Well having got this game today after 17 years of waiting, I can't help but feel a little disappointed. Now don't get me wrong, the game is really good, 4 stars. But there are a few problems.
I'll start with the campaign, I arrived home with my copy at about 10am today, finished the Decepticon end of the campaign at about 2pm. Yes, the campaigns are THAT short. There is however, unlike the games of the movies, replay value. In Transformers: The Game and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen The Game, once the campaigns were finished, that was it, didn't have any desire to play them again.
This game however has a lot to do. Every mission you can choose to play as one of 3 characters. The first mission of the decepticon campaign for example allows you to choose Megatron, Brawl, or Barricade. I have not yet replayed the campaign, but I believe dialog will differ depending on which character you play as.
The next thing I would like to discuss is the multiplayer. This is quite possibly the WORST multiplayer I have ever experienced. I am not, however, talking about the actual gameplay itself. The game play has a lot of potential. No, I am speaking of the performance. I have not experienced lag so bad since the days of 256k internet connections being the most powerful available in our country.
I'll give you an example. On multiple occasions I spent a good 3 seconds lining up a shot on an enemy, I would hit the fire button, expecting to do a lot of damage, but the delay between my pressing the button, and the weapon actually firing allowed the target to move what seemed like half a mile. I'm literally talking about a delay between button press, and firing, of as long as I took to line up the shot.
So if you're planning to get this game looking forward to multiplayer alone, then don't. At least hold off until Activision announces dedicated servers for the game, otherwise you will find yourself swearing and cursing at the delay for every shot you fire.
Well, now that I have told you the bad points about the game, let me tell you about the games good points.
Graphics: The graphics in this game are pretty impressive, albeit not ground breaking. The transformation sequences are beautiful, in my first hour or so playing, i found myself transforming over and over again just to watch the amazing sequences.
Gameplay: This definitely has some merit. The game provides a decent challenge, as you have ammo limitations, rather than heat, as in past Transformers games. This causes you to think quite carefully, and, where possible, take time to aim your shots in order to make them count.
The transformation mechanic is very useful. It allows you to escape a dangerous situation in a hurry and allows you to use cover more effectively, seeing as you have a lower profile, you can use smaller objects for cover.
Each character also has a unique set of special abilities. One cooldown ability (ability that recharges over time) and one Energon ability (which recharges with energon shards collected from fallen enemies. Optimus, for example, for his energon ability, has War Cry, which allows him, and any Autobot allies within a limited range, to have increased fire power for a limited period. His cooldown ability is dash, which gives him a short burst of forward speed.
Megatron's energon ability is health drain, in which he absorbs health from nearby enemies for a limited time. His cooldown ability is Hover, which allows him to float in the air for a short while, and boosts his weapon power.
Story: This is the game's shining characteristic. The storyline, though short, is very intriguing. It revolves around a substance called “dark energon” which is an extremely dangerous variant of energon. Naturally Megatron wants to control it. The game also details Optimus' life before becoming the leader of the Autobots, and his first meeting with Bumblebee. I have not yet completed the Autobot campaign, but am looking forward to doing so.
The bottom line is, if you are a hardcore Transformers fan who, like me, has waited well over a decade for a game like this, get it. If you are a casual transformers fan, you might want to wait for the price to come down a little. If you are looking for a great multiplayer experience, and have little interest in the story mode just don't get the game, at least not until dedicated servers are announced for it, or you don't mind a 2–3 second delay between pressing the fire button, and actually firing.
I do hope, that in the future, they will make another installment in this series, perhaps set on earth.