Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen
Publisher: Activision
Release: June 23, 2009
Revenge of the Fallen is the video game adaptation of the live action sequel to Transformers. You play as Autobots or Decepticons in your quest to destroy the opposite faction. The game is a very loose adaptation of the film story. Key points have obviously been left out, and that can lead to a disjointed experience. Since the story isn’t cohesive, you can feel as if you’re being pushed from similar mission to similar mission, with no purpose behind the actions.
There are no CGI cut scenes, and no CGI ending to cap off the events of the story. Kind of a bummer when you consider the first game had an amazing CGI ending for both factions. Throughout the game you will battle various bosses, such as Devastator, which help to break up the monotony of the basic levels. Special mention should be made for the “Deep Six” level. That level can be played by either Autobot or Decepticon. It’s a battle around a naval fleet who guards the corpse of Megatron, who lies six miles at the bottom of the ocean. This level really breaks up the blandness you can experience from the other levels. It’s easily the most fun level in the game, and one I’ve played more than a few times.
Graphics and Animation
The graphics are a real mixed bag. While the character models look pretty damn nice, the environments lack detail. It’s a real shame because of how nice the models look. It looks like you’re watching two different game engines running at once. Had more attention been paid the the level design, the game would have been fantastic to look at. As is, it’s an ok looking game saved by detailed Transformers models.
Overall: 7.5 out of 10
Sound and Music
The audio for Revenge of the Fallen is passable, but not excellent. The voice acting can be really fun at times, especially when dealing with Starscream. A lot of the movie cast filled their roles for the game, while others, like Megatron who is voiced by G1 Veteran Frank Welker, were given a more nostalgic casting. The banter between characters is enjoyable, but too many plot points are revealed solely through dialogue. Music is bland and unexciting. Activision chose to pass on Steve Jablonsky’s score and left in generic, but unobtrusive, tunes.
Overall: 7 out of 10
Gameplay
The game controls are fairly fun. Activision attempted to give more variety to the game mechanics. The new control scheme spices up the bland shooter/melee mechanics of the first game. You can now come out of vehicle mode directly into attacks or jumps, which adds an extra bit of strategy to your attack method. The problems arise when you realize that there just isn’t much to do in the game. The levels aren’t designed to take advantage of your abilities, and often times obstruct what should be fun play and battles.
Overall: 7 out of 10
Bottom Line
Revenge of the Fallen is a fun, but flawed gaming experience. The repetitive mission structure, and crude levels will have you reaching for a new game within a few days. Multi-player is there to extend the game play, but you’re stuck in the same boring levels, just with more players. Revenge of the Fallen is a good starting point for Activision, and if they build on what works in the game, we could wind up with a very good sequel. As it is, Transformers fans can live with buying it, most other should simply rent.
Overall: 7 out of 10
You can see my much more detailed review at our sister site, TFW2005.
I played this at a friend’s house, it was alright, I don’t think I’d buy it. I did not even recognize Frank Welker at Megatron at all, they used Megatron’s vocal coaching far too much in-game, it’s really annoying to hear him constantly barking orders at you.
Scrapper!!
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