The Terminator (Sega CD video game)
The Terminator | |
---|---|
Platform, shoot 'em up | |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
The Terminator is a 1993
Gameplay
The Terminator is a
Development and release
Although the game is based on the film, creative license was taken to give more variation in the gameplay.
The game utilized QSound.[6] The soundtrack was composed and recorded by Tommy Tallarico, with additional songs contributed by Brad Fiedel ("The Terminator Theme"), Bijan Shaheer ("Future Shock"), Joey Kuras ("Visions") and TeknoMan of Teknologic ("CyberTek").[7] It includes hard rock, pop and techno music.[1][8] Tallarico said the game's graphics "were still very much 16-bit-looking and the music you'd hear would be like music on the radio or on an album – and it was a bit jarring. So I would get into screaming matches with the producers because they told me they didn't want that proper music in the game. They said it doesn't sound like a videogame and I said exactly – it doesn't have to any more!"[9]
The Terminator was originally scheduled for release in June 1993,[10][11] but was delayed because of changes at Virgin.[12] It was released six months later than initially scheduled.[12][13]
Reception
Publication | Score |
---|---|
AllGame | [14] |
Consoles + | 87%[15] |
Game Players | 62%[16] |
Jeuxvideo.com | 18/20[4] |
Joypad | 86%[17] |
Player One | 80%[18] |
Video Games (DE) | 54%[19] |
Game Power | 78/100[20] |
Mega | 67%[1] |
MegaForce | 85%[21] |
MegaTech | 69%[2] |
Sega Power | 58%[22] |
Sega Zone | 65%[23] |
Supersonic | 92%[24] |
The Terminator was praised for its graphics and its inclusion of FMV,[3][2][16][12] although the latter was also criticized for its poor quality.[22][23][19][20] Paul Pettengale of Sega Power wrote, "The images are so grainy, and the colours so fuzzy, looking too hard at these bits could be bad for your eyes".[22] The soundtrack was praised.[3][2][22][23][12][16] GamePro stated that the "catchy music fits the action well".[3]
Some reviewers were critical of the gameplay. Julian Connolly of MegaTech felt that the game had no longterm value, concluding that it "looks great, sounds great, plays great for a while but all this shooting wears you down".[2] Pettengale found the gameplay unoriginal and wrote "not even a superb soundtrack can save a game when it's had so little thought put into it".[22] Paul Mellerick of Mega was disappointed by the linear level design and concluded, "A well-presented blast, but ultimately boring, very samey and a bit of a waste".[1] David Roberts of Sega Zone found the game to be lacking variety.[23] Game Players considered it an average platform game.[16]
In a later review for
References
- ^ a b c d e Mellerick, Paul (January 1994). "Terminator CD". Mega. United Kingdom. pp. 44–45.
- ^ a b c d e f Connolly, Julian (February 1994). "Terminator CD". MegaTech. United Kingdom. pp. 64–66.
- ^ a b c d "Sega CD ProReview: The Terminator". GamePro. United States. June 1993. pp. 64–65.
- ^ a b c d "Test The Terminator". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). November 10, 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Terminator CD". Sega Power. United Kingdom. July 1993. pp. 16–17.
- ^ Horowitz, Ken (1 June 2005). "Interview: Tommy Tallarico (Composer)". Sega-16. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020.
- ^ The Terminator instruction manual (US). Virgin Games. 1993. p. 19.
- ^ Millsap, Zack (6 February 2021). "How Tommy Tallarico and the Terminator Revolutionized Video Game Music Forever". CBR. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
- ^ "Tommy Tallarico". Retro Gamer. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
- ^ "The Terminator (Sega CD preview)". GameFan. April 1993. pp. 18–19.
- ^ "The Terminator (Sega CD preview)". GameFan. May 1993. p. 34.
- ^ a b c d "The Terminator (Sega CD review)". GameFan. February 1994. pp. 42–43.
- ^ "Shoot-'Em-Eps". Mega. United Kingdom. January 1994. p. 87.
- ^ AllGame. Archived from the originalon 15 November 2014.
- ^ "Mega CD Review: The Terminator". Consoles + (in French). France. April 1994. pp. 112–113.
- ^ a b c d "The Terminator (Sega CD)". Game Players. May 1994. p. 124.
- ^ "Le Terminator Frappe Encore. Encore?". Joypad (in French). France. April 1994. pp. 98–100.
- ^ "Terminator". Player One (in French). France. April 1994. pp. 98–99.
- ^ a b "T-800 is back". Video Games (in German). Germany. March 1994. p. 76.
- ^ a b "The Terminator". Game Power (in Italian). Italy. March 1994. pp. 76–77.
- ^ "Terminator". MegaForce (in French). France. April 1994. pp. 76–79.
- ^ a b c d e Pettengale, Paul (February 1994). "The Terminator". Sega Power. United Kingdom. pp. 74–75.
- ^ a b c d Roberts, David (February 1994). "Terminator CD". Sega Zone. United Kingdom. p. 63.
- ^ "The Terminator". Supersonic (in French). France. April 1994. pp. 16–17.