It is great to see Jim Cameron’s bleak vision of the future come to life on the PS2, after all, who wouldn’t want to be a resistance fighter battling for the survival of humankind against an army of mechanical monstrosities.  And while you won’t find Arnold Schwarzenegger here, there are enough killing machines in Terminator: Dawn of Fate to give you a real challenge.

If you’ve seen the films, you probably know the story by now.  A technological defense computer system known as Skynet somehow malfunctions and launches nuclear missiles all over the world including the United States.  In the wake of all this destruction, the survivors soon find out that Skynet’s main computer is manufacturing machines programmed to wipe out the remaining survivors.  Let by a man named John Connor, the survivors band together to put an end to Skynet once and for all.

Yet this is not as simple as it sounds since Skynet has somehow managed to create cybernetic killing machines known as Terminators that look like humans.  At the start of the game, John Connor decides that the time to strike down Skynet is now--before the Terminators become so convincing that no one will be able to tell them apart.  You play as Kyle Reece (hero of the first Terminator movie) who is the central figure of John’s plans--but you also assume the roll of other top soldiers in John’s army.

It is recommend that all gamers start with the Training option that will take you step-by-step through the game’s controls and combat moves.  As Kyle or any other character gamers get to play, you can dodge, target, fire and kick.  You can also go from the game’s third-person view to a first-person view.  First-person view works perfectly when you want to aim at a specific area or body parts but can be disorienting coming out of it.

Combat can be pretty intense since the enemy comes in all shapes and sizes, but luckily you have an arsenal of futuristic weapons at your disposal such as plasma rifles, canister bombs, C4 explosives and an AP50 auto-pistol.  Gamers can even go hand-to-hand with the enemy using a plasma baton for encounters that are of the up-close and personal kind.  There is also an adrenalin meter that--when activated--helps increase strength, agility and even aim.

Much of the game is spent in combat, which would be okay with any action gamer but it isn’t when it comes to this game.  It is not rare to find dozens of Skynet drones making their way toward you seemingly without end.  Shooting them all might seem like fun for a short while but it does become a bit wearisome.  To break the monotony of gunning down the enemy with your pistol, you can man a gun turret and plow through the enemy that way.

Luckily, there are things to be accomplished in the game and it comes in the form of different objectives.  You are contacted via a sort of com-link with other characters and are told to perform a number of tasks that include escorting John Conner away from a building that is being attacked to setting C4 explosives to shut the Terminators out.  The only problem is that the action can become repetitive even with all the objectives to complete.

The graphics, although not bad for the PS2, could have been a lot better in certain areas. Characters, for instance, aren’t rendered as well as the wonderful environments.  Yet in the cut scenes, the graphics improve greatly.  The background details are plentiful--broken electrical wires shoot impressive sparks and the flames of a roaring fire makes shadows of any human warming him or herself next to it.     

While the visuals are acceptable, it doesn’t come close to matching the beauty of the sound effects and great score.  Aside from the explosions, much emphasis is placed on giving the machines and futuristic weaponry that genuine film quality sound and it works beautifully here because you’ll swear you’ll recognize the sound effects.  The score is also nicely done and there are a few Fear Factor tunes to accompany it.  Still, the voice acting isn’t quite convincing and it’s a shame since everything else sounds perfect.    

Unfortunately, Terminator: Dawn of Fate does not quite live up to the thrilling action of this sci-fi franchise, although it was a good try.  While there are a number of things that slow this game down, there is still just enough action to whet an action fan’s appetite.  This is a recommended rental--especially for devoted fans of the films.

Gameplay: 6.5
Mission objectives take you through some interesting mission tasks that are all quite satisfying in their own way.  Many of the tasks do not even need to be completed at all but your overall performance is evaluated at the end of a level.  You can also upgrade your armor, health, weapons and even your adrenaline level from the points you accumulate after each level.

Fighting the Terminator masses requires a healthy dose of blasting away be it with your own weapons or a turret gun that spits out unlimited plasma rounds (although the gun does overheat). Using the plasma baton for close attacks might sound suicidal, but it so happens that this method works a lot better, sometimes, than just blasting away.  You can also use the adrenaline while using the baton for more powerful attacks.

Graphics: 7.6
There are a few, almost insignificant, graphical flaws in this game but there are also some very impressive visuals that balance things out in the end.  While the characters aren’t as sharply good-looking, for instance, the detailed environments make up for it with its somber and futuristic appearance.  You’ll find, throughout your exploration of this broken version of our world, a ballroom that hauntingly still feels intact enough for gamers to wonder what it would have looked like before the Skynet disaster. 

The special effects aren’t too bad either.  Plasma rifles fire a sort of beam that shatters Terminators to pieces and the whole thing looks great.  Yet nothing is as satisfying as going into first-person mode and watching the Terminators draw near, their shiny metallic skulls gleaming before you blast the mechanical being’s head clean off.  Gamers will surely relish the electrical sparks that ensue after decapitating them.

Sound: 7.8
Thanks to the Dolby Surround Sound capabilities featured in this game, gamers will surely delight in hearing the dramatic cinematic score and the astonishing sound effects peppered throughout the game.  The score sounds a lot like the film’s score and fans of the films will, no doubt, appreciate it.  With a great sound system hooked up to your system, you can’t go wrong.

Yet it’s the sound effects that will get the most attention since much of it is straight out of the movie’s own effects.  Gamers will be able to hear all the wonderful mechanical sounds of the Terminators such as the whirling components that make up their limbs or the eerie clanking of their metallic feet against concrete.  The voice acting, though, is not entirely all that well done since the actors do tend to overact.        

Difficulty: Medium
While the game’s difficulty level is at a perfectly challenging setting, Terminator’s biggest flaw is in the distribution of enemies at one time. The game relies heavily on action, which is a good thing, but when it keeps throwing enemy after enemy without end it will frustrate gamers as they try to accomplish a mission objective such as placing C4 on a weakened wall.  The enemy boss levels can also be difficult but it’s not as irritating as fighting the seemingly never-ending Terminator hordes.  

Concept: 7.5
Heavily influenced by the films, the game takes those gamers who have been looking to immerse themselves in the Terminator universe and gladly showing them what it’s like to be a resistance fighter--something the film’s don’t really go into that much.  It’s also thrilling going up against some familiar enemies such as the skeletal Terminators to enemies that haven’t been introduced in the movies.

Overall: 6.1
Terminator: Dawn of Fate possesses all the right movie elements and it does makes full use of them, but the action isn’t quite as fulfilling or diverse as one might expect. Is the game worthy of a rental?  Yes, in fact, I recommend all action fans rent this for the interesting story and especially for the chance to trash all the great Skynet machines. Long live the human resistance!