Software:Terminator 3: War of the Machines

From HandWiki

Short description: 2003 first-person shooter video game


Terminator 3: War of the Machines
North American PC cover art
Developer(s)Clever's Games
Publisher(s)Atari
Designer(s)
  • Adám Regényi
  • Gyula Pozsgay
Programmer(s)Tamás Schlägl
Artist(s)
  • Szabolcs Pénzes
  • Zoltán Pócza
Composer(s)Szabó Gábor Dénes
Platform(s)Windows
Release
  • UK: November 28, 2003
  • NA: December 3, 2003
  • AU: December 5, 2003
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Terminator 3: War of the Machines is a 2003 first-person shooter video game based on the film Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. It was developed by Hungarian developer Clever's Games and published by Atari for Microsoft Windows. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic future when human and machine forces are battling for the world, and the player chooses which side to join. The game was negatively received, particularly for its character animations and artificial intelligence. Critics also viewed the game as a poor imitation of Battlefield 1942.

Gameplay

Terminator 3: War of the Machines is a first-person shooter game with a focus on online multiplayer. The game takes place during a post-apocalyptic war between Skynet's Terminator machines and the Tech-Com human team. The player chooses which team to join, and each character is labeled with their team affiliation to inform other players. Three game modes are featured: the online multiplayer Team Deathmatch mode; the objective-based Mission mode, in which players hold or overrun an area; and Termination, which is a single-player mode played against bots as the player tries to capture an enemy base.[1][2][3]

Tech-Com's humans have a variety of weapons, and Skynet's machines have their own weapons as well. Vehicles are located in each level and may be used by the human players, although they cannot take command of a Skynet tank, which is only available to the machine players.[4][2][1][5] The game includes levels based on present-day locations from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, as well as levels set during the future war.[3] Some levels are set in the same location, but during different time periods, with only minimal differences between the two.[2]

Development and release

Terminator 3: War of the Machines was announced on June 19, 2003, as a 32-player online first-person shooter game based on the film Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. It was developed by Hungary-based Clever's Games, and was published by Atari.[6][7][8] The game features the likeness and voice of Arnold Schwarzenegger, reprising his role as the T-850.[9][10]

The game was released in 2003 in the United Kingdom on November 28,[11] in North American on December 3,[12] in Australia on December 5,[13] and in Japan the following year on March 12, 2004.[14]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic25/100[15]
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGWStarHalf star[4]
GameSpot2/10[5]
GameSpyStar[1]
PC Format34%[16]
PC Gamer (UK)40%[17]
PC Gamer (US)21%[2]
PC Zone4.9/10[3]

Terminator 3: War of the Machines was poorly received by critics,[15] who considered the game to be a poor imitation of Battlefield 1942.[2][4][1][5] Some criticized the graphics,[4][16] while Jamie Madigan of GameSpy considered them and the sound to be only average.[1] The character animations, including death animations, received some criticism.[4][1][5][2] Madigan called the animations "stilted and seemingly incomplete."[1] Bob Colayco of GameSpot compared the death animations to the act of pushing a mannequin over: "When you kill an enemy, it stiffly falls over on its back or face." Colayco said that this may be "excusable" for killing machines, but that it did not make sense for humans to also die in the same manner.[5]

Colayco also criticized the sound, as well as the level designs, writing that "many pathways lead to dead ends, which creates a lot of wasted space on the maps."[5] Madigan wrote that the levels are full of "pointless dead ends, long stretches of mundane terrain, dry land, and not much that keeps you interested."[1] Norman Chan of PC Gamer believed the levels were too small in design, and was critical of the fact that several levels are minor variations of each other set in different time periods.[2]

Criticism also went to the game's artificial intelligence,[4][2][16][3] which Madigan cited as a reason the game was not fun, writing, "Enemies will often run right past you and into danger."[1] Some criticized the limited online servers.[1][2] Madigan stated that with the "inaccessible" multiplayer and "deeply flawed" single-player modes, "It's a game that feels incomplete and practically abandoned by its publisher."[1] Criticism was also directed at the lack of story.[4][16][1] John Walker of PC Format criticized the poor controls,[16] and William O'Neal of Computer Gaming World criticized the slow and unwieldy vehicles.[4] Madigan was critical of the limited game options,[1] and Chan felt the game modes were uninspired. In addition, because each player is labeled with their team affiliation, Chan believed that this resulted in a wasted opportunity for Terminator players to infiltrate the human force.[2]

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Madigan, James (December 28, 2003). "Terminator 3: War of the Machines". GameSpy. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/terminator-3-war-of-the-machines/6504p1.html. 
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 Norman Chan (April 2004). "Terminator 3: War of the Machines". PC Gamer: 74. http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/06/terminator_3_wa.html. Retrieved March 1, 2014. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 PC Zone Staff (February 2004). "PC Review: Terminator 3: War of the Machines". PC Zone. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=100270. Retrieved March 1, 2014. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 O'Neal, William (April 2004). "Terminator 3: War of the Machines". Computer Gaming World: 84.  Online review via 1Up.com.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Bob Colayco (December 12, 2003). "Terminator 3: War of the Machines Review". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/terminator-3-war-of-the-machines-review/1900-6085533/. 
  6. ↑ Sulic, Ivan (June 19, 2003). "Terminator 3 Coming". IGN. https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/06/20/terminator-3-coming. 
  7. ↑ Calvert, Justin (June 19, 2003). "Terminator 3: War of the Machines announced". GameSpot. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/terminator-3-war-of-the-machines-announced/1100-6030284/. 
  8. ↑ Fulljames, Stephen (June 19, 2003). "Terminator 3 rises on PC". http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=92784. 
  9. ↑ Park, Andrew (November 25, 2003). "Terminator 3: War of the Machines Preview". GameSpot. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/terminator-3-war-of-the-machines-preview/1100-6084613/. 
  10. ↑ "How to push new California governor's buttons". Wisconsin State Journal. November 30, 2003. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/407397026/. 
  11. ↑ Bramwell, Tom (December 1, 2003). "What Was New?!". https://www.eurogamer.net/news011203whatwasnew. 
  12. ↑ Burnes, Andrew (December 3, 2003). "Terminator 3: War of the Machines Ships". IGN. https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/12/03/terminator-3-war-of-the-machines-ships. 
  13. ↑ "PC Release Schedule". http://www.atari.com.au/product/?action=releaseschedule&platform=5. 
  14. ↑ "タイトル". http://www.atarijapan.com/games/index.html. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Terminator 3: War of the Machines for PC Review". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/terminator-3-war-of-the-machines/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 John Walker (February 2004). "Terminator 3: War of the Machines". PC Format (158). http://www.pcformat.co.uk/reviews/default.asp?pagetypeid=2&articleid=29047&subsectionid=680. Retrieved March 1, 2014. 
  17. ↑ "Terminator 3: War of the Machines". PC Gamer UK. February 2004. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.





Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Terminator_3:_War_of_the_Machines&oldid=3956383"