CNET Networks Entertainment GameSpot | GameFAQs | SportsGamer | Metacritic | MP3.com | TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Games

Playstation Reviews
PS3 | PS2 | PS One | PSP

Xbox Reviews
Xbox 360 | Xbox

Nintendo Reviews
Wii | DS | GBA | Cube | N64


PC | N-Gage | Dreamcast

How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Games In Our Forums

 

Upcoming & Recent Releases

sort by name sort by score

77 Aces of the Galaxy
61 Alone in the Dark
74 Assault Heroes 2
84 Battlefield: Bad Company
50 Battlezone
56 Beijing 2008
43 Bliss Island
54 Brain Challenge
58 Buku Sudoku
54 Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The
83 Civilization Revolution
73 Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath
81 Condemned 2: Bloodshot
45 Crash Time
72 Dark Sector
63 Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm
56 Don King Presents: Prizefighter
73 Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit
67 Elements of Destruction
69 Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
77 Football Manager 2008
42 Frogger 2
98 Grand Theft Auto IV
87 GRID
73 Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
60 Hail to the Chimp
55 Happy Tree Friends False Alarm
50 Hellboy: The Science of Evil
xx Highlander
88 Ikaruga
57 Incredible Hulk, The
44 Iron Man
77 Kung Fu Panda
xx Legendary
77 LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
66 Lost Cities
78 Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition
45 Mr. Driller Online
74 NASCAR 09
55 NBA Ballers: Chosen One
xx NCAA Football 09
81 Ninja Gaiden II
42 Operation Darkness
77 Penny Arcade Adventures Epsiode One: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness
76 Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
71 Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy
xx Rocketmen: It Came from Your Uranus
37 Rocky and Bullwinkle
81 Roogoo
xx Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends
63 SBK-08 Superbike World Championship
58 Sea Life Safari
67 Sega Superstars Tennis
81 Soulcalibur
xx Soulcalibur IV
xx Space Chimps
xx Spectral Force 3
57 Supreme Commander
68 Ticket to Ride
58 TiQal
82 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2
79 Top Spin 3
79 UEFA Euro 2008
66 Universe at War: Earth Assault
86 Unreal Tournament 3
68 Viking: Battle for Asgard
55 WALL-E
53 Warlords
63 Wits & Wagers
65 Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums
Transformers: The Game xbox360 Game Reviews
Transformers: The Game
Critic Score
Metascore: 52 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
5.3 out of 10
based on 50 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 19 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

Based on the 2007 live-action feature film, Transformers: The Game lets gamers control the outcome in the battle for Earth as they choose to protect it as Autobots or destroy it as Decepticons. Players experience the unstoppable power and massive scale of their favorite Robots in Disguise such as BumbleBee, Barricade and others. As the Transformers robot's war comes to Earth, gamers make the choice to join the Autobots in protecting our planet or to join the Decepticons in destroying it. With dual campaigns, the fate of the world is in players' hands. Instantly change from a larger than life robot to a high-powered vehicle such as a sports car, fighter jet or helicopter. Players crush, topple and wreck every object, including buildings and vehicles, in their path or use the objects as weapons. An unprecedented line-up lets gamers experience the massive scale, unique abilities and sheer strength of an army of characters from the Transformers universe when they choose to play as Optimus Prime, Megatron, Ironhide, Starscream, BumbleBee and more. For head-to-head battles, fans engage in melee combat that reflects each Transformers robot's character, scale, weight and power along with melee weapons and special moves unique to each character. The game's ranged combat offers a wide array of projective weapons designed to take out enemies from afar. [Activision]

PUBLISHER: Activision
DEVELOPER: Traveller's Tales
GENRE(S): Action
PLAYERS: 1
ESRB RATING: T (Teen)
RELEASE DATE: June 26, 2007

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

85
PGNx Media
Transformers doesn't make any radical changes to the classic action game genre, but it does have likeable characters and top-notch production values, coupled with enjoyable gameplay.
Read Full Review
83
GamingTrend
While the gameplay is somewhat shallow, and the racing elements sometimes frustrating, there is plenty to say about getting a Transformers game with high production value and an all-star voice team. Activision and Traveller’s Tales have brought the new movie to life with a decent beat-em-up title that doesn’t succumb to the movie tie-in curse.
Read Full Review
73
Game Informer
In the end, Transformers delivers over-the-top action with wild abandon, and leaves most of the more complex elements of good gameplay behind coughing from the dust kicked up by a giant transforming war machine. [Sept 2007, p.114]
71
Planet Xbox 360
While I cannot fully recommend anyone other than massive Transformers fans to run out and purchase this game, it is easily one of those games you must rent and play through, at least for a few hours.
Read Full Review
70
Cheat Code Central
I just hope in the next game they amp up the free roam capabilities and truly allow us to dive into the world of the robots from Cybertron.
Read Full Review
68
Game Chronicles
If you liked the movie and have a high tolerance for missed potential and repetitive, button-mashing gameplay, give Transformers: The Game a shot.
Read Full Review
67
Digital Entertainment News
Transformers seems like it was built by a machine to a factory spec – all the parts are here that should, in theory, form an outstanding game. But it’s like no human actually gave it a test-drive to see if it was actually fun.
Read Full Review
65
Armchair Empire
As is, Transformers is an average game that younger fans of the film should enjoy.
Read Full Review
63
Gamer 2.0
It’s about on par with all other movie licensed games: relatively short, decent graphics, decent gameplay, and not much value to it.
Read Full Review
60
GameSpot
A big, loud, shallow action game that severely lacks in content.
Read Full Review
60
GameZone
Repetitive missions, weird collision physics and floaty controls line out this weak licensed game.
Read Full Review
60
PALGN
While Transformers: The Game may be something of a typical movie tie-in, there's just enough spark here to provide a bit of fun for anyone who likes the movie or is just looking for some dumb fun.
Read Full Review
60
Da Gameboyz
At the end of the day Transformers: The Game offers a lot of sizzle but not enough steak.
Read Full Review
60
GamePro
Though this is one of the better Transformer games around, chances are you'll have more fun dressing up in a cardboard box and beat-boxing as you pretend to be Sound Wave.
Read Full Review
60
Game Over Online
It can be said that Transformers: The Game is the best twenty-dollar game you will ever pay sixty dollars for, and in this case you can rest assured that there really isn’t any “more than meets the eye.”
Read Full Review
60
Worth Playing
It's not terrible by any means, but the horrible driving mechanics, repetitive missions and the horrible timer keep this game from being great.
Read Full Review
60
G4 TV
Strictly fans-only.
Read Full Review
60
X360 Magazine UK
Not for fans of videogames. [Issue 23, p.78]
59
Games Master UK
Repetitive, tedious, and full of annoyances - a rushed game if ever we saw one. [Sept 2007, p.72]
58
GameTrailers
So, lame missions, filled, again, with arbitrary restrictions like time limits and invisible walls, meet a clunky camera and mindless wash/rinse/repeat combat that doesn’t require the suspension of disbelief, but the annihilation of it.
Read Full Review
58
My Gamer
Transformers is nothing special but it will entertain as a decent rental and it should be noted that it is better than your average movie licensed game.
Read Full Review
57
IGN
The 2004 videogame adaptation of the Transformers: Armada line from Atari (on PS2) was a Transformers game done right. It had better visuals, cooler incentives for moving between robot and vehicular forms, and boasted some of the best boss battles that year. But Activision's 2007 iteration doesn't live up to that standard. Its lack of depth and poor mission design ensures that.
Read Full Review
57
Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
Average, tedious missions and all-round mediocrity make for a pretty dismal night in.
Read Full Review
55
Gamers' Temple
Only true diehard Transformers fans will be able to sit through this game, despite the fact that it’s pretty short. Everyone else will simply wish that it could transform into a better game.
Read Full Review
55
Official Xbox Magazine
Admittedly, the game is gorgeous. But because the narrative is as linear and rigid as a steel pipe, it's a shallow sort of beauty. [Sept 2007, p.83]
55
Extreme Gamer
Transformers: The Game is an average showing with a lot of potential that was wasted by the limited plot line of the movie, repetitive mission objectives and a faulty game engine.
Read Full Review
55
Game Almighty
Very similar to most Michael Bay films - graphically intense, but shallow in terms of character and story. Add to that boring combat and you have a game good for fans of the upcoming movie only, though not even Transformer fan in general.
Read Full Review
55
ZTGameDomain
This really pains me to no end. I am a HUGE Transformers fan, and to have this game end up being this bad really hurts my soul. I mean the very basics for a transformers game is driving, fighting, and huge robots. They got one out of the 3 correct.
Read Full Review
53
GamingExcellence
The clunky controls, lousy storytelling and overall unappealing gameplay make it difficult to recommend this game because you’re better off watching the movie.
Read Full Review
50
Xbox World Australia
Transformers: The Game is fine for a weekend rent, and with a few beers the easy achievement points may justify the hire fee.
Read Full Review
50
MS Xbox World
Everything from the dull campaigns, to the boring “open ended” environments, which really weren’t, No-name Bots I took no pleasure in killing, and timed missions that made me want to scream in frustration.
Read Full Review
50
Yahoo! Games
Pure movie tie-in fodder.
Read Full Review
50
GameSpy
I can't imagine anyone but diehard fans going to these lengths. Everyone else should stick to Atari's game based on Transformers Armada -- it's still the best way to wage a battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons.
Read Full Review
50
Total Video Games
Although it's easy to see Transformers: The Game attracting a younger audience better suited to overlook the game's issues, for everybody else, the appeal of large robots repeatedly stomping around uninspired environments limits it to little more than a poorly realised merchandising option.
Read Full Review
50
Console Gameworld
Transformers: The Game is a textbook example of a licensed game done wrong.
Read Full Review
50
AceGamez
The lack of attack options makes the game a chore to play after a while too, but luckily it's so short that you'll be able to at least finish one campaign before you decide you've had enough.
Read Full Review
40
Kombo
Transformers movie was such a good set up for a video game, unfortunately it has gone through the same transition other movie video games have seen, and sadly this is one of the worst and shortest experiences any fan will incur.
Read Full Review
40
Games Radar
There was limitless potential here, but it's wasted. Transformers: The Game should be a sleek, cutting-edge sports car; instead, it's an old beater whose driver's seat has a spring sticking out in exactly the wrong place.
Read Full Review
40
Team Xbox
Neither the combat nor the driving are fun, and the camera is one of the worst this reviewer has ever seen.
Read Full Review
40
1UP
The real tragedy here is that a simple attempt to emulate Atari's 2004 Transformers game would have made this movie tie-in an order of magnitude better. As is, those looking for a Transformers fix should scour the bargain bins for that classic, and leave this one on the shelf.
Read Full Review
40
Thunderbolt
This is another sad case of a cash-in title that will only appeal to absolute die-hard fans of the Transformers series and in particular the new film.
Read Full Review
40
games(TM)
No amount of sentiment can raise this game above the average. [Sept 2007, p.120]
35
Ferrago
Given another six months development time we may have been talking about a real treat, as it is we're instead talking about a game that fails on every level to do the licence justice.
Read Full Review
30
GameCritics
So Transformers: The Game is just a complete mess, a game that succeeds in almost nothing that it sets out to do.
Read Full Review
30
EuroGamer
To produce a technically sloppy title is one thing, but the game is horribly flawed from conception to execution in a way we haven't seen since, ulp, Driv3r. Marred by a remarkably vacuous combat system, the pathetic driving and undercooked flying elements merely underline what a thoroughly wasted opportunity this was.
Read Full Review
30
Official Xbox Magazine UK
Transforms children's dreams into tears. [Sept 2007, p.107]
30
Gamestyle
That's the thing about Transformers: The Game, while there are bits and pieces of fun here and there, it's overshadowed by the complete and utter rushed and unfinished feel to everything else.
Read Full Review
30
VideoGamer
As far as summer movie licensed video games go, Transformers is sadly one of the worst we've seen this year. While the movie stands, the video game most definitely falls.
Read Full Review
25
GameShark
To add to the frustration, many obstacles in your way seem to weigh three pounds or less, as civilian cars fly through the air after colliding with you, but trees and other seemingly destructible objects are as solid as a mountain.
Read Full Review
20
Edge Magazine
Describing the game at all is simply to tick off a litany of annoyances punctuated by one minor triumph, namely that the Transformers themselves look pretty good. [Sept 2007, p.90]

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 5.3 (out of 10) based on 19 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Andy H. gave it a3:
This game is really frustrating and the difficulty on some of the levels is too difficult. The game starts off ok, although the control of the cars in the driving sections is awful. I got to a point mid-way through the game when I had no idea how to continue, so I just gave up and couldn't be bothered to continue. Shame really, graphics were quite good. Definately a rental only game - don't waste your cash buying it.

Geoff D. gave it a1:
This game is about as exciting as walking to the mall. While some of the graphics are slick, I felt like the big robots were separate from their environs. With the console hardware out there, this game didn't have good destructible environs. Instead there were the same effects you see in any other game from the original Xbox. C'mon, I know that this game was made to suck more money out of the franchise, but can't you update it so it looks okay? The enemies also got repetative. Four or five types of normal enemies, some of which can be killed in a single hit, is not only repetative, but lazy. Fans avoid this game, it will make you weep for the future of transformers games.

Miguel G. gave it a7:
The game's fun, mindless fun. Its difficulty is well ballanced (Taylor A., come on... it's not hard at all m8!, about the Achievements, go look @ xbox360achievements.org, and easy gamerpoints suck!, the harder the cooler!). It also brings the possibility of soing the whole game as the bad guys and blow everything up.

McBain 17 gave it a7:
I have to say all these reviews offer something dead on about the game. But if you are fan you owe it to yourself to play this version of the game. Amazing robot graphics and beautiful transformations. Solid pick for fan boys (or girls) alike.

Bobby B. gave it a5:
While it has alright voice acting by Megatron and Optomis Prime, the rest of the cast sounds like they just got picked up off the street. Levels are big, but for the most part you are confined to small squares. There is no real challenge as decepticons as most enemies go down after a hit or two, the autobots racing levels feel like grease has been put on the road. In addition to this the game is over $50. Fifty dollars should buy something that lasts more then ten hours. You want a fun adult beat-em-up game? Get Soul Caliber 2. You want a fun kid game, try Kameo. This game is too poor of quality for adults and too hard to wield for children. Oh, and if you want a fun game that can be played by both adults and kids without chucking the game, system, and all your transformers toys out the window so that you never have to sully yourself with the memory of playing it, avoid this game.

Taylor A. gave it a0:
You can definitely tell that this game is designed to make little kids even more excited about the movie. That camera is horrible. Game play is repetitive. It's a little too challenging. Cut scenes are horrible. Voice acting make me want to punch whoever did it in the throat. Sometimes, there is just too much going on in the screen(and not in a good way, just a lot of debris that gets in your way). The driving is horrible. The maps are too limited. Hell, the entirety of the game is limited. But, the worst part of all is the fact that the the Achievements are almost all secret. So, if you're like me and just looking for some easy gamer points, you just have to do random button presses until something happens. I truly think this is the worst game I have ever played.

Angel R. gave it a9:
I grew up as a fan and was very excited to have this game finally come out. I played it this weekend for 10 hours with my room mates and this game kicks butt!. You can be a truck, jets and kinds of other bad ass vehicles and fight in tons of different levels. I read through the other press reviews and I don't get what's up w/ these people. The bar for this game isn't Gears of War or Final Fantasy. If you want a fun game that can be played by both adults and kids (my cousin who is 15 ended up taking it from me)...then don't listen to these reviewers. Let them go play their Japanese RPG's! This game is awesome and the movie is going to be awesome!

Read more user comments...

Discuss this game in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: World News | Fantasy Football | Amy Winehouse | Baseball | E3 | Batman | Firefox 3 | iPhone 3G

About CNET Networks | Jobs | Advertise

© 2008 CNET Networks, Inc., a CBS Company. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use