Time to kick bot again
TRANSFORMERS: DEVASTATION
PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS4, Xbox One £29.99-£39.99
If you’re a child of the 80s who remembers the Transformers as being the coolest cartoon on TV, then you’re going to love Devastation. Taking its cue from the toys and TV show rather than Michael Bay’s recent woeful movies, it’s the best Transformers game there’s been for a while.
What will strike you first about Transformers: Devastation is its stroke-perfect artwork. Using cell-shaded graphics, it lovingly recreates the look and feel of the cartoon series, with the first-gen Autobots and Decepticons looking as if they’ve been ripped right off the small screen.
Adding to the nostalgia factor is a returning original voice cast which, although probably lost on younger gamers, will be enough to make older fans go all misty eyed.
At its core, Devastation is a brawler, and a very competent one at that. You can take any of the five playable Autobots (Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Grimlock, Sideswipe and Wheeljack) into a mission, and each towering bot feels decidedly different from the last.
Transforming from car to bot with that satisfying “cha-kk-ch” sound effect, Bumblebee’s speedy flurries feel dramatically different to Optimus Prime’s lumbering heavy blows. With combo chains and cancels vital to your success, it’s a tougher game than it looks, full of challenging grunts and satisfying, screen-filling boss fights.
Although it initially impresses, Devastation doesn’t quite maintain that excellent start. Level design is bland, with structures and textures recycled ad infinitum. Vehicular chase levels are boring too, never managing to build any drama. Lastly, there’s a levelling and loot system that seems merely bolted on, detracting from the core combat.
Those shortcomings aside, Devastation signals a solid new base from which the franchise can transform again. It looks a real treat, and knocking seven shades out of these iconic robotic characters never pales – which is enough to make you even forget all about Shia LaBeouf!