PlayStation 2

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 2

February 19, 2006

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Mate Bors Make a comment! / Tweet it!

If you’ve played [i]Ghost Recon 2[/i] on the Xbox, then you have yourself a pretty good military shooter, despite the enormous changes between the first [i]Ghost Recon[/i] and the sequel. And if you might think [i]Ghost Recon 2[/i] is the same on the Xbox and the PlayStation 2, then you are very mistaken.

The PS2 version was brought to us by Red Storm, and it is rather questionable as to how on Earth they managed to pull off a pretty good game on Microsoft’s console, and a poor game on the PS2.

The reason the PS2 version sucks is because it wants to mimic the [i]Socom[/i] games too much. In fact, this game could fit in with the series, except unlike [i]Socom[/i] games, [i]Ghost Recon 2[/i] is rather mediocre.

It’s hard to control your team, and it’s hard to control your main character. The controls aren’t too great, and it’s a pain when you’re trying to ambush some baddies; but thanks to the controls, you’re screwing around and they spot you. The AI isn’t exactly cutting-edge either.

There is also no in-game saving. I absolutely despised this in [i]Socom[/i], and I still hate it in this game. It was included in the Xbox version, but why not in this one? I would have liked the game a LOT more if I could have saved. It was rather annoying reattempting the same mission six times and then constantly dying in the end.

The graphics are rather passableA

Peter Jackson’s King Kong

February 7, 2006

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Mate Bors Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Without a doubt, [i]King Kong[/i] was one of the best movies this year. Like almost every movie, it was inevitable that it would receive a videogame based on the film. We all know that most movie-based videogames are usually crappy, but [i]King Kong[/i] was in the hands of Ubisoft, a company responsible for such great games as [i]Splinter Cell[/i] and [i]Prince of Persia[/i]. This was a big relief because Ubisoft is a company I trust, and they don’t often let me down. The task was hard: make a game based on a very good Peter Jackson film. Did Ubisoft succeed?

[i]King Kong[/i] is a unique first-person game. I’m not really going to call it a first-person shooter, mainly because you don’t use your gun as much as in traditional shooters. You’ll often have to rely on spears instead of your gun. With the spear, the game is much more intense than pumping some creature full of lead. The spears were also useful when you could light the end and set bushes on fire to clear the path, or just roast up some dinos or other nasty creatures Skull Island has in store for Jack Driscoll and the other members on the journey. Your weapon is not always drawn; you need to press a specific button to draw it and another to shoot. Another way that [i]King Kong[/i] separates the player from other shooters is the lack of ammo, little variety of weapons (pistol, shotgun, rifle and Tommy gun) and the ability to carry only one weapon (plus a spear). I found that quite dumb because it’s possible to carry a pistol and then another weapon, but I’m not going to lose sleep over this aspect.

Another thing that makes [i]King Kong[/i] a unique game is the lack of any HUD. There is no health bar, no crosshair, no nothing. You have to rely on your instincts. Of course, players who find this too hard can turn it on in the options menu, but that robs [i]King Kong[/i] of its cinematic experience. When you get hurt, the screen will turn red a bit, and if you get hit again, you die. If you manage to stay alive until the screen goes back to normal, it will be as if nothing happened.

Playing as Kong is a totally different experience. You go into third-person mode, and you use your fists to fight. You can relive epic moments of the film as Kong versus the T-Rex (and you do this much more than in the movie), or as you fight for your survival in New York. You often have to protect Ann (the female protagonist) or fight off enemies while she does something (usually burn a blockade so you can proceed).

I didn’t really like that the game barely follows the film. Yes, we have the concept that Carl Denham’s filming crew and some sailors get to Skull Island where Ann is captured, and then she gets taken away by Kong, and then Kong gets captured and gets taken to New York, etc.-but basically, nothing goes on as it does in the film. I found this quite strange and misleading, but it’s up to the player to decide if he or she likes it or not. I know I didn’t.

The graphics look nice on the PS2. Although at times, the game slowed down a bit, it still looked quite nice. I found the water effect disappointing and ugly. Perhaps because of the swampy water, perhaps not-it just wasn’t nice. On the other hand, the fire effects were nicely done. The characters looked a lot like the actual people on whom they were based from the film, which was a nice thing, and they were nicely portrayed in the game.

The music was pretty good; however, I felt it lacking. It was well done and orchestrated, but when compared to other works like this, it’s nothing special. The noises that the animals and beasts made on Skull Island were cool and added to the cinematic experience. The voice acting is done by the real actors, which is a good addition.

The game does have some flaws. An example of a bug is when I got to a place where I should’ve been with Carl and Hayes, but I wasn’t, and there was nothing for me to do; I couldn’t go where I was supposed to go, or go back. I decided to save and quit, and when I reloaded, Carl and Hayes were with me, and everything was rolling. Not a major bug, but it should have been fixed. I also hated it when I was with other characters when playing Jack, and they would decide to run ahead and not bother to wait up for me, so I had to go wondering around where they might be. Also, after a while, the lack of scenery and objective change can make the game dull.

While the [i]King Kong[/i] videogame is a decent movie adaptation, you’ll beat it quickly, and there is no reason to go back for the extras (no multiplayer, which is up to the player to decide if it’s good or not). There is an alternate ending, though, where Kong lives, but you have to play the game a lot to get this, which most people won’t bother with. If you want to see a different kind of first-person shooter, mixed with some third-person Kong action, or if you just really enjoyed the film, then by all means, rent this game. Overall, I think Ubisoft made a fairly decent game, and I hope they will have more movie adaptations in the future.

Spider-Man 2

February 6, 2006

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Chris Massey Make a comment! / Tweet it!

In the weeks since [i]Spider-Man 2[/i] the movie was released, I’ve heard some very good things about [i]Spider-Man 2[/i], the game. People have boasted that it is one of the better movie-based video games to come out in a while, and with the recent [i]Chronicles of Riddick[/i], I felt that movie-based games were starting to make a turn for the better. Sadly enough, as I played into [i]Spider-Man 2[/i] for the Playstation 2, I found that it is a very repetitive game, has fairly dull game play, and really doesn’t look too good in the end.

Like you would expect, [i]Spider-Man 2[/i] the game is based off the most recent [i]Spider-Man 2[/i] movie. The game loosely follows the movie’s storyline, so if you want to see the movie, then it would be best to wait and play this game after seeing the movie. Even so, [i]Spider-Man 2[/i] alters parts of the story. In addition to Doctor Octopus, you will also have to fight other enemies of Spider-Man like Mysterio, Shocker, and Rhino. It also adds in other things fans of Spider-Man will recognize, and even alters one of the movie’s most important parts, most likely to keep you in costume as out-of-costume Peter Parker really can’t do a whole lot.

The game’s best feature is the web-swinging system. [i]Spider-Man 2[/i] takes place across Manhattan Island, and let’s you swing throughout the entire city. [i]Spider-Man 2[/i] actually takes some elements from games like [i]Grand Theft Auto 3[/i] and [i]Tony Hawk’s Underground[/i]. Like in [i]Grand Theft Auto 3[/i], you can go anywhere on the island without a loading screen getting in your way, and like [i]Tony Hawk’s Underground[/i], you can receive missions from various people along the streets of New York City. Although instead of a car or a skateboard, you use your trusty webbing to swing across New York City, and for the most part, it works really well and is the most enjoyable thing about [i]Spider-Man 2[/i].

Even though you can get missions from civilians, you will probably spend most of your time doing the missions assigned to you by the game. The game divides these missions into different chapters, and once you complete all these objectives, they go into the next chapter. There are three different types of mission usually assigned to you. The most common is the “hero point” goal, while the other two are either buy a certain upgrade or complete a goal to drive the story along. In the end though, most of these missions will get very repetitive, especially the hero point goal. The missions that drive the story can get old fast, as they usually have you either getting to a certain point before time runs out, or following Black Cat until she stops, or getting to the top of the building to take pictures. The point is, almost any mission will have you swinging across the city going from this building to the next, which is sad, because it ends up hurting the best part of the game to the point where it gets as old as the missions do. Occasionally though, a mission will get interesting, like missions that have you exploring a fun house or navigating an obstacle course.

Of course, the hero point goals are even more tedious than the other missions. Usually, the game will ask you to get a number of hero points. These don’t take a real long time to complete, as the other missions give you a hefty amount of hero points, but the bad part about these objectives is that as soon as you reach the goal, the game starts the next chapter, which gives you another handful of points. Another bad thing about the hero point goals is that usually, you will have to go around town helping people who see trouble going on, which adds even more to the repetitive scale.

It doesn’t help that there are only a handful of missions you can receive from pedestrians. They are somewhat enjoyable the first or second time, but after doing them all (which won’t take long), you’ll probably get bored. There are other ways to get hero points other than helping civilians, of course, they don’t stray too far from the other missions. You can do assignments for the Daily Bugle or deliver pizzas, but these don’t stray too far from the “swing here and come back” missions we’ve already come to love in this game.

[i]Spider-Man 2[/i] does have its fair share of boss fights. As mentioned before, you fight many enemies from the Spider-Man comics, as well as the main villain from the movie, Doc Ock. However, these boss fights can get a little dull. They aren’t incredibly challenging, and once you figure out the pattern the boss goes in, you shouldn’t have too much trouble with them. It doesn’t help that bosses are pretty random. The game doesn’t really incorporate them into the story very well, aside from Doctor Octopus, and it just throws them in and has them terrorize the place without much explanation of where they came from.

The combat system is a mixed bag of good and bad. On the good side, you can purchase many different attacks to use on enemies. The combo system works great and there is a good variety of attacks to use, provided you purchase them with hero points. On the bad side, the game is prone to button mashing. You can easily take out enemies simple by pushing the punch button in rapid succession, and unless you refuse to simply button mash, the multiple attacks to choose from can become useless and wasted hero points. Sometimes, enemies will block your attacks, but all you really have to do there is press the dodge button, then counter-attack them and beat the daylights out of them while still on the ground. There can be times where enemies will overwhelm you, and that’s when button mashing becomes futile, but this is on rare occasions. There is also “spider-reflex mode,” but this is essentially the “bullet time” we’ve all come to love, and like most games that use this, you will end up not using it a whole lot.

The graphics are yet another mixed bag. I don’t know what the story is on the Gamecube or Xbox versions, but [i]Spider-Man 2[/i] looks awful on the Playstation 2. Generally, things look all right from a far-off perspective, but it’s when you get up close when things get ugly. Character models look horribly blocky and jagged. When they talk, their lips don’t move, and when they move, they can start to twitch and spasm out of control. Because of this, cut scenes look pretty bad, not that it matters, since the game lets you skip over cut scenes, and if you’ve seen the movie, then you can simply skip over these without much worry. When the camera is far off, buildings and people look fairly good, although they leave a little to be desired, but in the end, the graphics could have been done so much better. The frame rate keeps up with the game fairly well, especially when swinging through the city. Spider-Man is probably the best-looking character in the game, whereas the main characters like Peter Parker and Otto Octavius look slightly like the real thing but not exactly, and the pedestrians look horrible.

Tobey Maguire and other actors voice their respecting characters. The dialogue is a little funky in [i]Spider-Man 2[/i]. Spider-Man usually says quirky little lines that sound pretty lame in the end. He seems to step out of the shy little nerdy character the movie sets up and into a more sarcastic tone, like the old comic books and animated series presents. Most of the dialogue coming from pedestrians, which mainly consists of asking for help, sounds weird as well, mainly because they sound like they are straight out of the old comic books. The music sounds pretty good, and is similar to what was in the first Spider-Man game and music from the movie. Bruce Campbell returns as the helping guide, and offers his sarcastic rambling throughout the game’s tutorial. It’s really up to the player to decide whether or not he is tolerable. The way he presents help throughout the game is unique, but there are probably some who find his presentation annoying to no ends.

[i]Spider-Man 2[/i] is yet another fairly decent movie-based game, but that’s not saying much. The web-swinging system is probably the best reason to play this game, although it isn’t an incentive for a purchase since it can become old after awhile. Everything else in the game is rather repetitive and gets old very quickly, and the graphic presentation is lacking at best. [i]Spider-Man 2[/i] will probably suit many people best as a rental, especially since the game can be completed in a fairly short amount of time. In the end, [i]Spider-Man 2[/i] is fairly dull and doesn’t do much to help the movie-based stereotype out.

Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance

February 6, 2006

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Chris Massey Make a comment! / Tweet it!

[i]Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty[/i] was released in 2001. Most gamers accepted it with open arms, being the sequel to a game that defined the stealth action genre and was one of the best games for the Playstation One. In 2002, [i]Sons of Liberty[/i] was remade for the Xbox, in the form of [i]Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance[/i]. [i]Substance[/i] added in many new features that, in truth, really should have been included in [i]Sons of Liberty[/i]. To many Playstation 2 owners, this may have seemed like a slap in the face, so Konami finally decided to release [i]Substance[/i] for the Playstation 2. Even though it is the same game as [i]Substance[/i] for the Xbox, it still seems like a slap in the face to some Playstation 2 gamers.

[i]Substance[/i] seemed perfectly at home on the Xbox since [i]Sons of Liberty[/i] was exclusive to the Playstation 2. On the Playstation 2 though, [i]Substance[/i] seems a little gimmicky, especially since it was designed to debut on another system. [i]Substance[/i] essentially has everything from [i]Sons of Liberty[/i], including the single-player Tanker/Plant campaign, and other additional options. [i]Substance[/i] differs from [i]Sons of Liberty[/i] by adding in around 500 different VR missions, as well as a rather clunky-feeling skateboarding mini-game. This makes [i]Substance[/i] seem like a waste for PS2 owners, since most people who own a PS2 and have an interest in the Metal Gear series played [i]Sons of Liberty[/i] around the time it was released.

This isn’t to say [i]Substance[/i] isn’t a good game, but since most people on the PS2 have played [i]Sons of Liberty[/i], it just makes it feel like a gimmick. If you are one of those people who never played [i]Sons of Liberty[/i], then [i]Substance[/i] is a great game, since you are getting the story-mode along with many extras players of the original didn’t receive. If you have played [i]Sons of Liberty[/i], then all you’re really getting is a couple changes, and while the VR missions are fairly enjoyable, they hardly seem worth paying the money for a game we all played a few years ago.

Like you’ve probably surmised, since [i]Substance[/i] is the remake of [i]Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty[/i], it also qualifies as the sequel to [i]Metal Gear Solid[/i] for the PS1. If you played [i]Metal Gear Solid[/i] back in 1998, then [i]Substance[/i] should feel fairly familiar to you. The biggest update in the player interface is the graphics haul, which updates [i]Metal Gear Solid[/i]’s pixilated graphics to a smoother looking form. Other than the graphics, most of the traits from [i]Metal Gear Solid[/i] have made their way back into its sequel. You control your character through a third person overhead viewpoint, using weapons in one hand and items like rations in the other hand.

It is best that a new player to [i]Substance[/i] isn’t informed of the storyline. The story takes so many twists and turns that revealing any information would reduce the impact of the cutscene or Codec transmission. [i]Substance[/i] begins with Solid Snake infiltrating a tanker with the assistance of his old friend from [i]Metal Gear Solid[/i], Otacon. The story shifts drastically from there, as any veteran Sons of Liberty player could tell you. Another important thing to know is that it is very crucial to have played [i]Metal Gear Solid[/i] before playing [i]Substance[/i]. Although you may understand some parts of the story, there are many references to Shadow Moses, Liquid Snake, and other things found in [i]Metal Gear Solid[/i] that will easily fly over the head of one who hasn’t played the prequel to [i]Sons of Liberty[/i].

The gameplay has seen some renovation from [i]Metal Gear Solid[/i], but for the most part, anyone who played the first will recognize the mechanics behind Substance easily. Substance introduces a first person gun viewpoint, which allows you to fire your gun at enemies and get clearer, more precise shots. Snake has been given a rolling technique, while Raiden has a cartwheel roll. Everything else in the game is, for the most part, rehashed from [i]Metal Gear Solid[/i].

There is a huge arsenal of new weapons at your disposal, not available in [i]Metal Gear Solid[/i]. The SOCOM handgun, Nikita missile launcher, and most of the weapons seen in [i]Metal Gear Solid[/i] make their return. [i]Substance[/i] adds in weapons such as the USP handgun, a PSG1-T sniper rifle, the AKSu-74 assault rifle, and many more. Many of the items found in [i]Metal Gear Solid[/i] return as well, such as the well-known cardboard box (which you can hide underneath), the magazine (which distracts guards with pictures of women), and the life-giving rations. [i]Substance[/i] also includes a new way of approaching your objective, by adding in the M9 tranquilizer pistol, and a tranquilizer version of the PSG1 sniper rifle. These allow you to take out enemies by putting them to sleep rather than killing or knocking them out.

[i]Sons of Liberty[/i] and [i]Substance[/i] both have more updated A.I. than that of [i]Metal Gear Solid[/i]. Guards are generally more responsive, tactical, and well, smarter. This doesn’t mean that the guards are geniuses, and they are actually a little dense in the sense that you can be standing on one side of the room, them looking straight at you, and not notice you. Still, the A.I. is good for a video game, even if it seems like they are dense. A couple new features have come up with the guards. A guard’s dead body no longer disappears after a few seconds, so now players will have to stow away any dead bodies so other guards cannot find them and raise their guard. Another new feature is that some guards call in to some unseen guard to report that all is normal. If you take out one of these guards, the unseen guard will soon radio in demanding why there is no response. No response will send in a guard team to investigate. These new features add to the tactical value of the game, and keep you thinking on your feet.

The Codec device returns from [i]Metal Gear Solid[/i]. The Codec serves as a communication tool to Non-Player Characters. Codec transmissions take place with two 3-D avatars speaking with each other through audio, along with subtitles. Codec transmissions take up just about as much time as cutscenes do, and at times, can be extremely lengthy. Of course, you can skip these, but you’ll be missing out on a big part of the story. At any rate, in the end, the voice acting and story make the transmissions enjoyable to watch. The Codec also allows you to save your game, and talk with other characters to get helpful tips on the given situation. The Codec is also accompanied by the radar, which you will find on the top right corner of your screen. The radar is an important factor in Substance, as it gives you a heads up on the enemy location, and their field of vision. You can turn the radar off, but it makes the game much more challenging.

The story takes up a good portion of [i]Substance[/i]’s campaign. In fact, the cutscenes and Codec transmissions add up to a little over three hours. At times, your controller may be on the ground for a while due to the lengthiness of some cutscenes. There are some periods in some cutscenes that let you interact with the environment, but this just seems like a way to keep you on you guard. As long as you don’t mind a long, story-driven game, then [i]Substance[/i] should be no problem, but if you like gameplay over cutscene, then you may not want to give [i]Substance[/i] a try, or any [i]Metal Gear[/i] game for that matter.

The voice acting is as stellar as ever. [i]Metal Gear Solid[/i] had some of the best voice acting ever seen in a game. In fact, it was one of the first games to include a great cast of voiceovers. The [i]Sons of Liberty[/i] story includes all the original cast (save for absent characters like Naomi Hunter and Mei Ling), including David Hayter playing Snake’s gruff voice, and Pat Zimmerman as returning character Revolver Ocelot. Christopher Randolph returns as Otacon, and Quinton Flynn plays new character Raiden. Some voices sound a little cheesy, especially Snake and Ocelot. The over-the-top story makes the cheesy voiceovers fit though, and they sound really nice in the end.

Now that the [i]Sons of Liberty[/i] part is complete, we’ll go over the new parts [i]Substance[/i] adds into the mix.

The VR missions are the biggest draw of [i]Substance[/i]. There are well near 500 VR missions. If you played [i]Metal Solid VR Missions[/i] for the Playstation, then the VR missions in [i]Substance[/i] will seem fairly familiar. You pick a character, mainly from Raiden and Solid Snake, and complete various scenarios in a Virtual Reality environment. Playing through missions unlocks more missions, and completing enough missions under one character will open another character up. The VR missions are enjoyable, but they hardly seem worth buying [i]Substance[/i] for alone. Of course, if you never played [i]Sons of Liberty[/i], then [i]Substance[/i] is a perfect buy, since you get the VR missions not available in the original.

There is also another new mode available in [i]Substance[/i], mentioned earlier: Skateboarding. Unlike the VR missions though, which are actually somewhat worth a purchase, the skateboarding aspect is not worth purchase of [i]Substance[/i], mainly because it is flimsy, and just seems like a gimmick. The skateboarding in [i]Substance[/i] is based off Konami’s [i]Evolution Skateboarding[/i], which got poor reviews at release due to sluggish controls and gameplay. All the traits that made [i]Evolution Skateboarding[/i] a failure make it into [i]Substance[/i]’s skateboarding, unfortunately. It is best if the skateboarding is left alone.

Aside from the other two new game modes, there are also five different “Snake Tales” in [i]Substance[/i]. These take Substance’s Plant story and replaces Raiden with Snake, altering parts of the story of course. Keep in mind these aren’t loaded with cutscenes; in fact, there aren’t any cutscenes at all. The small story is driven by text screens mainly. The “Snake Tales” are fairly enjoyable, but again, like the VR missions, don’t warrant a purchase alone.

[i]Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance[/i] is a great game. The only problem is, everyone has played the game back in 2001. The VR missions and gimmicky skateboard modes don’t really justify a purchase from a veteran of [i]Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty[/i]. If you never played [i]Sons of Liberty[/i], then [i]Substance[/i] is perfect for you. Problem is, if you didn’t played [i]Sons of Liberty[/i] at release, then chances are, you never played [i]Metal Gear Solid[/i], which contradicts the purchase of [i]Substance[/i]. If you’ve played [i]Metal Gear Solid[/i], and for some strange reason never played [i]Sons of Liberty[/i], then [i]Substance[/i] is a worthwhile purchase. If you have played [i]Sons of Liberty[/i], and simply must play the VR missions, then rent [i]Substance[/i], play through the VR missions, and your urge should curb.

Transformers

February 5, 2006

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Chris Massey Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Fans of the [i]Transformers[/i] series have wanted a game released in the U.S. for a while now, and Atari has finally delivered with [i]Transformers[/i]. [i]Transformers[/i], for the PS2 console, takes place in the [i]Transformers[/i]: Armada universe, rather than the old [i]Transformers[/i] people might remember from the 1980’s. While the emphasis is still on vehicles that transform into gigantic robots waging war against one another, in [i]Transformers[/i], the goal is to retrieve the tiny Mini-cons before the Decepticons can do so themselves. [i]Transformers[/i] is, surprisingly, a very rewarding game, with intense combat, great controls, and overall, great game play.

In [i]Transformers[/i], the main conflict is between the Autobots and the Decepticons, both trying to get all the Mini-cons to enhance their powers by linking with them. You play as the Autobots, who have followed the Decepticons to Earth after the Mini-cons, who crash-landed millions of years ago, were activated. Optimus Prime, Hotshot, and Red Alert make up the three selectable characters in the game, each having their own advantages and disadvantages. You will progress through a number of levels set in different parts of the world, including the Amazonian jungle, a research base in Antarctica, the middle of the Atlantic, and more in search of the tiny bots.

[i]Transformers[/i] is essentially a third-person shooter. You go through the game battling Megatron’s “Decepticlones,” which are endless masses of robots sent to battle the Autobots. You eventually come across higher ranked characters like Starscream and Cyclonus, usually at the end of a level, which act as boss fights. As you take damage, your life, or Energon as the Autobots call it, will drain and begin to make a rather annoying beeping noise when it is about to run completely out. You find life by destroying enemies, and it can be a little hard to find life if you are taking on a large squadron.

You start out with a simple blaster, but soon you will inherit new abilities through the Mini-cons. One of the interesting parts of [i]Transformers[/i] is the Mini-con system, which lets you set Mini-cons to the different shoulder buttons. Each Mini-con you find can be linked onto your character to give them weapons, defensive, or other upgrades. Many include missile and grenade launchers, while others include defensive shields. Some have special abilities, like Mini-cons who can activate Energon vision (which is essentially what we Earth people call thermal vision), or ones that let you glide through the air. This allows the player to customize his character with different abilities, and adds to the uniqueness of the game. You can only hold four Mini-cons at a time though, so it can be hard to decide what bots you want to attach to yourself. There are bonuses to collecting and placing Mini-cons onto your character though. For instance, if you color-code the Mini-cons just right, you can receive health and other bonuses.

Mini-cons can be found throughout each level in [i]Transformers[/i]. There are a set amount of Mini-cons to be found, and if you happen to miss one, don’t worry. You can go back to the level whenever you want after completion to retrieve them. You can also find Data-cons, which really don’t help your game, but they do add special features into the game. Data-cons usually contain nostalgic things like comic book scans, pictures of [i]Transformers[/i] action figures, the instruction booklet for those toys, art, and much more. Like the Mini-cons, you find these throughout the levels, and the game also displays how many of these you’ve captured on a level.

Of course, what would a [i]Transformers[/i] game be if you couldn’t transform into vehicles, and [i]Transformers[/i] doesn’t disappoint. Each Autobot can transform into different types of vehicles. Optimus Prime transforms into a slower but powerful truck, and Hotshot goes into a fast coupe while Red Alert transforms into a police SUV. Surprisingly, the driving physics are actually quite nice, not like many games that simply throw in a rehashed, hard to maneuver driving system. Transforming doesn’t play a very huge part in [i]Transformers[/i], and most of the time, you’ll probably be in robot mode shooting enemies since you can’t fire in vehicle mode, but it is a nice feature, and it’s good to see that it is used properly.

Eventually, you will receive a Mini-con partner, who will follow you around and fire at enemies. These partners aren’t to be confused with the Mini-cons you equip to your character. While they can be linked to you, these Mini-cons have much different effects. If you press the power link button, the Mini-con partner will link to you, and cause you to go into a sort of Matrix-like slow down. In this state, you can move around and shoot enemies long before they can react, as well as deal more damage in doing so. The only problem with the power linking is that it uses up Energon, and if you’re not careful, your Energon will slowly deplete before you even realize it.

The visuals in [i]Transformers[/i] are very nice, but are also lackluster in some way. The Autobots look nice, and are fairly shiny for the most part. The levels are a little on the bland side though, although they aren’t horrible by any means. The voice acting sounds decent, but some characters are much better than others. Optimus Prime has his old, wise-sounding voice that he’s had for years, and characters like Cyclonus, Megatron, and Hotshot retain their voices from the Armada series. Red Alert’s voice seems to sound like his Armada counterpart, but it sounds real deadpan and he seems more bored than anything, and Starscream’s voice is completely different.

The storyline in [i]Transformers[/i] is a little loosely tied together, and sometimes seems a little convoluted. The game doesn’t follow the Armada series storyline, although that isn’t too big of a problem since the story in that focuses more on a band of pre-teens than it does on the [i]Transformers[/i] themselves. What is a problem is that [i]Transformers[/i] seems to take the story from Armada and alter it, and in the process, make it seem a little confusing. You will usually get a cut scene before entering a level or before and after fighting a boss. You can usually understand what is happening, but sometimes you’ll wonder why they Autobots trek all the way to Antarctica just to go back to the Amazon where they had just come from.

One big problem with [i]Transformers[/i] is that you will often receive some massive slow-downs. The frame-rate drops drastically in some areas, specifically when taking on legions of enemies at once. You can also receive it when fighting bosses and when you get into areas with a lot of water splashing around. It probably also happens in other places as well and is probably the biggest problem with [i]Transformers[/i].

The boss fights in [i]Transformers[/i] are probably one of the best parts of the game. Usually you will fight familiar character like Starscream or Megatron. Sometimes boss fights will only have you fighting a single Decepticlone, which is fairly easy to beat. The best boss fight of the game though would have to be in the Pacific Ocean. The game even takes a neat twist with the fight, by having you infiltrate a Decepticon battleship to disable it, only to have it transform into the one hundred story tall Tidal Wave. All the boss fights are fairly challenging, and add to the quality of the game.

All things considered, [i]Transformers[/i] is the game that fans have been waiting for. Fans will no doubt want to pick this game up, because of the Transforming goodness within. But [i]Transformers[/i] is such a good third-person shooter, that even a person who isn’t into the [i]Transformers[/i] television shows will like it. The Mini-con system adds a great feature into [i]Transformers[/i], and Transformer fans will love the nostalgia found in the Data-cons, but even without those two features, [i]Transformers[/i] is a title well worth recommending to any third-person shooter fan.

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