Transformers: Dark of the Moon

The bottom line is that any action gamer looking for awesome multiplayer combat with classes, skills, and upgrades, or any Transformer fan looking for a cool prequel story to the upcoming movie will love Dark of the Moon. I know I did.

If you're conquered War For Cybertron already and seek to strike new ground with your favorite robots, Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a more-than-acceptable action fest. There are hiccups throughout, sure, but the solid multiplayer, tightly wound action and fan service-friendly set-up are more than meets the eye.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon may suffer from some derivative level design, and its introduction of the cool Stealth Force form does have some repetitive gameplay consequences. But kudos to the developers for injecting something new into the formula.

While I know that this is a movie tie-in, I had high hopes for Dark of the Moon because of War for Cybertron. At the end of the day, Dark of the Moon feels unpolished with room to grow.

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: 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.

For a video game based on a film, Transformers: Dark of the Moon does well. It's a good action title that can be enjoyed by adults and kids. It's simple, easy to use and fun, though it doesn't stand out in any areas when compared to great action titles. It is worth at least a look.

Dark of the Moon provides plenty of popcorn thrills that you'll likely forget as soon as the credits begin rolling. Judged against other movie games, it's actually pretty good; next to last year's superior entry, however, it looks a bit like a tin can.

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

Overall, Transformers: Dark of the Moon is your typical movie based video game as it is thin on features and is about as mind numbing as the movie itself. Simply put, Dark of the Moon is not as good as last year's War for Cybertron, which is disappointing.

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.

While (in my opinion) the single player game is pretty weak, with its short running time, linear gameplay and predictable structure (fight off wave after wave of enemy, until you reach the end of the level and fight the boss), DotM's competitive multiplayer may prove to be its saving grace.

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.

High Moon clearly did all they could, but ultimately, Dark of the Moon is a small package with too much filler to be worth more than a rental. Though we're betting it's still better than the film it's based on.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is one of the usual and trivial tie-in that hit the market. Gameplay mechanics gives some fun but the global experience is not really good in the end.

With the removal of two of the most prominent features from the original game and a dramatically shorter campaign, you can't help but feel like the game was rushed to make the movie deadline. It is disappointing to say the least, especially coming from such a huge fan of Hasbro's infamous robots in disguise.

An enjoyable but brief rundown of the events of the film. As missable as a Decepticon attack. [Oct 2011, p.89]

A missed chance, expecially after the very good War for Cybertron. Unpolished and too short, its main value resides in the story bridging the second and third movie.

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.

They've proved themselves capable of better than this.

If you want to play a Transformers game with your friends, then you need to play War for Cybertron instead. But if you're excited for the upcoming movie and want to get a head start on hyping yourself up, well, maybe you want to rent Dark of the Moon, since it's going to feel like a pretty empty purchase after you've finished it in a single sitting.

Last year, High Moon Studios did a great job with the Transformers franchise, but this time they got it wrong. It has some good ideas and potential, but overall it's a game that, like many other movie games, fall short in almost every possible aspect.

Nothing in the game was really all the memorable other than the final confrontation (which was a fun boss fight) and the standoff between the leaders. With very little to do in single player other than hunt for hidden Autobot and Decepticon symbols and the odd objective for specific achievements, it's hard to justify and full priced purchase right away, even if you're a Transformers nut like myself.

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: Dark of the Moon fails to avoid the movie tie-in trap, but it's functional gameplay will satisfy anyone who wants to know more about the titular movie and has low expectations.

Although the game isn't visually ugly, the grey color palette and awful designs of the robots themselves (the movie versions look like computers that were exploded and put back together by horses) make for unpleasant viewing.

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. [Sept 2011, p.88]

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.

Although War for Cybertron had us hoping for an imminent consecration for the franchise, Dark of the Moon proves to be just one of the many mediocre tie-in's we've had to deal with.

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.

As much as fans may be hoping for that great Transformers game, and as much as Dark of the Moon offers occasional moments of enjoyment, this is a game that will ultimately frustrate fans with robotic precision as it underutilizes or undermines every defining aspect of the Transformers franchise.

High Moon should have been given a little more time - and a lot more freedom - to play with their toys than they received for this outing. Hopefully, if we ever head back to Cybertron, the team will get another chance to show us what it can really do.

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.

The intent is clearly there but a shortened development cycle prevents this from expanding on the solid foundations laid by War For Cyberton.

A disappointing offering and one that is especially perplexing after War for Cybertron offered so much potential. Every aspect of this game is lacking in some way and the only boon is the fact it is mercifully short. Childhood memories – consider yourself crushed.

Overall this just feels like they took one step forward and then two steps back.

After War for Cybertron released there was a brief moment of hope that licensed games would no longer be sub-par experiences. High Moon has dashed those hopes against Transformers: Dark of the Moon and erased their earned good will in the process. If the promise of a quality movie tie-in still exists, it'll take a lot more than this incomplete, graceless game to keep that promise alive.

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.

Simply too boring to even consider a rental. [Issue#75, p.84]

A frustrating and unremarkable video game experience. The game never really goes above and beyond the call of duty, offering only mildly attractive locations, bog-standard third-person gameplay and a relatively insignificant plot.

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.

Quotation forthcoming.

There's nothing wrong with a short game that feels complete, but Dark of the Moon feels half-finished.

Sorry, High Moon Studios. You need time to make a good game. Transformers: Dark of the Moon is rushed out, and it shows.