Score
Gameplay:	5
Graphics:	9
Sound:	6
FunFactor:	4
PlasmaFactor:	5
Overall:	5.8

Transformers: The Game Review
July 14, 2007 by Andre Thomas

This year has been groundbreaking for movies and games alike. With the release of movie-licensed games like Spiderman 3, we don't just get to watch movies we get to interact with them. Unfortunately, most of the games are never nearly as good as the movies they are made to capture. The people at Activision are usually at the forefront of the movie game lines. Can they continue to break the trend of bad movie-licensed games with The Transformers?

Are we doomed Optimus?

 

Transformers the game is a distinct follow up to the movie. It follows the plot of the film that is based on the popular cartoon series, the Transformers. The game gives you the choice of being the world destroying Decepticons or the peaceful Autobots in the hunt to find the Allspark. No matter which way you chose, you are given distinct missions to follow to achieve your goal. Adding open world traveling with transforming robots and you have a recipe for a great game...right? Well, this game took all the ingredients and let it sit in the stove for five hours longer than it supposed to be.

First, let's begin on a good note with the controls. The vehicles (the transformers in vehicle mode) control like any vehicle based game. To be honest, the controls are really elementary, making them easy to understand. Early on you may get confused because you are used to using the triggers to drive. You might be shocked when you start shooting missiles at bystanders along the streets. As a robot, the controls make it extremely easy to play as your favorite transformer. With easy access to your weapons and melee attacks, it keeps you battles between the enemy fast and intense. Unfortunately, this game makes a lot of the controls pointless as you battle boss transformers. With all the potential of a good game, this plays a big part in its demise. This is where the problems start.

The Transformers game by all means of the word was a disappointment. When you first begin playing, it sucks you in with the fact that you can transform while traveling freely through an open world. But once you get into battle, it changes how you feel about the game completely. When you fight enemy minions, you can use any of your weapons at your disposal. From you light weapons, to your missiles and bombs. However, that all gets thrown out of the window when you start battling boss transformers like Star Scream or Megatron. It takes away from the true essence of the transformers themselves and ruins the game as a whole. All of us who are die-hard transformer fans know that the best part of the show (other than transforming) was the battles between the Decepticons and Autobots. Well the Transformers game takes away everything that is good in the battles and gives us whatever is leftover. When fighting against a boss transformer you cannot use your weaponry at all! The enemy will constantly block your shots. How can you give us a Transformer game where the weapons are useless? Not to mention the repetitive boss battles in the game become irritating after the second boss. It may seem like I am exaggerating but honestly, every single boss battle is fought the same. Once you encounter the boss you have to go through same motions of throw something, melee attacks, run, and repeat. There is nothing different at all in any of the battles. This destroys all sense of replay value in this game and makes you want to put it down as soon as you finish the level you are on.

Activision added their "Spiderman" open world feel to this game, complete with fully destructible environments. What blow my mind, is that even the destruction was done wrong. As a vehicle, if you hit a building just a little it, it begins to crash no matter how fast you were going. The destructive element in Transformers is just overdone. If they made buildings gradually become destroyed, maybe like Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, then the destruction wouldn't feel so wrong.

 

Well at least Optimus's flames look sweet.

On a better note, the game looks fantastic. The Transformers, as vehicles and robots, are extremely accurate to the way they look in the movie. The look of the city and other vehicles in the game also look good as well. If only Transformers played as good at it looked, we would have a potentially great game.

Do you hear a muscle car coming?

The sounds in Transformers are just mediocre. There isn't anything (sound wise) that really adds to the overall experience. I must mention that there is something that really let me down. There was no place in this game where they used the signature transforming sound at all. That would at least made me play the game more…just to hear that sound alone. Remember, sometimes it's the small things that make a big difference.

Fun Factor!

The only feature that is somewhat fun would have to be being able to drive around the city freely. Then again, I could just play GTA if I really want to drive around a made up world. With the repetitive missions and battles, this game doesn't really give you much to work with.

Transplasma!

The plasma factor in the midst of this travesty would have to be the free transforming. The fact that you can transform at anytime, for a few moments, make you forget about how bad this game is and takes you back to your childhood of watching the cartoon. If they had added the signature sound, it would’ve made those moments even better.

 

Lets roll out!

It saddens me that this game is as bad as it is. With the storyline and characters at their disposal, Traveller's Tales could have made a phenomenal game. I expected much more from them, but I guess every game can't be a great. I just hope they learned from their mistake. It wouldn’t be good to be known for games this bad.