Transformers: The Game

"Just another movie based game"

I really don't think I saw Transformers as a kid but I remember the toys. With the movie coming out in a matter of days and having actually watched the entire show on DVD I thought playing the game would be a good idea. How is it? Is it like almost every other movie based game? Read on!

The Decepticons are on Earth looking for Megatron and the cube. The cube offers great power for destroying the planet. In comes the Autobots to stop the Decepticons. It's a battle of good vs. evil and without the human side to this story it does feel a bit lacking. It does pretty much follow the plot of the movie but changes a few things up. I do like getting both sides of the story though.

Graphic wise this game is a mixed bag. The Transformers look really awesome. Just like their movie counterparts and they are almost as shiny. Sadly rest of the game doesn't look that good. The cut scenes are bland and lifeless. Normal vehicles in the game are pretty much hollow shells with the most basic details (lights, bumper and windshields). It's kind of annoying how bland it all looks compared to the Transformers.

The sound in the game is very bland. It does use the actors from the film which was a plus but it really doesn't matter. The music in the game did nothing for me and I thought the music in the movie was much better. At least the Transformers sound is in the game. It does get a bit tired after a while but it's better than not having it I guess. Rest of the sounds are pretty much okay. Nothing exciting or overly thrilling.

Control in the game is a little iffy at times. It's very easy to transform. It's easy to jump, shoot and all of that. The problems in that while the game uses an auto target feature it really doesn't work which wouldn't be too big of a problem except aiming manually is near impossible as well. It can really draw some minor battles out.

Have you played Grand Theft Auto or any other sandbox title? If so then you'll know how this games structure works. You can play as either the Autobots (good) or Decepticons (bad). They all have their own missions and stuff which is nice and their goals tend to be different so it does keep things interesting.

The game is made up of chapter. Each chapter represents a different area. Within each chapter there are 100 cubes to find, which are used to unlock side missions, which there are four. Each chapter contains 4 or 5 missions.

The main idea is to chase this person, defeat this set of guys, and destroy these objects, all within a set time limit. There always seems to be a time limit with the missions. It isn't even that the time limits are too tough; it just gets tiresome that everything is pretty much the same.

The combat in the game is just attack or grab pretty much. It's very watered down. Oh and you can shoot your guns as well. The enemies either die from being shot or punched a number of times or they can swing a weapon to block those attacks. Then you'll need to throw an item at them. To be honest there is nothing more to the game.

Autobots need to protect the buildings and stuff so it also becomes a hassle to even fight these guys because you end up causing damage to the buildings and it's kind of annoying. The Decepticons get to destroy stuff though, that's always a plus.

The game is kind of short if you're going to play through as one team but its average length if you complete both mission sets. The cubes do add some extra stuff to do but to be honest they were always painfully in sight at all times usually so I never had to actually hunt for the items. It was cool being able tot transform from car to robot though...

While I may have loved the film, I didn't love this game. It's not that it's a horrible game though. It's just that the game is nothing special at all. It's like any other sand box title but watered down and filled with repetitive missions. Maybe if some thought had gone into the game it could have been a lot better.

Story - 6/10
Graphics - 7/10
Sound - 6/10
Control - 7/10
Game Play - 5/10
Replay value - 4/10

Final Score - 5/10

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 07/12/07