Publisher: Atari
Developer: Atari (Melbourne House)
ESRB Rating: Teen
Release Date: May 11, 2004

    Well, it's finally happened; at long last, Transformers has a high-budget, mainstream video game. And, here's the kicker; it's actually GOOD. Very good, in fact. Unfortunately... it's only available for the Playstation 2 console system. So, if you have a Gamecube or Xbox and aren't willing to fork over another $150+ to get the console, sorry, but you're out of luck.
    Getting into the actual game, the video game- simply called "Transformers"- is based on the Armada series. (Don't worry, it's oodles more entertaining than the TV show.) It's your classic "shooter" game, but with enough twists to make it a wholly original experience. For one thing, you find and collect Mini-Cons throughout all of the levels. There's 40-50 Mini-Cons in all, and each one gives you different weapons, armor, or abilities. So that adds up to a WHOLE lotta things you can equip your Transformer with. And there's several more twists given to these Mini-Con linkups, too. Each Minicon belongs to its own color-coded team, and the more Minicons you have on you that are from the same team, the bigger bonuses you get in such things as recharge rate, health, etc. You can also only load your Transformer up with four Mini-Cons at a time, and each Mini-Con has its own power level, depending on how tough it is (they range from one to four bars). Hot Shot, the speedy lightweight, and Red Alert, the all-around average 'bot, can load Mini-Cons up to eight bars, while the big slow bruiser Optimus Prime can load up to ten bars worth. Certain Mini-Cons can also only be attached to certain slots, and when you put it all together, it makes the game delightfully complicated, and requires you to plan your loadout before you enter a level, since you can't change Mini-Cons in between save points. I mean, these Mini-Cons can give you everything- ribbon beam guns, missile shields, grenades, mines, sniper rifles... you've got it all, man. What's odd is that, with the exception of your partner Minicon, NONE of the Minicons in this game are actual toys. I mean, I understand how to get some of the special abilities, you'd need some original Minicons, but ALL of them? You're telling me there's not a Minicon toy that you could say give the Autobot they link with a homing missile? (The Land Military Team, anyone?) Still, these new Minicons DO look cool, even if many of them are just different-colored clones of each other.
    After the first level, you can also Powerlink with your partner Minicon (Jolt, Longarm, or Sparkplug, depending upon who you play as). This essentially sends the game into "bullet time", which is pretty cool. However, as a side effect, this will drain your Energon/health level. And it does it WAY too fast for my liking. So unfortunately, after I tried it out once, I never used it again, because the payoff isn't worth the costs. They really should've tweaked that gimmick more thoroughly. At least your Minicon gives you minor cover fire when they're not attached to you, though.
    Of course, you can also transform into vehicle mode, but this feature is used rather sparingly, since you can't do battle or put up any shields in this mode. It's mostly used to jump over ravines or run away from battle. (It's especially useless for Optimus Prime, as he's too darned slow as a truck.) I think maybe putting a default, weaker weapon on the top of the vehicle mode would have made it a more integral part of the game design.

    Throughout the levels, you also hunt for Data-Cons, which are little discs that unlock some of the game's plethora of extras. You could spend, literally, hours looking at all the extra stuff. The extras range from pretty pointless (Why would you want to view stills of the CGI movies if you can watch them anytime?) to really awesome (original level storyboards, old G1 TV public service announcements, and the like). Probably the best extras, though, are the unlockable music tracks. Even though I've never heard of any of the music artists, they're pretty darn good, and all do different renditions of the Transformers theme. (Plus an original song by a band called Dropbox, called "Wishbone"- it shares nothing in common with Transformers, they're just using it to pimp their new CD.) Dropbox gives you a hardcore, rock-'n-guitar variation, Regurgitator gives you a techno variation, and a band called the Brown Hornet gives you a rather unique take on the Transformers theme; it's sort of a mix of techno, jazz, and your zoot suit music all rolled together in one. And hey, there's even a Transformers theme compiled by a classical orchestra! Very nice- it really makes it worth getting all those 60+ Data-Cons.
    There are eight total levels in the game (Amazon, Antarctica, Deep Amazon, Mid-Atlantic, Alaska, Starship, Pacific Island, and Cybertron, in that order), and they range from medium-sized (Starship) to astoundingly massive (Amazon, Alaska, Pacific Island). And the graphics really are stunning, especially in such lush areas as the Amazon. Sometimes I just want to stop fighting and take in the scenery. To be fair, though, they aren't the best I've ever seen in a game, although I think they're pretty much as good as the PS2 system can get. For example, some of the scenery cliffs are a little jagged and polygonal. But that's really about the only thing you'll notice graphics-wise. One minor complaint about the overall environments, though- in this game, it's like there's no animals on Earth at all. Just plants. You run into no animals at all, except for the occasional small flock of birds in the Amazon levels. No penguins in the Antarctic, no humans, nothing like that. And I really would've liked a level in the city, too... I suppose this wasn't put in so you wouldn't have blood or anything if you accidentally shot one of the natives, but c'mon, it's rated Teen. I think they can handle it.
    As good as the graphics in-game are, though, they don't compare to the CGI clips trickled throughout your adventure. They are VERY realistic-looking-- almost movie-quality, in fact. And the Transformers all have a "worn-metal" look to them, which gives you all the more feeling that these are huge, ancient war machines, not toy replicas. The part where Tidal Wave transforms is especially awe-inspiring. (The voice acting, with the exception of Gary Chalk as Optimus Prime and David Kaye as Megatron, is only tolerable, though. Cyclonus, for example, actually sounds kinda like a lower-pitched G1 Starscream, and Armada Starscream sounds... well, like a middle-school bully.)

    The in-game music is also original and good to listen to without becoming distracting. (The Cyclonus boss fight music is especially rockin'.) What's especially cool is that it changes in intensity depending on how deep into battle you are. So your heart really gets a-pumpin' during battles.
    And don't worry about enemies- this game's got plenty of 'em. There's three difficulty settings- Recruit, Veteran, and Commander- although it they were to actually be named by how difficult they are, they'd be called Hard, Very Hard, and Absolutely Freaking Impossible. The designers will throw a bunch of guys at you almost right off the bat. In fact, sometimes you're facing down more than 50 guys at a time. So, um, be sure you figure out the controls early so you know how to dodge. There's also a great variety of enemies, called Decepticlones, to work through (although there is a standard unit that you face a LOT more frequently than the others). Light units, heavy units, air units, sniper robots, scouts, and then some. Given that almost every level introduces a new kind of enemy, you've got to be on your toes, as you'll never know what to expect. And generally, they're fun to engage, although some of them have super charged-up shots that are almost impossible to dodge. Needless to say, those get old real quick.
    Probably the most frustrating part of this game are the bosses, however. Simply put, they're too darned tough. You have to be almost perfect to defeat a boss in all but the easiest difficulty, and even then, it's pretty tough. Not only do they have entirely too many hit points, but they all move so fast (yes, even Megatron) compared to you and fire so often, you don't get any time to breathe. Cyclonus is especially annoying, as he moves all over the place so it's hard to track him, and he fires at you with all he's got, rarely letting up. In fact, the boss fight with Cyclonus is the only part of the game that I've had to use cheat codes to get past. And I HATE using cheat codes- I only resorted to it after about two dozen tries, using every possible strategy I could think of, and getting nowhere. The Unicron final boss fight isn't hard, but it's far more annoying than it should be. You're flying around Cybertron, but the controls are so screwy that it takes several tries to finally get used to them. And, even though it's visually impressive, all you really do is chase Unicron around Cybertron and fire into his planet mode mouth. He doesn't transform or anything- how dissapointing. The game would get almost a perfect score if it wasn't for the darn boss fights.
    Tidal Wave, though, is the exception to this rule. And what an exception he is. He's just so darned HUGE in this game- his FOOT is about 50 times the size of you. (In the picture above, he's pretty far away.) And he doesn't fire at you relentlessly like the others do. In fact, he's the most fun I've EVER had in a video game. It's just so cool, flooring it once he gets close to you so you won't get squashed, driving to the other side of the expansive sandbar, then transforming again and blasting him until he gets close to you again. And what's even better is that you spend the last half of the previous level INSIDE him in boat mode. It's incredible how many corridors they've worked into his design- and they all fit in with his transformation. For example, I came out into this large hangar, and saw an odd purple slanted wall on one side. After dispatching the enemies there, I took a closer look at it. It was Tidal Wave's UPPER LEG, locked into its proper position in boat mode. That was just such a cool feeling, knowing I was fighting inside a toy that I had sitting on my shelf. He's definitely the best part of the game.

    The game does have some noticeable play quirks when you're just fighting regularly, however. For one thing, you back up too slowly, no matter who you are. It you get hit by a large blast, you fall rather limply to the ground, and it usually takes longer than it should. Most of your enemies won't fire at you while you're down, but they will move closer or get into a more advantageous position, so it can get annoying, especially in later levels, when your regular units come armed with grenades. It's also entirely too difficult to learn how to fly, once you get the appropriate Minicon. You have to constantly move the control stick left and right or you'll fall straight down to the ground in short order. (And, many times, this can be deadly.) Granted, these aren't nearly bad enough to lessen the overall enjoyment of the game, but they could have been fixed easily. The story, also, is pretty much bread-and-water. The Mini-Cons are found on Earth, you have to get them before the Decepticons do (although you're not timed, thank goodness), you face the Decepticons one by one and their Decepticlone army (even though it's not revealed where the Decepticons made such a massive army), and then you face Unicron at the end. Nothing really else to the storyline.
    Still, this game is a very good shooter game, and this is coming from someone who generally doesn't like shooters. It's the first Transformers game that's a good game by itself, and doesn't just rely on the Transformers name popularity to carry it. With the exception of a few ludicrously difficult boss fights, it's a wholly enjoyable experience, and well worth the money if you have a Playstation 2. And what's even more amazing is that, as you can gather from the original level storyboards, this game was meant to have even MORE massive levels than it shipped with, as well as a boss fight with Demolishor. (In the final product, you only face Cyclonus, Tidal Wave, Unicron, Megatron, and Starscream-- the latter twice.) And if you play with each character, it'll take you a really good chunk of time, so don't be too worried about beating it too quickly. Here's hoping Atari makes a sequel to this awesome game!

Graphics: 10/10
Music: 10/10
Gameplay: 18/20
Storyline: 5/10
Level Design: 10/10
Cutscenes: 10/10
Controls: 15/20
Replayability: 9/10

Overall Rating:87/100 Great

(Screencaps taken from Gamespot.com)

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