Game Review: Transformers: The Game
Rated by 8 members
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know this game is rated "Teen" for violence,
but most of it is machine versus machine (Decepticon versus
Autobot). Transformers can punch, kick, and throw cars at each
other; toss enemies into buildings; break off lampposts and
swing them like clubs, and so on. There is no blood or gore in
the game, not even when you encounter human pedestrians -- the
cars simply drive on through without harming them.
Families can talk about whether this game would be any good if
it wasn't tied to the movie or released at the same time. Does
it really extend the brand as interactive entertainment? How
does this game tie into the original Hasbro toys that inspired
the movie?
TRANSFORMERS: THE GAME, like the movie upon which it's based, tells of warring robots -- the Autobots (good guys) and Decepticons (bad guys) -- trying to find a powerful artifact, the AllSpark, which is responsible for giving the robots life. To keep it from being used for evil, the AllSpark was jettisoned into space, eventually landing on Earth. Now these dueling robotic races -- also known as "Transformers" because they can manipulate their metallic bodies into vehicles, such as cars, jets, and helicopters -- fight among humans on Earth to be the first to find the AllSpark. This single-player game first lets you choose whether to play as an Autobot or a Decepticon, each with unique environments and missions.
The award-winning game makers at Traveller's Tales ( Lego Star Wars series) do a great job of giving you the feeling of controlling enormous machines. Transformers: The Game also features gorgeous graphics -- especially with the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 versions -- but this game doesn't rely on just its good looks to keep you interested.
That said, the game isn't perfect. It is quite short, only offering about seven or eight hours of play. Little strategy is required during combat sequences; a few punches and kicks and the enemy is down. Perhaps the game was geared more toward novice or younger players, but simplistic fighting and a short campaign are not a good combination.
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