Transformers: Dark of the Moon

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.