T2: The Arcade Game (SNES)

T2: The Arcade Game

Platform: SNES Year: 1993 Developer: Probe Software

For other games in the series, see Terminator.

T2: The Arcade Game is an on-rails shooter ported from the arcade game Terminator 2: Judgment Day (ARC). The arcade game was originally developed by Midway Games, and adapted to the Super Nitnendo by Probe Software. The player takes the role of the Terminator in the future. The game takes the player through several locations throughout the movie including the battlefield, Cyberdyne Systems, and the Steel Mill.

The game features destructable environments, which sometimes rewards the player with bonus items. The player can hold the fire button to rapid fire. However, the gun fires at a slower rate over time if the player does not let go of the button, and then overheats and fires at an extremely slow rate. However, shooting boxes in the level can reveal items that will restore your gunpower. At times, enemies can pop up directly in front of the player, which should be destroyed immediately. The player also has the aid of homing missiles, which they are given a limited supply.

The Super Nintendo version had to be watered down from the superior arcade hardware, but manages to look and sound very similar to its arcade counterpart. It is also compatible with both the SNES Mouse and the Super Scope, so the player can get more enjoyment out of the game using these peripherals.

Screenshots

The title screen. The battlefield. The first boss, which takes a long time to defeat. The level complete screen. The human hideout. Here, you must protect John Connor's truck from taking too much damage.

Music

The SNES version of Terminator 2 features a handful of songs directly from the arcade version composed by Midway's in-house musician Chris Granner, and all adapted to the SNES by Probe's then in-house musician Andy Brock, one of his first games. The SNES version of T2: The Arcade Game is also the only version to feature music from the arcade, as all other versions of the game feature original music by their sound composers. According to Brock, he had recordings of the arcade soundtrack on DAT tapes, and had to painstakingly learn them by ear and transcribe and arrange them to the Super Nintendo:

“

I had to learn it by ear, there were no midi files or sheet music available. I had a DAT tape of every piece of music and sound effect from the arcade machine sound memory. This was in the days before PC-based sample editor programs of course... Nowadays I'd recommend time stretching out difficult sections of the original music out so you can follow what's happening better. T2 Arcade had a lot of 8-op FM type sounds basically imitating a kind of pseudo guitar rock type soundtrack.

As far as the instrument samples for T2... We had a Yamaha SY77 in the studio, and I think I sampled some sounds from that, and probably got the rest from the Roland W30 sampler we had in-house too. They were not from the arcade machine itself directly, but I tried to get as close as possible to it.

The music software I used was proprietary-written by a Probe inhouse programmer. It used MIDI data and basically triggered samples stored in the game sound data banks. I think I had 120 KB for T2. Seems ridiculous now, but the music data, sound effects and instrument samples all had to fit into it.

„

Andy's arrangements sound very close to the original arcade. However, because the SNES used samples instead of the arcade's FM-synthesis (though the drums were digitized), the SNES version sounds a little better in terms of instruments. Some of the songs have been shortened or altered from the arcade version. The Ending music loops in the arcade version, but doesn't in the SNES version.

The song titles and ordering come from the SPC rip.

Recording

#	Title	Composer	Arranger	Length	Listen	Download
01	Battlefield	Chris Granner	Andy Brock	3:53		Download
02	Level Complete	Chris Granner	Andy Brock	0:41		Download
03	Human Hideout	Chris Granner	Andy Brock	3:20		Download
04	Skynet	Chris Granner	Andy Brock	1:45		Download
05	Escape from the T-1000	Chris Granner	Andy Brock	1:42		Download
06	Steel Mill	Chris Granner	Andy Brock	0:58		Download
07	Ending	Chris Granner	Andy Brock	0:55		Download
08	Game Over	Chris Granner	Andy Brock	0:03		Download

Credits

• Ripper: KungFuFurby
• Recorder: Doommaster1994
• Game Credits
  • Not Credited Composer: Chris Granner
  • Sound/Music: Andy Brock
  • Tools: Carl Muller

(Sources: Arcade, SNES)

The credits are displayed during the game's ending. All releases of the SNES version of the game have the same credits. Though not credited for it specifically, Carl Muller programmed Probe's SNES sound driver, which was used in this game. Though his role in the game Tools could refer to the driver, as it was indeed a tool used to create the audio.

Game Rip

Format	Download

Audio Devices

The game uses the S-SMP of the SNES. It uses Carl Muller's sound driver.

Releases

EU Title: T2: The Arcade Game Platform: SNES Released: 1993-??-?? Publisher: LJN, Ltd.     Japan Title: Ｔ２ザ・アーケード・ゲーム (T2: The Arcade Game) Platform: SNES Released: 1994-02-25 Publisher: LJN, Ltd.     USA Title: T2: The Arcade Game Platform: SNES Released: 1994-02-?? Publisher: LJN, Ltd.

Links

• gamefaqs.gamespot.com/snes/588783-t2-the-arcade-game - GameFAQs.
• mobygames.com/game/snes/terminator-2-judgment-day___ - MobyGames.