Transformers: The Game

"TRANSFORM! (Into a better game, please)"

I saw the movie, thought it was awesome. Then when I heard the game was coming out I thought it would be great. Who wouldn't want to play as a Transformer. Sadly, this game did little more than disappoint me.

Gameplay- When you look at the back of the case it says you can play as a large number of Transformers. Lies. You HAVE to play as a certain Transformer depending on the mission. Although there is a large number of Transformers you can only play as about eight of them. The others are available only in multi-player. And a lot of Transformers aren't even in the game. Half the reason I bought the game was hoping my favorite Transformer, Rampage, would be in it. No such luck. It's still fun romping around blowing things up and flinging cars at Megatron however. It's also fun having an army of Decepticons come at you and destroying every last one without even trying.

Controls- There are a variety of weapons and a few skills at your disposal. But the unresponsive and messy controls ruin the fun. You press a button once and nothing will happen. You press it again and your Transformer does the move twice. The movement is slow. If you think watching Optimus Prime chase his enemies down at half the speed of smell is fun, you will LOVE what I'm about to say next. When he transforms into a car, he's still slow!! Certain missions require you to escort fellow Transformers. So while the other car is zooming ahead of you at high speeds, you are going slow. This adds a degree of difficulty to the game.

Graphics- The transformers look like they were built from tin cans, paper clips and a bunch of saliva. They're blocky, ruddy and overall just pretty disgusting. Every environment looks more or less the same and so do the cars. This makes playing the game feel more like watching a whole bunch of trash being mashed up.

Story- This game attempts to follow the movie. It fails horribly. You find yourself doing things and having no idea. The cut-scenes explain nothing that you don't already know. Sometimes you'll suddenly be miles away from where you were in the last level with no explanation of why your there or how you got there. The story isn't all too important and if you ignore it you should have fun.

Replayability- You can replay missions over and over again as many times as you like with no variation or differences to be found. You have to play as a certain Transformer every time. So basically you just do everything twice. Yay.

Should you buy it?-Despite the game's many faults, it still manages to be somewhat entertaining. I wouldn't sell it if offered the amount I paid for it. It's enjoyable to a certain degree. I I'll let you decide whether or not to buy it.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 10/25/07, Updated 12/10/07

Game Release: Transformers: The Game (US, 06/19/07)