Reviewed: July 2, 2009
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Publisher
Activision
Developer
Savage Entertainment
Released: June 23, 2009
Genre: Action
Players: 1
3
3
3
3
3.0
Supported Features:
Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
No Screens Available
It’s official. Summer, 2009 is here. How do I know? The new Transformers movie is officially in theaters and the new Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen video game is currently dominating a majority of my gaming time, both in solo story mode and the new exiting online multiplayer. But on the other side of the console coin lies the handheld industry, and no big blockbuster movie franchise can escape the obligatory ports to those systems as well.
Savage Entertainment returns to take their shot at the PSP sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and the results are less than spectacular. In fact, the game is downright disappointing at every level. While the movie requires you to turn off your brain the PSP version of the game shuts down your entire system with mindlessly repetitive gameplay that won’t amuse even the most diehard Transformer fan.
The game is a top-down shooter that seldom gives you a reason to ever stop shooting. Just meander around the narrow linear levels and shoot at an endless stream of regenerating robots and pick-up the occasional health or Energon cube. There is no thinking involved until you get stuck in some sort of dead end then you merely need to shoot or punch at everything around you until you reveal the flashing part of the level that can be damaged to reveal your exit.
Controls are problematic with an awkward strafing mechanic and the enemies come at you in numbers so great its only a matter of time before you fall and restart. There is no strategy and unless you are playing as the more agile Transformers you can’t really even dodge incoming fire with any degree of success.
Between these mindless foot patrols you will have some driving missions that are equally as boring and poorly designed. Just hold down the shoot button and blast your way through these levels while trying not to agonize over the Commodore 64-quality graphics. Robots, cars, helicopters, and weapons fire and special effects make no sense in either their appearance or their random movement and sudden directional changes.
For as bad as the graphics are the sound is equally haunting. While we have a great opening movie and flashy cutscenes and menus, once in the game, where you spend most of your time, the sounds are rather bland and totally repetitive, especially your weapon’s sound effect that will lull you into a sense of suicidal depression.
The PSP has been floundering as a system for years now and its uninspired games like these that will contribute to its ultimate demise. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a great movie and a fun game on the consoles but avoid this PSP abomination at all costs.