Transformers: The Game Comments by Kristan Reed

Well, that's a shame, I really enjoyed the Transformers game on the PS2.

Cars make rubbish weapons. They usually explode before/while you're throwing them Try trees. They're much better.

Trees explode much slower. Everybody knows that.

Too bad because the clips in the ads on EG looked quite fun.

3? Just give it a 0 and be done with it.

Yeah, the ps2 game was great. I wish they had improved on that one instead.

:O

Strangely, I had my hopes up for this one. Oh well...

sounds awful
quick aside, missing "L"?
"to the extent that it becomes an intolerable sideshow"

So, the best movie tie-in game since Catwoman then?

Blimey. I thought after seeing the EGTV coverage, the money they slipped in Minkley's pockets was at least worth a 5/10.

Traveller's Tales really do produce a lot of shockers. I'm starting to think that Lego Star Wars is just a fluke.

3? Just give it a 0 and be done with it.

Exactly. I don't see where the 3 is coming from. The review paints the picture of a melee combat game with terrible, strategy-less combat, game-breaking glitches, no consideration for the player, and horrible controls. There doesn't seem to be any redeeming features to bring the score up to even a 3.

The PSP version is literally the worst game I have ever played on the system and the worst game i can remember playing for absolutely years.

If i were to review it, I would give it nega-points.

I'd like to wager a graot that it will still make it to the top of the charts.

It's true, a lot of the blame for the sheer unadulterated crappiness of licensed games can be placed on the unfair time constraints the publishers force onto the developers. But then, if you want a decent track record as a high quality dev team... Just don't take on projects that are inevitably going to turn out crap.

(throws his own graot into the pot)

MMUK : "naah, it must just be them, they're IDIOTS clearly... "

They made it, they can be embarrased by it.

Never good having to get a film license ready on a tight deadline :(

I miss Argonaut.

I'm sure the time constraints *were* ludicrous. They almost always are with film-related games, but, as the man says, if you don't want the project because it has unfair time constraints, don't take it on.

Do they want as long as they had on Star Wars? (30 odd years?)

:-D

Traveller's Tales hang your head in SHAME!

Bring back Ocean!

(c'mon, SOMEONE had to say it)

*Plays batman*

I'll make a prediction... Despite being unbelivably crap this will be one of 2007s top sellers on every format and wedged in every chavs PSP drive from now until the next Need For Speed game comes out.

That is all.

Does it have motorbikes?

Ouch!

"Traveller's Tales, in particular, should be embarrassed. After years of steadily carving itself a reputation for solid, enjoyable games, this one is a major black mark on its track record"


Hmm. Apart from Lego Star Wars (which is automatically a lot less fun if you're not a SW geek), they haven't really done much else of note. Apart from Leander. Man, Leander was awesome.

Y'know, if Atari were savvy they'd produce and release a few copies of their Transformers (if they're still allowed to after selling the licence back to Hasbro) and try to fool people into buying the wrong copy.

They'd be doing folk a favour, anyway. It's a very good game, the Melbourne House version.

Most forms of media have what the literary world would describe as "pulp fiction". Don't see why games should be any different.

This is not for the likes of us. It's for the movie-tie-in buying 11 year olds.

Travellers Tales know what they are doing, and if that's what it takes to survive then fair enough.

TT is a highly successful operation that does indeed know what it's doing. I don't buy into the argument that it operates hand to mouth and can't possibly turn down a high pressure, short-lead project.

TT has made solid, quality games that are "not for us" for years, and respect to them for doing so. This, however, is by far its worst game in recent history - possibly this decade.

Yeah, everyone should leave off TT. It might be a shit game, but as a relatively small developer, they probably couldn't afford to refuse a contract off a mega-publisher like Activision.

I'd rather they produce a mixture of good and shit games than go down the tubes.

Absolute nonsense. Go and stand in the corner.

TT probably aren't living hand to mouth. They were No.5 in last years Develop100.

However we don't know how much they were paid to make "Transformers".

Lets imagine it wasn't enough to make a decent game? So TT can either turn it down, in which case another studio would have made it, and most likely it would turn out as bad, or take the money and do it themselves.

This isn't conclusive - Just a quick glance of Gamefaqs and then eurogamer for the reviews of TT games:

Transformers 3
Haven 7
Bionicle Heros 6
Lego SW lego 1 & 2 8
SMB Deluxe (Port) 8
F1 GP PSP 6 or 7 (Don't know which year they did)
WRC PSP ?
Narnia 7
Crash Twinsanity 7
Finding Nemo 6
Crash Bandicot Wrath of Cortex ?
Weakest Link 6

Soild if unremarkable from the Eurogamer scores...

Riddle me this: How come their tyres never burst?

Run flats?

Gutted that this is as shite as I'd feared. Melbourne House's game is one of my favourite PS2 titles. Even new levels on the same engine would've been good.

The Melbourne House PS2 game was really excellent, it had some hefty flaws (like the final level, which it's best to just ignore completely IMO) but it was amongst the best uses of the franchise ever.

I'd have loved to have seen a sequel to that game that built on its many strengths and ironed out the remaining problems, but instead we get this. Oh joy.

"Absolute nonsense. Go and stand in the corner."

Told!

Hey! Stop giving poor excuses for TT like time constraints etc. THEY decided to make the game, THEY accepted the offer because THEY wanted the money, THEY screwed up the game... If THEY thought THEY would have like 3 years to develop the game then THEY would really be idiots... No - THEY just decided that THEY will do it for the money, cause the game sells like hot cakes (as usual with crappy movie tie-ins).

Ever after the WONDERFUL Chronicles of Riddick (I hated the movie, but loved the game - how is that?) NO game developer should be excused for making such cheap-ass movie tie-ins. If you want to make a good game, you CAN make a good game - just look at all those indie game-developers. 90% of them have good ideas, especially when it comes to the gameplay element - if you just added some professional art direction and a larger budget (larger than 0, that is =) then imagine how remarkable their games would be.

I'm watching the Transformers cartoon on POP channel 619.

I can confirm the PC version is equally unbearable.
I don't think any developer's complaint about time constraints could possibly excuse their deciding that the best use of Optimus Prime would be to make him drive to a green dot before a timer runs out. Over and over again.
The DS game's actually a little more entertaining, as it turns out. Still best avoided, however.
- Alec

Well, I have actually played it.

Verdict: Its sucks balls.

heh, they should make a game based on those Citroën ads

Just as I expected...an utter crapfest featuring piss-poor design from the off, and badly executed to the point of unbelievability.

And that's just the PSP version.

The Film is Awesome better than I expected it to be, the game looks to be as bad as I expected

@Aiai

Ah.. trust the view of someone who thought the excellent PS2 game was "not that good" or trust a reviewer whose views you have come to respect over hundreds of reviews. Tough decision that

Wheres that bandwagon?

"Traveller's Tales really do produce a lot of shockers. I'm starting to think that Lego Star Wars is just a fluke. "

Thing is, it wasn't a fluke. They just combined Lego and Star Wars, and everybody liked it for that reason alone.

Coming from someone that was never into Star Wars and only mildly dabbled in Lego as a kid, I can confirm that without being subjected to the magnetic properties of those licences, it was actually just shit.

One example of the terrible game design was one the earlier levels in the second game. You had to build a bridge using Lego pieces to get to the other side. Only problem is, is that if you get shot at it resets the whole building process. Add in the fact that there are constantly respawning enemies and that you can't attack or defend while building said bridge as it resets then as well if you were to do so, and cue the frustration........

Traveller's Tales are just shit.

3lol

I know someone who worked on this briefly. They then got moved to a different project. Needless to say they were delighted at the time, and are probably equally so now.

I guess it got a 3 for the visuals, since it's the gameplay and engine that lets it down.

It seems even lobbing around in the PS3 launch title Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight is a better proposition than this game.

Ohhh well, it's not going to dampen my stupidly high levels of excitement over seeing the new film on Sunday though, God damn I can't wait.
I even love the negative reviews of the film, ''There's too much action'' or ''Loud!!!'' What? I don't understand :/ It's fooking Michael Bay, making a film about 30 ft high robots smashing each other up, what the hell were these uptight assholes expecting? Citizen Kane?

So, from the available PS3 games, it's still a good choice!

The Achievements seem fun...