Game is too short and you have to play the entire thing if you run out of continues...hardcore :(

An incredible game, with the most bizarre pricing strategy 🫣😆

A 75% off 'sale' would more reasonably represent human ideas of value for money.

TLDR: A flawless arcade side scroller done with the greatest of respect for Terminator 2. Must be played on hard difficulty to fully appreciate the depth of the gameplay and have an experience that is more than just the amazing fan service offered here. T2D is a definite recommendation for fans of Terminator 2 and 16-bit titles.

As a fan who watches Terminator 2 at least once a year every Judgment Day, August 29th, T2D: No Fate does not disappoint at bringing to life scenes from the wholly iconic Terminator 2 film. There's some creative license taken to create levels for this style of game (Example, level 1 rescuing kid-John when he's kidnapped in Mexico), but it still feels like Terminator 2 through and through. There are so many fine details the developers incorporated for fans to notice, like Danny's RC truck, and the tire rolling out of the flames of the semi-wreckage when the T-1000 chases John on his bike! The music of T2 is also iconic and they do that well here, too!

The pixel animations are smooth and fully animated. They didn't skimp on any frames. This is a quality presentation and there are some cool moments that are too perfect as they capture the characters of Terminator 2. Sarah Connor in particular gets some badass animations. Most of the game is played as Sarah Connor and adult John Connor. Kid-John is played for the previously mentioned chase level on his bike [Makes me want to find the old action figure I had of him and his bike!]. There are only a couple levels where you play as the Arnold Terminator--and arguably his stunt double on the bike chase scene, ha! The Terminator's bar fight is here and it's fantastic. Hit the jukebox for extra fun. Adult John Connor gets Future War levels. All of these characters and different levels offer a variety of gameplay through out. The variety sells Terminator 2D: No Fate as a blockbuster of an arcade game with a mix of levels being run 'n' gun, driving, beat'em up, and shooting akin to any light-gun game converted to controller targeting.

The gameplay is super tight and well designed. Be warned, you are missing out if you play on any difficulty other than hard! I recommend not trying any other difficulties before finishing a run on hard. There are missing hazards, missing enemies, and the bosses attack animations are very slow. Normal and Easy difficulties here are for anyone who either just wants to see a licensed Terminator game and have never really played video games, or players who have a hindrance in real life that makes gaming more of a challenge. For everyone else, and to those who complain about how short the game is, you're playing this game wrong if you play it on easy or normal. "No fate but what we make for ourselves." If you're done with the game in thirty minutes and feel like it wasn't money well spent, you have only yourself to blame for playing on easy or normal. Having ability as a gamer and playing this on anything other than hard is like a kid eating all of their Halloween candy in one sitting. Of course you're disappointed it's over and feel like garbage. So, don't!

There's a fantastic depth here that you won't need to even try to appreciate if you breeze through on aptly named 'Easy Money' or 'No Problemo' difficulties. You've got to go 'Hasta la Vista.' As you can see from my play time, I got a lot out of T2D and I had a blast doing it and mastering the levels. I didn't let myself finish a playthrough until I could beat the final level on hard without using a continue, which was at eight hours of game time for me. Even at 16 hours in, I learned a new combat trick and discovered I could slide kick laser turrets shot down from the ceiling onto enemies. "Are we learning yet?"

Very hard adds faster enemy reactions, more shots from some enemies, and you only get the continues you can find in each main route level. This really amps up the difficulty but if you did your time on hard, it will serve you well here once you learn the changes. The alternate route modes add a couple different levels, one in a police station that's reminiscent of a scene from the first Terminator film, and one a future war level. It also adds a remix of another level and has you playing the last level as a different character. The routes make the game longer, so if you want a big playthrough for any repeated runs or speed running, that's going to be your thing. Boss Rush mode is cool. It's really satisfying to master the boss fights and be able to take no damage. Infinite mode allows you to pick from all three shooting characters and gets you some more T-800 Arnold time. I have yet to see how far I can get on infinite mode with Sarah Conner, but I want to imagine she's the one who could excel in that mode because of her height for dodging and the slide kick for certain enemies.

Overall, fantastic and a satisfying experience that I will likely add 'playing a run of' to my yearly Judgment Day tradition.