Transformers: Dark of the Moon

If you're excited about the movie or characters, for once this is an easy game to recommend. There's nothing here that should scare away fans, and any player ought to appreciate the way each game level feels unique from the last. After this game and last year's War For Cybertron, High Moon has proven they've got the chops to handle and understand the Transformers, no matter what continuity they're playing around in. Here's hoping that Hasbro and Activitision recognizes the talent, and continues to give the team the creative freedom they deserve.

Transformers: War for Cybertron was one of the best Transformers games and after playing this, that game is still the best. It doesn't mean this game sucks, but it can be repetitive, the graphics and audio aren't that great and the game is a bit short. There is a multiplayer, but that isn't really interesting.

I would recommend the title for fans of the movies and old school fans also. Hardcore gamers might not get enough out of the title to make it worth the purchase, but I would still heartily recommend renting it to those people.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon may not be a truly complete experience, but it's just that: a good time. At their core, I think that's what games should be all about.

If you're already played War for Cyberton and are itching for more Transformers action, Dark of the Moon is a safe bet.

Far from being incredible...or should I say, less than meets the eye?

The true winner in Dark of the Moon isn't Autobots or Decepticons – it's excellent pacing. Before any one part of the game starts to truly show its flaws, you're done with it and on to a new section. Sure, it's not the best Transformers game we've ever played, but it's still a good a Transformers game, and that'll be enough for a lot of people.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is fun in the time that it lasts, but it doesn't have that same thrill factor that the previous movie tie-in had.

It's a rental, plain and simple, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Transformers 3 feels rushed, it's pretty obvious High Moon Studios did not have time or strength to work on the game like they previously did with the excellent War for Cybertron. This is still a good game for fans of the franchise but the lack of multiplayer options and the somewhat disappointing visuals hurt it more than it deserves.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon may be the better of the three games based on the movie series, but that isn't saying too much. It's a tighter, more action-packed experience compared to the previous games, but it sacrifices length and choice to get there.

But if you have more refined tastes, you will see through Dark of the Moon's rushed, clichéd flair and find yourself put off by repetitive, uninspired gameplay, cramped level design, and patchy physics.

Looks nice, but lacks anything of substance to carry you through the game. [Issue#208, p.88]

The game was rushed, plain and simple. No one expected High Moon Studios to pull off a miracle in a year but I did expect a bit more polish. If you want a great Transformers game, check out War for Cybertron, it's also a fraction of the price.

Transformers 3 feels like a ripped version of War for Cybertron.

You can easily notice that everything about Transformers: Dark of the Moon, is made for a bigger audience. The game has become more simple and accessible, but doesn't lose that special 'Transformers-feeling'. It's a fun game, that doesn't do anything more than it's supposed to, which is also why it degrades into mediocrity.

The ideas for something great are certainly here, because the fundamentals were pulled from a great game. But Transformers: Dark of the Moon stretches what High Moon Studios had time to build across too much game, leading to a dull, frustrating endeavor that feels even longer than it is.

Transformers 3: The Dark Of The Moon is horrible in every aspect. High Moon Studios really showed their dark side here.

It's hard to think of Dark of the Moon as anything but crass movie advertising of the interactive variety and so it's hard to take it seriously as a game in its own right.

Again, it's not a terrible game; it is, however, one of the biggest letdowns of 2011.

A short and shallow shooter that fails to deliver on the potential of its beloved license.

The Transformers of this game just come off as treading mediocrity.

Don't get this - go seek out last year's War For Cybertron game instead.

Though this game can offer fleeting firefight fun it is constantly dragged down by questionable design and a severe lack of polish. Whichever way your eye meets it, Transformers: Dark of the Moon is out of this world ordinary and to expect anything better from it would be lunar-cy. [September 2011 p80]

It is more of a wasted opportunity than a complete failure. If you are in search for the best Transformers game better reach for War for Cybertron. [Issue#207]

What fans really deserved, was a game developed by the same studio, but completely unrelated to the films in narrative terms.

All in all, Transformers Dark Side of the Moon wasn't the worst game I've played, and moreover certainly wasn't even the worst movie adaptation of a game I've played but it certainly could have used more QA time.

It's exactly what anyone would expect of a film tie in game. Functional but underwhelming. The smattering of effective ideas is eventually overwhelmed by mediocrity.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is not a game we could recommend. The gameplay is boring and way too short. You're better off picking up Transformers: War for Cybertron again for a much more pleasant experience.

After the release of War for Cybertron, expectations from High Moon Studios were high. But this is not a game like War for Cybertron, but a movie tie-in with all the flaws and weaknesses this particular genre is plagued by.

While Dark of the Moon hits all the bases for a blockbuster game, it won't live up to the blockbuster experience. At least the game wasn't as bad as the movie.

In all essence, this game already came out last year. At least engine and bugwise. A new coat of paint, a new scenario but with all the flaws of the predecessor, this is a rushed job at the core. The gameplay clearly suffers from being churned out in the same fashion, year after year.

It's a shame that Transformers: Dark of the Moon exhibits so many fundamental flaws in its design, as from time to time you get a fleeting vision of what High Moon Studios is trying to create.

Uninspiring, repetitive and dull. [Sept 2011, p.104]

It seems like the developer ran out of the time before they could iterate upon last year's Transformers: War for Cybertron. This game winds up being a product of significantly lesser quality than it predecessor.

By no means a disaster, but it captures none of the majestic, mechaphiliac idiocy of the movies. [Sept 2011, p.117]

This quick-and-dirty movie game lures fans in with the promise of another quality Transformers adventure; sadly, Moon offers much less than meets the eye. [Sept 2011, p.86]

The only way I can truly describe it is it's like going out to dinner at an ok restaurant for the first time. The food wasn't bad enough that you wanted your money back, but it wasn't enough that you would recommend it to anyone.

Incoming movie? Quick, get me a game out there! That's how one could summarize Transformers: Dark of the Moon. With super linear TPS phases and a failed racing gameplay, this episode only has its Mecha license and steam-venting ability for itself. AI's a mess, most of the original sequences aren't really convincing, and its production values are clearly not on par with the rest of the game products of today.