The Mycenaean

When hearing the words, “I’ll be back,” some people think of the 1980’s classic, “Terminator,” starring Arnold Shwarzeneggar as a massive, hulking machine known as the model T-101. In the film, he hunts down a woman named Sarah Conner, father of John Connor, who is known for saving the world from the machines in 2029 A.D

Almost 35 years after the movie’s initial release date, Netherrealm Studios, creators of the brutal and gory game, Mortal Kombat, bring the machine back to life with the new playable character, “The Terminator.” In the film, the machine is played by Arnold Shwarzeneggar, famous for such roles in “Predator” and “Total Recall”. 

Shwarzeneggar, however does not voice the new character, but instead hand picked who would be voicing The Terminator. The name of the voice behind the machine in Mortal Kombat 11 is Chris Cox, a veteren of voicing characters in shows like “Family Guy” and “BoJack Horseman,” along with some other video games such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and the Gears of War series. 

As far as the gameplay of The Terminator goes, he is just as you would imagine him to be: a massive structure, strong overhand punches, and a whole arsenal of weapons at his disposal, including a sawn-off lever action shotgun on his back. His abilities can range from charging the enemy in a sprint, throwing an arc grenade at the enemy, or even getting a second wind with the endo-skeleton underneath the skin-like tissue of The Terminator. 

As with all nostalgia-inducing movie callbacks, his voice lines, intros and outros give clear references to The Terminator franchise, as well as other famous films that Shwarzeneggar was apart of, including Predator, Last Action Hero, and Total Recall. Such famous lines are said by himself and other characters of the Mortal Kombat roster during pre-fight duels to have a little laugh before the floor runs red with blood. 

As cosmetics with the character goes, they fit pretty well with him. A nice pair of 80’s shades, a leather jacket,  a grenade belt, and even a customizable shotgun give The Terminator quite a good representation of how he was in the films. The default intro, once you enter the fight, is the time sphere, which is how every Terminator from the franchise goes to the past, present, and future. The default outro, once you win the fight, is just as good, where The Terminator is seen exiting the field of combat on a black screen, then opens up in the future of 2029 A.D wielding a laser gun fighting against the resistance of the future. It could get better, though, with unlockable intros and outros, such as the iconic shotgun scene from Terminator 2, or the endo-skeleton outro, where The Terminator walks through a wall of fire, melting off his skin-like tissue, revealing a nightmare-inducing metal skeleton looking menacingly at the screen (If robots could look menacing). 

I would absolutely recommend this character for those who play Mortal Kombat and who also enjoy the Terminator movie series. The character sounds almost exactly like Shwarzeneggar, and is one of the most fun characters I’ve played with in Mortal Kombat 11 since it’s release. I honestly cannot wait for the rest of the characters to release and see what Netherrelm comes up with next.