Platinum never ceases to amaze me, and thankfully Transformers: Devastation continues to prove why Platinum Games is the best action genre developer in the business today.
The gameplay in Devestation is like Bayonetta on crack.. The action dosent let up, in the first half hour theres like 3 Bosses from Megatron to a 50 ft Destructicon. You smash half a dozen enemies then are racing to the bext event. Theres some much variety in the gameplay and the controls and movement feells so satisfying.. Its the definitive action game.
I don't actually think this game is necessarily a 10 but the average is so low that I saw it as a duty to inflate my score to compensate. I don't really believe in this whole system of saying "x game is better than y because it has a better score" I either like the game or I didn't. Let's get on to the review then.
Transformers devastation has a very unique combat system, you might be fooled into thinking this is just another bayonetta clone, but it does enough differently that it becomes its own beast, treat the game as its own entity and the game will become much funner. Not to spoil anything in particular, as discovery is one of this game's strong points... at least when regarding the combat, but pay close attention to using your vehicle attacks and gun during combos... trust me
The campaign is overall pretty good, the story doesn't feel too consequential but it is a good enough excuse to get you to fight tons of decepticon baddies and hear some very entertaining pieces of dialogue. What's not so good is the design of it all, the combat is excellent but what goes around it isn't. The map is laid out like a metroidvania but you are usually just following a checkpoint so it turns repetitive real quick. There is also a few set pieces which are either really boring or very frustrating, a platinum games staple at this point. The rest of the down time is simply scavenging for loot... which turns useless if you are good at the combat and don't need the extra damage to get by. There's also the fact that the enemy placements aren't very interesting... this does not become a problem until you replay the game a few times, and realize that certain enemy combinations are too simple to defeat.
Seeing all that might make you think that this game is average beyond its combat, and some of its witty dialogue, in theory that may sound horrible, being a one-trick-pony, but it all pays off when you get to mission mode.
Mission mode is the best, it thoroughly tests your combat skills, puts you against interesting enemy combinations, has better mini games than the main campaign (with the exception of top down view and "help the useless dude" missions) and cuts all the fluff that the campaign had. I know most people don't think highly of these modes, seeing them as lackluster distractions from the main game, but in this game, the mission mode is the real deal.
There is so much replay ability here, 50 missions, 5 unique characters to experiment with, 5 melee weapon types, and many unique guns, and 2 unlock able difficulty modes beyond the 3 default ones, buy this game!
Transformers: Devastation is by far and away the best video game interpretation of this most beloved of franchises and a timely reminder (if one was needed), of just how good Platinum Games are when it comes to fast-paced action games.
Transformers Devastation is a great example of how to take a licensed property and turn it into a quality title. While the game is a little on the short side, it's strong from start to finish.
It is action-packed however, and combined with the amount of 80’s Transformers fanfare added in, it’s a decent experience for anyone who still remembers Soundwave as a retro cassette tape deck.
The War for/Fall of Cybertron games gave us fantastic games that were a more serious take on the Transformers. Those games, however, took a terrible turn with the release of Rise of the Dark Spark, essentially ruining any chances of getting a good game (or any game) in that continuity again. Devastation was the absolute best way to recover from that. Instead of trying to be like the Cybertron games, it decided to follow its own path, and that was definitely the right decision. Filled with beautiful cartoony animation, solid gameplay, and awesome characters, Devastation is a great game for any fan of G1, or just Transformers in general.
It's fine. My memory of this game gave it more credit than it deserved as evident by my recent playthrough, but it's still good. I really appreciate the art style, though. The G1 vibes are immaculate. This is a far cry from the best Transformers game ever as some people are claiming, the Cybertron games literally exist, but still. Doesn't make it bad. It's a solid game that wears that Platinum DNA very much on its sleeve.
It's very fun to play, but I wish that you could transform into a vehicle whenever you want. That being said, I think this game does many things right, the level design is exciting and the gameplay is fine, it's a pretty good game.
Being a child of the early 80s Gen 1 Transformers have a certain amount of nostalgic appeal to me. Thing is my heart sunk when the P* for Platinum Games popped up when I booted up the game. I'm not a fan of Platinum's repetitive monotonous beat-em-up linear gameplay.
I didn't like Bayonetta or Metal Gear Rising and I hear TMNT is just as flawed. Transformers is just as flawed, it starts off with a bang and I had a smile on my face. The Cell-Shading is awesome , the voice acting and sound is true to the TV show, but oh my god did it get boring fast!
The game is super-linear and features repetitive enemies, repetitive objectives and a convoluted, unnecessary up-grade system.
There is no co-op which is a major omission and without explanation early on in the game you change characters and enemy dialogue continually refers to your character as "Transformers". A cut scene will follow and 4 other Autobots will appear as if they were there the whole time.
A major problem with Platinum Games, which is present in this title, is that they sacrifice length and quality for a perceived "replayability" in which they expect gamers to replay the same game several times on different difficulties with different characters in order to have the "Complete Experience"
Clearly this style of game is not for me and my review has turned into more **** with Platinum and their shoddy development, game style. Alas I have learnt my lesson and will not be giving them another chance.
Positives
Interesting story
Good Combat System
Great sound and visuals
Negatives
* Even on lowest difficulty this game has many enemies that still cause huge damage to you quite easily which is a unacceptable
*Very short, only 11 chapters and only the difficulties prolong the game.
*The game has a lot of build up for the Nova Prime character, but you never get to encounter him in the game.
SummaryPlatinumGames' fast-paced action allows instant robot to vehicle attacks, slam downs, counterattacks, and infinite combos for a unique and customizable combat system.