Terminator 2: The Arcade Game

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a game by Probe Software, Bits, Midway, and Probe Entertainment Ltd.
Genres: Action, Arcade Classics, Shooting Games
Platforms: Sega GenesisGenesis, SNESSNES, Sega Master SystemSega Master System, GameGear
Editor Rating: 7.1/10, based on 7 reviews
User Rating: 9.3/10 - 3 votes
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See also: Terminator Games

There have been many incarnations of the various Terminator films -- except for 3DO, there isn't a game system around that hasn't seen at least one Terminator game. One of the most popular spinoffs was the action-packed arcade shooter called T2: The Arcade Game. Now it's here for the SNES, and the graphics and sound keep pace with the blockbuster arcade title.

ProTips:

  • Keep the Police chopper away from the SWAT van by aiming your gun sight just above the back door. The Police chopper will try to come in from above as well as from behind.
  • Shoot at the engine and the cab of the big rig that's trying to squash the SWAT van, and you should make it to the Steel Mill.
  • If you pop off an Endoskeleton's head, it quietly self-destructs. Try keeping the gun at the Endoskeleton's neck level and sweep from left to right

Gunning on Empty

In 1997, three billion people perished in the nuclear devastation known as Judgment Day. Now, three decades later, those who survived the fire are subjected to Skynet ultimate irony. Machines have taken over the planet, and a small human resistance is fighting to keep them at bay.

In T2: The Arcade Game, your mission objective is to shoot first, and forget about the questions later. Using either the Super Scope, the SNES Mouse, or a joypad, you blast through seven cyborg- slamming levels as you try to protect the leader of the resistance John Connor.

  • When you're in the Cyberdyne labs, destroy everything. Shoot desks, telephones, file cabinets, and anything else that can be destroyed. If you don't destroy everything, research will continue at Cyberdyne, and you'll get a different ending.
  • To get past the Level Three Truck Stage in one piece, shoot at flying HKs before they appear (this takes some guesswork and a lot of patience). Shoot the HKs in the middle with a Rocket, and they'll explode immediately.

In this one- or two-player game, you start off in the ashes of Judgment Day, fighting leagues of Endoskeletons and flying HKs while trying not to shoot human resistance fighters in the back. You move on to Skynet, where you find the time-travel equipment, and then you zoom back to the past, where you must destroy Cyberdyne Labs and retrieve the CPU from the first Terminator. From there it's off to the Steel Mill for the final confrontation with your arch nemesis, the poly-alloy T1000.

To knock off the Ground HK at the end of the first level, go for the gun turrets first, then the head, torso, and base, in that order. Use your Rockets generously.

Helping you out in the fight to save Connor is your trusty machine gun, which you can power up with enhancements like Rapid Fire Coolant, Plasma Pulse Energizers, and Shields. You also have a missile-launching attachment that fires Rockets, Grenades, Shotgun Shells, and MIRV warheads. Shoot boxes along the way and you'll find screen-clearing Smart Bombs, Extra Lives, and other helpful surprises.

When you reach the end of the Level Two Hideout, shoot the wall to the right and you'll get a Continue credit.

You'll need this firepower overkill as you battle Endo- skeletons, the T800 (Cyberdyne's first foray into the Terminator series), Cyberdyne security personnel, lethal Orbs, and more. Plus, at the end of each level you'll face a boss who would like to separate you from your synthetic hide. The bosses can range from futuristic metallic monsters to scores of LAPD's finest.

Use Rockets as soon as you see the Missile Launchers. You'll hear a lock-on tone when you pass the sights over the machines.

Shoot to Thrill

The graphics in this game closely match the arcade version. All the details of the enemies stand out, as do the backgrounds. The crisp, almost digitized action lends a sense of realism to the game that greatly enhances game play. You'll see small touches, like light reflecting off the Endoskeletons' metal frame, and the detailed markings of the Police chopper.

You don't hear digitized voices often enough in this game, but when you do you'll recognize them immediately. Arnold's "You're terminated," and the T1000's "Are you John Connor?" lines seem to jump straight out of the screen. Too bad there aren't more. Other sound effects include screaming resistance fighters and explosions, explosions, EXPLOSIONS! There are more booms here than there are in an L.A. low-rider.

To keep the T1000 chilled, blast him with the shotgun as soon as he lands, then spray the Nitrogen truck with machine gun fire as he lays on the ground. Shoot him again when he tries to get up.

As for control, you may find that the Mouse is more responsive than the Scope, which is, in turn, more responsive than the joypad. No matter which device you choose, you'll need lightning-quick reflexes and precise targeting skills to keep the resistance up and the cyborgs down.

When the Shoot Hits the Fans

If turning machines into cyborg sausage is your bucket of bolts, then you can't go wrong with T2: The Arcade Game. There's plenty of action, more than enough thrills, and a considerable challenge in this game. Be forewarned: The scene where you must protect the pickup truck carrying John Connor is just as abysmally hard in this version as it was on the Genesis (and in the arcade). But if you make it past that scene, it's smooth shooting all the way.

  • What's behind door number one in Level Four? Trouble. Shoot continually at the doors to blast them apart and prevent more enemies from coming through.
  • To knock out Skynet, you must blast every inch of its mainframe computer. Shoot at every comer and every bank of lights and buttons, then go for the missile-shooting panels near the middle.
  • Leave Smart Bombs on the ground until you've gathered a number of enemies. Points are given for the number of enemies destroyed.

How fun is T2? It's probably the only good excuse you have for getting a Super Scope. If you love shoot-em- ups, put T2: The Arcade Game on the list of games that you gotta have. Lethal Enforcers, move over. The SNES has a date with a cyborg.

Download Terminator 2: The Arcade Game

Genesis

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
  • Game modes: Single game mode

Player controls:

  • Up, Down, Left, Right - Arrow keys
  • Start - Enter (Pause, Menu select, Skip intro, Inventory)
  • "A" Gamepad button - Ctrl (usually Jump or Change weapon)
  • "B" button - Space (Jump, Fire, Menu select)
  • "C" button - Left Shift (Item select)

Use the F12 key to toggle mouse capture / release when using the mouse as a controller.

SNES

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
  • Pentium II (or equivalent) 266MHz (500MHz recommended), RAM: 64MB (128MB recommended), DirectX v8.0a or later must be installed
Sega Master System

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
GameGear

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP

Game Reviews

He said he'd be back, and he is. That sly cyborg, that mechanical master of mayhem, that silver-plated Conner-stomper- the Terminator of movie fame -- is here. Zip back and forth in time in this Genesis adaptation of the popular arcade game as you try to stop the Terminators from doing what they do best.

Judgment Day

The original bad boy of the 'borgs made a pretty fair dent in the quarter industry with the arcade version of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Well, you can put your change back into your piggy bank, because this version is just as much fun. Like the arcade game, T2 is a one- or two-player, first-person-perspective shoot-em-up that uses either the joypad or the Menacer.

You blast your way through eight stages, (including a nuclear wasteland, an old warehouse, and a metal factory) in order to annihilate a race of mechanical monsters from the future that want to make you takeout for worms. They better take a rain check on that, though, because you're part of a resistance movement that wants to put these platinum pinheads back in the scrapyard. To clear each stage, you have to shoot everything that moves before it shoots you as the game auto-scrolls from left to right. Some stages finish with a big bang in the form of a mechanical end boss.

ProTip: Shoot the lights in the warehouse to pick up power-ups and dim the T-800s' hopes for survival.

Terminators are virtually indestructable, but fortunately you've got some heavy-duty weaponry to use against them. You begin the game with a Machine Gun and some Guided Missiles, but you can also find Plasma Pulse Guns, Rapid Fire Coolant, Smart Bombs, Shields, and assorted other goodies. Even this may not be enough to take out silver and gold Endoskeletons, flying HKs (hunter-killers), T-800s (the original Ah-nuld), and the other walking, flying, and killing nightmares that overrun every screen.

  • Shoot at the Endoskeletons' heads when they get up close and personal. A chip may pop out that allows you to pick goodies from a menu as a reward.
  • The truck is the most difficult obstacle in the entire game. To get past it, you need to keep the truck from blowing up. The trick is to ignore the Endoskeletons and time your hits so that they hit the HKs just before the HKs hit you. It'll take a couple of tries, though, so don't be discouraged.

You'll Be Back

T2 for the Genesis looks good and sounds good, too. Although the limited color palette makes things look just a tad T2-dimensional, the movement of all of the characters is fast and smooth with no slowdown. Of course, the Genesis version can't match the arcade unit's huge, cabinet-rocking explosions, but who needs more noise, right? This makes the music and sound effects a welcome din, which include real digitized speech and pretty good tunes. When Arn says "Terminated," you don't ask any questions.

  • Watch out for Sarah Connor in the later levels. Although she puts a lot of goodies on the floor for you to pick up, she gets in your way.
  • Watch out for the copter when it goes after the SWAT van. All you need to do is strafe the copter with the machine gun to nose it out of the picture.

The game's controls are so easy for either the Menacer or the controller that even musclebound metal heads will understand them. Be warned, though, only one person in a two-player game can use the Menacer. The other player is stuck with the joypad. That doesn't cut the fun down in the least, though. The Menacer's fun and the controller is too. You'll spend lots of time blasting your way to rescue John Conner.

  • Blow up the silverfish (the creepy- crawly inhabitants of Level Four) and then blow up the doors they came out of. After you've destroyed the top doors (don't fret about the bottom doors), you can move on.
  • Waste the head of the end-level boss in Stage One first, then go for his hands, torso, and finally his missile launcher. Save some guided missiles for the torso, since that's the toughest part.
  • To demolish the end-level mechanical demigod on Level Four, shoot every port on the wall and then go for its guts. Make sure you've destroyed all the ports before you attack the middle.

They're All a Bunch of Girly-'Bots

T2: The Arcade Game is a real callous maker. If you've always wanted to help the Resistance but couldn't make it to the screen, now's your chance to kick sand in the face of those slipshod, sheet- metal, overgrown, tin cans. Pick upT2 and start blasting.

Straight from the arcade coinop and into your living room, Terminator 2: The Arcade Game puts the thrill and suspense of the hit movie into one exciting cart!

You have the option of using the standard Genesis joypad or the Menacer peripheral to relive the exact feel of the arcade version.

The game play is very unique! Backgrounds slowly scroll while you shoot at the advancing Terminators and HK's. Power-ups are located in crates at the bottom of the screen and can be easily activated just like in the arcade! The T-1000 awaits your arrival in the final stages of this near perfect translation.

  • Super NES
  • Shooter

In the near future machines will take over the world and enslave mankind. A resistance was made to save the few remaining humans from extinction. You (and an optional friend) are reprogrammed Terminators who must protect John Connor, the leader of the Resistance. Your mission shall take you through time, where you must face the dreaded T-1000.

This cart is just like the arcade game, and it follows the movie very closely. T-2 Arcade is a rough trip from beginning to end.

Terminator 2: The arcade game is just that; an exact translation of the original quarter muncher!

T2 can be played using the standard Genesis pad and maneuvering the cursor around to blast the Terminators as they plan their attacks!

However, for a real taste of the arcade, T2 can also be played using Sega's new light gun, The Menacer!

Exact aiming is not required to fire. You can manipulate the on-screen cursor by moving the gun. Shoot from your hip!

The smash arcade shooter that put you behind the glowing red eyes of the Terminator has just hit the GameBoy! Like the coin-op, you are a machine with a mission: save John Connor from the relentless T-1000. Fight in a bleak future where Sky-Net reigns and travel back in time to prevent a last-ditch attempt on the life of the youthful rebel leader! This hand-held version cuts the arcade hit down to size!

People say:

7

This is a very cool GameBoy game that absolutely overwhelms the screen from start to finish. That's one of the cart's main problems,, however, since the GB screen has problems handling all of the moving objects. Given this limitation, T2 does a good job of reproducing the coin-op, with plenty of targets and action.

7

Wow! Now did they ever pack so much action into the tiny GameBoy cart? Who cares! This cart is wall-to-wall action from start to finish. Great graphics, spectacular game play and lots of things to shoot at. With more games like this I just might go out and buy a GameBoy. Now how do I plug the SuperScope into the GB?

7

This is a very good translation for the GB. I was skeptical when I heard of this coin-op to GB conversion, but this cart really impressed me. The graphics are detailed and the sounds are also very good. The game play is missing a few things but stays true to the arcade in most respects. Too bad there isn't a GB light gun. NOT!

6

Just as the arcade game is based on the movie, this is based oh the arcade. Of course a little of the original idea is lost in the translation, but overall it is a decent game. I'd rather play T2 with the Super Scope, but I guess this will do for on-the-road T2 fun. I would enjoy this better in color, but Nintendo never learns.

Since Acclaim and its various subsidiaries have first-video-game-conversion dibs on all Midway arcade games, it was only a matter of time before Ah-nuld did his deed to the Super NES. Like the Genesis Menacer version, SNES T2: The Arcade Game, will enable two players to shoot simultaneously with Super Scopes and/or control pads. Mouse owners can use their rodents, too.

ProTip: Two players whip out Super Scopes, controllers, and/or Mice to make a hasty waste of the Terminators.

It's not clear whether the SNES version will be able to match its coin-op counterpart stride-for-stride. However, it should come close with sweet scaling effects of the Terminator machines as they cross the devastated landscapes and stare you in the face -- extreme close-up, extreme close-up!

Like the arcade version, the game spans six levels that depict famous scenes from the movie, including a futuristic war zone, a truck chase, a messy office building, and an industrial factory. Essentially, you play Arnold and pump the Terminators 'til they're little metal chunks. Then you do it again. Your final target is the T-1000 morph-o-matic, who's been sent from the future to prevent John Connor from altering the past and saving humanity.

If T2 can even get within arm's length of replicating the arcade experience, all you Scwarzeneggarians will be able to sum it up in one word: "Schwing!"

Snapshots and Media

Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Screenshots

SNES/Super Nintendo/Super Famicom Screenshots

Sega Master System Screenshots

GameGear Screenshots

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