GameSpy Review of Transformers: The Game

Like many guys my age, I grew up watching The Transformers after school. And like everyone else, I felt the knife in my heart when I first saw the new robot designs for Michael Bay's upcoming movie based on the '80s cult phenomenon. Time (and some kick-ass trailers) healed all wounds, however, and I have grown to accept these new interpretations of Optimus Prime, Megatron, and the other citizens of Cybertron. With my excitement over the new movie growing, I was really looking forward to playing this game. Besides, my Transformers fanboy-itude caused me to slog through the horrible Japanese Generation 1 Transformers title for PS2 -- this new game had to be better than that one.

Luckily for everyone, it is, but it's still not nearly as good as it should have been. Following the plot of the movie, the game centers around the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons coming to Earth in search of the AllSpark, a mysterious, cube-shaped relic that is the source of the Transformers' power. There are two separate campaigns to play, one for each of the warring factions. Although there is some overlap in the maps that both sides fight on, there are a few unique stages for each.

Each level is an open map that you're free to explore. At first, there's not much to do except wander around and search for hidden objects like Energon Cubes and hidden faction symbols. These items unlock secret goodies in the aptly named Bonus Features menu. As you roam around, you'll have to fight the occasional enemy drone, but your main enemy will be local law enforcement. The game is designed to make you take advantage of your "robot in disguise" status. As long as you're in vehicle mode, the locals will ignore you. Once they see a 20-foot robot stomping down Main Street, however, they open fire.

To start actual missions, look for a glowing pillar within the level. Heading into it triggers the next event in the storyline. After clearing a few missions on the current map, the level will be complete and you move on to the next map. If you haven't collected all the items in the stage, you're free to revisit past maps and even replay the previous missions. Typically, the missions involve fighting a group of enemies, then transforming and speeding to the next "Action Zone" before a timer runs out. The missions are typically pretty fun, but this pattern results in a lot of the missions feeling the same. The sometimes-arbitrary time limits placed on the missions seem to be just an excuse to force you to transform since the Transformers' vehicle modes are much faster than their robot modes.

Here's where the problems start to pop up. When controlling a "car" Transformer, you'll find that the controls are extremely floaty, as if there is little weight to the vehicle. Bumping into an obstacle sends you careening out of control, and it's extremely easy to get caught in the scenery. I often found it easier to transform and walk back onto the road than to deal with the awkward car physics. Considering that one of the coolest aspects of the Transformers series is that these giant robots can turn into cars, I shouldn't dread having to do that in the game. Oh, How It Pains Me To Do This

I also found myself getting constantly irritated by the game's combat, due mostly to the awful lock-on system that only seems to function properly when it wants to. When you're fighting just one enemy it's not really a problem, but when you're facing off against multiple foes in addition to attacking humans, the battles degenerate into chaos. You'll also end up fighting the camera during these fights. When there's a lot of action on the screen, it seems to have a hard time focusing on where it should be.

It's also odd how all the characters have a couple different laser weapons, but they're rendered virtually useless thanks to the shields that most enemies can generate. Because of this, most fights consist of simply walking up to a foe and repeatedly punching them. Sure, you might have to toss the occasional object at someone to throw them off balance, but pounding on the punch button is usually enough to get the job done.

Despite these flaws, I still found myself getting into the game. Admittedly, this is mostly due to the license which, as I mentioned, I'm quite a geek over. The fact that both Peter Cullen and Frank Welker (the original voices of Optimus Prime and Megatron, respectively) lend their voices to the game works well in its favor. Hearing Prime's narration over the opening cinema is enough to send a chill down the spine of any Transformers nut. It's also great seeing the amount of Generation 1 fan service that has been tossed into the game. From levels named after episodes of the '80s series to signs referencing G1 characters (it looks like wheelchair-bound human Chip Chase has opened a burger franchise) to unlockable G1 characters, there are plenty of nods to old school fans. There is also a lot of artwork and videos to open up if you're diligent enough to earn a 100% completion in the game. Trailers and stills from the movie, character bios, comic book art, and more are all available for the anal retentive to discover.

It's hard to recommend Transformers: The Movie on its own merits, but those looking to simply stomp around a city as Optimus Prime will have some fun with it. It has some very noticeable flaws, but none of them were severe enough that I shut the game off in disgust. Instead, I began adapting to them and found myself enjoying the game in spite of the problems. Still, I can't imagine anyone but diehard fans going to these lengths. Everyone else should stick to Atari's game based on Transformers Armada -- it's still the best way to wage a battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons.

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