Transformers: The Game - First Look Preview

As a mid-twentysomething, there's nothing more nostalgic (other than listening to the screeching loading tones of Sinclair Spectrum) than thinking back to Transformers, the kids cartoon that cynics would describe as being little more than a thirty-minute animated toy advert. Powerful robotic characters with names as evocative as Megatron, Starscream, Grimlock, and of course, Optimus Prime, conjure up exciting adventures between Autobots and Decepticons, as they continue a millennia-long war across the galaxy from the planet Cybertron to planet Earth...and back again. Playing with the toys (and inevitably making some sort of transforming noise along the way), as they changed into a myriad of cars, jets, and guns, whiled away the hours - the branded 'Robots in Disguise' even featured in my first experience of going to the cinema back in the mid-1980s, where I (and countless other five-year olds) cried at the death of Autobot leader, Optimus Prime.

Twenty years on, and Transformers is set to enter a new chapter with the release of a new live-action movie in July, directed by Michael 'Armageddon/Bad Boys' Bay. Not only aiming to appeal to a whole new generation of fans, but to the 'Generation 1' twentysomethings that remember it the first time around, Transformers: The Movie is set to be one of this summer's blockbusters. Which is where Activision steps in, recruiting Traveller's Tales to produce an adaptation of the movie for a number of formats, including Xbox 360 and PlayStation2.

Autobots, transform and roll out...

Following the events of the movie, Transformers: The Game is a third-person action shooter-flying-driving title that charts the beginnings of the epic struggle between the Autobots and Decepticons as they look for the Allspark, the manifestation of the Transformers' afterlife, cast down to earth from their home world of Cybertron. Splitting the game down the middle with separate campaigns for the Autobots and Decepticons, Transformers will offer an interesting sense of morality to the gameplay. For instance if you're an Autobot, it's probably not a good idea to go around destroying environments and killing the local population - beginning with opposition from the Police, players who continue to act erratically will increasingly face stronger forces including the US Military, and eventually Sector Seven - the secret Transformers police(!) We didn't get to see them during the demonstration, but at the very least they sound like the robotic equivalent of the Gestapo and the local Security Services...

Nine Transformers from the movie, including the likes of Jazz, Starscream, and Bumblebee, will all be available to control through the course of the game. Besides the option to pick the Autobot or Decepticon campaign at the start of the game, players will jump behind the steering wheel at the start of every mission. Of course, being a Transformers title, players will be able to change form on the fly: Optimus Prime will change into a Peterbilt truck, Jazz into a Pontiac Solstice, Starscream into an F-22 Raptor fighter jet, and so on. In an attempt to create some level of longevity into the game, players will be given the opportunity to replay a completed mission with a different Transformer, though beyond driving through the roads as a Hummer and not a Ford Mustang, it's unclear what difference such an option will make to the actual gameplay.

Now all we need is a little Energon, and a lot of luck

Demonstrating a small piece of the gameworld, a typical small town in the US, Activision used the former-Volkswagen Beetle (now a yellow Corvette Camaro), Bumblebee to give us a short guided tour. One of seven environments up to around 2.5 square miles in size, the town's various structures will feature physically destructive environments, unlike (as Activision all too happily cited) Vivendi's green-skinned, open-world title, Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, which used 'decal' damage. With such a scale, it's unclear how successful taking to skies as a Stealth Bomber, Megatron's alternate form, will actually be - that's something that remains to be seen. The gameworld ceiling is also something that will no doubt be the focus of some debate in the coming weeks...

Battling against several waves of drones, clones of anonymous Transformers that looked as antagonistic as a ball of gnats, allowed Bumblebee to get some target practice before driving off around down one of the town's roads. One of the strangest announcements made by Activision representatives during the course of the demo was the revelation that one of the key challenges in the development of the game was the production of not only a solid third-person action title, but also tantalising flight and driving gameplay (because a third-person action title with driving or flight sequences are a new concept in gaming). Boss encounters with the likes of Megatron will also be a feature of the game, but aside from end of mission fights and swarms of enemy drones it's unclear how much the game will develop. Let's just hope that Transformers won't end up being the robotic equivalent of EA's morbidly awful Superman Returns - variety in gameplay is the key with these titles.

Despite being an adaptation of the movie, Activision will be catering for Generation 1 fans - though 'elaboration' wasn't the buzz word of the demonstration. At the very least it would be nice if some Transformers skins from the 1980s TV show make an appearance...but perhaps that sort of stuff will be reserved as downloadable content across the likes of PlayStation Network and Xbox Live???

They've got the giant robots that transform into an array of cool vehicles, mass destruction, and Peter Cullen voicing Optimus Prime - not to mention that the brand will be in at the forefront of many cinemagoers this summer. However, with just a short example of what we can expect, at best, we'll keep an open mind on the Transformers' upcoming performance - there are too many question left unanswered...