Terminator 2 Judgment Day Walkthrought
Clearing Terminator 2: Judgment Day on the NES isn’t a straight-line sprint. Every stage has its own little asks: someone to protect, someone to outrun, a route that’s tighter than it looks. Let’s go step by step—short but surgical—so you hit the foundry without bleeding out and send the T-1000 into the melt like the movie tie-in intended. Around here it was just “T2 on NES,” and that’s exactly the vibe.
Bar: grab the bike and make a clean exit
Fistfights only to start. Head right through the bar full of bruisers, but don’t box every tough you see—punch your way forward with half-body jabs and don’t get cornered. At the long counter by the wall, snag the keys (hard to miss); without them, the parking lot stays locked. Duck into the kitchen behind the left door for your first med kit, then back to the main floor. The lot is the far-right room with the glowing EXIT sign. Don’t linger outside: hop on the bike and the stage ends. If two or three rush you in that last hallway, back off half a screen and pull them one by one.
Mall: John, escalators, and the box of roses
The brief: find John and escort him out before the T-1000 forces a brawl. Sweep the perimeter—bottom floor left to right, then up the escalator and along the upper storefronts. John’s in the arcade; bring the Terminator up to him and the kid will start following. From then on, keep him on-screen and don’t let stairs separate you. The T-1000 likes to pop near escalators—don’t play hero; shove him back with a quick combo and slide to the next screen.
The big trick is the shotgun in the flower box. The florist is on the upper level; the display with vases stands out—smash it and grab the boomstick. Rounds are finite, not bottomless, so only fire when the liquid metal cop blocks John’s path or camps the exit. Swat mall security with your fists—ammo’s too precious for rent-a-cops. Your goal is bottom-right, by the service corridor. Keep John half a step ahead so he doesn’t “fall off” the edge of the screen; if he sticks on a staircase, step back and realign your path.
Bike chase: hold distance and read the drain
The storm-drain gauntlet is classic “keep speed, dodge trash.” Look past your front wheel: barrels and crates telegraph early, so lane-change early too. Watch the HUD’s distance to the T-1000’s semi—every bump slows you and brings him in. If the lane is clear, hug one side and stop weaving. Health and gas pickups are rare: take them when safe, but don’t crash-hunt for them. The secret’s simple: don’t scrub speed in narrow gaps and don’t clip walls. If the truck closes in, don’t panic—string clean segments and you’ll stretch the gap again.
Pescadero Hospital: keycard, elevator, Sarah
Now it’s more than “reach the door.” You need a keycard, the elevator, and Sarah herself. From the first screen, go right and up the stairs to the security desk—one of the first guards usually drops a card. If not, check nearby posts, but don’t trigger the alarm: sirens spawn extra guards, and batons shred health fast. With the pass, return to the elevator (central block between the wings). Ride down to the cell level; there’s a hall of doors, and the right one has barred window slits—use that tell.
Open up and Sarah joins. On the way back, the T-1000 loves ambushing at the elevator—check the adjacent screen first so you don’t scrap in tight quarters. If he oozes out of the floor, a couple shotgun blasts buy safe space. Exit where you entered: through the lobby, no sightseeing—the longer you idle, the more guards flood in. On long stair runs, go first and funnel foes into a choke so none slip past to tag Sarah from behind.
Cyberdyne Systems: charges and a fast exfil
Two jobs at Cyberdyne: plant the explosives and beat feet before the whole building swarms. Start in the server room: head upstairs, look for rooms with blinking racks—plant the first charge by the wall. The second goes in the lab with a display case (those “future evidence” pieces under glass domes). The third sits by the central console in the office zone where lab coats wander. Link targets via the shortest corridors: loop halls love to waste your time, so mark turns mentally—clock the screen with the red extinguisher or the filing cabinet with green drawers, that sort of thing.
After the last charge, a timer kicks in—tight window. Skip extra med kits, avoid slugfests—drop lone guards and sprint to the stairs, then the main lobby. The T-1000 sometimes jams the glass doors: don’t try to shoulder him aside; tap him with two shells and slip by. If two enemies pinch you, scroll back a screen and re-enter to split their positions. Here the shotgun is your safety net—save shells for choke points and narrow passes.
Foundry: steam, conveyors, T-1000 finale
The steel plant is the final exam. Don’t rush the steam vents: those blasts punt you into the melt instantly. The rule: step up to the pipe, wait for the lull, step through, then hop straight to a dry platform. On conveyors, don’t fight the belt—move diagonally and watch the screen edge or you’ll drift off. The path to the final platform snakes up-right-down-right; follow the direction with crane frames and big vats—those landmarks mean you’re on track.
Before the showdown, pull the lever at the hazard-striped console to prime the pour. The T-1000 doesn’t die here—you’re corralling him. Keep him lined up and stagger him with strings of strikes or blasts, edging him toward the platform lip with the narrow catwalk below. When he’s at the brink, land a couple more hits to make him slip the right way. If you whiff the setup, don’t face-tank—duck to the previous screen to drop aggro, then re-engage on your terms. No guards, no distractions—just you and him, so spend every last shell.
When he crawls onto the platform by the crucible, repeat: sharp shots, steady pressure, herd to the edge. Don’t crowd the rim yourself—recoil animations can bounce you into the soup. If there’s a second lever, throw it once he’s under the stream to finish clean. No need to “finish the job”—once he drops, it’s a short jog to the end trigger.
A few global tips for the whole T2 NES run. One: bank ammo for tight corridors and doorways—shots pay off more in chokepoints. Two: keep John and Sarah half a body ahead so they don’t rub the screen edge and “despawn.” Three: landmarks are your best map—escalators, security desks, storefronts, and server racks anchor your mental route. And yes: “where’s the shotgun?”—in the mall; “how to clear Cyberdyne?”—fast, by key rooms; “how to beat the T-1000?”—you don’t beat him, you dump him. Nail those three, and T2 stops biting and plays in one smooth rhythm.