Transformers: The Game (Wii) Review
It would almost seem I have become the unofficial Vooks spokesperson for every game based on a movie. The bad news is this title is starting to drive me bonkers, despite a pleasant experience with an EA published title. Transformers: The Game is based loosely on the movie, which follows a human boy named Sam Whitwickey as he discovers that we are not alone after all. In a movie that surprised everyone there was some hope the game would do the same thing.
The new vision of Transformers comes almost two decades after the end of the original cartoon series where household names Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Megatron struggled for control of Earth and their home world. Directed by Michael Bay the movie was a bold move, blending comedy with heart pounding action in the marvellous two-hour running time. The Decepticons are in search of the All-spark, a big cube that is very powerful and in the hands of the Decepticons could spell doom for the entire galaxy. Welcome the Autobots who are ready to stop the Decepticons at all costs, as long as it doesnt breach their vow to not harm any humans. In a world where giant robots shoot rockets out of their hands that would seem impossible. Nerdy teenager Sam Whitwickey finds himself in the middle of a massive war as he holds the key to finding the All-spark.
For all intents and purposes the game stays spot on to the original source material. It does cut corners of course and Im still waiting for the game that actually doesnt rely on people having already watched the movie to really know whats going on. The game is split into two, short campaigns. On one side you can play as the Autobots and the other puts you in control of the Decepticons. Each will take you about three hours to complete from start to finish, giving you a taste of mindless fun before ending it abruptly. Of the two the Decepticons campaign is by far the most exciting. Not that surprising as the life of a bad guy has always had its advantages.
Each campaign is separated into four chapters in small, free roam worlds with four missions each. These missions vary from destroying stuff, chasing things and then, if youre lucky, destroying more stuff. The chase missions can become an annoyance, vastly apparent early on when you have to chase a helicopter through a city as Bumblebee. It has access to the sky where its only obstacles are poor, helpless birds while you have to contend with giant buildings and sluggish controls. The remedy for these missions is the ability to blow a lot of stuff up, quite possibly the main draw card of the entire game. The good news is most of the Decepticon missions require you to destroy a number of things from Autobots to satellites.
As with all my Wii reviews the controls are essential to my enjoyment of the game and the overall score. Transformers is not a game that ports itself well to the Wii in more ways than just awkward button placement. Transforming, jumping and blocking are all controlled by the D-Pad. A and B will fire your unlimited Heavy and Light weapons which, while they can never run out, are only available for your use as long as the meter is in the blue. The Plus button will skip cutscenes and bring up the menu and finally, the most important and yet poorly placed function on the Wiimote is the Minus button that will drag the camera back behind your transformer. Z on the nunchuck is used to lock on to enemies and C will allow you to scoop items up into your grasp. Waggling the Wiimote or nunchuck will invoke your transformers into a melee combo.
Heres whats wrong with the controls. Firstly the functions are so poorly positioned youll be crying for the ability to change the layout but that is not a feature in the game. Why couldnt jumping simply involve waving the Wiimote upward, while melee attacks are only accessible by waving the nunchuck as using the Wiimote will more than likely ruin the camera anyway. It is these small issues that make these movie games far less enjoyable on the Wii if just some extra thought had been given into the layout. Secondly and ultimately the major issue all reviewers have had with the game is the camera. It is controlled liked Red Steel where the on-screen cursor will pull the camera to the sides if the cursor is bordered the screens edge. Most of the time youll go to far and when the Wiimote is brought back into the middle of the screen it causes the camera to jump. Of course you could just tap the minus button and snap the camera back behind the transformer but when you are in the middle of an intense fight, bashing the shooting buttons and waving the nunchuck it merely adds to the insanity of the control layout. The camera should stay glued behind the transformer at all times but as this is a port perhaps they didnt have the resources to add this function. Whatever the reason behind this choice it was a terrible decision made by the developers that heavily impacts on the enjoyment of the game.
The visuals are surprisingly impressive as far as Wii limitations go. Some of the cut-scenes are pixellated and considered they are pre-rendered this can seem a little lazy. The transformers animations are very reminiscent of the movie and the actual transformations themselves are gorgeous to watch. While the visuals remain the most surprising highlight of the game the audio slips into oblivion. Voices crackle during gameplay and often enough do not even play at all. It never draws you into the immense action that is escalating around you at every turn. A few other things that should be noted are the car controls are very awkward but this is the same across every platform. The environments are near all destructible but so much so that the slightest nudge will send trees flying and houses crumbling. Perhaps this would happen if a twenty foot robot rampaged through my neighbourhood but when youre trying to avoid the army hunting you down for destroying half the world a little bit of toning down wouldnt go astray.
While its not going to win any game of the year awards nor is it going to entice confidence at its full retail price, Transformers: The Game is mindless fun that suffers from poor control choices and a camera that is reminiscent to the horrid Red Steel. The experience is brief but for that short while youll be giddy with joy at the ability to play as all your favourite Transformers as well as some other neat surprises. The game doesnt end there with secrets skins, movies and concept art all up for grabs after settling down for a few more hours beyond the campaign. Transformers: The Game is exactly what meets the eye and no visit to a petrol station will stop this game from running out of fuel.
