My score is a cumulative one as there are three Terminator games done during this period of time. One for the NES, SNES and the Sega CD. When you play them close together you will see that all three are vastly different games with few things in common. The ones for the NES and SNES have driving stages in common while the Sega CD and SNES look a bit more comparable. Of the three, only one is actually a good game. I will review each one here though.
First up is the NES version which I score a three. It is the worst of the three by far as it fails on multiple levels. It is plagued by bad graphics, putrid music and extreme difficulty not due to game play, but rather horrible controls and glitches. You start out in the future with a gun fighting your way back to the past, and then you arrive in the present (well 1984) and you are literally stuck using your fists the rest of the game when you are not in these extremely annoying driving stages where you are guaranteed to lose a man. The Terminator is strangely absent from this game only appearing here and there, which is good in the past as you really are going to have a tough time punching the Terminator in the face! The only thing it has good going for it is that you can tell it is the Terminator, there is a variety in game play and well, I can't think of anything else.
Next up is the SNES version which I score a five. It is also extremely difficult mainly due to insanely long levels this time. It does have better graphics and has its moments, but the driving stages here are even more annoying as it goes for a 3D perspective that does not work at all! The easiest part of the game is the last stage and the final showdown with the Terminator. The game has a funny part to it, during the police stage when you open a door, Kyle shouts out "Sarah!" for the only voice over in the game.
Finally, we have the Sega CD version which is the surprise winner, by far. I score it a seven. The music is good, the game play fun. The main problem I had with this one is the game for the most part is a breeze to get through making you not really care that there are no continues. That is, until you must face the last two stages where they ramp up the difficulty to the extreme! Still, it is a fun game and by far the best of these three games.
So, they tried to make the Terminator multiple times and the system that was considered weak has the strongest game. The NES version of Terminator is the worst, and from what I hear a game called Journey to Silius was supposed to be The Terminator for the NES, but for reasons unknown they made this horrid version it instead. The SNES version would have been better with more check points and a continue. The Sega CD is a nice side scrolling shooter, but it too suffers at the end by being extremely difficult. They all end in very weak fashion, even the Sega CD version. They also all leave the scene with the Terminator chasing Kyle Reese and Sarah Conner in the truck out of the game. They add all this crap that was never in the film, but fail to have this pivotal scene in any of the games.
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