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The Terminator (DOS)

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The Terminator
Developer(s)Bethesda Softworks
Publisher(s)Bethesda Softworks
Director(s)Julian Lefay
Producer(s)Christopher Weaver
Programmer(s)Julian Lefay
Artist(s)N. Freeman
S. McKisic
J. Rainey
Writer(s)Julian Lefay
Craig Walton
Composer(s)Tom McMail
Platform(s)DOS
ReleaseJuly 1991
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

The Terminator is a 1991 video game based on the 1984 film of the same name. It was the first officially licensed computer game based on the Terminator film series.

Development and release

The Terminator is a DOS action-adventure game based on the first movie. In September 1990, Bethesda Softworks announced a deal with the Hemdale Film Corporation to create computer video games based on The Terminator.[1] Bethesda Softworks developed and published the game in 1991.[2] It was the first officially licensed game based on the Terminator film series.[3] Digitized voices were used for the game's opening credits and victory screen.[4] According to the game's end credits:

This game was written in 100% assembly and takes up more than 35,000 lines. The game contains approximately 20,000 3D objects. It was developed using Turbo Assembler and Turbo Debugger with all debugging being done remotely. It was created on a variety of 286 and 386 computers. All graphics were created on IBMs and Amigas using DPIII and DA. More than 700 frames of animations were created. The delta mode compression yielded a 100-to-1 ratio.

The game was released in July 1991, coinciding with the theatrical release of the film Terminator 2: Judgment Day.[5]

Gameplay

Targeting a police officer

Set in 1984, the player takes on the role of Kyle Reese and protects Sarah Connor from the cyborg sent back in time to kill her. Alternatively, the player can become the Terminator and eliminate Kyle and Sarah. Either way, the player chases his opponent through Los Angeles, buying or stealing weapons and equipment, while attempting to eliminate his enemy and avoid the police.[6][7][8] The game takes place within a huge (roughly 10 × 6 miles or 16 × 10 kilometres) 3-D rendered area of central Los Angeles. The game area runs roughly from Beverly Drive to Central Ave (lengthwise), and from Mulholland Drive to National Blvd (vertically). A game map is included in the box for reference. Though the buildings and their placement within the world is generic, and highways/overpasses have been removed, the streets and their layout are largely accurate. The game also includes some landmarks, such as Dodger Stadium, Griffith Park, and the Silver Lake Reservoir.[2]

Reception

Todd Threadgill of Computer Gaming World wrote that the game did an "excellent" job of capturing the original film's "spirit." He also wrote that the film had always seemed like "perfect material" on which to base a computer game, and that, "One can only wonder why designers waited so long to produce a game based on The Terminator, but gamers should be thankful that the wait is over."[3] Jeane Decoster and David Crook of the Los Angeles Times rated it three stars out of five.[5] The Age praised the game's title sequences and Terminator theme music.[9] Guido Alt of Aktueller Software Markt criticized the graphics and controls, and rated the game 5 out of 12.[10]

References

  1. ^ Kevelson, Morton A. (September 1990). "Show Reports: Games". .info. p. 61. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "The Terminator for DOS (1991)". MobyGames. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  3. ^ a b Threadgill, Todd (November 1991). "The Terminator: Robot Rampage in L.A." Computer Gaming World. pp. 118–119. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  4. ^ "His Master's Voice". Computer Gaming World. August 1991. p. 81. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Decoster, Jeane; Crook, David (July 27, 1991). "Riding Arnold's Coattails". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  6. ^ "Active Imagination (Action)". Computer Gaming World. April 1991. p. 45. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  7. ^ "Graphically Portrayed (Adventure)". Computer Gaming World. September 1991. pp. 32–33. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  8. ^ "Taking a Peek". Computer Gaming World. October 1991. p. 6. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  9. ^ "Tangling with Terminator in post-apocalypse LA". The Age. October 10, 1991. Retrieved January 3, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Alt, Guido (November 1991). "Er Ist Zurück!". Aktueller Software Markt (in German). Germany. p. 13.
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