This isn’t going to be a definitive list of all the Transformers video games ever, just the ones I have played and what I thought of them. For sake of clarity, I’m only talking about console games, not the mobile phone ones as I’m still not sure about how I feel about half of them…
Beast Wars: Transformers.
1998.
I got this on the PC way back in 1998 and this was my first Transformers game. I never owned an Atari. Yes, I am aware that in the first paragraph I said about them being console games, and this is a PC game, but it’s my scribbling so I can break my own rules, I’m a rebel like that.
I’m not going to lie, I really can’t remember much about it other than it really bland, lots of brown desert and walking and generally not being much cop, I was excited to play it, I was expecting something like Unreal with transformers in it… it really wasn’t that. let’s move on…
Transformers.
2004.
I remember stepping into this game with cation after I remembered the horror that was beast wars. However, it soon became apparent that this game was brilliant and I really enjoyed my time with it. No, it wasn’t the G1 love in a game I wanted back then… and still want now come to think of it, but, it was bloody great game! I remember I had the director’s cut or something and it had this cardboard sleeve over the game. I played it a bunch and then one day I found the disk all scratched up (I have younger brothers) and it wouldn’t play anymore. Sad day.
Transformers: The Game.
2007.
As we all know there is tale that nearly all games based on movies are terrible, this game really helps that tale!
The day this game was released there was serious flooding in my area and going out to buy it was an absolute chore, literally what should have taken maybe 30 minutes tops took a few hours. I wish I hadn’t of bothered. It was SO bad, I tried so hard to like it, but it was just flat terrible! The controls, graphics, story all of it, just poor. How can a video game about giant transforming robots fail this hard?
For a positive point though as I don’t like being all misery… erm… oh, I liked that it had 2 story lines, one for each faction that was a good idea and Peter Cullen voicing Optimus is great, but still…
Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen.
2009.
Did I learn from my previous mistake? Did I hell, it’s Transformers, I went out and bought it on day one. So a game based on a movie where the movie is.. troubled.
Ok, it was a slight improvement over the last one I guess, I remember that I did like that it had a good old team deathmatch Autoboots vs Decepticons and this was cool. I put quite a bit of time into that. They also had some DLC for some G1 skins. This pleased me, was it a great game? No. Was it a good game? Not really. Was it a passible game if you are a big Transformers fan? Yes, for those people, this game is just fine, well the deathmatch was fun anyway. It was quite funny, I remember telling a friend that the Death match was worth it, he was having none of it, he was probably right.
Transformers: War for Cybertron.
2010.
Now we are talking!
A Transformers game, set on Cybertron, third person, co-op, just all the yes! I loved this game. Just great stuff all around. All the little Easter eggs and nods “first we crack the shell”. You can tell that this game was made by people that liked Transformers and that was a great thing. It wasn’t just a good Transformers game, it was a good game full stop. High Moon be praised.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
2011.
Whoops! So yeah, High be praised, apart from here where someone threw a banana peel underfoot.
I felt bad for high moon after this, they actually released an apology for the game followings it’s release saying they were rushed by Activision to meet a dead line. Seemed to be a bit of an awkward situation. The harsh truth is, especially following their previous effort, this game was a bit disappointing. I liked that they told a bit of story set before the movie, that was a nice touch, but overall, the game needed a little more time in the oven.
I feel guilty, but,
Transformers: Fall of Cybertron.
2012.
High moon back on form! This game picks up where War For Cybertron finished and I was fully onboard from the first level.
They improved upon WFC in almost every way, almost, I don’t know why, but for some reason they took the co-op element which was amazing in WFC and, well, they just took it, out, gone, where is it? It was sorely missed. I wasn’t convinced on some of the multiplayer tweaks either and I have to say I thought the DLC was a bit lame, multiplayer skins, yay and all that, but not for money. In my opinion, however, this is the best available transformers game.
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark.
2014.
I’m guessing Activision dumped High Moon studios from Transformers line for speaking out about the mess that was the Dark of the Moon game. Edge of Reality were brought in to do this game.
So yeah, it’s sort of half taking bits from the far superior Cybertron games and half from the Dark of the Moon set on earth bits and, it’s a bit jumbled, playing it I didn’t hate it like some, but the polish, the love of Transformers did not shine to me like it did on the previous 2 games. Just something a little off about it, left me feeling it was a bland half-hearted effort.
Transformers: Devastation.
2015.
When I saw Platinum Games were putting a Transformers game out, I was interested, but, I can’t lie, I even though I love the art style in this game, I really don’t like the gameplay. It’s just not my sort of game and Bumblebee doing mid-air combos on Megatron just isn’t right in my book. Funnily enough I do believe this is the highest rated Transformers game of all time, but I’m just not in to it at all.
A probably wrong
Future Transformers games?
I’m not sure of any at the moment, I would ideally like High Moon to take them back up and follow on from Fall of Cybertron with an “Arrival from Cybertron” game that leads into the G1 cartoon style romp, but that’s just me thinking wishfully! Maybe an open world adventure, like that grand theft Autobot meme… I do believe that Activision have lost the Transformers licence now, so, there are many possibilities as to what could come out… I just hope it’s good whatever it is. Fingers crossed for the future!
