the game, you see a pretty nifty cutscene, in which John Connor is running, shooting, blowing stuff up, and hiding from the machines. Then the game starts, and all that glorious graphics goes out the window. Every cutscene after that is merely in-game renders, which means that rather than creating a movie-like scene, the characters you’ve been playing are suddenly walking around and moving on their own. Some explosions look like bits of pixels, which means they probably weren’t rendered properly. And when the characters are speaking, it appears their mouths are just opening and closing – like watching a dubbed kung-fu film. Again, signs that the game just hadn’t been finished.

 

Overall:

So why did I give this game 6 our of 10 banzai!s when it’s not even completed, and other online critics gave it fours and fives?

Well, I never found the game boring. Though short, it was fun to play. I enjoyed shooting at robots, and I liked the trial-and-error of setting myself up in certain positions to wipe out the enemy. And to be honest, I found a strange sort of humour in the poor graphics and terrible voice dubbing – the same kind of enjoyment I get when watching a cheezy B-movie horror. It’s so bad that it’s funny.

I don’t recommend rushing out to the nearest store and paying full price. But if you happen to see it in a cheap bin for ten bucks or so, it may be worth checking out. If anything, it’s a nice easy Platinum to add to your collection. All trophies are story-based, so simply load up Hard mode and play to the end, then – blam – platinum! More time consuming and frustrating than Hannah Montana: The Movie, but certainly less embarrassing on your list.

It’s a shame that Grin didn’t have the time – or money – to finish this title properly. Even more tragic is that, of all the games in their library, the company had to go out with the half-completed Terminator: Salvation. Like if James Cameron’s final movie ended up being Leprechaun 7, and not even starring Warwick Davis.

Rest in peace, Grin.

 

written by Damon Finos