Hot, Hot Bot-On-Bot Rock
The Transformers are coming to the big screen. And the small screen. And the smaller screen. We go hands-on.
Published: June 12, 2007
Whereas most publishers would see the PSP as a rather port-down-friendly system for a licensed title, Activision is treating it as something of it's own platform -- at least in the case of Transformers: The Game. Like the Nintendo DS version, which is actually something of a Pokemon lite, the PSP version of Transformers still preserves the basic bits of the storyline from the movie, but they're quick to point out that it is not a port.
In fact, the project is so different from what Traveller's Tales is doing on consoles that they recruited an entirely different development team to handle PSP duties. Savage Entertainment, who handled the PSP port of Star Wars: Battlefront II with Pandemic Studios for LucasArts. The result, not surprisingly, is a game that is very different from its console cousin, both in terms of core gameplay and features offered.
If anything, it's probably safe to say that the PSP game is the definitive fanservice version. Why? Let's start with the 25 or so different Transformers you'll be able to play as while kicking ass through the game's single- and AdHoc multiplayer modes. The console versions only get nine. That whole "pick a side" thing from the consoles? Noope, gone, here, streamlined into almost 20 missions that switch back and forth between sides for you. Before you head into a mission, you're actually able to customize your Transformer with specific weapons load outs. Console versions? Nuh uh, no customization in sight.
The idea, Savage says was to highlight three things in the PSP version: Interaction, Destruction and Transformation. Those three cornerstones were the basis for the game's single-player adventure, where you'll bounce back and forth between sides in the search for the AllSpark, unlocking both classic and updated versions of the Autobots and Decepticons (many of which aren't even in the movie but were given the movie "update" in addition to having classic versions), plus weapons that you can equip them all with. The idea was that transforming into a vehicle, besides allowing you to recharge energy for the super attacks that all robots have, would sacrifice raw attack power for speed, and vice-versa.
This is important, because learning to swap between the two forms in the game is the core part of the main draw: the multiplayer. Broken down in to single and team variants of Deathmatch, plus Secure the AllSpark (Capture the Flag) and Ascension Rites (King of the Kill), the multi-player is literally the culmination of all the stuff you unlock in the single-player game, and by the end the number of options you'll have should allow for plenty of custom-tailored battles.
It's not all about the multiplayer, of course; the single-player campaign is good for unlocking more than just multiplayer models and weapons. You'll also find tons of comic book covers from the various eras, plus concept art from the game, music clips, and more. It's actually a rather impressive amount of content packed onto one little UMD, though we did have a little concern that the game's framerate might need a lot more work to get to the point where it really felt smooth. Hopefully cleanup and optimization will fix it all up.
Our play time with the PSP build was unfortunately quite brief (Activision was rotating everyone between the five different versions of the game they were showing off, so we had to cough up our PSP so someone else could have fun), but what we saw was impressive -- at least in terms of what Savage was trying to do. If and when we manage to get our hands on an early build of the game, we'll make sure we update you wit the deets. Otherwise, we'll have a review right around the time the movie hits early next month. Check back then!
In fact, the project is so different from what Traveller's Tales is doing on consoles that they recruited an entirely different development team to handle PSP duties. Savage Entertainment, who handled the PSP port of Star Wars: Battlefront II with Pandemic Studios for LucasArts. The result, not surprisingly, is a game that is very different from its console cousin, both in terms of core gameplay and features offered.
If anything, it's probably safe to say that the PSP game is the definitive fanservice version. Why? Let's start with the 25 or so different Transformers you'll be able to play as while kicking ass through the game's single- and AdHoc multiplayer modes. The console versions only get nine. That whole "pick a side" thing from the consoles? Noope, gone, here, streamlined into almost 20 missions that switch back and forth between sides for you. Before you head into a mission, you're actually able to customize your Transformer with specific weapons load outs. Console versions? Nuh uh, no customization in sight.
The idea, Savage says was to highlight three things in the PSP version: Interaction, Destruction and Transformation. Those three cornerstones were the basis for the game's single-player adventure, where you'll bounce back and forth between sides in the search for the AllSpark, unlocking both classic and updated versions of the Autobots and Decepticons (many of which aren't even in the movie but were given the movie "update" in addition to having classic versions), plus weapons that you can equip them all with. The idea was that transforming into a vehicle, besides allowing you to recharge energy for the super attacks that all robots have, would sacrifice raw attack power for speed, and vice-versa.
This is important, because learning to swap between the two forms in the game is the core part of the main draw: the multiplayer. Broken down in to single and team variants of Deathmatch, plus Secure the AllSpark (Capture the Flag) and Ascension Rites (King of the Kill), the multi-player is literally the culmination of all the stuff you unlock in the single-player game, and by the end the number of options you'll have should allow for plenty of custom-tailored battles.
It's not all about the multiplayer, of course; the single-player campaign is good for unlocking more than just multiplayer models and weapons. You'll also find tons of comic book covers from the various eras, plus concept art from the game, music clips, and more. It's actually a rather impressive amount of content packed onto one little UMD, though we did have a little concern that the game's framerate might need a lot more work to get to the point where it really felt smooth. Hopefully cleanup and optimization will fix it all up.
Our play time with the PSP build was unfortunately quite brief (Activision was rotating everyone between the five different versions of the game they were showing off, so we had to cough up our PSP so someone else could have fun), but what we saw was impressive -- at least in terms of what Savage was trying to do. If and when we manage to get our hands on an early build of the game, we'll make sure we update you wit the deets. Otherwise, we'll have a review right around the time the movie hits early next month. Check back then!