The other day my brother called me to talk to me about the new Transformers game.  He was apparently blown away by some game footage and wanted my opinion.  Now, I wasn't ready to buy into his enthusiasm, as hes also tried to convince me that the Resident Evil movies are great cinema with the same amount of zeal, but I had to admit I had heard some positive things about the game, mainly through podcasts (which I listen to almost religiously).  I decided to supplement this with a short trip to Giantbomb.com for a little look while we talked.  I had to admit, it looked really good.  I was on board until my brother declared it the best Transformers game ever. 
   Whoa.  Put on the breaks, there.  The best ever?  How many Transformer themed games had he played?  One: Beast Wars (2000, PSOne).  Now, I really hate playing the role of the elitist, and I really hate slagging on new games in favor of older ones, but I needed to set the record straight.  I wont say that I didn't slip my thumb behind my bracers and rocked back on my heals as I lectured, but I did get up on a box (it was a shoebox) to tell him about what I had considered the best Transformers game.  I am of course speaking of Transformers (2004, Atari) for the PS2.  I picked it up at the Gamestop sale a week ago (along with quite a few others) and had a chance to relive some of fun, and while it did show some signs of aging (it did not look good on my 40" widescreen), there is still a strong element of fun there.  As I preached the virtues of the game to my brother, (I could actually hear his eyes rolling in their sockets), I thought to myself: What if hes right?  That's when I decided to compare them once and for all. 

Transformers (2004)
[img width=640 height=460]http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/6827/screen2largesmall.jpg[/img]

What you'll love about this game:
- The explosions: when you blast Decepticlones, they burst into a miniature lightning storm.  Its very satisfying.
- The openness:  Okay, so this depends on whether or not you consider a well designed, open environment a boon or bane to the gameplay.  Its not truly open world, but rather you select a level, and there are a number of things to do while you are here.  There are mini-cons to collect (they give your Autobot powers), as well as extras like art and music to pick up and sift through later.  While you move around (there is usually a cinematic direction the first time you travel each level) you encounter roving bands of Decepticlones to blast.  The game also operates on the of you can see it, you can go there principle, though its not taken to any great extremes (such as in the early PS2 GTA games).
-Transforming:  You can transform at will, and there is very little that is more satisfying than driving at full speed over a jump, transforming just as you leave the ground and blasting foes as your Autobot smashes into the ground.  Great fun.
- Giant Robots FTW: Tidal Wave.  Youtube it and enjoy.  Even when you know whats coming it is still a bit of a shock at the size of him.
-Mini-cons: While not totally old school, these little guys give the game a lot of diversity.  While mostly weapon based, they will allow you to gain a shield and even glide.  As they have to be mapped to one of the trigger buttons and certain mini-cons require different amounts of slots, there is a bit of strategy here.

What you'll hate about this game:
- The graphics:  It is a nasty shock when you realize how much PS2 titles have aged.  I'm not saying that they look as bad as a PSOne game, but I can guarantee that you will do a double take in disbelief if you played it over five years ago.  This game was once thought of as one of the best looking of the generation.  It was even compared to Xbox (the first one) for its graphical beauty.  While you can still see the shadow of what it once was, it is still just a shadow.  Not unplayable, but no longer pretty.  If you can play it on the PS2 emulator for PC (and you have a rig meaty enough to run it) it might look better
- The Autobots: There are only three to choose from, and none of them look close enough to the originals.  There is a slight resemblance, but not enough to tickle the fancy of a fanboy, I think.
- The Decepticons: While there are Decepticons to fight (see Tidal Wave above), they are usually reserved for boss encounters.  What you will be blasting for 9/10s of the game are Decepticlones.  No need to even explain the name on that one.  But they at least blow up nice.
- The controls:  This one may not bother you.  While they will take a few minutes to get used to (especially for taking cover and closing in for melee attacks), you will likely get used to them eventually.  Or stop playing the game because of them.  One of them for sure.


Transformers: War for Cybertron
[img width=640 height=325]http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/7230/306549transformerswarfo.jpg[/img]

What you'll love about this game:
- Visual appeal:  This game looks great.  From the environments to the Transformers themselves, everything in this game stinks of this-generation polish.
-Old school appeal: This game was designed to tickle the fancy of fans of the original cartoon series (generally known as G1).  Many of the Transformers are recognizable on sight (in their robot forms, not the vehicle forms), and they even got a hold of Peter Cullen, the original voice of Optimus Prime.  Even the transforming sound is the same.  The story follows the events that happened up to the G1 cartoon, so anyone with a serious jones for original G1 story arcs (as each version of Transformers seems to have a different arc) can get it here.
-Transforming: It can pretty much be done anywhere, though there will be sections that you will do one or the other.
-The Transformers: not only do you get to play the Autobots, but also the Decepticons.  So wicked.
-Giant robots: there are two giant robots in this game that you will fight.  On the Autobots side is Omega Supreme (remember the one who changes into a city?), and on the Decepticon side there is Tripticon (I don't remember this one).  While not as big as Tidal Wave (in my opinion), they are satisfying nonetheless, and make for better fights.

What you'll hate about this game:
-The explosions: This is purely personal.  After watching every enemy in the previously mentioned game go up in a lightning storm of fury, it sucks to see them just, well explode.  Not a big deal for many I expect, but still an annoyance to me.
-The ammo: There is ammo in this game, in the form of energon.  You will run out of it and in turn have to resort to melee.  This means that you will get shot at a lot and there is nothing you can do about it.  Not bad, but not as good as it could have been.
-Old school appeal: If you love the new Transformers movies and hate the old stuff, you will loath this game.  But then again, you likely have no soul either.
-Generic robots: Yes, you'll be spending most of your time fighting generic robots, though you will face actual Transformers more frequently than in the other Transformers game.


The verdict:  Well I have to admit, some of my brothers hype was well placed.  While nothing will ever replace the love I feel for the first great Transformers game, there is no doubt that the newest is a great title and should be sought out by all serious Transformers gamers.  Once the price drops, that is.

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