Transformers (Armada PS2)
Transformers is a 2004 video game for Sony's Playstation 2, developed by the Australian-based Melbourne House, and published by Atari. It is loosely based on the Armada series. It was released in the US on April 11th, 2004, and in the European market on April 7th of the same year.
In it, players take control of one of three Autobots (Optimus Prime, Red Alert or Hot Shot) to battle Megatron and his vast army of Decepticlones over the recently discovered Mini-Cons on Earth.
Decepticons who appear in the game include Megatron, Starscream, Cyclonus and Tidal Wave. The Mini-Cons Sparkplug, Longarm and Jolt join their toy-partners after the player completes the first level, acting as support fighters. The Decepticons' Mini-Con partners Leader-1, Swindle and Crumplezone do not appear as individuals, but are seen attached to their partners. The final boss of the game is Unicron in planet mode; a colossal Dead End in "moon" mode can be seen attached to him.
As well as allowing players to transform into vehicles whenever they wished, the game used Mini-Con collecting as a way to acquire new weapons and abilities, introducing multiple new (non-toy) Mini-Con characters. This gave the game an almost Pokemon-style "Gotta Catch 'em All!" feel. Some combinations of Mini-Cons also had additional synergistic effects, such as faster weapon recharging or a larger life meter. In addition, the main partner Mini-Cons follow the player, shooting at enemies. The player can also "Powerlinx" with their partner Mini-Con, allowing for a Max Payne-style "bullet time" mode, though this drained the player's health. As well as Mini-Cons, players could collect Data-Cons that unlocked bonus features in the game's main menu, ranging from game artwork, toy instructions, toy prototype photos, the minicomics, and five G1-era PSAs.
Every level in the game was a very large, detailed environment which allowed free exploration rather than short, linear maps. Players could return to any previously-played level to discover more areas using their newly collected Mini-Cons. The game engine used is unknown, but appears to use technology similar to that of Croteam's Serious Engine to allow large, detailed outdoor levels with no slowdown.
The game was well received by critics and fans alike, and is often considered to be the best of all Transformers video games. Several review sites and magazines seemed to reject the game outright for not being based on the Generation 1 series. The most common gameplay-related complaints are the disappointingly small roster of characters, sometimes stiff control, and a lack of a "directional" guide resulting in players getting lost in the vast environments.
Melbourne House had begun work on a sequel based in part upon the Cybertron series. However, according to a member of the Melbourne House team, the Cybertron game was a few months into development but Atari moved the studio onto a different project, effectively nixing the sequel.
The original game had sold over 600,000 copies at that point, but it was less than what Atari had hoped for.
In September 2005, Atari released a Directors Cut of the game exclusively in the UK. The only difference between this and the original was a bonus DVD containing a "Making Of Documentary".
External links
