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While the movie Transformers: Dark of the Moon didn’t do it for me as a whole, at times the action scenes and sequences did. So it’s no surprise that the action-filled, battle-centric, third-person video game version not only managed to catch my attention, but also managed to keep me out of the sun and in my crib for a few days. Available for a little over a month on 3DS, NDS, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360, Activision’s lead-in to the film (set as a sort of prequel to the flick) will satisfy most gamers visually. And as for Transformer-heads, the authenticity of the storyline and adherence to basic, old school transformer guidelines will keep them flicking away at their controllers.
Featuring seven levels (at least on Xbox 360) of ear – and eye-pleasing battle that take you around the planet in a variety of vehicle-shaped Autobots, Transformers: Dark of the Moon is, for the most part, a more advanced 2011 version of the previous games—except for when playing in Stealth Mode. The biggest addition that helps set DOM apart from its predecessors, Stealth Mode provides characters with the ability to stay in a form that is half transformed, with weapons still accessible but wheels also still active. A fun way to play through parts of levels—and a necessary way to play through some—Stealth Mode ultimately means you are a weaponized vehicle. Speaking of vehicles, there’s a nice variety of them that you get to experience throughout the game, along with an equally wide breadth of somewhat less creative, more run of the mill weaponry.
All in all, though it leaves you wanting more—in both good and not-so-good ways—DOM is most definitely a fun play. One that may even keep on your couch and out of the warm sun for a few weekend days.
