Transformers: The Game may have some rough spots, but it is a fun adventure... while it lasts.
Since the game is based on the movie, it unfortunately only includes the Transformers from the movie. I'd definitely like to see another Transformers game with a huge selection from the Transformers roster to choose from (and give them all the 21st century "upgrade" that the ones in the movie got)... and Traveller's Tales can make that one too. I liked seeing their unique style added to the game. (If you've played Lego Star Wars II, you'll recognize the Tt style immediately in the cut-scenes... and the save/load screen.) And speaking of cut-scenes, the opening cinematic (which is downloadable in HD from XBOX Live Marketplace, so make sure to download it ASAP if you don't own this game) has to be one of the most incredible video game opening scenes I have ever seen! (I would have been happy if they made the actual movie like this.) Even the in game Transformer models are highly detailed... obviously not as much as the ones in the cut-scenes, but pretty close. Graphically, this game is truly next-gen... and refreshingly so, since a lot of games so far for the XBOX 360 could have been pulled off by the original XBOX.
This game is surprisingly fun... with large areas to explore, lots of different items to find (little cubes so you can play the sub-missions and faction icons), skills to master for every chapter, missions and sub-missions in every chapter. You can climb buildings, drive (or fly) around the environment... you'll even run across some Transformer enemy drones in certain chapters. You'll definitely want to search the entire area for each chapter to get all the goodies to unlock bonus features and achievements.
Unfortunately, this game lacks in several areas:
First of all, the controls for this game take some getting used to... more so for the vehicle version of your Transformer than the robot version. Driving fast cars like Bumblebee, Jazz, and Barricade is hard at first... they get spun around too easily, especially when going at higher speeds. The steering isn't up to par either, but once you get used to it, you'll definitely progress through missions and sub-missions more quickly. Optimus Prime and Ironhide are a little too slow for my taste, but they're a lot easier to control when you first get to use them. Blackout, Starscream, and Megatron aren't really all that difficult to control in vehicle form. Scorponok is irritating, period. (And one of the Transformers I consider to be not very well-known.) I'm also not really thrilled about the transforming animation, which for car Transformers, they either spin or flip while transforming and land as the vehicle... airborn Transformers flip and transform into their vehicle. (Optimus Prime's transformation from vehicle to robot is dumb... when he's almost in robot form, he jumps... so you're hanging in the air for a few seconds, which hinders you a bit if you're transforming to attack something.)
Next, you'll notice that it doesn't matter which campaign you play (Autobot or Decepticon), you'll run into the same Transformer drone enemy types for each faction. They'll just look different. You have a few normal combat type drones (melee attacks, weapon attacks, and some will even pick up things and throw them at you if you don't attack them in time), and they range in size from short little drones, to somewhat taller ones. (However, no drone other than the Shockwave looking-like Decepticon drone are even close to being as tall as you are... other than the other "main" Transformers in the game.) Which means you'll be looking down to attack your enemies most of the time. Back to the enemy types though... you'll fight ones that whirl a metal wire around them... they resemble a tow truck or something like that. You have ones that run in one direction (which if you're in their way and not blocking, you'll get damaged)... you have to wait until they stop running to attack them. Some can't be attacked unless you knock them down first by throwing something at them (a car, street light, etc.), then either attacking them, or picking them up and throwing them to cause damage to them. The main Transformers (when you fight them as "bosses") aren't really much of a challenge either. A lot of times, you have to get their energy down to a certain point, chase them (or beat them) to the next location, then wail on them again. Note I said "wail"... as in beat, bash... melee attacks only. Yeah, you get nice primary and secondary weapons... but in this game, unless you're shooting buildings or "human" vehicles, they're 100% useless. Can't give Starscream a missle to the face... can't light up Jazz with machine guns... all Transformers (main characters and drones) are absolutely unaffected by your "weapon" attacks. Also, some Transformers are stronger than others... and as Jazz, you'd better forget it. His melee attacks are the eqivalent of a fly trying to bash its way through a brick wall using its head. I'll give you a hint with him: use his ground punch (jump, then press the melee attack button immediately after), especially in the sumo sub-mission of "The Last Stand" chapter... it'll save you a lot of frustration, believe me.
Another thing is that the game is pretty short. Yeah, you can go back and find all the cubes, faction icons, play all the sub-missions, and obtain all the skills per chapter... and you can play as Autobots and Decepticons... but the main missions are just really short. And doing all that extra stuff won't take that long either. (Although I'm curious if any chapters have 100 cubes... I've found 99 on almost all the chapters, but haven't gotten 100.) Which means that the replay value is virtually non-existant. Its unfortunate, but its true.
So, with this game you have a mix of good and not-so-good things. I haven't mentioned sound yet, which does deserve to be mentioned. The music (soundtrack) is incredible... fits the action and the game perfectly. Sound effects... well, are sound effects. (Missing the iconic Transforming sound from the 80's cartoon series, but I can forgive that.) The voice-acting in the game is great... especially for those who remember the original animated series. Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime) and Frank Welker (Megatron) lend their voices once again to their respective Transformers.
Overall, a good rental. For you Transformers fans, you may want to play it before you buy it.