Terminator 3: The Redemption [PS2]

No one knows why, but history has proven that making a quality Terminator game is surprisingly difficult. While there have been a few successes, for the most part, games bearing the license have been, well, miserable. But Terminator 3: The Redemption is slightly different. It's like the game equivalent of a movie novelization, and although the gameplay isn't exactly deep, at least it feels like The Terminator.

The last Terminator flick dropped over a year ago, but that doesn't stop the game from re-treading the plotline, albeit with a few extra chapters. We begin with the T-X fighting her way into a human-guarded facility, where she promptly rides a time-traveling pinball into the past in search of John Connor and the girl from My So-Called Life. Players control Arnold as he tries to gain access to the same facility and follow the gorgeous actress turned killing machine. From there, the game winds through present-day LA, briefly back to the future, and then to an ending that has a couple of surprises, even for those who've seen the movie.

Just because Redemption is aping a two hundred million dollar movie, don't think it's an example of advanced gameplay. This is arcade action from top to bottom -- and by that we mean real arcades, with real quarters. Paradigm has created a title with a balance of running, driving, and railed shooting, though in fact about 90 percent of the game feels like it's on rails.

On foot, Arnie always has a weapon in his right hand, and can pick up other rifles, as well as things like road signs. The better to break enemies faces with, of course. There's a basic hand-to-hand combat model as well, with which the Terminator can head-butt and stamp out the menace of the machines, among other things. In doing so, he'll also often recover power cell energy. Vehicles are scattered around each level, and these can be commandeered to deal out more damage.

The vehicle combat in the running levels doesn't count as part of the game's driving percentage, however. Other levels put Arnie in various vehicles, sometimes as a driver, others as a mere gun-toting passenger. If you've lived in a rural area where shooting road signs from a car was popular, then the driving action will be very familiar. If not, forget we just said that. Some of these chapters are riddled with what the game refers to as shortcuts, but since most of the driving challenges have a timed component, the shortcuts are more like primary paths in disguise. Beyond choosing to make a left or right turn once in a while, there's little choice of route.

No matter the level, Arnie can briefly activate his red "scan vision" to more easily target enemies and deal more damage. But (as the game explains) his scan vision is damaged, so it can only be used for a short time. Killing enemies yields terabytes, which can buy upgrades to the scan's duration, recharge time, and damage bonus.

Finally, much like EA's recent James Bond game, Redemption uses the occasional "Terminator moment." Players see a flashing icon, press a button, and this sets a move in motion that only Arnie can pull off, like jumping from a truck to a helicopter, or grabbing a landing plane by the wheels to gain ground on his quarry. They're all entirely scripted, but are cool nonetheless.

Then there's the multiplayer. Unlocked by completing various stages in the solo campaign, these four stages pit two humans against the SkyNet-controlled future. Players one and two sit side-by-side, armed with some nasty firepower to blast away at everything that moves. The mode can be fun, but it makes the solo game look deeper than Loch Ness.

In preview builds, we had some issues with the game's control, but the system has been revamped somewhat, and is much better now. That's not to say that Arnold moves fluidly, and when he's walking and shooting at the same time, his pace and maneuverability become glacial. But the non-locking target system (the reticule is vaguely "magnetized" towards enemies) works fine, and the driving controls are responsive. Some of the different vehicles actually even feel like... different vehicles!

Much like Arnie's movies, the game puts its best presentation forward. This is a very nice looking title on the GameCube and PS2, but it's simply great on the Xbox. Regardless, the levels are packed with detail, the primary Arnie model looks excellent (even though he always keeps his skin on) and the lighting effects are solid. Framerates are smooth, and the cutscenes are beautiful. The game feels like a whole narrative. The sound is as good as the visuals, even though an Arnie impersonator obviously takes over for some of his one-liners.

The bottom line here is that Terminator 3: The Redemption is more interested in being a playable movie than a real game. There's little to no choice for players, who just have to sit back and shoot everything. No amount of puzzle skills or even gaming smarts will get anyone through Redemption. It's better to have old-school R-Type shooting skills than anything else. A good memory helps, too. For fans of Arnie and his robotic accent, the game is a better recreation of the films than we've seen in the past. If you believed early '90s arcade titles to be the pinnacle of game design, then this is shooting at its finest.