PSP - Transformers the Game

Format
PSP
Publisher
Activision
Developer
Savage Entertainment
Country of origin
US
Genre
3rd person action

Transformers the Game

By David Rasmussen
27th Aug 07

This year it seems the only quality movie to game translation we’ve seen come out is a game port from the PS2 to the PSP based on a movie from 1979... Mainly The Warriors for the PSP from Rockstar Games.
This doesn’t bode well to the endless glut of games based on movies we’ve seen roll out this year.
Sure, just try to find a quality 4 out of 5 game worth tying your lucky star onto from this year’s bumper crop of games for all systems (including the first really strong wave of releases for the new next gen consoles). Go on, I dare you to find at least game worthy of all it’s MR paid hype!

With that being said, here’s yet ANOTHER movie to game conversion for you to mill over, the many many versions of Transformers the Movie from Activision! Transformers the Game for the PSP, based more on an alternate storyline roughly paralelling the movie plot, has the Autobots fighting to stop the Decepticons (led for a good part of the game by tempoary leader Shockwave) from using Earth’s technology to create a new Decepticon army (with shades of the Decepticlones from that Minicon laden Transformers game of years past, for the PS2/Xbox). Of course they’re also searching for the AllSpark (the Transformer version of sex as it has the power to create Transformer life from the energy within it -- dysfunctional life as it seems the only life it creates on Earth is violent Transformers most likely to side with the Decepticons), which leads to the recovery of Megatron (voiced by Hugo Weaving) and the big finale smackdown battle.

First off, to answer VG Cats, Transformers the Game doesn’t exactly suck… same as Transformers the Movie… it doesn’t EXACTLY suck… it won’t make purists happy, nor will it be a 4 or 5 out of 5 mega wonder, but it doesn’t suck either. It’s… average.
But then again what did you expect? This year it seems a whole lot of the movie to game based titles have been either scraping by on low 2 out of 5’s or managing to even out at 3 out of 5’s. Nothing leaping out as the next Chronicles of Riddick : Escape from Butcher’s Bay (Xbox) or the next classic Spider-Man 1 or 2 movie game releases, which is kinda sad especially for Spider-Man since it’s supposed to be the last Spider-Man movie game release (not counting the alternate reality Spider-Man Friend or Foe release this Fall) and they only manage to scrape even or below even on their game releases.

Sure, I haven’t reviewed 100% of the movie to game titles this year, but yet I have not seen a game worthy of real hype. Shrek the Third? Not received so well by reviewers (and apparently Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz couldn’t be bothered to be in this game). Ratatoille? Looks like a platformer title, which is strange in a title about cooking which should have spawned off quite a few Cooking Mama style cooking mini-games, which this game seemingly doesn’t have from what I’ve seen of it.
300? Hack and slash waste of time and space. Frank Miller should really quality control his own video games more often (then again maybe he made the mistake of listening to the game developer, ala the mistake Mr. Gossett did with The Red Star The Game which (if we’re lucky) never sees the light of day).

Transformers the Game is much the same way, average as all let out.
The graphics are… well… for a PSP title it’s OK but nothing to send a comm back to Cybertron about.
The gameplay? Basically a button masher where you have to go from point A to point B as either Autobot or Decepticon (though for the life of me it seems that I played more as Decepticons than Autobots) and achieve certain goals by destroying enemies, reaching certain checkpoints, or some combination of the two concepts. Occasionally you’ll have to do something else, like interact with objects or whatnot, but that is too few and far between for this game.

On the plus side the game fixes the problem with driving in vechicular mode that was present in the last Transformers game… except when it comes to piloting the few aerial Decepticons, then you have a brand new set of driving problems that makes working their air forms not a cakewalk.

On the downside the same problem with target locking/manual lock remains, and while enemies in this game don’t travel nearly as fast as in that past Transformers game it is still a damning thing to have to try and fudge around with the iffy manual lock and even iffier “auto lock”.

The opening theatrical quality animation to introduce you to the game is great, too bad it’s the only slice of beautiful animation in this game as the rest is alright but not of any amazing quality (more high end cut scenes would have made the game a more recommendable game). Also the game does have unlockable extras but unlike the last Transformers game (which had a fair smathering of homage content to Generation One Transformers) this game refuses to have any content that pays homage to the movie. No movie cut scenes, no actor/actress interviews, no behind the scenes, nothing.

It’s an alternate version of the movie, set about a run and gun format of gameplay where you quickly move from point A to B, either driving or running on foot as you shoot away Decepticlones or human vechiles if you are playing as a Decepticon. This is about as interesting as it sounds, which isn’t much. The graphics looks nice, but like I said already it’s the lack of variety in gameplay that really cripples the game.

About a dozen or so hours of gameplay, and so so bonus content, the only real saving grace of the game is it’s rich multiplayer content… depending of course if you have other friends who are playing this game that you can hook up with and play the game with. Otherwise you’ll never get the full benefit of this mode without finding others to play against. That sucks.

So with that all said? Transformers the Game is par for the course it seems, another movie to video game game that falls short of expectations for another 3 out of 5. Boring.

-- David Rasmussen 27th Aug 07

PSP Transformers the Game Images