Report, edit, etc...Posted by CaptainWill on 2004-09-04 at 16:13:16
I'm not sure if any of you are old enough to remember The Transformers, I'm certainly not, but I was recommended this game for the PS2 by a friend.
Although I've never been a fan of The Transformers or mech stuff, I liked the look of the graphics on the back of the case; reviews were positive and the guy in the shop said it was impressive.
I bought it.
I was immediately impressed by the quality of the CG sequences that introduced the game, and then I started the first mission.
I'm used to the limited power of the PS2 and have been crying out for massively open environments for that console since I saw Halo and Far Cry on the PC. So I was pretty taken aback by the immensity of the level that I found myself in, once I had climbed the rocky outcrop ahead of me and did a little sightseeing:
Tree covered hills stretched as far as I could see; the Amazon river meandered lazily beneath me; a waterfall cascaded over a cliff; a temple reflected the light... I even saw a dropship unloading troops somewhere in the distance. After overcoming the initial 'Wow' factor, I headed down a dirt track that appeared to be taking me towards the river. I noticed that there was a hell of a lot of clutter (trees, grass etc.) yet no slowdown - the only slow thing being the speed of my character.
The controls were responsive and very FPS-like. A single tap of the Triangle button transformed me into a truck. But this was no clunky transformation. I soon learned that you could transform anywhere, anytime.
Picture this: You are lumbering through a thick jungle when you spot an enemy patrol crossing a clearing. You immediately turn into a semi-truck and roar towards them. Some of them leap out of the way, but others get flung into the air (robots appear to fly in slo-mo for some reason). You transform again at 70mph, turn in mid-air and gun down another enemy.
That's how fluid the action is.
I'll move onto the weapons and abilities now: 40 in total, and you can make many different combinations depending on what you need to do. They range from missiles, sniper rifles, laser deflectors, IR vision, EMP blast, glider wings, self repair, grenades, flak cannons, range enhancers... the list goes on. The great thing about these weapons and abilities is that none of them are really superfluous or last minute additions. All of them are useful in the right situation.
There's even a kind of bullet-time, although I've never used this much.
The enemies are varied in ability. You have your basic cannon fodder; bread and butter units; mega units; flyers etc. Special mention has to go to the enemy 'Commandoes', as they are one of the most irritating enemies I have encountered in a game. The A.I seems to be good enough - units try to dodge missiles and work in groups, especially if they are led by a commander.
You have the good points, now for the bad.
No voices ingame! You really start to get a feeling of detachment after a while of listening to gun blasts and ambient noise. The only time you hear voice acting is in the CG sequences and when your objectives are updated.
The story has a bit of wtfage attached to it as well, to be fair. On the verge of winning the war against the Autobots (and about to throw Optimus Prime off a ledge to his death), Megatron, the leader of the Decepticlones, sees a signal from the 'Minicons.' These Minicons are some old race of Transformers who crash-landed on Earth and have just awoken from stasis after being discovered by humans. Apparently they have the power to win the war if the Autobots discover them first, so Megatron heads for Earth and so do you, to get the Minicons for the Autobots.
You're left thinking: 'Um, why didn't he just throw the guy off the ledge and win the war?'
So, a pretty rubbish excuse for a story, although the Minicons end up being rather helpful...
Another bad point is the transforming. Sure, it happens fluidly and looks cool, but it seems a bit like a gimmick to me. I can't think of any situation where transforming is absolutely essential to progressing, or when a battle can't be won without becoming a truck or a sports car.
Here's my summary of the game:
Good:
- Great graphics
- Big, free roaming levels
- Large arsenal of weapons to use
- Enemies are varied and quite smart
- Smooth gameplay
Bad:
- Only 8 levels, and the same textures are used in a lot of them...
- Transforming feels like a gimmick
- Lack of a convincing story
- No voices ingame (such as battle cries)
I would recommend this game to you - to buy. You don't have to be a fan of the Transformers to enjoy it, and you'll probably love it if you are a fan. Plus, the extras that you can discover - in particular the Public Service Announcements from the 80s - are good. The ones I mentioned will make you laugh.
Here are some screenies for your viewing pleasure.
They don't appear to be copyrighted - so I should be safe.
[attachmentid=1308][attachmentid=1309][attachmentid=1310][attachmentid=1311]
Although I've never been a fan of The Transformers or mech stuff, I liked the look of the graphics on the back of the case; reviews were positive and the guy in the shop said it was impressive.
I bought it.
I was immediately impressed by the quality of the CG sequences that introduced the game, and then I started the first mission.
I'm used to the limited power of the PS2 and have been crying out for massively open environments for that console since I saw Halo and Far Cry on the PC. So I was pretty taken aback by the immensity of the level that I found myself in, once I had climbed the rocky outcrop ahead of me and did a little sightseeing:
Tree covered hills stretched as far as I could see; the Amazon river meandered lazily beneath me; a waterfall cascaded over a cliff; a temple reflected the light... I even saw a dropship unloading troops somewhere in the distance. After overcoming the initial 'Wow' factor, I headed down a dirt track that appeared to be taking me towards the river. I noticed that there was a hell of a lot of clutter (trees, grass etc.) yet no slowdown - the only slow thing being the speed of my character.
The controls were responsive and very FPS-like. A single tap of the Triangle button transformed me into a truck. But this was no clunky transformation. I soon learned that you could transform anywhere, anytime.
Picture this: You are lumbering through a thick jungle when you spot an enemy patrol crossing a clearing. You immediately turn into a semi-truck and roar towards them. Some of them leap out of the way, but others get flung into the air (robots appear to fly in slo-mo for some reason). You transform again at 70mph, turn in mid-air and gun down another enemy.
That's how fluid the action is.
I'll move onto the weapons and abilities now: 40 in total, and you can make many different combinations depending on what you need to do. They range from missiles, sniper rifles, laser deflectors, IR vision, EMP blast, glider wings, self repair, grenades, flak cannons, range enhancers... the list goes on. The great thing about these weapons and abilities is that none of them are really superfluous or last minute additions. All of them are useful in the right situation.
There's even a kind of bullet-time, although I've never used this much.
The enemies are varied in ability. You have your basic cannon fodder; bread and butter units; mega units; flyers etc. Special mention has to go to the enemy 'Commandoes', as they are one of the most irritating enemies I have encountered in a game. The A.I seems to be good enough - units try to dodge missiles and work in groups, especially if they are led by a commander.
You have the good points, now for the bad.
No voices ingame! You really start to get a feeling of detachment after a while of listening to gun blasts and ambient noise. The only time you hear voice acting is in the CG sequences and when your objectives are updated.
The story has a bit of wtfage attached to it as well, to be fair. On the verge of winning the war against the Autobots (and about to throw Optimus Prime off a ledge to his death), Megatron, the leader of the Decepticlones, sees a signal from the 'Minicons.' These Minicons are some old race of Transformers who crash-landed on Earth and have just awoken from stasis after being discovered by humans. Apparently they have the power to win the war if the Autobots discover them first, so Megatron heads for Earth and so do you, to get the Minicons for the Autobots.
You're left thinking: 'Um, why didn't he just throw the guy off the ledge and win the war?'
So, a pretty rubbish excuse for a story, although the Minicons end up being rather helpful...
Another bad point is the transforming. Sure, it happens fluidly and looks cool, but it seems a bit like a gimmick to me. I can't think of any situation where transforming is absolutely essential to progressing, or when a battle can't be won without becoming a truck or a sports car.
Here's my summary of the game:
Good:
- Great graphics
- Big, free roaming levels
- Large arsenal of weapons to use
- Enemies are varied and quite smart
- Smooth gameplay
Bad:
- Only 8 levels, and the same textures are used in a lot of them...
- Transforming feels like a gimmick
- Lack of a convincing story
- No voices ingame (such as battle cries)
I would recommend this game to you - to buy. You don't have to be a fan of the Transformers to enjoy it, and you'll probably love it if you are a fan. Plus, the extras that you can discover - in particular the Public Service Announcements from the 80s - are good. The ones I mentioned will make you laugh.
Here are some screenies for your viewing pleasure.
They don't appear to be copyrighted - so I should be safe.
[attachmentid=1308][attachmentid=1309][attachmentid=1310][attachmentid=1311]
Report, edit, etc...Posted by LegacyWeapon on 2004-09-04 at 17:39:50
I'm not that big of a fan of transformers so 
Report, edit, etc...Posted by CaptainWill on 2004-09-04 at 17:40:27
Nor am I - but the game was good.
Report, edit, etc...Posted by Ultimate l)ragon on 2004-09-04 at 20:08:09
transformers hmm i remember watching some show bout it last year... wait that was chinese transformers 
but the show trasformers suck and i c y the graphics r hot but i woudnt really buy it if its over 20 bucks
but the show trasformers suck and i c y the graphics r hot but i woudnt really buy it if its over 20 bucksReport, edit, etc...Posted by CaptainWill on 2004-09-05 at 08:18:24
I managed to get it in part exchange. It's been out since May and is the only good Atari game that I've seen. I got it for £16 ($28), but the general price of living, and videogames in particular, is high over here. You could probably find it for $15 in the US.
Stupidly, they obviously forgot to market this one when they marketed pieces of crap like Enter the Matrix and ET (shudder).
Stupidly, they obviously forgot to market this one when they marketed pieces of crap like Enter the Matrix and ET (shudder).
Report, edit, etc...Posted by Daigotsu on 2004-09-05 at 09:48:15
I tried the game for about 2 days about half a year ago.
After the second lvl however I immediately stopped and started to play on Condition Zero
After the second lvl however I immediately stopped and started to play on Condition Zero
Report, edit, etc...Posted by CaptainWill on 2004-09-05 at 12:10:22
Interesting seeing as it hasn't been out for half a year. 
Report, edit, etc...Posted by Staredit.Net Essence on 2004-09-05 at 12:23:46
I LOVE Transformers THAT SHOW was my favorite when i was little I WATCHED THE MOVIE 3 TIMES I OWN MOST OF The transformers toys (old ones) I love the game too but.... THEY STOLE THAT NAME (Transformers) from the old game from NES Shame on you atrai
Report, edit, etc...Posted by CaptainWill on 2004-09-05 at 14:14:03
I did some research on the old NES game and the general consensus was that it sucked...