Transformers: The Game
July 3,2007 - The Transformers franchise has come quite a long way since its introduction by Hasbro back in 1984. Starting with a toy line, it has spanned comics, animated films, television series, and a number of video games. Now, thanks (or no thanks) to filmmaker Michael Bay, the Autobots and the Decepticons are back at it in Transformers: The Game, based on the upcoming film. Borrowing from most of Michael Bay’s films, the game throws out a lot of flash and bang for your buck, but there’s not much more than meets the eye in this depth-lacking movie licensed game.

Transformers will have you follow the storylines of either the heroic Autobots or the evil Decepitcons. Choosing from the start doesn’t necessarily mean you have to stick to that side throughout the game, as you’ll be able to choose a side each time you boot the game back up. No matter which side, you’ll be on a desperate hunt for the AllSpark, a highly powerful device that is the source of all the Transformers power and life.

As the Autobots, you’ll be on the defense for Earth. You’ll take control of a Bumblebee, Ironhide, Jazz, and (of course) Optimus Prime. On the Decepticon side, you’ll be Megatron, Starscream, Barricade, Blackout, and Scorponok. Other machines will be in the game, but they will not be playable.

In a free roam environment, you’ll run around doing only a few tasks in each chapter. There are some sub-missions which you’ll be able to enter after collecting glowing cubes, and they can range from hunting down cars to pushing enemies out of a ring in a certain time frame. There are only four in each chapter, and they’re not that fun, so it shifts most of the focus on the story. On the whole, it isn’t very hard. There are about three or four chapters to complete before a level is over. Some things you’ll need to figure out, but for the most part it’s all very simple. Playing as both sides, it shouldn’t take you more than 6 hours to complete the game, and that’s including running around for fun. Xbox 360 owners have a slight length advantage over everybody else with an exclusive Cybertron level. It’s allegedly only included with the collector’s edition of the game, but we were able to unlock it for each side by simply playing the whole game.

For a little competition, Nintendo DS players can use the Wi-Fi connection to upload their campaign points in the “Battle for AllSpark.” DS owners can also use the connection for online deathmatches, but it’s strictly for localized play. A tiny bit of bad news for DS owners though: if you want the joy of playing as both sides, you’ll have to double your money and buy different versions of the game. Vicarious Visions made the choice to split the two into different games instead of combining them.

The gameplay isn’t anything too great. Transforming works well and is relatively seamless. It’s also pretty quick, so don’t worry about it slowing you down too much. Obviously because of your size, you won’t be moving too fast or with much ease. When driving, it’s easy to build speed, but not the best to control. It’s clunky a majority of the time and reversing your car handles horribly. As a slight bonus, PS3 owners will be able to use the SIXAXIS for the flying Decepticons.

Easily one of the best parts of the game is the destructible environment. You’ll be able to run over obstacles, run through them, or smash/shoot them to pieces. Essentially everything is destructible, which is nice to see in a game when so many others promise full destruction and fail to deliver.

The game looks pretty good from a graphical standpoint, but it’s nothing more than average. Cutscenes are good but the character models look odd when they’re moving (more so with Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes). The opening cutscene is the best and it’s a shame the rest of the game can’t look anywhere as good. The game’s graphical mediocrity also holds back the look of the environment when you’re smashing it to bits. Everything just seems to fall off with not too much detail. For example, when fires break out, they simply appear, rather than gain in momentum.

For long time Transformers fans, Activision has you covered with unlockable bonus content. Collecting aforementioned cubes, hidden icons, and completing levels will gain you access to a decent array of material. You’ll be able to view cutscenes (although they’re not that exciting), trailers and stills from the film, and stills from the original cartoon series. PS3, 360, and PC owners will also be able to unlock and apply Generation 1 skins for their character models, which include Optimus Prime, Megatron, Jazz, and Starscream.

Not much else could really be said about Transformers: The Game. It’s about on par with all other movie licensed games: relatively short, decent graphics, decent gameplay, and not much value to it. It’s a mystery why most movies needs an accompanying game, but seeing as how Transformers is action based there was no way around it. By the end of the game, you may be shouting “Damn you, Michael Bay!” for bringing back Transformers to take your money, so make sure you only rent this title.

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