Stern’s Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, released in 2003 and designed by Steve Ritchie, delivers blockbuster action with a couple of genuinely dramatic mechanical features. The standout is a reciprocating cannon in the backbox that fires a Delrin ball horizontally at five targets — a striking bit of theater — alongside a T-X ball cannon that shoots the ball at the right flipper and a full-playfield “RED” mode that bathes the entire table in crimson light. With three all-steel ramps and a captive ball, it’s a fast, aggressive machine built by the Master of Flow.
The scoring rewards accuracy and ramp combos. Shooting the drop-target center lane lights the lock, and the same shot locks three balls for multiball, scores jackpots, and lights a super jackpot after three jackpots — a tidy, focused progression. Alternating the left and right ramps five times each starts Payback Time for thirty seconds, lighting all the ramps and both loops for a million each. The RPG mode rewards precision, paying bonuses for not missing a shot, for hitting the targets in order, and for using fewer than five shots.
There’s sensible risk management baked in: the center lane shot has a dangerous return, especially with the drop target up, so it’s safer played from the left flipper, while Payback Time is the lower-risk way to rack up points. Loud, fast, and bristling with that backbox cannon, Terminator 3 is an underrated Ritchie machine that captures the relentless energy of its source. For players who love a good ramp-and-multiball game with real mechanical spectacle, it’s a satisfying and high-octane ride. He’ll be back.