Transformers: Dark of the Moon (PS3)
Publisher: Activision
Developer: High Moon Studios
Release Date: June 14, 2011
Also available for XBOX 360
One thing I learned this year at E3 when speaking to the developers of the upcoming War of the Worlds and Star Trek games, movie tie-ins can be a nightmare due to the short lead times mandated by the studio in order to hit the street around the same time frame as the movie hits theaters.
Taking place three years after the events in the movie Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Transformers: Dark of the Moon - The Game has Optimus Prime and his Autobots once again trying to defeat Megatron and and his Decepticons. A transmission from Megatron is intercepted, exposing his plan to spread chaos and distrust among the human population.
Game play consists of battling either Decepticons or Autobots in a campaign that is meant to bridge the two movies Revenge of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon. One of the many problems with the single-player game is the inability to choose sides, let alone a particular Transformer character, and seems rather strange when half-way through the game you have changed sides and battling as a Decepticon. Another major problem with the game is its repetitiveness as well as many similar-looking backgrounds giving you a sense of deja-vu and likely getting lost. I often wondered, especially while exploring the Autobots base inside a volcano, if I had somehow double-backed to a room I had previously explored. One other problem with the game is the long and sometimes disruptive delays when switching from gameplay to cut scenes and back.
The game introduces a new Stealth mode, a hybrid hovercraft-like formation between vehicle and robot. Since this mode has virtually unlimited ammunition and faster repair abilities, most players will find themselves rarely changing to either a vehicle or robot unless absolutely necessary.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon - The Game is also a fairly short campaign, with only seven chapters. With a $59.99 price tag, I would have expected a much longer game. The good news is that online play consists of up to 10 players, as well as the ability to choose your favorite character.
Fans of the franchise will likely enjoy this game, but die-hard gamers will probably finish the campaign over a short weekend, and casual gamers will find themselves getting lost (and killed) once too often due to the repetitiveness and deja-vu quality of the gameplay and backgrounds.
Final Verdict: 3 out of 5
