Transformers

Platform:  PlayStation 2

Release Date:  May 11, 2004

With eleven different versions of Optimus Prime and a ton of different toys spanning different eras of the series, one could say I’m quite the Transformers fan.  I’ve always enjoyed watching each of the different series, even if it’s a different take on the story.  So when I heard that there was a Transformers game coming out on the PS2 back in 2004, I had to get it.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get it until much later, but the wait was pretty worth it.  What I got was a game that didn’t suck.

See, I played an older Transformers game from back on the Famicom, and unfortunately, it left me with a bad taste in my mouth.  The controls were bad, you took one hit, and you only had three lives.  Apparently it got worse over time, as the bosses were uninventive, and the game just got more and more frustrating.  Hell, it didn’t even had Optimus Prime in it – you played as Ultra Magnus or Rodimus Prime.

So this new Transformers game was a breath of fresh air to me.  The game is based off the Armada franchise, so Optimus looks more like a robotic football player than a tall leader, but I figure at least he’s in there.  You can also play as Red Alert and Hot Shot.  The game once again revolves around the Mini-cons, a set of small Transformers that can link up with the bigger robots.  However, Megatron has decided to go the mass production route of organizing a militarized force, and instead of recruiting, has built an army of Decepticlones.  Don’t worry, actual Decepticons actually show up, including Cyclonus, Tidal Wave, and Starscream, usually as some form of boss.  As the story begins, Megatron is about to off Optimus on Cybertron, when a holographic message intercepts them, basically showing where the Mini-cons went.  So everyone chases after them.  The Autobots stick around on Cybertron and warp to Earth via warp gates.  Basically you’re out trying to find all the Mini-cons before the Decepticons do, and if they are already in the vicinity, you blast them.  Just like the cartoon!

The game plays like a kind of open-area adventure game.  Each area has a set of waypoints, and to make it easier, they turn into warp gates, sending your Autobot of choice back to Cybertron for reloading and regeneration.  Even nicer, any bots taken out during the time will not respawn.    If you happen to get killed (or as they put it, your energon is depleted), you come back from the last activated warp gate point.  So in essence, it plays a bit like Halo.  In fact, the controls feel like Halo.  On the PS2, though, it doesn’t feel as good.  They played all the commands relating to the extra weapons on the shoulder buttons, including the fire button (R1).  It’s not a bad thing, as I’m used to it from the Halo series, not to mention other games that use the convention, but pressing a button doesn’t feel as good as pulling a trigger.  Jumping is also mapped to the L1 shoulder button, which is a little awkward.  Collected Mini-cons can be mapped to the other shoulder buttons, which make for some neat customization options.  Transformations are a simple, one-button press, and let me say it is fun rolling around in truck mode hitting robots out of the way.

For a PlayStation 2 game, it’s aged pretty well.  Graphically, it looks decent, even on my large TV.  Granted there are a few jaggies, but that’s to be expected for something so old.  I like the soundtrack to the game as well.  It makes the game feel epic, without it going so far to make it corny.  They also went so far as to get the Armada voice actors for the game.  A lot of people might complain that this should have been a Generation 1 game.  Granted, it definitely would have sold a lot more copies, but it’s not something that defines the game itself.  The control feels a little awkward, and sometimes catches you off guard.  While all three robots move kind of slow, Optimus actually moves like a tank with legs.  Personally, I like this.  They’re giant, lumbering robots, so it works, and it doesn’t really impede progress.  There’s always a way up, even if you have to backtrack, and nothing really respawns unless alarm robots spot you.  The camera does have a few problems, but usually they only happen at really annoying moments, like being next to a cliff or something.

Transformers is a gem that really should be found by fans of the brand, even though it’s not quite the package some might be looking for.  The control is pretty good, the story is nice, the graphics are pretty (for a PS2 game), the overall sound is cool, the Mini-con customization is neat…it’s a darn good game.  Generation 1 delusionists may not like the game based on the fact that it’s not…well, Transformers Generation 1, but at least it’s a decent Transformers game based on a brand that was pretty decent, and that’s all I want.