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Terminator Salvation Game Launched, PC Version Recalled

Posted by Soulskill on from the stop-making-mediocre-tie-ins dept.

On Tuesday, the video game tie-in to the Terminator Salvation movie was launched for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. Most reviews pegged the game as solidly mediocre; IGN said, "the action is fairly tame throughout and the cutscenes are stunningly ordinary. And yet despite the poor presentation, there are some clever gameplay elements that make Terminator enjoyable. Too bad that joy only lasts a handful of hours before the credits roll." However, customers who had purchased the retail PC version ran into installation errors, leaving them unable to play the game. Now, publisher Evolved has issued a recall for that version of the game, saying, "a defect occurred during replication," and promising a replacement plan for people who had purchased it.

75 comments

  1. ummm... patches? by Rooked_One · · Score: 2, Informative

    I just discovered this game tonight, and it will REALLY surprise me if it comes back without being polished up - because yes... the game is boring. Your main mission is to save a couple of guys. Thats it. No big bosses, simple battles the whole way.

  2. Re:wow by incognito84 · · Score: 0

    Wow. I didn't know that console gamers started taking it upon themselves to shit on the Master System from which all their little consoles derived.

  3. Re:wow by Shikaku · · Score: 1

    I didn't know people were still buying games

    fixed.

  4. once again by elvesrus · · Score: 0

    another game release that people need to acquire "illegally" if they purchased it in a box

    1. Re:once again by donaldm · · Score: 3, Insightful

      another game release that people need to acquire "illegally" if they purchased it in a box

      My son purchased Crysis and then found he could not install the game so he went on-line and pirated it. Normally my son is quite happy to buy software but when things like this happen you sort of wonder why bother to purchase.

      In all fairness at least the company concerned with making the Terminator game has offered to replace it and I doubt if you try to pirate the faulty game it will work. Still you never know because I have had legitimately purchased games before that I had to get so called illegal cracks and patches for the game to work properly.

      IMHO console games normally have little if any problems than PC games although one or two sometimes get through, however they are normally replaced when the customers complain. On the other hand time PC games normally do get fixed eventually but whether it is a Console or PC it is still annoying.

      --
      There ain't no such thing as proprietary standards only proprietary formats. Standards are by definition open.
    2. Re:once again by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 1

      You're not pirating the game if you bought a copy.

      The license allows you to install one copy of the program onto your computer for the purpose of using that program. It does not specify that you must use the disc you purcahsed to install it. What your son did is entirely legal, and the kind of case which needs to go to court so this whole "AMAGAD P2P IS TEH LOOZORX!!1 Piewacy iz killinz teh bizniss!!1" tripe from major corporations can be thrown out, as it should have been before technology like BitTorrent ever existed.

      --
      Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
    3. Re:once again by LingNoi · · Score: 1

      Funny you mention bit torrent because purchasing the game doesn't give you the right to distribute that game to other people which is what BT does.

    4. Re:once again by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

      IMHO console games normally have little if any problems than PC games

      Console games have to pass the rigorous quality assurance process of the console manufacturers. PC games do not.

      And this is not my humble opinion, this is coming from a former quality assurance project manager (I used to impress the beta testers by quoting the Sony Technical Requirement Checklist by heart).

      I've seen games submitted against my advice and rejected by Sony or Nintendo for the very reasons I had bemoaned. On a PC, they just ignore the QA and ship it, with a "we'll patch it later if enough people complain" mantra (I got out of QA when consoles got connected to the net, the "patch it later" mentality ruins the whole process for me).

      Oh, also, PCs have near-infinite hardware configuration possibilities, consoles have a handful of nearly identical models. It's actually harder to test for PCs, you have to do compatibility testing, constantly mess with device drivers... it's a helluva chore.

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

    5. Re:once again by Lunoria · · Score: 1

      Funny you mention bit torrent because purchasing the game doesn't give you the right to distribute that game to other people which is what BT does.

      That's why I set the upload speed to 0. I'm just making my own copy, I'm not distributing.

    6. Re:once again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually it gives you the right to distribute it to other people that also own the game.

      If the laws are such that this is no longer correct then you need to do one of 2 things.

      Move
      Change the laws.

      Period

    7. Re:once again by Mr2001 · · Score: 1

      That's why I set the upload speed to 0. I'm just making my own copy, I'm not distributing.

      And that's why the download takes a month to finish.

      --
      Visual IRC: Fast. Powerful. Free.
  5. Re:ummm... patches? by TinBromide · · Score: 4, Informative

    I doubt that they're gonna do much more than come up with a new gold copy. Its not like they're gonna drop a big boss battle into the game as part of an install fix.

    --
    Is it sad that I am more likely to recognize you and your posts by your sig than your name or UID?
  6. unprecedented by senorpoco · · Score: 5, Funny

    A mediocre movie spin off game? I have never heard of such a thing, I am shocked I tell you, shocked.

  7. What defect? by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 3, Funny

    The game sucks. No wonder PCs won't install it. Most players won't get that lucky with other games.

    1. Re:What defect? by Aranykai · · Score: 1

      I wish AoC would have had that defect. Could have saved me 27GB of bandwidth patching the stupid thing the first month.

      --
      If sharing a song makes you a pirate, what do I have to share to be a ninja?
  8. bad ISO dude by indi0144 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    this is what happens when you dont check HASH checksums n00b, now go back to TPB and download it again.Jebus! this replicator guys should know better.

  9. Download and play or buy and wait by ATAMAH · · Score: 2, Informative

    There is currently a "non-scene" working release available on torrents and such. Basically someone repackaged the game (manually done some tasks that installer should have done automatically) in a matter of hours. Question is: why do paying customers get to wait for the replacement "plan" to be put together? Why isn't there a downloadable fix put together by developers? Clearly it doesn't take much time to make.

    1. Re:Download and play or buy and wait by vux984 · · Score: 3, Informative

      Clearly it doesn't take much time to make.

      In the real world, it usually takes longer to do regression testing than it does to fix a problem.

      When "someone" on the intarwebs "repackages the game" manually and throws it up on a torrent he bypasses the entire QA process that any competent business would undertake.

      And so we get it "works on his system" and maybe if we're lucky a few of his friends too... and out the door it goes... if it explodes when it hits the general public, well... hey... what did you expect?

      That sort of cavalier process would be suicide for a business.

    2. Re:Download and play or buy and wait by Spit · · Score: 5, Insightful

      the entire QA process that any competent business would undertake.

      What, like the one outlined in the story? Shipping a busted installer doesn't sound too competent to me...

      --
      POKE 36879,8
    3. Re:Download and play or buy and wait by SharpFang · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Considering they DID release (and shipped out, and sold, without anyone from QA noticing) the actual _game_ that does not install on _any_ PC, your, your neighbors' nor your development test systems, and it hasn't killed their business yet... I don't think a patch that doesn't work on 10% of affected systems would mean suicide to their business.

      --
      45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
    4. Re:Download and play or buy and wait by vux984 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Considering they DID release (and shipped out, and sold, without anyone from QA noticing)

      To be fair, it sounds like the defect occurred AFTER QA approved and released the gold master to replication.

      I don't think a patch that doesn't work on 10% of affected systems would mean suicide to their business.

      They've already taken a big public hit. A half-assed response that does even more damage? Who would seriously advocate doing that?

    5. Re:Download and play or buy and wait by SharpFang · · Score: 1

      A half-assed response 6 hours after the mistake plus a full fix 30 days later is less of a hit than a full fix 30 days later.

      Fix 90% now and remaining 10% later vs fix 100% later?

      --
      45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
    6. Re:Download and play or buy and wait by Rockoon · · Score: 1

      When "someone" on the intarwebs "repackages the game" manually and throws it up on a torrent he bypasses the entire QA process that any competent business would undertake.

      This is the sort of thinking that sinks corporations. They begin with an idea that is "good," and then later on they blindly accept that it is _always_ "good."

      This company needs to hire a man who specializes in making customer-recovery decisions, because it seems like they have _nobody_ with the skillset necessary.

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
    7. Re:Download and play or buy and wait by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 1

      To be fair, it sounds like the defect occurred AFTER QA approved and released the gold master to replication.

      So instead of their QA being stone blind, the problem is that the gold master can get altered after QA approves and releases it--in other words, their release process is fundamentally broken. That doesn't seem much better.

    8. Re:Download and play or buy and wait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      [i]That sort of cavalier process would be suicide for a business.[/i]

      You mean like a lot of updates I get from games I paid for ?*

      Please don't put Game Studio and QA testing in the same sentence...

      * I'm looking at you H.A.W.X....

    9. Re:Download and play or buy and wait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      if it explodes when it hits the general public, well... hey... what did you expect?

      I expect the mess they are currently in?!?

  10. The machines are in cahoots I tell you... by grepistan · · Score: 2, Funny

    Skynet is doing this! They don't want us trained in robot-killin' and such. I, for one, welcome our shiny metal overlords...

    --
    Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.
    -- Terry Pratchett, Hogfather
  11. Re:wow by Toonol · · Score: 1

    They are for consoles. I love my pc, but I'm a little surprised that companies even bother publishing games for it.

  12. Re:wow by tsotha · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I agree. Why would they publish for a platform that has the most profitable game ever by a wide margin? Damn these people are stupid.

  13. Launch date.. by jbacon · · Score: 2

    Is it just me, or does anyone else find the fact of the game based on the movie launching two days BEFORE THE ACTUAL FILM a little irritating? IIRC, this was the case with Quantum of Solace as well.

    I don't think I like this trend...

    1. Re:Launch date.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What? Why?
      Who cares if a mediocre video game based on a movie comes out a lil before or after the movie?
      I guess you are thinking playing the game before seeing the movie will ruin the film somehow? And you couldn't possibly resist and wait the two days for some reason?
      I don't get it to be honest.

    2. Re:Launch date.. by donaldm · · Score: 1

      Personally I rarely find any game based on a movie or TV show is any good. Still some people do and that is ok with me after all it is their money.

      Depending on the game (I like action/adventure and RPG's) what I consider value for money is when an action game that I like has over 10 plus hours game play and an RPG that I like has over 20 plus hours game play. Of course the longer the game or if the game has excellent re-playability the better the value for the money. While I can't really speak for fighters I would assume value for money is re-playability, multi player and possibly on-line downloadable content and players. As for FPS or sport games it would be rather in-appropriate on me commenting although I am quite sure those who like them could speak volumes.

      --
      There ain't no such thing as proprietary standards only proprietary formats. Standards are by definition open.
    3. Re:Launch date.. by Spatial · · Score: 2, Interesting

      No, since the game is set before the movie takes place it makes sense.

      Unfortunately the game is shit. Also extremely short at 4.5 hours long.

    4. Re:Launch date.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      The game follows a different storyline than the movie.

    5. Re:Launch date.. by elrous0 · · Score: 1

      Chronicles of Riddick--actually BETTER than the film.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    6. Re:Launch date.. by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 1

      At least it's two days. Any earlier and Uwe Boll would have time to ruin the franchise for everyone; Consumer and publisher.

      --
      Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
    7. Re:Launch date.. by Hatta · · Score: 1

      There's another Terminator movie?

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    8. Re:Launch date.. by Theoboley · · Score: 1

      Mod this hilarious.

      I said the same thing in the "Why Sarah Connor Failed" Thread.

      --
      Stupidity only gets you so far, then you've gotta try
    9. Re:Launch date.. by mog007 · · Score: 1

      It shouldn't be that much of a surprise. Last year was the first time that the video game industry actually made more money than the movie industry. I would bet you'll see more and more movie-based games coming out before the actual movie.

      --
      Learn something new.
  14. Re:ummm... patches? by mjwx · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I just discovered this game tonight, and it will REALLY surprise me if it comes back without being polished up - because yes... the game is boring. Your main mission is to save a couple of guys. Thats it. No big bosses, simple battles the whole way.

    Ahhh, consolization at its best. Games being dumbed down, franchises becoming more important then creating good stories and/or gameplay, release dates being set in stone weather a game is ready for release or not, repetition being used in every conceivable way to artificially lengthen games without writing new code/assets.

    By the sounds of it, the Terminator game is a turd and no amount of polish will make a turd interesting to play.

    --
    Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
  15. A Defect in Duplication??? by seeker_1us · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Riiight.

    I wonder if they decided that they had to put assloads of DRM in and THAT was what was broken.

    1. Re:A Defect in Duplication??? by Spatial · · Score: 1

      I think it was more like: "EMPLOYING A QA GUY COSTS HOW MUCH?!"

      Because they obviously didn't test it. Not even once!

  16. Re:wow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    the Master System from which all their little consoles derived.

    What?

  17. Defect? by RichardJenkins · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Sounds more like 'a defect occured in QAing replicated discs'.

  18. Re:wow by trytoguess · · Score: 1

    Oh my... I thought this was a kind of funny joke. And even if it wasn't, I think there are other posts that deserved the -mods. Oh well.

  19. Re:wow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You run Unix. The only game you can play is a text adventure.

    >GO FUCK YOURSELF

    "OK"

  20. NEVER EVER buy a game to a current movie by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    While (movie) studios by now realized that it's not a good idea to just cash in on the movie name and drop the franchize on whoever pays the most (which resulted in some pretty sucky games that were only sold on the movie's name), games to current movies are usually a nightmare.

    Realize a few corner elements and ponder for yourself why the games usually suck:

    1. Hard deadline. No way to push production back because either you deliver now or never. In 3 months, nobody will care about your game.
    2. Lots of money spent on a name instead of dev time.
    3. Limited room for story development, since the movie kinda sets the scene.

    Now think for yourself why games-to-movies suck.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    1. Re:NEVER EVER buy a game to a current movie by tepples · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Lots of money spent on a name instead of dev time.

      The money spent on the name wouldn't be otherwise spent on dev time; it would be otherwise spent on promotion and other marketing to build an original franchise and make potential customers aware of it.

    2. Re:NEVER EVER buy a game to a current movie by space_jake · · Score: 1

      If they stop making money they'll stop making them. Idiot tax.

  21. Re:wow by tepples · · Score: 1

    the Master System from which all their little consoles derived.

    Both the Sega Master System and the Nintendo Entertainment System . The ColecoVision had a Z80 CPU and a TMS9928 VDP (picture generator). The Japan-only Sega SG-1000 by Sega was Sega's clone of the ColecoVision. The Sega Master System was an SG-1000 with more RAM and more color depth in the VDP. And the designers of the PPU in the Nintendo Entertainment System were inspired by the design of the TMS99 series VDP, especially the way it handled processing of the sprite display list.

  22. Re:wow by Penguin+Follower · · Score: 1

    Huh? The Call of Duty series on PC is alive and well. Plenty of players online for all of the versions currently sold in stores. I personally play Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: World at War on a regular basis.

  23. Re:wow by Penguin+Follower · · Score: 1

    The Call of Duty series has plenty of players online using the PC versions. Just watch, when Diablo III is released, it will sell like hotcakes. :) PC gaming is still alive, but the # of titles worth playing has dropped to a handful, IMO. But when a worthy game is released it does sell well.

    Side note: I don't buy anything published by Electronic Arts (that's both PC and console).

  24. Re:wow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    LOL :)

  25. Hmm by imakemusic · · Score: 1

    "Now, publisher Evolved has issued a recall for that version of the game [...] and promising a replacement plan for people who had purchased it. " ...and arrest for those that pirated it.

    --
    Brain surgery - it's not rocket science!
  26. Fundamental Flaw by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes. The trend of movie-to-games (MTG) is backwards from what it should be. The best MTG conversions were those that tried to expand on the movie, providing "ends to story threads" from the movie (i.e., any side stories/information left unanswered in the movie become the central theme for resolution in the game). In other words, the game will NOT stand alone and will NOT steal any "light" from the movie itself. What do we get instead?

    Games to promote a movie or to try and "recreate" the movie as interactive. WRONG! If I've already seen the movie, both these types of games are wastefully boring. And no, I'm not going to spend $50 to play an advertisement for a movie 2 days before the movie is released. Trust me, I'm just going to spend my $7 to see the movie with much better special effects and acting than the game.

    The correct way might even save money: simply digitize the actors you already have on contract, and you might even be able to reuse dialog from the movie. It just takes a little thought on how games can HELP the movie and NOT how it can replace the movie.

  27. Re:wow by incognito84 · · Score: 1

    I was hoping someone would catch that...

  28. Re:wow by elrous0 · · Score: 1

    How soon we forget. Consumer console gaming preceded consumer PC gaming by several years.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  29. Re:wow by flitty · · Score: 1

    The Call of Duty series has plenty of players online using the PC versions. Just watch, when Diablo III is released .... Side note: I don't buy anything published by Electronic Arts (that's both PC and console).

    Funny that you mention two Activision games while you bash EA. Don't you know? Activision is the new EA. I hate to misquote it because it was so funny, but the head of Activision said "We don't want any franchise that cannot be exploited on a yearly basis".

    EA at least has Ghostbusters, Brutal Legend, Dead Space, Mirrors edge, and a few other new ip's (along with all the other dead horses they keep beating).

    --
    Whether or not there is some sort of god, I'm not supposed to say/god is a word and the argument ends there-Smog
  30. Re:ummm... patches? by solcott · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I just discovered this game tonight, and it will REALLY surprise me if it comes back without being polished up - because yes... the game is boring. Your main mission is to save a couple of guys. Thats it. No big bosses, simple battles the whole way.

    Is it just me, or does it seem confusing how it could be possible for the first post, with ACTUAL CONTENT in it and not just "I'm first fags!" could be modded Redundant?

    I mean seriously, it's the first post, what posts came before it that it is repeating to be called redundant?

  31. Is there some new law by gregthebunny · · Score: 1

    that says for every new movie there has to be an accompanying video game released? What's the point? Milk the cash cow a little more?

    1. Re:Is there some new law by erroneus · · Score: 1

      No such law, but the notion of deriving related products in other markets is not new. Wheaties frequently exploited sports figures to sell cereal. Burger King, McDonald's and Jack in the Box are constantly in a battle to see who gets to make the next themed kid's meal and series of toys.

      But while we can see countless examples of this for more than 60 years, we can look to the likes of George Lucas to have really picked up and exploited the practice to the point of complete saturation.

      Now, interestingly, we see reverse processes as well. Toys begetting movies and cartoons and video games and breakfast cereals; Cartoons begetting movies and toys and video games and breakfast cereals; Video games begetting movies and cartoons and breakfast cereals... I can't say that I have ever heard of a breakfast cereal spawning any of the others ... yet.

  32. New DRM by iVasto · · Score: 1

    Is this the future of DRM?

  33. Re:ummm... patches? by Gizzmonic · · Score: 1

    Ahhh, consolization at its best. Games being dumbed down, franchises becoming more important then creating good stories and/or gameplay,

    That's a problem with all gaming-console and PC alike.

    release dates being set in stone weather a game is ready for release or not

    PC games are notorious for shipping in alpha quality, with the attitude "we'll patch it later." Consoles have largely been spared this fate, however it is creeping in a little bit with the PS3 and 360.

    repetition being used in every conceivable way to artificially lengthen games without writing new code/assets.

    PC games do this as well. I'm not sure why you blame this on "consolization."

    By the sounds of it, the Terminator game is a turd and no amount of polish will make a turd interesting to play.

    Well, I agree with you on this one at least. Tell me, has there ever been a good Terminator game? The T2 pinball game was pretty good, that's the only one I can think of.

    --
    (-1, Raw and Uncut is the only way to read)
  34. .... totally recalled by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just had to say it. Posting AC so as not to waste karma on this crap.

  35. Just to clarify, by DRAGONWEEZEL · · Score: 1

    He means Portal (Orange Box), not WoW. 8')

    --
    How much is your data worth? Back it up now.
    1. Re:Just to clarify, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think he's referring to the Sims.

  36. Re:ummm... patches? by Kell+Bengal · · Score: 2, Interesting
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminator_video_games#The_Terminator_.28DOS.29 This game rocked my world. You could buy/steal guns, rob stores/banks, buy chemicals and build bombs (without a given recipe - you just had to try stuff to find out what worked), steal cars, break into army bases to get powerful weapons, heal at hospitals. Seriously, this was sandbox-style gameplay on a dos PC, programmed in assembly!

    It's a game I recall with great fondness, never mind how few colours it had.

    --
    Scientists point out problems, engineers fix them
    altslashdot.org: The future of slashdot.
  37. Re:wow by X0563511 · · Score: 0

    Wake me up when consoles attain these:

    1. Games on consoles are fully modable
    2. Standard USB peripherals are usable
    3. Decent games like X3: The Reunion are available

    --
    For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
  38. and piracy wins again! by DragonTHC · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Looks like if you want to play the game now, You can download it and play a working copy.

    Or you can use steam, for simplicity.

    Pirates 1, publisher 0.

    --
    They're using their grammar skills there.
  39. Re:wow by mog007 · · Score: 1

    EA at least has Ghostbusters, Brutal Legend, Dead Space, Mirrors edge, and a few other new ip's (along with all the other dead horses they keep beating).

    Yes... a game based on an 80s movie series, plus cartoon series, isn't beating a dead horse at all...

    --
    Learn something new.
  40. Re:ummm... patches? by CaseM · · Score: 1

    Because "consolization" means you can't have boss battles?? Sorry, but that doesn't sound like a console problem, that just sounds like a shitty game.

  41. Re:ummm... patches? by mjwx · · Score: 1

    Because "consolization" means you can't have boss battles??

    Because consolisation means that it was rushed to release without the thought or effort going into game play, testing, development/bug fixing or story. In other words the arbitrary dumbing down of the game experience in order to shorten multi-platform dev time and make the game appeal/accessible to the Lowest Common Denominator crowd. This is what the OP was complaining about, throwing in an arbitrary boss fight wouldn't have fixed the problem.

    Some of the best games I've ever played lacked "boss battles", a game done well is a game done well whether it is formulaic in design or not. By the same note, a bad game with a boss fight is still a bad game.

    --
    Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
  42. The truth about movie tie-in games. by Just+Justin · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You should never play any game that's directly tied to a movie. Especially one that comes out the same time the actual movie comes out.

    First you know they got a small budget. The game itself is categorized by the movie industry the same way a movie-themed lunch box is. Just as extra merchandise to turn a quick buck.

    Second you know they don't have a realistic time frame to make these games good. There's no "When it's done" type speak. There's no "Hopefully we'll have it out by Q4 2009". It's out when the movie comes out, regardless of how much is fixed or broken.

    Third, if you actually care about the stories in games, then you know movie games don't have very good stories. There's no imagination with it since you already know the plot-line. You already know what's going to happen since you've already seen the movie. Again this isn't a big deal to most people but it does matter to some.

    Ok, I'm sleepy and I'm going to bed. I didn't even know there was a new terminator movie coming out until I heard an ad on the radio a few weeks ago.