Video games based on big budget Hollywood movies are by past example usually much worse than an original IP, and most of the time take a great series and ruin it via the interactive experience. Proof of this theory can be shown in games based off great movies such as The Matrix, 300, Spider-Man, X-Men, Lord of the Rings; we could go on and on giving examples of triple-a movies turned into triple-d video games. Every now and then there are exemptions to the rule, but 9 times out of 10 you will come away sorely disappointed. To say we are a tad bit excited about the upcoming Transformers film sequel would be a massive understatement; this one looks even better than the first. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – The Game was developed by the team over at Luxoflux Corp. (Kung Fu Panda and True Crime) and published by one of the best firms out there, Activision. Even though the first Transformers game wasn’t terrible the guys behind this game knew there were plenty of valid complaints and they set out to make a much better game; overall we are happy to reveal that they succeeded.
The single-player mode of Revenge of the Fallen is broken up into two different campaigns, the Autobots (good guys) and the Decepticons (bad guys), each consisting of 15-20 levels with a couple missions per level. The storyline is similar to that of its Hollywood counterpart but still vague enough not to totally ruin the film for those gamers who have not been to the theater yet. They are definitely two separate experiences and Transformers fans will get a lot out of experiencing both in non-sequential order. All of your favorite robots are available to play in the game, but some levels specify which character to play as until the level is completed and “free play” is unlocked. Because the gameplay setup is a mix of open-world and linear-design styles we found ourselves getting somewhat confused as to what to do next or how many “campaign points” we needed to earn to progress to the next level. Even so the 10+ hours we spent playing through both sides of the campaign (and earning achievements) we found ourselves much more pleased than we were after completing the first Transformers game.
From the start you can choose to take on the role of the Autobots or Decepticons; each class having their own unique missions and plot line. The entire game puts you in control of one of a dozen different vehicles including everything from your basic automobiles to sweet fighter jets. The controls are very basic (split into driving or fighting (melee/shooting) and very easy to master: the left analog stick controls your robot/vehicle, one button jumps/accelerates, one does your turbo, one button transforms you, one button does melee attack, and the others control your transformer's weapons (primary and secondary attacks). Everyone from a five-year-old child to a forty-five-year-old adult can play and enjoy this game, hardcore and casual alike. The fantastic thing about the weapons system in Revenge of the Fallen is that the developers worked very hard to balance the melee with the “gun style” weapons; meaning you will spend an equal amount of time using one or the other (strategy based gameplay).
