Hands on with Terminator: Salvation on iPhone

Mobile games based on movies usually terminate gameplay for the sake of a release date (read: Watchmen: Justice is Coming), but Gameloft says hasta la vista, baby. Based on the upcoming summer blockbuster, Terminator: Salvation is looking mighty impressive for a movie tie-in.

Ahead of its May release, we went hands on and found this flashy 3D shooter exceeding our expectations.

Terminator: Salvation follows the events of the motion picture, chronicling John Connor's fight against SkyNet. This latest chapter in the apocalyptic saga hones in on humanity's struggle for survival in the years after SkyNet's initial assault. It's a darker, deadlier setting than previous iterations and that comes through in this touch-enabled shooter.

The game is built on the engine used for Hero of Sparta, which is to say it looks phenomenal. Full 3D graphics rife with special effects and detail give it console quality. Rather than feeling like a mobile afterthought, Terminator: Salvation plays like a full production.

You control Connor via an analogue stick in the lower-left, much like in Hero of Sparta and Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes. Positioning the camera, or Connor's view, is done by sliding a finger anywhere on the screen.

The controls work well. By not tagging camera movement to a second analog stick, more of the screen is left clear and you're able to use whatever area feels most comfortable.

We played through two missions: one on foot against a legion of spider-like T-325 machines and the second a fast-paced ride on a hardened transport. The controls differ slightly when driving a vehicle versus on foot, though in both cases they perform admirably.

An adjustable vertical gauge replaces the analogue stick whenever you buckle into a vehicle: sliding it up accelerates, whereas down reverses. The same mechanic is used for positioning the camera while on foot applies when you're in the driver's seat.

Zipping through city ruins, firing on mechanical foes proved to be a blast. The driving mission has you weaving through piles of rubble and avoiding land mines, all while targeting an array of enemies from multi-legged T-325s to half-track upright T-1s. Firing the transport's mounted gun is a matter of tapping an attack button situated at the bottom of the screen.

You're welcome to speed past most of the enemies, though taking down the big bipedal Harvester at the level's end requires some firepower. As the vehicle rushes into the foreground, the Harvester chases and you're tasked with firing on its weak points that flash red. First, you shoot out the left and right arms.

Next, the legs flash red indicating that you need to fire on them to make the machine stumble. Once it trips on your bullets, you can then attack its core, which is exposed when it bends forward.

With the Harvester destroyed, Connor continues on foot in the next level. The goal is to locate a SkyNet base of operations located in the desert, which can only be reached by foot.

Dozens of spider-like machines and terminator models line the way, putting his semi-automatic rifle to good use. We also tested out a grenade launcher picked up from a defeated terminator capable of eliminating multiple enemies at once thanks to its powerful splash damage area.

It's clear that Terminator: Salvation has the makings of a killer action game: flashy graphics, solid controls, and compelling scenarios. We're interested, though, in playing around with more weapons and getting a feel for how well the movie's script is treated on the small screen.

We'll be back with a full review when the game releases to the App Store next month.