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After the trail of destruction Michael Bay’s second Transformers film left for film critics and fans of the series alike, you’d think that any product attached to its brand name would either be a cash-in or just a downright gnarly bi-product of said film. Personally, I never cried out ‘Autobots roll out!’ when I was a pre-schooler, it was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with the swords and nunchakus that did it for me. No, decent wasn’t really in anyone’s mind. But surprisingly, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen isn’t all that bad. Game movie tie-ins have been notoriously known as rushed products that lack any innovation; and Transformers: ROTFM probably ticks the checklist with confidence. But despite its flaws and shortcomings, Luxoflux’s attempt at bringing the robot-smashing fest from the big screen to your lounge gives you enough of a decent romp that may warrant at least one playthrough.

Visually, Revenge of the Fallen does its job. But it’s that exact ‘settling-for-adequacy’ attitude that really annoys us not only in regards to the graphics department, but also throughout every dimension of the game. Luxoflux could have easily asked themselves if this is indeed a top-notch effort that they’ve offered towards a classic and beloved franchise before pumping it out of the factory. Judging by the bland textures, empty cities and repetitive enemies, the answer’s probably a hesitant shake of the head. On the flipside, detailed character models faithfully recreated from the films, cool enough explosions and the seamless animations of Autobots and Decepticons transforming into vehicles are part of the game’s highlights. The presentation is there, with right-on-point thematic artwork and decent navigatable menus. There’s really not much more else to say about ROTF’s looks apart from the fact that it’s more comparable to the rough-around-the-edges-but-still-attractive Michelle Rodriguez rather than say dazzlers Megan Fox or Scarlett Johansson.

If we told you the voice-acting, sound effects of robots clanking and gunfire were decent would you believe us? Yeah, you probably would. Considering that the keyword to today’s review is decent, don’t be surprised if we choose to disregard terms such as revolutionary because Transformers really is decent. It’s a celebration of all things sufficient, enough to push the game for a set release date with the Michael Bay flick and deem the adventure playable, yet not thoroughly engrossing. Even in its gameplay mechanics, Transformers tends to not break out of its cursed ‘decent’ mould.

There are a handful of things that were done right to bring forth the adventure in an engaging way, one being able to play with 6 (including 2 ‘super’ forms) Autobots and Decepticons equipped with fancy arsenal’n’artillery from the franchise including the 5-star-General-who-kicks-evil-robot-ass Optimus Prime and the-Shredder-of-the-Transformers-series Megatron in a semi open-arena . Usually, you can’t really go wrong with destroying other giant machines with your transforming Camaro in a crowded city. The developers have allowed gamers to utilize various weaponry depending on which Transformer you use, ranging from heat-seeking missiles to melee moves to mounted turrets for arms. Despite the myriad of coolness these features sound in theory, in reality numerous factors prevent it from actually working. Allowing you to play as Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, Ironhide, Starscream and the Aud – I mean Grindor? Cool. Making them feel similar instead of distinguishing their distinct weight and handle? Not cool. Allowing you to destroy metallic baddies in a semi open world? Cool. Boring and repetitive mission design that destroys any incentive you have to play in that open world? Not cool. We can go on and on as to why every plus this game has had was equally refuted by a flaw. But at the end of the day, it all depends on what you as gamers prefer. To us, Transformers seems a lot more like a pick up’n’play game and a lot less like a visceral action title we were hoping it’d be. Despite the semi-snoozefest the single player campaign is, the surprising inclusion of a multiplayer mode saves what would’ve been a Lost Season 5 eyebrow raising game.

Many games have tried to emulate the successes of the Call of Duty series online-wise, and many have failed falling face flat on the ground, looking a lil’ like Voldermort’s pancake of a cranium in the process of doing so.  Fortunately for Luxoflux’s Transformer sequel, the multiplayer mode actually enhances the experience and increases the overall longevity of the game. Apart from the usual Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch slaughter fest we get from standard shooters, there are other modes switching things up such as Battle for the Shards (Capture the Flag), One Shall Stand; a kill-the-leader mode, and Control Points; a battle for (you guessed it), control points. The multiplayer component of Transformers is a welcomed break from the oversaturated shooter market and there’s enjoyment to be had from bashing platinum coloured alien scum in competitive play online. Though it’s not the developers’ fault; the lack of any real crowd playing Revenge of the Fallen online takes away from the multiplayer experience by a considerable bit. Make sure that there are a handful of your mates you can take as well when playing this one on Xbox Live or PSN or it may just get a little tough finding both teammates and opponents to fill up the rooms.

At the end of the day, Revenge of the Fallen is just a barebones basic game that could’ve ultimately been something for $60 USD. Enhancements have undoubtedly been made, with an upgrades system well worth a check out if you’re into the whole turn-your-Transformer-even-bigger-and-badder thing. Though even then, as giant and muscled-out these vehicular robots are, they never seem to feel like the epic and colossal machinery they are so often portrayed as in the film. And that’s the exact essence of this game. For every thumbs up they get, there’s always another misstep lurking in the corner just waiting to disappoint you. As it is, the latest game movie tie-in is just another run of the mill generic robo-action game that might as well slot perfectly into the Games That You’ll Forget in a Month labyrinth of a library. It’s just too bad it had to turn out this way. But who can blame Luxoflux? They’ve crafted a decently average game; faithfully recreating Michael Bay’s subpar vision onto the small screen. To be fair, there’s really not much more to ask for than that; Revenge of the Fallen is an average robot romp of a game that ties in with its generic older brother and never really deviates from the epicentre that is indeed decent. Pack it up and see you next sequel guys, after all third time’s the charm. Autobots mope out.

Written By Jeff Effendi

A games journalist writing for various editorials such as AppGamer and MS Xbox-World, Jeff also contributes to big-time magazine 'Australian 360'. Being the first Asian-Australian to join The Koalition, he's unfortunately subject to a wealth of jokes in the office, just ask Edward.