Movie tie-in games are usually a mixed bag, and Transformers: The Game was no different. It was a direct tie-in to the first Michael Bay film, and proved to be a very flawed title. However, it may still be one of the best Transformers games to date. It feels like video game developers have always struggled to crack the code on making a Transformers game feel appropriate for the subject matter, but Transformers: The Game may have come closest to delivering that fantasy.
There has not been a big Transformers game since 2014's Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark, and a majority of the Transformers titles have been delisted due to licensing issues. While fans can check out the tactical RPG Transformers: Battlegrounds, there does not seem to be a way for them to just experience being a Transformer. Many have moved on from Michael Bay's live-action series, but they may not want to move away from the very first tie-in game, which is likely Transformers-like Transformers game and could be considered one of the best in the franchise.
Transformers: The Game Was Fun But Flawed
Transformers: The Game launched in 2007 as one of the few non-LEGO games that Traveller's Tales developed, and it mostly followed the plot of the original Michael Bay film. Like most movie tie-ins, Transformers: The Game was a flawed product full of repetitive missions, clunky controls, and not nearly enough runtime. Even with all of those critiques, there was still a decent game hidden underneath.
The game let players control some of the most popular Transformers characters, and that was where it shined. It was split into multiple different levels, each offering a small open-world area for players to cause havoc within. They could take control of both Autobots and Decepticons in different storylines, and could run rampant in these areas. There were about 10 levels to explore alongside a bonus level that brought players to Cybertron.
Players would take control of one Transformer at the start of a level, and some would have them control multiple characters throughout the course of the story. They could control the likes of Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, Ironhide, Megatron, Starscream, Blackout, and even Scorponok. Each character offered different arsenals, and players were given the ability to transform whenever they wanted. It provided Transformers fans the fantasy of being a Transformer, even if the game had a couple rough edges.
These levels were also filled to the brim with collectibles like 100 hidden yellow cubes strewn about the map, and every 15 that the player collected would unlock a bonus feature. There was also five collectible Autobot and Decepticon symbols per-level that could unlock even more bonuses such as various short movies, hundreds of images, and G1 character skins. In many ways, that extra content alone helped the game feel like a Transformers fan's dream project.
The game was far from perfect, but it is one of the few Transformers games that let fans just play as the Transformers they love. They were given free-range in tiny open-world areas, and there really has not been a Transformers game like it - with no signs that there will be another one in the future. That leaves Transformers: The Game as one of the best Transformers titles around, even if it is attached to the controversial Michael Bay series.