IGN on In-Fusio's Terminator: I'm Back

Tue 21 Dec 2004 | 19h18 GMT+1
Info: wireless.ign.com

15 days after our own original report on Terminator I'm Back, IGN.com finally has its own report on this second Terminator game of the In-Fusio company.

As you can see we're happy to 'rock in content' and that we are fast with anything new that has something to do with the Terminator saga. But IGN's news is cool either way... so here goes ;).

December 20, 2004

Last year, In-Fusio released its first Terminator game to little fanfare. Not that it deserved much. The game was essentially Whack-a-Arnold, where the player used the 1-9 keys to blast sections of the screen. Yawn. Whatta waste of an action license like "The Terminator." And it seems In-Fusio agreed, because -- ahem -- they're back.

'Terminator: I'm Back' is a pure action, set in the far-flung future that mankind was helpless to stop. You are a pre-timehopping Kyle Reese, the soldier who was sent back to save Sarah Connor from the first Terminator, but ended up impregnating her with John Connor. In the game's main campaign mode, Reese must repel a full-frontal assault by Skynet's marauding army of Terminators.

And he has plenty of hardware to do so. In addition to a powerful, standard-issue rifle, Reese can use one of the Terminator laser guns to melt down their metal husks. He can also pick up rockets, which act as homing missiles essentially. They're fired straight up into the air and come crashing down on any nearby machines.

The action is seen from kind of a top-down perspective, not unlike Ikari Warriors. You must keep moving forward, blasting Terminators with all your might. Fortunately, you're not alone in this war. There are other human soldiers that fight alongside of you, but let's face, they rarely hit the broadside of a barn, much less one of the invading machines. However, they get theirs. When a Terminator shoots one of your comrades, they are reduced to skeletal ashes and a helmet.

Fallen Terminators often drop extra hardware, such as rockets and laser guns. It is always in your best interest to upgrade from the rifle. However, keep in mind that any Terminators destroyed by rocket fire will not leave behind supplies. So, if you are low on life, you have to consider throwing a hail mary rocket for survival if it won't result in any dropped goodies.

'Terminator: I'm Back' is actually a decently challenging game. A typical gamer will likely plough through the campaign in a couple hours of time, which isn't too shabby for a few bucks. 'Terminator: I'm Back', though, also includes a Survival mode that pits you against wave after wave of machines -- and this is the part of the game that offers some good replay value. It's actually entertaining to see how many machine carcasses you can pile up in one sitting.

In-Fusio's second Terminator game looks oodles (and oodles!) better than their first effort. Now that he's all Mr. Governor and stuff, Arnold's likeness does not appear in the game. Instead, it's an advancing army of Exoskeletons. No problem here, as those skinless robots are plenty intimidating on their own.

Closing Comments

'Terminator: I'm Back' is lightyears ahead of the first game from In-Fusio. This reminded me of an 8-bit era action game, which always evokes positive vibes. Thanks to the built-in "slowness" of the Terminators, you don't have to worry about using lightning quick reflexes on the sometimes cumbersome touchpad. If you're looking for a good action game, Terminator: I'm Back is an easy sell. And special thanks to In-Fusio for keeping up this new streak of g=well-made licensed games.

Click top link for IGN website!

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