Terminator: Resistance - Annihilation Line

Terminator: Resistance Annihilation Line features slightly tougher combat, but fails to inject new ideas to spark any real life behind its glowing red eyes.

The main draw here is getting to spend time with Kyle Reese, and this standalone adventure does indeed succeed in rounding him out as a character. This being Terminator: Resistance, though, expect to see lots more Easter eggs sprinkled in. That’s why, much like before, Annihilation Line delivers another ho-hum FPS experience that only true franchise veterans will fully have fun with.

Terminator: Resistance - Annihilation Line offers a few new missions, a couple of new movie-inspired weapons, and several new machines to destroy (the T-600 or HK Centurion) for just a few crowns. The locations have been scaled down, and even greater emphasis is placed on the story, which is executed as well as it possibly can be. Kyle Reese is a badass, and his dreams come to life, combined with period music, are simply the best. Objectively speaking, it’s just a short DLC. If the Terminator universe leaves you cold and you take into account that it’s just a DLC, deduct two points from the rating.

If you like the original game, this add-on will not disappoint you either. Gameplay hasn't changed, but who wouldn't want to fight alongside Kyle Reese?

Terminator: Resistance Enhanced is a game that doesn't really understand its source material. The evidence for that can't be made more plain than the way it can't even maintain consistency of vision from one mission to the very next one. The NPC models, audio, bugs and glitches, and repetitive nature of much of the play speaks to an implementation that falls short of any vision, whether the one presented or the one I believe should have been the goal. It does get better with the DLC, and the Infiltrator Mode is an excellent experience in it's own right, although one short lived - clocking in at less than three quarters of an hour with little replayabilty. But factoring in that minor triumph and better subplot of DLC into the mess of the main campaign still falls short of something I can really recommend.

If you were unimpressed by Terminator: Resistance, your mind will not be changed by Annihilation Line. For better or worse, it is more of the same. The cast mostly carries over, as do the mission types, enemies, and weapons. It’s a little more challenging, perhaps, and the pace is faster. Annihilation can’t compare to the best recent shooters, but it does have an audience. The ideal player might be a diehard Terminator fan eager for a compact few hours in their favorite sci-fi universe. Players who really liked the main game will enjoy the DLC as well. For everyone else, it’s probably a pass.

Terminator: Resistance Annihilation Line is a worthy addition to the base game if you enjoyed your time there but it doesn't do enough to fix its many flaws. While the story is rewarding and atmosphere creepy, there's something just a little cynical about the whole thing.

Terminator Resistance: Annihilation Line tries for a second encore that overstays its welcome even when it's working right. Poorly executed and uneventful, it sadly doesn't live up to the standard set by Teyon's main campaign.

Annihilation Line doesn't solve the issues with Terminator: Resistance, such as its slightly clunky overall feel, but those fans who overlooked its lack of AAA polish won't mind that. Instead, the DLC refines what came before and doesn't have the same amount of technical problems that the core game had at launch. As such, for fans of the Terminator series who enjoyed Resistance, this is certainly something to enjoy.

So, if you’ve played Terminator: Resistance and found yourself wanting more, Annihilation Line is definitely worth considering. It doesn’t really try to offer anything new gameplay-wise, but it does allow you fight beside Kyle Reese and go behind the titular Annihilation Line. Those two factors alone will be enough to convince most fans.