Terminator 2: The Arcade Game

Intro: 0:00

Take a time machine back to before the world went to hell, around the year 2000.

Chad Bishoff: 0:07

The 80s and 90s were so rad.

Adam Wintz: 0:10

The movies, the music, the TV, the games, that's what I want to talk about.

Intro: 0:14

Like can subscribe on your favorite podcast app and continue the conversation on Facebook and Instagram. And if you're cool enough, join the show on Patreon for exclusive bonus content. And now Less Than 2000 with Adam Wintz and Chad Bishoff

Adam Wintz: 0:38

Less Than 2000 Now part of the HyperX Podcast Network

Chad Bishoff: 0:43

We haven't spoken in a week and we're you're just getting off of work. I'm just getting off of work your your kitty is happy to see you and is sitting on your back. This is probably the most chill start to an episode ever. Normally we come in swinging like what are you talking about right now? Oh, it's

Adam Wintz: 1:03

I think we're both transitioning out of work mode. I think so

Chad Bishoff: 1:07

I think what will change this and is talking about Terminator two the arcade game. since we're both chill. Nothing like grabbing an actual gun and just going to town rapid firing machine guns at T-800s and blowing up machines. So we may be chill but I think as we get into the explosions and the guns of it all. We're going to be a okay today.

Adam Wintz: 1:42

I think you just open the episode My friend very well done. So a lot of times we edit it so you don't get the first word.

Chad Bishoff: 1:51

Well, yeah, I made it abundantly clear. Previous

Adam Wintz: 1:54

So I think it's um, yeah, the alternate take I would have said would have been very similar to what you just said is like, you have a long day of work and come home you want to get out of work mode, you got to kick things into high gear. Imagine having the Terminator 2 the arcade game in your home to just pick up whenever you want and start shooting effing terminators

Chad Bishoff: 2:16

I always wanted that and it was sad that they never did I mean unless you went and bought the big original. Like those machines those acrade games they they're like 5-10 thousand dollars. I mean if I was insane I would maybe go do that and get that but I'm not insane. I'm in no way financially in a place to be that insane. But I always wanted it because never had it

Adam Wintz: 2:42

Oh but Chad you got you. I've got good news for you. They are releasing the arcade one up version 700 bucks for the arcade one up version the slightly smaller you know the three quarter size. I bought NBA Jam, dude,

Chad Bishoff: 3:00

really?

Adam Wintz: 3:01

You gotta buy the Terminator one

Chad Bishoff: 3:02

they're really releasing this thing

Adam Wintz: 3:05

Yeah, it comes out in February

Chad Bishoff: 3:07

my god I must be living under a rock. I didn't know who was nominated. I didn't know Dune was nominated. I don't know the T2 arcade game is is is now actually coming out for consumer use in home.

Adam Wintz: 3:22

By the time this episode drops, it will already have been out. And

Chad Bishoff: 3:27

When did they announce this? How do I not here? How does information travel to other people faster than me?

Adam Wintz: 3:35

Because I regularly go to arcade one. up.com To look for new cabinets. And I saw this. I've been waiting for this one. I've been waiting for The Simpsons. You know, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles one came out. I bought the NBA Jam one. I have a Final Fight and Street Fighter one. But but T2 The Arcade Game is one that's like a must have.

Chad Bishoff: 3:58

It's legendary. I mean, it is absolutely. If if you were born circa 1980 You know to 84 - 85 So you and and you hit the arcades, when you were then in your early like 10, 11, 12 you play this game. There was no way you didn't play this game. I mean, it was it was incredible.

Adam Wintz: 4:26

So incredible. And it was it actually supplanted Street Fighter two for a couple of weeks. For a month. Because Street Fighter was a huge thing at the time. And was the biggest fighting game until Mortal Kombat came out. And so this actually knocked off Street Fighter for like a month and had a really great first quarter because it was it was awesome. I mean, it came out 91 right around the same time as the movie. And what was the best part about it was that it used the likenesses and voices of the actors, it had Arnold saying, I wrote it down. "Excellent"."Nice shot" "Asta Lavista baby"."No problemo." "Let's go." And when you die "terminated" with Arnold's actual voice

Chad Bishoff: 5:24

did it really I see I forgot that

Adam Wintz: 5:26

it originally was just called Terminator two Judgment Day. It did not have the arcade game in its title when it was in arcades. That came later, it became added when they released it to home consoles. Because there were already so many. There's already another Terminator two Judgment Day platformer style...

Chad Bishoff: 5:49

Okay, that makes sense, because I had that I had the T2 the arcade game for my Gameboy. And so that's. I love on your laughing Mr. Sega over there. What do you have?

Adam Wintz: 6:07

So I had it on SNES and I had the light gun. Do you remember the Super Scope? It was called the SNES superscope. And I bought it specifically just for this game because I gotta have the Terminator. And it was the $%#^ gun. Like it was not a machine gun. It was like a rifle like this.

Chad Bishoff: 6:29

It was like a slightly better Duck Hunt gun.

Adam Wintz: 6:32

Yeah, it was it was it was not fun. But I got to play it at home. Which was because this was an awesome game. I mean, this was this was we dropped so many quarters or tokens at a place called Aladdin's Castle, and Family Fun Center anywhere this game was we played it. And we played. It was always though that that moment, we're like, do we spend all of our money on this one game? Or do you want to go try some other ones? It was a conundrum.

Chad Bishoff: 7:01

I don't know if it was a conundrum for me. I think it was more of a conundrum for the people in my circle, because I would have sat there and played that game over and over and over and over and over again. I absolutely loved it. Because unlike what we grew up with, with Duck Hunt, and the little, the little, you know, you know, six year you're the one or one shooter that you add for you know, regular Nintendo. This was a machine gun, you got to wrap your arms around a machine gun, and literally rapid fire. I mean,

Adam Wintz: 7:34

it had kick back too and feedback. And the sound felt good and had vibrated like you felt the bullets. And it had the little button on the side where you could launch grenades out of it or missiles out of it. And and as you shot, it like the rate of fire went down until you you never ran out of bullets, but like your weapon would overheat until you got to speed it back up. And it had such a satisfying, like, just feel to the gun to this day. I mean, there's some great shooters out there.

Chad Bishoff: 8:07

But that but that's up there as one of the best

Adam Wintz: 8:11

This one was definitely one of the best. I mean, and it was Terminator and it was came out at that time that we were obsessed with Terminator and going to arcades. It was a conundrum like do I spend the $10 my parents gave me all on this one game. And to this day, I have never beat it.

Chad Bishoff: 8:30

No, not even close. But while we're talking Did you ever beat it?

Adam Wintz: 8:31

Right? about this conundrum, I think now might might be time to admit

Chad Bishoff: 8:35

I never got used to the five buttons. It's not one of my dark secrets about the arcade. I think the reason why I loved playing Terminator two and and doing the gun thing was because believe it or not. I am not good at the multi button only hard it never made sense to me. Maybe my parents didn't give joystick game. I never figured out how to play Mortal Kombat that well, I could I could play it great on a console. me an it maybe my mom. I'll blame her specifically. Maybe my mom didn't give me enough money to spend enough time learning it but I could never get it. I was the kid that when somebody else was like, put their quarter up like I got next game I was. I was like Adam Sandler in the in the baseball sketch going "oh God, not to me, not to me." If I saw somebody I didn't know put a quarter I was like, Oh God, no, because I knew I was gonna get my ass kicked in the video game, because I never figured it out. To this day. Even when I was over at your house. I didn't want to admit it. But when you were like, "Hey, let's play a little bit". I got a little weirded out. I still played of course but like I got nervous internally nervous because I suck that bad at the actual arcade button joystick games.

Adam Wintz: 10:48

Thank you for coming clean with that, Chad that, that took a lot of courage. And I applaud you for, for letting that out of the bag. It was, you know, it was it was it was Street Fighter, Street Fighter two is what introduced all those buttons. They had six, three punches, three kicks. And that means all you had back in the day was like Double Dragon, which was jump, punch, jump, punch, Final Fight, jump punch. But now you suddenly have six in Mortal Kombat put, you know, two kicks, two punches, and then the block button right in the middle of that.

Chad Bishoff: 11:28

So if you missed you were still kickin and punching

Adam Wintz: 11:32

insanely difficult to do that. And yeah, no, I mean that the console versions are much better. But you know, what was not better on the console versions, and certainly couldn't be on a Gameboy would be this game Terminator 2 the arcade game. Because you got to move you got to use the little directional button to get the thing up to where it's supposed to be the whole point of shooting it is oh, it's up in that corner. Oh, it's down there, reload, you know, don't shoot that person. Whereas if you're doing it at home, you got the stupid unless you have the Super Scope. You got to like use the controller and that sucks for this type of game.

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previously on chat of the wild but what we have to do is there are these seeds in these little holes that we have to put specific water on to make them grow up and we get the Mario sound effect for the vines going like it's what exactly is the sound effect for Mario that they use?

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Adam Wintz: 13:47

I love when the the terminators pop up. I love when they pop up right in front of you, you know, you're going along shooting and you're shooting stuff in the distance and stuff coming at you. And then suddenly they just pop up and start shooting at you or whatever. And then the first level. They're, they're the endoskeleton they don't have their flesh on them. Second level, you're in the hideout, and they got their flesh on them. So you got Arnold popping up with the glasses right in your face and you got to shoot him a bunch of times and then their flesh blows off. And then you see a little bit of the metal underneath them and then they explode. I always love the games that were there shooting game where suddenly something randomly pops up at you really close.

Chad Bishoff: 14:27

Yeah, it's freaky. I mean, it's scary. Because you're like in it and BAM AH,

Adam Wintz: 14:33

you got to take that thing out because it's gonna do damage but then there's all the other stuff still shooting at you. But I mean, this is this is these are great pop ups as far as as far as like a shooter arcade shooter goes. I mean, the T-800 We've already talked about the best design of like any movie kind of monster villain really?

Chad Bishoff: 14:53

Totally.

Adam Wintz: 14:54

And then you got Arnold doing it. It's just I just those little gameplay mechanics don't shoot the humans. Do shoot the terminators

Chad Bishoff: 15:03

do shoot the human terminators with their skin on.

Adam Wintz: 15:07

I love I love that. Okay, the mission mission one was the battlefield and you get to see the future war stuff from the movies, where they're always flashing forward to the visions and the dream world of the hunter seekers and the plasma cannons and I just I just, I just love that stuff, dude. I I geek out on that and then you actually get to play in it. In this future dystopia. I've been using that word a lot lately.

Chad Bishoff: 15:33

dystopia?

Adam Wintz: 15:35

Yeah,

Chad Bishoff: 15:35

is that because you feel like the you know, our we're all headed into a weird crazy dystopian, like, the dystopian future is now, like it may not, it may not look like the machines are in power. And you know, it's not the guns in the shooting, but it kind of today's world kind of feels like the machines have taken over our brains. And we're headed towards this crazy dystopian future.

Adam Wintz: 16:01

Level three was the pickup truck. And that was awesome. The escort mission where you got to protect the pickup truck that John Connor is driving, somebody is on the back using a machine gun and the hunter seeker that's trying to take you out. And it's like, the it starts blowing up on you, it starts taking damage, and then it's on fire. And you can actually redo that level. Like it's not like straight up game over. But you have to put in another quarter token and then you're back to the very beginning of the level. And I definitely remember level three being a tough one to get past.

Chad Bishoff: 16:36

Yeah, cuz and the thing is, you need to save the truck. I remember every time I felt really let down every time I lost in that level. And the truck blew up and Sarah and John died. It was kind of like, nooooo, like, I always felt really bad. Like, I can't let that happen. But it was a hard level because the stuffs flying at you. And I mean, it was intense, right? If I remember correctly,

Adam Wintz: 17:02

very intense and I and I'm pretty sure your your weapons could damage the truck too. So that would be very precise. And so yeah, you'd feel extra bad if you'd like, accidentally used a rocket launcher on the truck. And yeah, it was it was a that was definitely one of the ones where it was like that level is one of the first hurdles were like do you want to keep playing? Or do you want to go over and play NBA Jam? You know, like, we've only got so much time at the arcade? We've only got so much money. Do you want to keep doing this level where we keep having to restart? It was it was definitely a quarter sink.

Chad Bishoff: 17:39

That's hilarious.

Adam Wintz: 17:41

I made it to the next level, which is you go to Cyberdyne and you have to destroy everything in Cyberdyne and, and and shoot the file cabinets and computers laying around. And this is where John Connor and Eddie for Eddie Furlong and Linda Hamilton are running along and she's like putting down weapons for you. And if you hit her she EH NO! EH NO! Just like, just like the other main characters. But this is the part that I thought was really interesting. I never cleared this level. I never this is this is what I never got past this, even on my home console. If all the equipment is destroyed during the stage, the player earns a large bonus and will receive the better of the two possible endings in the game. So this apparently has two different endings to it and you have to shoot everything in this level. And there's a lot %$# in this level and it's a side scroller, so you miss one thing and you don't get the best ending.

Chad Bishoff: 18:46

That's insane to me. I never knew this, clearly I never got that far because I was just gonna ask you how many levels are there so is there literally that few levels?

Adam Wintz: 18:56

Well that that is level five right there. So then there's two more there's two more after that and it follows the movie

Chad Bishoff: 19:04

So you have to shoot everything in the in cyberdyne and then there's still two levels one of those as an alternate whether you get everything or not is that it

Adam Wintz: 19:15

it's it's a different it's it's a ending not not levels the levels aren't affected but I guess the ending

Chad Bishoff: 19:21

the ending okay,

Adam Wintz: 19:22

so speaking speaking speaking of endings I love how the the gallows humor of it if you die it says terminated and it says something like you have failed the machines have you know now rule the earth or it's like it really rubs you in it really motivates you to keep going because yeah, like you said I failed and especially makes it worse like if you blew up the truck or you accidentally shot John Connor

Chad Bishoff: 19:49

which I've done which I did plenty of times I was the reason why why the human race was destroyed.

Adam Wintz: 19:57

Way to go Chad

Chad Bishoff: 19:59

I did my best

Adam Wintz: 20:00

and then the final level is at the liquid metal facility and you fight Robert Patrick as the T 1000 on a one on one you know kind of facing thing it's insane it's an insane fight and if you kill him he blows up and does the little sideways sound effect

Chad Bishoff: 20:21

oh my god

Adam Wintz: 20:22

and then fall in and it's pretty amazing. The the the ending is very underwhelming it's like you have one

Chad Bishoff: 20:29

well what which ending?

Adam Wintz: 20:31

Oh, that must have been the bad ending is what I'm guessing. I don't know if I saw the good ending. You're right.

Chad Bishoff: 20:38

We should have been more prepared. here for this episode,

Adam Wintz: 20:41

they must have missed something on the Cyberdyne level

Chad Bishoff: 20:44

There must be something other than just you win as is going EEEKKKK all blown apart, you win what? No!

Adam Wintz: 20:52

I mean the failure screens are more interesting than the you saved the world , yay.

Chad Bishoff: 21:00

I'm curious to see. I'm curious to see what this is,

Adam Wintz: 21:05

as we wrap it up.

Chad Bishoff: 21:09

Is that your new thing? Your new thing is to every episode, bring it down a notch and say, as we wrap this up...

Adam Wintz: 21:18

what have we learned today?

Chad Bishoff: 21:22

Not much, I want to know anybody actually learned anything today? Other than I was afriad of six buttons.

Adam Wintz: 21:30

You have your afraid of six buttons. It's got two endings, one of which I don't think we've seen. Go ahead and listen to Adams closing argument for that. I'll look into that. Bonus content. But Chad, I just wanted to I mean, I mean, I just wanted to take a minute to reminisce about walking into a place like Aladdin's castle.

Chad Bishoff: 21:52

Let's do it

Adam Wintz: 21:53

Or Family Fun Center with a sack full of quarters. Maybe for somebody's birthday party. I mean, that was really the only reason you ever went there. I can't I don't really remember my parents ever being like, maybe occasionally you can go spend a couple bucks while we're at the mall. But it was always like a party.

Chad Bishoff: 22:13

Always, always, always always it was a birthday party or if you were lucky enough that you were there with your parents. And they wanted to go do some other shopping and you had like you had like 15 minutes where you're like, okay, and you went to the arcade that was it. Otherwise, it was always a party.

Adam Wintz: 22:34

The sounds, the sights, the flashing lights, just the endless amounts of everything from skee ball like ringing you know, pinball machines, the fighting the punching the shooting the race car sounds, the the rack the wall of toys that you could win. I was never like really into ticket games. I played skee ball a little bit. I played basketball a little bit but you know some people would spend all of their quarters or tokens on those things to try to win. Win something. I was always more of a T2 guy. Turtles guy Mortal Kombat guy. Simpsons arcade X Men, Afterburner, these were these were this was our childhood Chad and I and I and I feel it's unfortunate that kids don't get that experience as much like yes it is awesome to have a home console where you've got all these amazing games with great graphics at our home on our big screens with surround sound but just going into a Dave and Busters is not the same that's like It's like gambling for kids. It's like putting

Chad Bishoff: 23:54

yeah you go int o a you go into a Dave and Busters hearing DING DING DING, like you would at the casino. It's like the casino. Yeah,

Adam Wintz: 24:05

Yes. And, and it's just doesn't. I, I wish people could experience that more. I wish the youth of today could experience that more and more fans of the show. Hopefully when I'm talking right now when we're talking we'll be able to look back on so and so's 12th birthday. So and so's 13th birthday at a Aladdins Castle and all the fun to be had by all the shooting terminators side by side with your best friend and a movie that we weren't allowed to watch legitimately. And and I just I just love it it gets me right in the feels

Chad Bishoff: 24:42

same same and all I can say because I'm not going to because I exact you couldn't I couldn't have said it better as I stumble through what I'm going to clearly say next. But I would say this. Thankfully, so many places around the US have places like you know, like beer arcade, in in Benson. There's places all over the country that have retro games, and all that and all I can do is say to all the parents listening to this that because we are of the age where people are starting to have children that are you know, 10, 11, 12, 13 and older. Take them to the arcade, the real arcade, not Dave and Busters. Show them what it was like to grow up around arcade games, because the real arcade games because you can't you can't replicate that at home. You can't replicate, on on even if you have an old console, even if you have the the you know the the Nintendo that has all of the old NES and SNES games, it's still not the same, but like grabbing a gun and shooting a t 800 Or playing the Simpsons and and using Bart's skateboard to hit people across the face or playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or any of the games that were out there. Do that. You know, if you're looking for ideas, go to the old school arcade and just have fun because you'll be able to have just as much fun and your kids will be open to something totally new.