Parents' Guide to

Terminator: Salvation

By Chad Sapieha, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Brief, movie-based shooter game delivers bloodless violence.

Game Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 , Windows 2009
Terminator: Salvation Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

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age 6+

Based on 3 parent reviews

mjdtherealdeal
mjdtherealdeal Parent of 10-year-old
June 23, 2010
age 8+

Fun Game!

Ok this game is as easy as first person shooters get. This is a great game. its mild on violence. Of course it is violent, it is a shooter for gods sake!

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
RHTJLHW99
RHTJLHW99 Adult
February 22, 2010
age 6+

Good compromise for shooting game for kids.

I'm one of those "mean" moms who won't let my 9 year old play Call of Duty or Halo and other bloody, violent, rated M games. So this one is a pretty good shooting game that he thought was cool, and is still pretty rough. My 6 year old plays it too. Does have lots of shooting, things blowing up, and some bad language (not too bad though). It is a good compromise.
See all 3 parent reviews

What’s It About?

Based on the film of the same name-- or, more accurately, based on characters from the film (the game is set a couple of years prior to the events of the movie) -- TERMINATOR: SALVATION has players exploring a machine-ravaged urban wasteland as John Connor, a member of a human resistance organization who is trying to rescue a group of trapped soldiers. The game wastes no time with back story, and assumes that players are well versed in the Terminator mythos (which is likely, given the franchise's popularity).

The action, which consists mostly of shooting rifles and grenade launchers and tossing grenades and pipe bombs, is seen from a third-person perspective. Players must work with their computer controlled allies (or another person, should they happen to be playing in co-op mode) to outflank their enemies and then target their weak spots. Depending on how adept you become in carrying out this tactic -- and which difficulty level you choose -- the game lasts between four and six hours.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (8 ):

It seems clear that the only reason Terminator: Salvation exists is to cash on on the popularity of the movie with which it shares its name. It doesn't push any borders, nor does it introduce anything new to the third-person shooter formula. The cover and flank mechanic, which feels pilfered from the Gears of War games, is competent but unexceptional, having already been implemented in plenty of other shooters. That verdict applies to just about everything in the game, whether you're manning a turret in a jeep or fighting a big boss like a Hunter-Killer warbird; it's all been capably executed, but shows little evidence of originality or flair.

Post-Armageddon Los Angeles looks great, as do the beautifully rendered, action-packed cut scenes, but the atmosphere suffers from uninspired, lifeless dialogue (Christian Bale, Helena Bonham Carter, and many of the film's other major actors are, unfortunately, absent from the game's cast). Too bad, since a strong story might have made players want to experience it a second time in co-op mode, which has the potential to double the length of this very brief adventure. Best leave this one to die-hard Terminator fans and look to longer more innovative interactive experiences.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about games based on movies versus movies based on games. Does one medium transfer to the other more naturally? Do you generally make a point of playing games based on movies or vice versa? Do movies and games of this sort usually leave you satisfied?

Game Details

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