Transformers

""Autobots, transform and roll out!""

I happened to notice TRANSFORMERS ARMADA: Prelude to Energon by sheer accident. When I got a gaming magazine, I popped in the accompanying video DVD and found myself looking at a new TRANSFORMERS game made by Melbourne House, and distributed by Atari. As an old fan, having played with the toys in my youth, I looked at the footage which showed a graphically impressive game, and the guy showcasing it was having a blast playing. So I pre-ordered my copy and hoped for the best. To put the verdict up front: I wasn't disappointed at all.

Onto the review:

Story: 5/10
It's the typical "Good Autobots versus Evil Decepticons" plot, only with minor variations.
This time both teams fight over a third race of Transformers, called the Minicons, who grant special abilities to the user. To prevent the Decepticons from getting too many of them, Optimus Prime, Red Alert and Hot Shot travel to Earth to settle the matter.

Graphics: 9/10
The game boasts some impressive visuals. The environments are HUGE, wonderfully detailed (almost real-looking grass and trees!) and rich with animation and slick lighting effects (the Deep Amazon level is especially beautiful). And NO FOG whatsoever, the draw distance is stunning. In one level you happen to stand on top of a mountain ruin and can see all the way back to your starting point - and with the right equipment you can jump off that mountain and glide all the way back to where you came, without loading times.
The graphics are crisp, colorful and move at a steady 60 frames per second, even with hordes of enemies onscreen. The only time when the graphics get choppy is when a new area is streamed in, but it might as well be my aging PS2 :-). The character and enemy models are nicely textured
and have a nice gloss effect that reminds me of freshly polished cars. There is a small issue with jaggies, but all in all the graphics are sweet.

Sound FX: 10/10
Music: 8/10
I'm a sound freak. Games with good sound are better games than games with good looks only.
Call me biased, but anyways. TRANSFORMERS delivers in spadefuls. The FX are varied, detailed and many, from the whirring of hydraulics in your 'bots legs to massive "stomp stomps" to explosions and gunfiring. But it's not only that, but small things like the "ready" beep when your weapons have recharged. Coupled with nice speech (not much, but high quality) the FX department
is sure to satisfy.
Music-wise there is a nice mix of orchestrated and electro/rock music that sets the mood of the stages pretty good. Every boss has his fight theme. My only quibble here is that the rock parts are pretty forgettable, but that is compensated by the quality of the remaining music.

Gameplay: 8/10
Basically, TRANSFORMERS ARMADA is a third-person shooter. You control one of three Autobots (Optimus Prime, Hot Shot or Red Alert) and move through huge levels trying to find as many Minicons as you can while battling Hordes of Decepticlones, robotic soldiers mass-produced by the Decepticons. Every Minicon you find can be equipped to one of four "slots" your 'bot
has, augmenting the offensive and defensive capabilities significantly. One HUGE advantage in this system is that there are many solutions to every problem, depending on the minicon loadout your bot carries. The controls are pretty straight-forward. You move with the left analog stick, aim with the right one and use the shoulder buttons to use your weapons/minicons.
The face buttons allow access to your 'bots vehicle form, the Powerlinx and the first-person view.
The Powerlinx is a fancy name for a slow motion mode that is initiated by combining with a partner that accompanies you. Opposed to other games with slow-motion moves you don't have a "Bullet-Time"-Meter, instead you lose some of your health. But it's a nice option in a pinch.
The AI is pretty solid. Enemy robots try to circumvent you, evade your
attacks and work in teams - if a commander is present. So, IF a commander is present, get rid of him ASAP or you'll get swarmed. The level design is decent, leaving you enough room to explore. In fact, if you just follow the main path, you'll not only miss about two thirds of the available minicons, but you'll have a much harder game, since every minicon you find makes the game a little easier by providing you with new abilities or simply a bigger gun.
And you need every edge you can get, since this is by no means an easy game. You have to stand up agains HORDES of clever enemies, have to deal with sometimes difficult terrain and at the end of each level you'll face a well-known Decepticon level boss. The boss fights can be a real pain, but with the right tactics and a grain of luck you'll win.
The only thing that bugs me is that the transformation ability of your 'bot is seldom used as a gameplay element. You CAN transform and use that to cover great distances quickly, but except for the first level, where ravine crossing via ramps is in order, you'll barely have to transform - except for the fun of steamrollering enemies!

Replay value: 7/10
You can find so called datacons, items that look pretty much like film rolls, which contain extras, from artworks to sound track bits to old TV spots. Finding them and all minicons will have you come back, even if you beat the final boss. Sadly there are no bonus characters (or the ability to play the bad guys for a change), but the game is good enough that you'll probably play through it a second time with different Autobot/Minicon combinations.

VROOM:
- tons of eye (and ear) candy
- huge levels, much to explore
- nice challenge
- oozes Transformers atmosphere at every second

OOOMPH:
- can get too challenging at times (I dread the "commander" difficulty!)
- marginally useful transformation abiliities
- no bonus characters
- I want to play the bad guys too
- NO MULTIPLAYER!
- a little short

Verdict: This game had me from the first moment I laid eyes upon it. It's a blast to play and I had nostalgia the whole time through. More of it, please!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/09/04