Transformers: The Game (PSP)

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CNET editors' rating: 2.0 stars Mediocre
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Product summary

Envision the dullest possible game about giant robots beating one another up, and then find a way to make it even duller. That's Transformers in a nutshell.

Specifications: ESRB: Everyone; Genre: Action; Number of players: 1-4 Players See full specs

Price range: $13.99 - $19.99

Gamespot editors' review

Reviewed by: Alex Navarro
Reviewed on: 07/25/2007
Released on: 06/19/2007

The new Transformers games haven't exactly been a picnic up to this point, but none of them can hold a candle to the level of sheer drudgery that Transformers: The Game for the PSP offers. It's not that the game is devoid of a winning formula or anything. You get to play as any number of the various Autobots or Decepticons, stomping through a bunch of different environments while shooting and punching opposing robots. You also get to shoot some tanks, helicopters, and whatnot. Giant robots blowing stuff up should and almost always is awesome. In Transformers, it's anything but.

Apparently giant robot battles make a good sleep aid. Who knew?

Blame it on the controls, the level designs, or the graphics--anything you want. There's plenty to be spread around. Ultimately, the controls probably are the biggest culprit. It makes sense that a giant robot would be a bit unwieldy to move, but here, they're not only clunky but also achingly slow. There's little to no ability to properly maneuver yourself around the game's cramped environments, and the slogging pace at which the robots run is enough to put you to sleep before you even get to your first boss fight.

If you do manage to get into a few battles before nodding off, you'll find the combat to be a total chore. Aiming is just as sluggish and imprecise as the robot movements. You use the triangle and X buttons to move the targeting reticle up or down. You also have to be pretty careful about where you aim to hit anything. The second an enemy robot moves slightly out of the way, you've got to readjust your aim because there's no targeting lock of any sort. That's pretty annoying when you're trying to run and shoot at the same time. It's a good thing enemies have an innate tendency to get hung up on walls, pillars, and other pieces of the environment because it makes killing them a heck of a lot easier.

At some point, it just becomes easier to run up to a bad guy and punch him a bunch of times instead of trying to line up your lasers, machine guns, rocket launchers, or whatever else. Melee combat is more effective, but it's also kind of pathetic. You just run up to an enemy robot and start punching away, but the enemy never, ever reacts. The enemy robot just stands there, sometimes punching back, and eventually, it explodes. That speaks to a larger problem with the game, which is an apparent lack of animation. Transforming into your vehicular form is a joke. You get about a third of a transformation animation then your robot pops directly into vehicle form and vice versa. Considering the overall lack of quality in the graphics, perhaps that's not overly surprising. Every environment is gray, brown, or a combination of the two. Thick fog covers everything a few feet above your head, and the frame rate still struggles in spots. It's not pretty.

See more CNET content tagged:: robot,; film,; Activision Inc.,; environment,; Sony PSP

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4.0 stars

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

"Age 8 to 10 and it will be a sure hit."

by MrCollect0r on December 13, 2007

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