When Terminator: Resistance first launched back in 2019, it was hard to ignore how much this glorified bit of fan-service was hampered by a lack of time and money. Sure, Teyon and Reef Entertainment had nailed the tone and atmosphere of the future war setting briefly glimpsed in Cameron’s movies, but it left a lot to be desired compared to other blockbuster single player first-person shooters on the block. Unfortunately, the new Annihilation Line DLC suffers from the same budgetary issues. For Terminator die-hards, however, it’s a satisfying side story that doesn’t outstay its welcome.

Annihilation Line doesn’t take place before or after Terminator Resistance’s main campaign, instead being sandwiched bang in the middle. John Connor has put together an elite unit together in the hopes of discovering why a civilian convoy has gone missing, you see, and you (alongside Kyle Reese and a couple others) make up the special team. Cut to plenty of resource scavenging and enemy base sabotaging, all as you run-and-gun through the titular area in unabashed B-movie fashion.

What you’re getting here is ostensibly a four to five hour extra slice of campy shooting action. The bones of the base game very much remain, though Annihilation Line gets you up to speed early with a boatload of weapons, skill points and resources at the start. The core act of shooting remains floaty. However, this arguably works to make the T-800s you’re fighting feel appropriately intimidating.

The main draw here is getting to spend time with Kyle Reese, and this standalone adventure does indeed succeed in rounding him out as a character. This being Terminator: Resistance, though, expect to see lots more Easter eggs sprinkled in. That’s why, much like before, Annihilation Line delivers another ho-hum FPS experience that only true franchise veterans will fully have fun with.