Transformers: The Game [Autobots] (DS) Review
Transformers were, quite simply, my favourite toys as a child. As time went on and maturity began to take over, the adoration I had for the robots in disguise slowly decreased, and I eventually traded my toys for an original GBA and Advance Wars. Now, with the successful (and quite awesome) live action movie still raking in the big bucks at cinemas, the two hobbies have crossed paths in the form of Transformers – Autobots for Nintendo DS (among countless other systems). Knowing what we all know about movie tie-ins, hopes werent exactly high but given the obvious polish afforded to the movie, maybe some of it was carried over to the game.
The game gets off to a great start with a very movie-like FMV. The production values seem through the roof, as unexpectedly theres a large amount of high quality speech. This continues in-game as well and is quite impressive considering the game is on cartridge format. In terms of sound overall though, its disappointing that a traditional Transformers theme song is not prominent in the game. Sure, its not exactly part of the movie either, but neither is the generic music supplied in its place. This really could have helped with the games atmosphere.
Once into the gameplay, the DS graphical limitations start to show themselves. Developed by Vicarious Visions, who are pretty well known for pumping out high quality visuals from the comparatively underpowered DS, Transformers could have really looked the part, especially given the incredible models used for the movie. Whether the developers or the DS is to blame is a matter of opinion, but its difficult to look past the games short draw distance, and especially the low polygon Transformers. This unfortunately makes it difficult apart from colours and voices to even recognize some of the Transformers.
Being the Transformers themselves is a large attraction of the game, but unfortunately the action starts out with you being a no-name newcomer. There are times during the game where you can play as the well-known Transformers, but I think most fans would prefer the action to be purely with them.
In a similar fashion to the Grand Theft Auto series, the Transformers world is mission based. You wander around the free-roaming towns and take on missions by finding glowing markers. Apart from these missions, the world just doesnt seem alive with enough distractions and other things to do, making it seem a bit repetitive. The world is largely generic, one retailer depicted in the game for instance is called Awesome Purchase. You can see they didnt think too hard about that one!
The missions often start off being as simple as getting from point A to B. You get to battle no-name Decepticons along the way, and also some main characters from time to time, in events ranging from car chases to robot fist-to-robot fist battles. In both alternate form and robot form you eventually have access to a firing capability. Theres not much to it other than just aiming and shooting. In robot form, you also have a close-range attack which consists of a punch-punch-kick style combo. The action up close can be frustrating however, as there isnt really much you can do for defense other than back off. In some instances however, this tactic can really pay off. Some adversaries can be avoided simply by running away from them! Its not exactly fun or fair, but its hard to avoid doing when youre getting your butt kicked! At times you will destroy too much and attract the attention of police, so its not just the Decepticons you have to worry about! A few missions do encourage you to demolish things by picking up whatever you can find and breaking well, whatever you can find! This seems odd for the Autobots at least arent we supposed to be protecting Humans and not demolishing their homes and parks?
By taking on the missions, your Transformer is leveled up in stats, and can eventually unlock new forms to Transform into. Its good fun to take on a different form and transform on the fly. The vehicles, for land or air really help you get around the environment quickly. There are quite a few vehicles to unlock so this will keep you busy for quite some time.
Transformers for DS comes in two varieties, one for each faction the Autobots and the Decepticons. While they share core mechanics and visuals, the differences between the two are more than weve come to expect from similar split titles like Pokemon. Notice I didnt use the obvious More than meets the eye there! Obviously, the main difference is in the characters you play, and this extends to their perspective on the story, which is based to some degree on the movie.
The two games connect locally for multiplayer modes such as death-match, but there is no true online component. Rather, you can log onto Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and download a daily battle/challenge. You then complete the mission offline and upload the results, determining whether Autobots or Decepticons are the winners of the AllSpark Wars. You receive tokens for unlocking offline content by competing in the daily battles, but overall, a true online mode would have been preferable.
Transformers DS can be a fun GTA-ish game, but I cant help but wish for a bit more polish. It seems rushed (not really a surprise for a tie-in title), but its fun enough that fans of the movie (or just characters) will get a kick out of simply Transforming and bashing stuff up.
The GTA game style seems a lot like an easy way for the developers to stick closely enough to the movie to please the producers and higher ups involved. Theyve got a story they can design their missions around, they can easily throw in recognizable characters; pop in some generic environments and theyre set.
If given the freedom to stray from the specifics of the story, I think the game could have been more creative and better focused. For instance, a robot battle game similar to the Sega title Virtual On, with fleshed out battle mechanics could have been a killer title. They could have showcased the robot models more because they wouldnt have to render huge environments too.
But instead, weve only got what seems like a cookie-cutter GTA clone with Transformers instead of hoodlums. I cant recommend purchasing both Autobot and Decepticon versions without at least trying one first but I can recommend your preference to fans of free-roaming games or the characters/universe. Play it, and hope that when the inevitable movie sequel comes out, Vicarious Visions have a bit more time, and a bit more creative freedom for the next game.
