Last month we saw Terminator Salvation for the first time during a press event in London, and even then it was shaping up rather nicely. Fast-forward a few weeks and one Christian Bale rant later to our recent hands-on session, where we finally got to sit down and get to grips with John Connor and his rag tag band of fellow survivors. Introduced to the post-apocalyptic action, beneath an inky sky of Hunter Killers intent on feeding us a face full of plasma, we're entrenched behind crumbling masonry and burnt out cars, forced to dash into shelter as quickly as possible.

After such an intense set-up, the quickly settles into standard cover territory and as you'd expect, the game's closest touchstone is inevitably Gears of War. What marks Salvation's cover system apart from the other slew of cover-based shooters out there is a unique addition to the HUD. A five-sectioned arc with a white dot in the centre appears on-screen whenever you're pressed up against a wall. Pushing the analogue stick towards one of the five sections (each of which represents a direction) moves the white dot in that direction while letting go of the cover button sends Connor running towards the selected barrier. While our clumsy description makes the mechanic sound convoluted, it's actually an enormously simple implementation that ensures you always know where you're moving to ensuring that you never accidentally scramble to the wrong place. Inaccessible movements are greyed-out on your HUD, so you're also always aware of your options. Granted, it's a remarkably minor touch, but it's a nice twist on the tried and tested cover to cover movement we've grown accustomed to.

While engaging the first HK at the beginning of the mission would have been suicide, the next enemies we encounter are comparatively easy to dispatch, requiring some covert dashing to a wall behind them. The crab-like T-7-Ts, also known as The Spiders are the most common unit in the game and usually require the same tactic to dispatch, with your comrades providing distracting covering fire while you sneak up behind them and destroy their exposed battery packs. If you're feeling particularly brave or stupid, you can confront the T-7-T head on by shooting them in their central red eye temporarily stunning them, leaving you free to quickly nip in and disable their power source. A well-placed grenade can also be equally effective, and on several occasions we managed to slyly bounce a grenade through the T-7-T's legs, wiping out its weak spot instantaneously.

The Spiders join the Aerostats as new enemies designed specifically for the game, the latter being small aerial units that travel in swarms able to ambush you at any given moment. Luckily they're easily dealt with if you're a crack shot with the combat shotgun, an accurate hit finishing off an Aerostat with one well-aimed blast. During the game's on-rails driving sections, you're relentlessly pursued by hordes of the buggers as well as the much greater threat of a heavily armoured HK that has to be peppered with bullets section by section. It's all very arcadey, but in a good way. In fact the core shooting mechanics and control scheme are wonderfully intuitive, proving incredibly tight and responsive. As far as adaptations go, Terminator Salvation could well buck the trend for the rushed, lacklustre fare we're used to, providing it can offer variety beyond outflanking small groups of Spider mechs. Any criticisms regarding a lack of variety are answered as soon as a T-600 crashes through a wall later on in the same level, riddling two of our squad mates full of holes. Armed with a Gatling gun and grenade launcher, the T-600 is one of the iconic endoskeleton walkers and at this early stage, the only sensible thing to do is run for fear of suffering the same fate as your fallen companions. Later on in the game you'll encounter 'skin jobs', precursors to the Arnie-style T-800 series dressed in rags and crude rubber skin. At a glance they look like humans, meaning you'll have to keep your wits about you in order to survive.

Set two years before the events of the movie, Terminator Salvation the videogame expands upon the universe, with every facet of the game tailored to credibly fit in with the rest of the highly regarded sci-fi franchise. While this means the enemy design may seem somewhat uninspired, you could never accuse the game of not staying faithful to its source material. After a chequered history of genuinely lacklustre videogame adaptations, it's encouraging to play a title that should finally manage to do the IP justice. One could argue that the game is a tad derivative - and to a degree it is - but if Halcyon and GRIN can maintain and expand upon the level of quality we've seen thus far, Salvation will be that rarest of creatures: a decent movie tie-in.

It's also good to know that split-screen co-op is included, which will not only increase the longevity, but also allow you to enjoy the strategic gunplay with a friend, which we're all for. There's a real danger that the single-player action may prove repetitive, which could be a damaging factor in the game, although the relentless pursuit of The Terminators themselves will almost certainly prevent any nagging sense of repetition by providing moments of genuine tension. It can't be bargained with, it can't be reasoned with. It will not stop until you are dead. What more could you want from a Terminator game?

Terminator Salvation is due May 19th with the movie released the following day.

By Richard Walker