Terminator 3: The Redemption

Terminator 3: The Redemption
Developer(s)	Paradigm Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Atari
Designer(s)	Shawn Wright
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube
Release date(s)	PlayStation 2 NA: September 2, 2004 PAL: September 24, 2004 JP: January 20, 2005 Xbox NA: September 2, 2004 PAL: September 24, 2004 GameCube NA: September 6, 2004 PAL: September 24, 2004 JP: January 20, 2005
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player

Terminator 3: The Redemption is a video game based on the Terminator series, more specifically the film Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. It was developed by Paradigm Entertainment and published by Atari in 2004 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube.

Production

Terminator 3: The Redemption was produced by video game production studio Paradigm Entertainment in 2004. The lead game designer, Shawn Wright indicated in a GameSpy interview that this provided many advantages such as an existing universe and characters, but also said that a disadvantage is that content needed to be sent out to California to be approved.^[1] Aspects of the game were influenced by Grand Theft Auto III though the development team were careful not to create a GTA clone.^[2] Paradigm has stated that 50 percent of the gameplay is vehicle-based, 25 percent with rail and the final 25 percent is character combat. The fast pace of the game was a conscious decision by the developers of the game. Producer Josh Hackney said, "We didn't want to take the gameplay and player control away from the player for more than five seconds."^[3] A feature developed for the game, but removed in the final version was the use of mission timers. The timer required the player to finish the level within a set time otherwise they will not progress. The final product used timers but were made unnecessary to finish the level. Instead, the timer remains but the player can progress onwards after completing the mission in any amount of time. If the mission is completed within the time limit then the player will be rewarded. Arnold Schwarzenegger provided some voice for the game and the rest was voiced by a sound alike.^[4]

Plot

The story starts in the year 2032 with a squad of Tech-Com soldiers storming a Skynet facility in order to stop a T-X from entering a time displacement machine. However, they are no match for the T-X's superior capabilities and all are gruesomely killed.

Meanwhile, Katherine Brewster and the Human Resistance ambush the T-850 that was responsible for the death of John Connor. A Tech-Com technician reprograms the cyborg to be sent back to July 23, 2003 to protect Kate and John's earlier selves. The T-850, with the assistance of several Tech-Com soldiers manages to fight its way to the main gate of the Skynet bunker and it enters the time displacement machine.

In the past, the T-850 rescues John and Kate from the T-X, and informs them that Judgment Day is to begin within the next few hours. It plans to acquire a plane from a nearby military base, and fly the pair to Crystal Peak, a bunker that will ensure their survival during the nuclear blasts. As they arrive at the base, the T-X reappears, and hits the T-850 into a prototype time machine; it is sent back into the future, arriving in a new, alternate future where Skynet has triumphed.

The Terminator once again fights its way through Skynet and sends itself back to 2003. It appears just in time to fight off the T-X while John and Kate escape to Crystal Peak. At the bunker, the T-850 prevents the T-X from reaching John and Kate by blocking its route to them. The T-850 places its damaged fuel cell into the T-X's mouth, resulting in a large explosion that seemingly destroys both Terminators.

Following Judgment Day, John removes the CPU from the heavily damaged T-850's metal skull, deactivating it. The story then shifts further into the war, where John is leading the Resistance. He uses the CPU to reactivate the Terminator, who is revealed to have been rebuilt as an extensively modified Hunter Killer. The Terminator then stomps out into battle, aiding John Connor once again, as the game closes with the final caption: The battle has just begun....

Reception

Reception

Aggregate scores Aggregator Score GameRankings (GC) 69.25%[5] (PS2) 67.89%[6] (Xbox) 67.62%[7] Metacritic (GC) 68/100[8] (PS2) 68/100[9] (Xbox) 66/100[10] Review scores Publication Score EGM 3.83/10[11] Famitsu 28/40[12] Game Informer 8/10[13] GamePro [14] Game Revolution C[15] GameSpot 7.2/10[16] GameSpy [17][18][19] GameZone (GC) 7.4/10[20] (Xbox) 7.3/10[21] (PS2) 7/10[22] IGN 7.1/10[23] Nintendo Power 3.8/5[24] OPM (US) [25] OXM (US) 8.1/10[26] The Sydney Morning Herald [27]

The game was met with average to mixed reviews upon release. GameRankings gave it a score of 67.89% for the PlayStation 2 version,^[6] 67.62% for the Xbox version,^[7] and 69.25% for the GameCube version.^[5] Likewise, Metacritic gave it a score of 68 out of 100 each for the PS2 and GameCube versions^[8][9] and 66 out of 100 for the Xbox version.^[10]

In a GameZone review, it was noted that The Redemption uses shoot 'em up elements that are similar to Terminator 2: The Arcade Game. The overall pace of the game was praised in the review but hand-to-hand combat was criticized for being too sluggish, and like a slow wrestling game. GameZone thought that the best parts of the PS2 version were when the gameplay was based around using a land or air vehicle. The graphics were praised in places such as the look of crumbling buildings, but it was said the vast majority of the game looked dated.^[22] WebWombat rated the game 70% and in the review stated that the pace of The Redemption is its best feature and keeps the player entertained. The review also pointed out that the graphics are nothing spectacular and the biggest flaw of the game is the repetition in gameplay.^[28] IGN compared the game to Die Hard Trilogy, which consists of three games with distinct styles of gameplay, but unlike Die Hard Trilogy, Terminator 3: The Redemption mixes all the styles in a single game. IGN's review also stated that the hand-to-hand combat is a weaker point in the game. Overall, IGN called The Redemption a "solid effort" and gave it a score of 7.1 out of 10.^[23] The Sydney Morning Herald gave it a score of three-and-a-half stars out of five and stated that "The levels are so big and detailed that it's a wonder they don't bring your console to a crashing halt."^[27]

References

External links

• Terminator 3: The Redemption at MobyGames
• Terminator 3: The Redemption at the Internet Movie Database