Transformers was created for one single purpose: To make toys and profits. Since its inception in the 1980's, the TV show was created in order for Hasbro to make transforming robots en masse and make sure that kids have the option to buy all of the accessories. Much like Ninja Turtles and GI Joe, this came as a gigantic victory, as the franchise not only sold many toys, but grew a fanbase around the lore of Transformers. This would prove to be one of their major downfalls. Once the first generation of characters had run their course, the studio heads came up with the terrible idea to kill off many of the original roster to make way for a new cast of characters. While the original animated movie was met with good critical reception, the mass killings of main characters, including Optimus Prime, was seen as a tasteless bid for a cash grab.
This sent Transformers into a downward spiral that it honestly never recovered from. Michael Bay, however, was finally able to bring the franchise to the box office. These movies made a lot of money, and while the first movie is seen as a decent entry, the sequels were seen as mediocre. They drew too much from their human characters and seemed to make the situation worse for Prime for arbitrary reasons. Once the Last Knight hit the theaters, the crowd was large but not very supportive.
The better received first entry in the Michael Bay series was a victim of an all too familiar symptom: The Tie-in Game. Like many before it, this title boasted decent graphics, but absolutely abysmal gameplay. Rather than playing to its strengths, the game seemed to want to limit the player and make them a puppet playing to the movie's shallow plot. There are sessions where you race the badguys to a target, and thanks to the janky driving controls, these missions are a slog to get through with how many times you fail. This idea of wasting time is accentuated through cut scenes that are skippable, but also loading screens that plague much of the game.
The combat is another very hard point against this game. Not only are the controls not great, but you are counted against for the destruction of the city around you. So, fighting the Decepticons as an Autobot basically tied an arm behind your back because you couldn't destroy anything around the city. While this was a morally correct decision for the character, it was a jarring addition to the game mechanics and only served to make the game feel more like a chore. The later battles in this game get rid of the destruction game mechanic, so the Optimus Prime sessions can be seen as a slight improvement.
Learning the game's play style is another chore. Being able to train yourself to transform into vehicle and robot should just add to the difficulty, but the game isn't fun enough for it to work very well. Trying to keep up with the enemies as a vehicle is hard enough, attempting to target them with the weapons as such is just plain BONKERS! Not only is the targeting system a grating experience, but you often need to keep track of two enemies and stop them from doing their mission. After just a bit of this gameplay, it becomes exhausting.
This game is not more than meets the eye, it's potential that was pissed on John Tutturo in a character assassination that was played for cheap laughs. This game tries to play along with the movie, and that is only one of its flaws on a mountain of others. It lacks charm and it is so boring, you'll wish you were watching Transformers 4 instead. Yes, that is a bad thing. It's very strange to note that Transformers has very few noteworthy titles in the gaming scene. For a franchise meant to sell stuff to kids, you'd think they'd at least get that right. Well, games didn't pan out so well, and that's odd, given the source material. Now take the form of a glass and get some water!
