Terminator Genisys: Rise of the Resistance

Board Game Geek Reviews

1. 9 out of 10

   airjudden

   I never saw any [i]Terimanator[/i] movies after the 3rd one, so I don't know the background details of this other than it takes place in the future, but that doesn't stop this from being a great game. It is a lot of fun and it solos as well as it plays cooperatively. More than many games, the AI works logically because this is AI you are going up against: the machines are efficient, but predictable, and you may be able to use this to your advantage. Overall, strong theme, good mechanics, many scenarios (and they link together if you want!) and great looking components.

2. 10 out of 10

   Gamer DC

   Excellent game for a few reasons - rule set is not to tough to grasp, dice management mechanics are simple but can be strategic, and overall game play has a very good flow. Never would have considered this game except I saw it on someone's solo game list as one of their favorites.

3. 8.5 out of 10

   awjoel

   I've been looking for a thematic sci-fi game with minis to add to the immersion, but that's still affordable and doesn't go overboard in terms of footprint, heft, construction of the miniatures, etc. I tried Space Cadets and liked the mechanics, but found the game just too big, with too long a setup and breakdown time, to take out often. Plus, the 1950's space opera theme didn't resonate with me - I found it a bit generic, and it just didn't immerse me. I've been looking at some of the Aliens game - I love that movie - but the latest one involves painstaking assembly of mini's, so I am taking a pass. I like the Space Marines universe, love the card game, and recently got the very simple yet fun Space Marine Labyrinth of the Necrons, which I greatly enjoy. I wanted something just a bit meatier, so I went for this game, and I'm glad I did. I like the original Terminator movie, and while I didn't see Genisys, you definitely don't need to in order to get immersed in the theme. The game does a great job of making you feel like you're on the mission depicted, and the mini's, while very basic, do the job well for me. I love dice games, and this game does a great job of giving you significant decisions to make based on what you roll. My one complaint is the rulebook. Like many rulebooks in this genre, the designers have focused on glossy presentation at the expense of clarity and logical organization. To learn the game, you really need to watch a playthrough video rather than bulling your way through the rulebook. The game is simple enough to learn through the videos. I like this game! Edit: I upgraded my rating (alert the media)- I had been stuck on the first mission using two characters. It was still fun and thematic - my characters getting cornered by terminators as they sought to make their escape - but I was frustrated I couldn't complete the easiest level! I belatedly discovered I had misinterpreted two key rules - first, your character can take a total of FOUR hits before going "down," not the three that I had been assuming. Big difference. Second, a grenade KILLS most terminators - the rules use the term "wound" which is confusing, but most terminators can take only one wound. (See my earlier comments about the rulebook). This would have been huge in my losses - I tossed grenades into terminator mobs with minimal effect - with the right rule, those mobs would have been eliminated, clearing the path for my escape. So, I played it again last night, using the rules correctly and playing with three characters. Victory! The payoff after the initial frustration was huge! I recommend playing with three characters - it's more balanced that way, and more fun since each character has different special abilities. No problem managing three solo.