Just as good as the movie.
Gameplay: This the one part of the game where you are going to here mixed emotions as you read reviews. The biggest problem with the gameplay is that the cars in this game are very hard to control at first. I started off with the Decepticon campaign and I couldn't control Barricade at all in vehicle mode. My 90 degree turns easily became 180 degree turns and it was aggravating. I couldn't imagine if I would have started as an Autobot with the speed of Bumblebee or Jazz. However, after playing the game for a few days I was able to master the steering controls, even though I have heard several gamers complain about it to this day. On the upside, the backgrounds are fully destructible. This is good to look at but be warned that military and police officers will attack you the more you destroy buildings. The game is pretty detailed in regard to each character having his own horn (Barricade has a police siren and lights), civilians flee when transformers are around, and the game features realistic military vehicles. Each transformer has a character specific primary and heavy weapon. Even though all characters use the same controls for these weapons, some transformers have more powerful guns than others. Transformers can climb buildings, throw vehicles, and sometimes throw other characters. Besides my early difficulties driving, the gameplay is actually pretty awesome. For that reason, I give this section an 8.
Graphics:
The graphics here are not perfect but they are far from bad. Most mid-rate video cards should run this game with no problems. There are graphics options on the game's main menu but they don't really do much. The transformations look really awesome in this game. They are really similar to the transformations in the movie. This game has nice cinematics even though they are usually very short. Overall, there was nothing to complain about as far graphics go. I also give graphics an 8.
Sound:
I had difficulty rating this area because there wasn't anything to me that made the sound stick out in my mind. I can only remember hearing one background song playing. A lot of players were disappointed about the game not making the "transformation sound." I may be going crazy, but underneath the sounds of gunshots, buildings crumbling, and background music, I think I actually could hear the transformation sound. If it really is there, they should have made it louder. Like I said though, nothing sets this game apart from others of its class. Explosions and gun shots sound just like any other game. I give sound a 7.
Value: I was surprised that a movie-based game could be this good. I was really surprised that a $20 game could be this good. The only inconvenience is that the only place that sells this game is Target. I would have thought you could at least buy the game from Activision directly or something. Because this game was so inexpensive and yet so good, I give this game a perfect 10 for value.
The Bottom Line: This game is hot. For fans of the 80's cartoon, this is what you have been waiting for. Though you can not choose which transformer you want to use, this is still a quality title for all types of gamers (even if you aren't a fan of the movie or the cartoon). Some of the levels seem way too difficult at times and some are way too easy. For the most part , the levels are challenging, but they won't make you start pulling your hair out. I forgot to tell you that this game is very short. I think they designed the game to be kind of difficult so gamers would rip through it, but that idea fell kinda flat. Overall, this is a great game and I would recommend it to anyone.