Transformers: The Game

This is not the first time that the Transformers have made it to the console scene, but I feel confident enough to say that this is the first time that they have been treated fairly. Of course, this may have something to do with the fact that their recent movie was a huge success. On the other hand, there may be something a little special in the game for those of us that grew up watching the robots in disguise for many years. It is almost as if the makers of this game were actually fans of the generation one Transformers, and I could not be happier.



The story of the game follows that of the movie, at least when you are playing as the Autobots. You start the game off as Bumblebee trying to find the location of the Allspark, the thing that grants life to the transformers. You are led to a young boy named Sam Witwicky who just happens to be looking for a car. Bumblebee quickly discovers that the Decepticons are also on Earth and looking for the Allspark. The Autobot side of the storyline follows very closely to the movie storyline, whereas playing as the Decepticons takes you through some of the scenes of the movie, but it splinters into variations of some scenes, allowing you to cause severe mayhem and destruction. Think of it as an awesome "What If?" scenario. In fact, because of this you might find yourself battling as a Decepticon more often than not. The great thing about picking sides is that you will be able to do this every time you start to play. Instead of just picking a side and then going through that story and then starting a new file to play as the other side, you can select either Autobot or Decepticon each time you load up.

While that is a great thing right from the start, it does demonstrate exactly how short the game is. Literally, if you play as just one side, the game is so short you could theoretically beat it in one afternoon. Adding the other side's storyline into the completion percentage does help make the game a little longer, but it is obvious how long you will play the game if you are just trying to play out the movie. That is probably why Traveller's Tales chock the game full of unlockable content. For instance, there are 158 unlockable images for you to find throughout the game, seven videos for your viewing pleasure ranging from trailers for the movie to animated Transformer commercials. Finally, probably the best unlockable for the die hard Transformer fans amongst us, Generation 1 character versions of our beloved Transformers with Jazz, Starscream, and of course Optimus Prime rounding my favorites of the bunch.


With so many different playable Transformers in the game, I have to admit this is a great time to get to know these characters considering the time allotted some of them in the movie, you have to expect the game to feel a little shallow on the controls of the different characters. This is a little disappointing for those of us looking for a little more variety in the controls of the Transformers. Then again, for the button mashers, it comes in as an extreme advantage considering the number of playable characters. There are a few varying differences in the control schematics for Starscream and Megatron, but these quickly become repetitive.

However, even the variety seekers may not complain too much considering the amount of destruction capable in the game. I mean everything is destructible in the game; you can even pick up the donuts and tires on top of buildings and use them as throwing items, and it is pretty funny to take out a Decepticon or Autobot with a donut. In addition to those appendages of the building, you can also pick up a baseball bat or golf club from one of the big sport store signs to beat your enemies into oblivion. Speaking of the combat system, there is one huge draw back to the game. When you are fighting your respective enemies, there is a ring of action you have to make sure you stand in. There is a little more leeway for the Decepticons, but this is very strict for the Autobots. There are several times that if you are knocked out of the ring you will not make it back into the ring before your time expires. This was a feature that the game could have done without, actually, I had thought we had progressed past this annoying trait in video games; apparently, I was wrong.

The Transformers' graphics are spectacular. The environments have that initial impressiveness, but quickly you will notice the cookie cutter schematic for a lot of the buildings. I figure that the developers did not want to put too much into the design of your environments considering the aftermath of your impending battles. It does not really affect the graphics of the game considering the Transformers themselves and their Transformation will mesmerize you. However, I personally would have thoroughly enjoyed having a little more detail flooding the game to really make the Transformers shine through. The sounds of the game will make anyone who remembers the days of the original cartoon smile. I have to admit this is probably one of the main reasons that I not only played the game, but watched the movie as well. The fabled sound effect of the Transformers is vaguely there and if you listen closely, you will hear it almost with every transformation. However, the sound that I am mostly referencing is the voice of Optimus Prime, as portrayed by Peter Cullen. Now I know this makes me an Über geek, but there is nothing better about the sounds of the game than the voice of Optimus Prime repeatedly harping on you getting to your next destination. Trust me, he will do it a lot. There is also the original voice of Megatron as well, Frank Welker. Not sure why they did not use him in the movie, but at least we have him here.

The Transformers game is a nice companion to the first official blockbuster summer movie. I know there have been others, but this was the first movie that actually felt like a blockbuster instead of just a continuation of something else. The game does disappoint a little, but nothing to the level of complete unplayability. You will be transforming and rolling out in no time as you dive head first into the world of the robots in disguise. I just hope in the next game they amp up the free roam capabilities and truly allow us to dive into the world of the robots from Cybertron.