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Somehow I don’t recall hearing a musical score in the game, but if there was one it probably would’ve been turned off because you just don’t feel like listening to music while playing Terminus. More likely, you’ll be listening to the sound of your vocal chords being annihilated as you blare unrecognizable speech at your monitor after trying to figure out where in the hell your next waypoint is. (There is a quasi waypoint arrow on the screen at all times, though for some reason it only points toward your docking ship no matter where you are.) Weapon fire is inadequate for the most part, with unsubstantial sound being emitted for most weapons. Actually, if you bother to play the game long enough to acquire some of the larger weapons, there may be more satisfying sound to be heard. Unfortunately, waiting that long would be like tying yourself to a rotating door in a busy shopping mall–you’ll be sick and tired in no time.

If three years of development accomplished anything in Terminus, it would have to be the extravagant physics modeling in the game. As part of the difficulty settings, you will have the option of tuning the physics modeling from arcade at the minimum, to fully Newtonian physics at the maximum level of realism. In arcade mode you can fly your ship at free will without worrying about things like inertial compensators or thrusters. This makes the game much easier for novice players who may not be ready for micro management of the ship. Using the most realistic physics setting cranks the difficulty up several notches and will be a major bonus for seasoned veteran space cowboys and for those who like to delve into the scientific aspects of a space flight modeling system. Still, it’s questionable whether the game is actually fun to play with the physics modeling set to maximum realism because controlling your ship becomes tediously laborious.

In conclusion, there is a lot to be said about Terminus, and yet so little of it would be worth saying. Somewhere among the game is a shining space combat RPG with an intricate story and immersing atmosphere. The background of the game has promise and the career modes are intriguing. Additionally, an abundance of game modes offers a seemingly endless amount of replay. The ability to play Terminus on three different operating systems is also a tribute to the dedication of the developers and code writers of the game. Unfortunately, these components do not add up to an enjoyable experience. It’s possible that after several years in development, the direction of the game was lost and the key aspects that would have made it a success were overwritten or otherwise abandoned. Terminus appears to be a game that started out very promising, but had so many ideas thrown into it that the concepts just don’t mesh. The final product is a conglomerate of ideas that were probably excellent when they first appeared on the design board, but were poorly integrated to the game.

Overall Score: 60%