Transformers: Decepticons

"We all have a little bit of Decepticon in us..."

Two bands of robots, some good and some bad, travelling the universe in search of a large cube. Yep, it's Transformers...

Free-roam. Along with FPS, it's a genre that is severely lacking in the DS library. Sometimes, if we wanted to play a free-roam game, we had to play... *shudder...* GTA Advance. Seriously! Playing a GBA game, on the DS! It's a mockery!

Ahem. Anyhoo, you get the general point. DS users were hungry for a free-roam game, and now that we have Transformers... they are still complaining.

Why? No, it's not because that this game is bad - it's that this game is severely underrated. Whenever someone mentions a movie game, most people automatically think of bad games, such as E.T., and good franchises gone bad, such as the console version of SpiderMan 3. Obviously, this is not only idiotic but it means you miss out on some hidden gems, and this time, Transformers springs to mind.

Presentation can be a very important factor in some games; and Transformers is no exception.

"Wow", is the first word you'll think of when starting a new game. You'll be greeted with a beautiful cut-scene (with a voice-over from Starscream in this version), and then, will be even further wowed when some of the dialogue comes. That's right. This game has a complete voice-over, with even your created character getting a voice. It truly is marvellous, and one of the only DS games to do so.

Also making up the presentation factor are the graphics. Now, the graphics in this game are rather like Marmite (you know Marmite, right?). You'll either love them or hate them. The pro's about them are that there are four massive areas in this game, each of which has countless buildings and cars. However, in Tranquility, there is some "draw-back fog" which is basically a white cloud where objects in the distance should be. However, after playing for a while, you probably won't notice it, and it's only mainly in Tranquility anyway.

Also there are the sound-effects and music. These are merely just "meh". You won't love them, you won't hate them; they're just there.

Ever wanted to play GTA, but your parents won't let you/you have a moral disagreement with it/you'd rather play as a robot instead? Well, here is your answer!

Transformers follows a very GTA-esque type of gameplay. You go to point A, destroy Object B, and go to Point C. However, this is improved by the fact that you play as a hulking, 10-tonne hunk of metal. That's right; you don't play as some mere mortal, you play as a Transformer! You can fire lasers, rockets, dispatch punches, kicks, and ground-pounds, and, when the heat is on, transform into your trusty Hot Rodder and speed away. There really is nothing like performing robot kung-fu against another robot. You can also improve your fighting skills by gaining EXP in the RPG-like levelling system.

Some of the missions are driving, but most are combat. Some also let you play as the named Decepticons; Barricade, Blackout, Brawl, Starscream, and, towards the end, Megatron.

But that's not all; there are also Challenge Missions which involve destroying traffic lights, catching air, surviving for as long as possible, and more.

There are also 30 vehicles at your disposal to scan and use later. These involve trucks, choppers, cars, and a jet which is unlocked in a unique way (check the Cheats section). To scan them, you just use the button on the Touch Screen; then transform using the other button on the Touch Screen.

Ever wanted to battle it out for your very own cube? Now, you can, using the AllSpark Wars!

WiFi. Some say there is no good DS game without it (this is of course utter bull****). If this is true however, then Transformers cannot be ruled out, as it boasts a kickass WiFi mode.

You log on, download the assigned mission and play it as many times as you want. Then, you log back on and upload your results. You can see where you are ranked in the World for the day's mission, and, at the end of the day, everyone's points are tallied up, and the side with the most points wins a piece of the All-Spark. Winning a piece of the AllSpark earns you WiFi tokens, which can be used to unlock in-game cheats. Each AllSpark war has 7 pieces up for grabs, meaning a new war starts every Saturday. Winning a war earns you a buttload of tokens, but this means that if your side never wins battles, it takes away from the fun.

This is one good reason to buy the Decepticons version, as they generally come out on top.

So, now you know what it is like to be a Decepticon. No? Well buy the game then, stupid!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/22/07

Game Release: Transformers: Decepticons (EU, 07/20/07)