T2: The Arcade Game (Game Boy) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
81A playthrough of LJN's 1992 license-based first-person rail shooter for the Nintendo Game Boy, T2: The Arcade Game.
I really have to tip my hat to the developers, Beam Software, for even attempting something so ambitious on the old Game Boy. Obviously it never stood a chance at comparing, on any level, with the arcade version (nor its already somewhat cut-down 16-bit console ports), but it's surprising just how much of the original it actually retains after being smashed onto 128k cartridge on a monochrome handheld.
For those that haven't played this game in one form or another before, you sweep a crosshair across the screen, wiping out a variety of threats with a machine gun and bombs, as you jump between different time periods in order to protect John Connor, and thus, the future of mankind.
The difficulty has been lowered a fair amount from the other versions (I mean, there are only so many sprites that Game Boy can throw on-screen at once), but that's a good thing - it's already a bit hard to keep track of everything going on as it is on the blurry Game Boy screen. It is still quite a challenge, though. It's quite possible to get yourself wiped out within seconds, so you'll probably find yourself playing through each level several times before you're able to get through them all without getting killed.
The graphics are surprisingly good, though the lack of contrast between the enemies/power-ups and the backgrounds (along with the aforementioned issues with the GB screen) makes it easy to lose your bearings in the middle of a heated fight. There isn't much music - the sound channels are generally dedicated to sound effects during the action scenes - and you'll probably find yourself muting it before long. The controls are just fine - the crosshairs move pretty quickly and it usually isn't a problem targeting even the smallest objects, and once you get used to doing leading shots with your bombs, you'll be able to time everything pretty easily.
So would I recommend T2: The Arcade Game? Well, I guess it depends on what you are looking for. The Game Boy wasn't ever really intended to do this kind of thing, and Beam has done an admirable job in converting it considering the limitations, but that still doesn't make it ideal. If you really want to see something novel that worked on the Game Boy, check it out. However, if you really just want to mow down Terminators with a light-gun, you're probably better off playing the SNES version. I had fun with it, but your mileage will probably vary with your expectations.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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