The world, as we all know, is careening towards a devastating apocalypse. We've been told this by a number of people in a number of ways over the last two or three decades, but seldom has the message been passed along as convincingly as by Terminator. With Terminator: Salvation, the rise of the machines is no longer a dark hint or an ominous cloud on the horizon – it's thousands upon thousands of robots hellbent on crushing the human race under their bootheels as we desperately try to fight ... more >>

The world, as we all know, is careening towards a devastating apocalypse. We've been told this by a number of people in a number of ways over the last two or three decades, but seldom has the message been passed along as convincingly as by Terminator. With Terminator: Salvation, the rise of the machines is no longer a dark hint or an ominous cloud on the horizon – it's thousands upon thousands of robots hellbent on crushing the human race under their bootheels as we desperately try to fight them off with lots and lots of guns. All sounds like a rather promising start for a shoot 'em up, doesn't it?

Terminator Salvation complements the film of the same name, while not just re-treading the ground of the movie. It's set a couple of years before the events of the film, showing how John Connor, a long-time target of the machines, rises from being a cog in the machine of the resistance to being its leader.

It's a third-person, cover-driven affair. As you may have already surmised, destroying enemies of the hard, metallic sort isn't quite as easy as destroying the soft, squishy type often seen in shooters. What this means is that you'll have to put a bit more thought into killing your foes than just screaming 'fire in the hole!' and going at it hell for leather.

Fortunately, you'll have some team mates to back you up. It might be a question of your comrade attracting a Terminator's attention while you sneak around the back and find a weak spot – it might be a case of catching it in the crossfire and opening up its guts to lob a handy grenade in. How you play is up to you.

Well, we say 'up to you', but you've got the option to play with a mate in co-op mode, so there might be some consultation in order.

In any case, the machines are coming and you'd do well to get prepared! << less