I’ve played every Transformers game for the Wii that has come out. All the movie ones, the Cybertron ones and now I got my hands on a copy of Transformers Prime the Video Game. Some of the past games have missed the mark but this one has impressed me from the jump. The story follows team Prime (Optimus, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Arcee and Bulkhead plus the kids Jack, Miko and Raf) as they try and stop the Decepticons from obtaining a asteroid sized chunk of dark energon. You take on the role of a different Autobot with each mission starting with Optimus Prime. I liked this because some games you never got to play Optimus until much later. He’s a fan favorite and I think it is great that you can play him first.
I played through many of the levels and got the feel for the controls fairly quickly. You have to swing the wiimote to use a melee attack but for shooting, transforming and jumping you press the buttons. Each character has their own special attacks and can power up a couple of times each battle to deliver even more powerful attacks. In between each playable section there are pretty decent cut scenes completely with the voices of the characters that we have come to know and love in the Transformers Prime cartoon. While the cut scenes are not as high quality as the cartoon I think this is more a limitation of the non HD abilities of the Wii and suspect that the game will look even better on the soon to be released Wii U.
The game takes into consideration the unique nature of the Transformer more so than the others that I have played. What I mean is that attacks can be combined with the transformation process. So for example Megatron stands in the distance confident that he will pummel Optimus but Optimus transforms into truck mode and barrels at Megatron. He (Optimus) transforms back into robot mode just as he reaches Megatron and his momentum is key in breaking through Megatron’s defenses and sending him (Megatron) flying. characters can also make longer jumps when they do so as they transform from vehicle mode to robot mode. The transformations are fluid and quick. The figure designs look amazing and are true to the show. Boss battles are challenging but not impossible so they are still fun and not frustrating.
At the end of each stage you get a grade from A-D or S for super. My scores have ranged from S to C but you do have the chance to try again and improve upon your score.
I also had the opportunity to play the game on the Nintendo DS. The last time I played a handheld Nintendo device was when I had a Gameboy back in the early 90’s. I’d never even touched a Nintendo DS before and so it was very new to me. I picked up the controls and feel of the device quickly enough and game play was very similar to the Wii version of the game however there were more controls to be found on the touch screen of the device. The ability to use an upgraded attack, for instance, is activated on the touch screen. Maps are shown on the touch screen as well, this was improvement in my mind over trying to figure that out on the screen while playing on the Wii. I hope that the Wii U uses the new Wii game controller’s touch screen for features like that as well. I also liked that I was able to skip the cut scenes when I wanted to. I couldn’t figure out how to do that on the Wii version and once I’ve seen it once I’m good and just want to get to the game play.
Transformers Prime for both the Wii and the Nintendo DS was fun to play. It quickly became my favorite of the Transformers video games thus far. I can’t wait to play it on the Wii U. Here’s a little bit more info on the game.
Based on the smash hit, award-winning animated television show produced by Hasbro Studios on The Hub Network, TRANSFORMERS PRIME is now available on Nintendo Wii™, 3DS™and DS™! PRIME lets fans play as their favorite AUTOBOT characters and embark on an action-packed adventure to save the earth from the evil MEGATRON and his new secret weapon. Along the way, gamers cultivate friendships with Jack, Miko and Raf – the human characters from the show – as TEAM PRIME sets out to protect mankind and eliminate the DECEPTICONS once and for all.
TRANSFORMERS PRIME will also be available on Wii U beginning November 18, 2012. Rated “E10+” (Everyone 10 and older – Fantasy Violence), PRIME will be a hit in any household as fans make their way through intense multiplayer modes, as one of 11 different TRANSFORMERS characters.
KEY FEATURES:
§ Jump Straight into the Action, TRANSFORMERS style – With the fate of humanity on the brink of survival, players will fight through heroic battles in a huge variety of 3rd person action brawling, shooting, driving and melee combat, all the while wielding the power to change form and power up each AUTOBOT with unique weapons and special abilities.
§ Play as Iconic and Fan-Favorite Characters – Fans will get to play as all their favorite characters from the show including OPTIMUS PRIME, BUMBLEBEE, ARCEE and more to defeat MEGATRON, STARSCREAM, THUNDERWING and the DECEPTICON army.
§ Explore a Brand New Storyline to Continue the Saga – The game centers around an epic campaign with original story set directly within the TRANSFORMERS PRIME universe, allowing players to forge close relationships with the humans Jack, Miko and Raf and embark on a journey to exotic locales such as Greece, South America and even outer space.
§ Challenge Your Friends and Test Your TRANSFORMERS skills – Players can choose from 11 different playable characters across both AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS to compete with or against their friends in adrenaline-pumping modes such as Brawl, Battle for Energon and Emblem Match (only on the Wii and 3DS). Wii fans can play local split-screen multiplayer and 3DS fans can play over Wi-Fi.
Disclosure: I received a copy of the Transformers Prime video game for Wii and for Nintendo DS. Opinions about the game are 100% my own and honest.