Transformers: Decepticons

"The story of a poor misguided fool.... o and it's also fun to play."

Transformers Decepticons DS review

WARNING: Encased in the game box in question is the story of evil, the tragic plight of a Decepticon and lots of cars and one jet, read on……

Decepticons is the other half of the DS game of the Transformers Movie, the bad side and confusingly, the more popular game, which says something about most people.
In this “review” I will go beyond the game, so YOU know what's going on. Vicarious Visions were charged with doing the DS version of the game, and have done an excellent job and the studio hasn't compromised to appeal to non-fans which is a plus.

Since the beginning of Cybertron and the dawn of the Tranformers, two powerful guardians have protected the life giving All-spark. One of them however wished to gain the power of the cube for himself so as to conquer and rule the galaxy, establishing the Transformers as the dominant species. He is Megatron, leader of your faction and all around bad guy.

Soon Megatron gathers an army of like-minded ‘formers to crush all resistance and gain the All-spark. The resulting war destroys Cybertron and most of the ‘formers that inhabit it, only Megatrons nemesis and Brother Optimus Prime and his Autobots remain. Since then the remaining Transformers have waged war across the universe culminating with the Battle of Tyger Pax.

Optimus Prime plans to eject the All-Spark into space in the hopes that Megatron will never grasp it. Hungry for the cube Megatron transforms and gives chase; his Decepticons track him down after receiving a transmission one hundred years after Pax….

Since the destruction of Cybertron, both sides have deployed armies of drones as expendable soldiers to fight the war, this is where you come in, you are one the drones, but you are special, Starscream himself has taken an interest in you and sends you to Earth to provide him with info.

Transformers for DS places you, A Decepticon drone in a free roaming sandbox environment reminiscent to the Driver installments, Grand Theft Auto Games and Superman series. The movie was about Sam, the consoles are about the Autobots and Decepticons, but this game is about you mech-incarnated as a Decepticon, cool.

The game plays out at the behest of Starscream to seek out the other Decepticons and further your goal of the All-spark and reviving Megs himself. The player progresses around the area reaching green markers on the map to initiate main storyline missions. These usually consist of various types of fare, from car chases, robot melee battle royales, escorts, pickups and mass carnage among others.

Te controls for the game are easy to use and fun, in no way do they feel clunky or challenging, and the only misnomer being the targeting can be unwieldy at times which can be frustrating when swamped by enemies. The handling for the alt. modes is well done and the robot modes aren't clunky or annoying, which makes play engaging. I know I haven't been able to put this game down during certain missions which involve speeding straight towards your objective only to transform into a crowd of enemies and demolish them with your superior firepower.

The visuals of this game aren't amazing but they present the game in a way that fits the Transformers, each ‘bot is portrayed well, and looks great for a handheld, the same can't be said of the buildings and cars that drive around, but perhaps that's too much to ask on such a platform. The compressed cutscene at the start of the game is amazing and is truly a treat.

The audio aspect is where this game absolutely shines, a small cart of quality dialogue from some renown voice actors, whether it be the one-liner from Frank Welker or the sentence from Keith David, the audio on this game exceeds all expectations, the music is somewhat unremarkable, but doesn't detract from the gameplay at all.

As you play the game your character levels from the experience gained destroying things, with every new level he grows stronger and gains new abilities, from heavy weapons to the longer combos and the tasty nitro boost, these are welcome upgrades.
It's not as intricate as an RPG, but serves as a fun part of the game as well as a passer of events.

Aside from the main game (which is beaten is several hours), the maps are littered with challenge missions for the player to complete for experience, these include, destruction, survival etc.

The Wi-Fi component of the game is different from your standard fair. Between sides the battle for the All-spark rages, to fight, players sign in download a mission to complete and upload their points which contributes to the outcome, I am yet to partake, but I have heard good things. Should your friends have Transformers as well, you can link up for a bit of robot battle. Good fun once the main quest is done.

A thoroughly enjoyable game and experience, Transformers DS should not be judged until played, It is in no way a cheap movie tie-in and a game of polish, definite buy for your collection.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/30/07