Games
Sony
Microsoft
Nintendo
Other Platforms
Upcoming &
Recent Releases
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.
Terminator: Dawn of Fate
Mixed or average reviews
Based on 19 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 5 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game >
Game Info
Publisher: Infogrames
Developer: Paradigm Entertainment
Genre(s): Action
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
Release Date: September 17, 2002
Summary
The year is 2027. The machines of Skynet have risen, reaping a bloody harvest of human flesh across the globe. You are a soldier of Tech Com, a ragged team of human resistance fighters intent upon stopping the overwhelming onslaught of cybernetic assassins in post-apocalyptic Los Angeles. Your ultimate goal is to reach a time travel device in time to send Kyle Reese back to 1984, with the hope of preventing a relentless Terminator model T-800 from murdering Sarah Connor, mother of resistance leader John Connor. If you fail in your mission, the resistance will crumble, and no one will survive the rise of the machines. The fate of humanity lies in your hands. [Infogrames]
Also On Metacritic
GAMES: Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Terminator 3: The Redemption
Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central
Also On The Web: Official Website
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Maxim Online
Fate also dispenses with T2’s cyborg-boy love plot, so you can focus on blasting titanium drones into nuts and bolts.
Read Full Review >netjak
If the developers would have allowed control over the camera or possibly even made this a first person shooter totally, I would have given this game a much higher rating. But the combat system, cinematics, and storyline easily make up for that downfall.
Read Full Review >GameZone
While playing through the film’s futuristic backdrop might seem very appealing, there are a number of features, such as the first-person controls, that could have been handled a lot better.
Read Full Review >Gaming Age
Unfortunately the training sequence in the very beginning wastes no time introducing you to the biggest problem with Dawn of Fate: the controls.
Read Full Review >Play Magazine
Save for the perspective glitches indicative of an older engine, Dawn of Fate delivers a fitting game based on the resilient Terminator franchise. [Oct 2002, p.76]
Game Informer
During Dawn of Fate, I would get so turned around, I found myself back at the beginning of a level, instead of pressing on into the next sections. [Oct 2002, p.91]
GameSpy
I think if they had a little more time to work on the camera and control issues (and improve the graphics), Dawn of Fate could've been a great game. Instead it's just a game that the publisher rushed out the door, and it's mediocre (at best) because of it.
Read Full Review >GamerWeb Xbox
The frustrating camera angles and lack of any real replay value hurt this title considerably.
Read Full Review >IGN
The camera blows, the action isn't exciting, and the game put me to sleep faster than Nyquill.
Read Full Review >Game Over Online
It looks great and promising but in the end, it's like the ten-minute sequence we saw in the film - merely a glimpse of what could be done.
Read Full Review >Gamestyle
The camera system is utterly dreadful. If you can handle the camera and enjoyed the Terminator movies then Dawn of Fate will entertain you.
Read Full Review >G4 TV
Nothing more than a second-rate shooter. It's obvious that the developer has talent, but it should have focused its skills more on gameplay than on presentation.
Read Full Review >Electronic Gaming Monthly
Pretty levels and power chords can't hide Dawn of Fate's real weakness: crappy gameplay. [Nov 2002, p.304]
Armchair Empire
Where almost everything falls apart is the fumbling camera work, which makes controlling your on-screen character a migraine-inducing experience.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly
Could have been a conspiratorial mind-bender like "The Thing"; instead, it's a pretty, empty third-person shooter (which, like "Superman," suffers from a slipshod control interface and horrible camera placement). [4 Oct 2002, p.157]
GamePro
The action-heavy gameplay just gets hammered by illogically executed camerawork.
Read Full Review >GameNow
It's just too bad fate dropped its pants and crapped on this one. [Nov 2002, p.66]
Xbox Nation Magazine
Inexcusably awful. [Fall 2002, p.115]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this game is 5.2 (out of 10) based on 5 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Jeff A. gave it a0:
In 28 years of playing videogames this is one of the worst games I have ever played. I bought it for $20 and traded the game in. I got $3 for this game in trade and I was happy to get the $3. The horrid camera angle completely ruins the game. I have never seen such bad camera angles. The fixed camera switches while you are moving and you end up running into danger when you think you're running away from it. Terrible game.
Michael C. gave it a 2:
One of the worst games I've played since I bought an XBox. This game would've been SO much better if you were given control over the camera. The crappy controls make for even crappier gameplay (you can't actually see what you're shooting at 90% of the time). The graphics and soundtrack are both great, but it really can't make up for the rest of the game.
Brownie gave it a 9:
I thought this was an amazing game. the story line was good the melee was good with the matrix thing going that was great and the weapons and lock on system were great. the cameras were okay and the controls were a bit messy but none the less it was a great game. I mean who the hell wouldn't want to blow the s*&# out of machines.
Stringer B. gave it a 9:
Come on, now! Not nearly as bad as the critics are saying... expecially Xbox Nation...a 20?? That's a joke. The flavor of the films come through quite well, actually. And the game is FUN. That's all that matters to me.
Michael V. gave it a 6:
It's definitely fun to be thrown into the Terminator universe, you feel like you're right in the movie as in the beginning of Terminator 2. However, the camera issues that all these reviews are talking about does hinder your enjoyment of the game very much so. This aside (and it's a big THIS), I found the game enjoyable and would recommend it to any fan of the movie. A somewhat good 6 out of 10 is my vote!
