Terminator: Resistance – Complete Edition Review

Back in 2019, I checked out Teyon’s original release of Terminator: Resistance, finding it to have some good qualities but missing the mark on others. I’ll admit, since that day, I’ve not really given the game a second thought, and probably wouldn’t have again had it not been for this newly released Series S/X edition. Something compelled me to give the game – specifically the new side story Annihilation Line – a go, and do you know what? I’ve had a lot more fun with it than I expected.

The base Terminator: Resistance part of the package remains unchanged aside from some up-spuffed performance and visuals. You can check out my prior review should you be so inclined, but the TL:DR is there are some interesting characters and stories hamstrung by wooden delivery, gunplay is fun if basic, and it all goes on a little too long really.

What has really hooked me in though has been the aforementioned Annihilation Line DLC included with the package. Set in between the events of two pivotal points in the main game, we once again assume the mantle of Jacob Rivers as he and a small crew attempt to mess up Skynet’s plans and fight back against the new brand of Infiltrators introduced in the main story. We’re accompanied by series Icon Kyle Reese, as well as two new characters Farro and Evans on the journey, and while I wouldn’t say there’s been a drastic improvement in the writing/performances, I did find them to be more enjoyable here.  It’s all very early 2000’s AA game space, and I’m absolutely down for that style right now.

Across the 4-ish hour campaign, we engage in a fair bit of sneaking, a few bouts of infiltration, and a shit-tonne of shooting. Again, my issues with the combat remain largely unchanged – the various T-models seem are almost static through most fights, their only saving grace being the sheer amount of health they have, especially early on – but somehow, I found myself actually enjoying the majority of fights now. Sure, when there’s a lot of enemies it can be frustrating to try and whittle down the health bars, but I got way more into the gunplay and movement here than I did previously.

Very early into Annihilation Line, we’re given a load of XP to buff ourselves up with, which again has not really changed from the main game. There’s several paths to choose from to put points into – from weapon handling, to health, stealth, and crafting and more – but by the end of the game I’d all but maxed out every one of the trees, so it’s more a matter of time than picking skills at the behest of losing others. It’s a fine way to do things in a scenario such as this, and due to the brief nature of the game as opposed to the main story, sat really rather well with me.

In fact, I think a big part of the reason I’ve enjoyed this outing with the game – aside from the obvious technical upgrades that my aging Xbox One couldn’t deliver – is the brevity. There’s very little down time, or tedious ‘one more mission’ aspects (although the final part does push its luck a little here). There are a handful of optional side objectives that are easy enough to complete and worth the effort too, but for the most part it’s a straight shot right through.

Also included in the package is the Infiltrator mode. Here, we take on the role of a T-800 as we hunt down a VIP target on behalf of Skynet. This is a short, one shot mode that should take less than an hour to beat, but the caveat is this has to be done in one life, and one sitting: no save points, and very little chance to recover health. We scour a fairly large map in search of intel to find the location of our target, along the way smashing whoever and whatever we find in our way. It’s fun enough, and fairly simple to keep track of where we’re going, though there was one point where I was aimlessly looking or where to head and went in a few circles.  It’s certainly not worth a purchase for this mode alone, but alongside the main game and Annihilation Line makes for a nice bonus.

Owners of the Xbox One release can get a free upgrade to the S/X version and the up-spuff as well as the Infiltrator mode, but those looking for the Annihilation Line DLC will need to either purchase the upgrade at a discounted rate, or buy the Complete Edition. Either way, I’ve had a lot of fun with it these past few weeks, even going back to it in place of some other titles I figured I’d enjoy much more.

Conclusion

It may be the same game as the 2019 release underneath, but this upgraded Complete Edition is well worth a look for both returning players and those new to it for the Annihilation Line story mode on its own. There are better shooters out there, but for a bit of AA-style fun, this is a solid choice.