 "Photo: Courtesy Photo: Activision")
To destroy the earth or to save it is the plot line to Activision's new movie tie-in game Transformers for the Xbox 360. The game allows you to play in campaign mode as an Autobot trying to save humanity or as a Decepticon out to enslave and destroy as much as possible.
The game features the skills of each character in vehicular mode and transformed mode with a variety of hand-to-hand combat tactics. Weapons are at your disposal with an environment that can be completely destroyed and used against your enemies to complete your mission objective. For instance in one mission, Autobot drones rip street lamps out of the ground and hit you with them like baseball bats. The game is also very similar to the Grand Theft Auto game series, in the sense that every time your character does something negative, police and special government agents show up and open fire on you; which can be a big distraction if you try to use an object like a civilian car as a weapon. A ton of bonus video clips and challenge modes can be unlocked for further game play by performing stunts, like speeding up as fast as you can, transforming at top speed and then trying not to skid into a building. For the fans of the original series from the 80's, the game features Frank Welker and Peter Cullen, the original voices of Megatron and Optimus Prime, with short clips from the original television series.
The downside to Transformers? The game is very short: four chapters for the Autobot campaign and four chapters for the Decepticon game. It's a good thing they added all of the bonus content to unlock. Many of the missions are time based, and restricted to a mission area - which makes it hard to fully enjoy the huge environment the creators provided you with. What is the point of having the ability to destroy every building in your path while completing the mission if you are trapped in a small area and restricted by a time limit?
The game also noticeably lacks a peer-versus-peer mode so that players can have more varied games like a slayer game or capture the flag. With most games having the ability to go to Xbox live so you can play against other people, this game could have been greatly redeemed if it had given the user this feature.
The game is fun if you wish to rent it for a weekend, but not worth the $59.99 to buy. If you really have the nostalgic need to watch clips from the original series, just buy the DVD.
Be the first to comment on this article!