This adventure to Cybertron is an adventure worth taking!
What's really unique about this game is that you don't actually control where your character travels amongst the levels. The Transformers in this game follow a pre-set path through each level and all you have to worry about is ducking for cover and utilizing the various weapons at your disposal to combat the enemy. At first I thought this was kind of weird, but eventually I really grew to like it! It means you're not wandering around each level wondering which way to go or searching for any obscure and hard to find unlockable content. You actually get to alternate between the character's robot and vehicle modes (either a jet or a land based car/truck vehicle), and when you're in vehicle mode you do have a bit more freedom of movement, but you still follow a pre-ordained path.
Now we'll pick up at the main menu of the game. Upon first firing this beast up you will be asked to create a game save file, and there are 3 slots in which you can do so. Once you get to the main menu you have four options. The first option is "Unlockables". This is where you go to view all of the bonus content you have unlocked in the game. The bonus content includes a bunch of artwork, some G1 artwork and also some game concept artwork. There are 9 sets of bonus content, with 4 pieces in each set. You unlock the various sets as you increase your rank during the game. More on ranks later.
The second option is "Options". This is where you go to alter various game settings to your personal preference. The options available to change include SFX volume, Dialog volume, Music volume, Invert Y Axis on/off, and Credits.
The third option is "Story Mode" and this is the main mode of the game. When you first start here you must choose from three levels of difficulty; Easy, Normal or Hardcore. When you begin playing you will eventually make your way through 8 separate missions as the storyline plays itself out. And the gameplay is pretty simple too, there are no secrets to search for, no puzzles to solve, all you have to do is follow the instructions your superiors give you and destroy your enemies as fast and efficiently as possible! Each mission has a character associated with it who you must complete the mission with, you cannot choose which Transformer you wish to use. The Autobot characters you get to use include Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Ratchet, and Air Raid. As you make your way through the mission, instructions will be given to you by other Transformers and there will be some sequences here and there that you have to complete within a certain time limit. Most of these are fairly simple and shouldn't give you much trouble. If you die in this game you just restart at the last save point, and there are plenty of save points in this game, so go ahead and be reckless! At the end of each mission you will be given a score which is based on a number of factors, including; Enemies Defeated (as in how many), Accuracy Bonus (it pays to hit the mark!), Power Up Bonus (it also pays to stay healthy!), Time Bonus (be fast), and Difficulty Bonus (playing on a higher difficulty gives you a slightly inflated score). As you accumulate points from your missions your rank will increase. There are 9 ranks you can achieve in this game, and as I said earlier with each rank achieved you unlock an additional set of bonus content. Now for the best part of this game. You don't get to play with just the Autobots . . . you can also play from the other side and control the Decepticons! Basically the story remains the same, you just play it from the Decepticons point of view and take part in their dirty undertakings instead of the Autobots' honourable ones. The Decepticons you get to control include; Megatron, Soundwave, Starscream, Thundercracker, and Barricade.
The fourth and final option from the main menu is "Challenge Mode". This mode is very similar to Story Mode . . . but it has a twist to it. Again you get to control either the Autobots or the Decepticons, and you play through the exact same 8 missions per side. However, this mode is a lot harder as before each mission you are given 4 specific tasks to complete during said mission. Some of the tasks are pretty simple, for example; "destroy 30 Decepticons during the mission" or "complete the mission in under 12 minutes". But some of them can be downright hard, like; "don't take any damage from falling debris in the level" or "take no damage during the final fight with Trypticon". For each task you complete successfully you earn the medal associated with that task. These medals don't gain you anything in terms of unlockable content or such, it's just a matter of pride, baby! I picked up most of the medals, probably averaging about 80% of them over both the Autobot and Decepticon campaigns. It's the final level of the Autobot campaign against Trypticon that really held me back, it's certainly tough in Challenge Mode . . .
As for the controls, they're really easy to use. The control stick on the nunchuk is used to alternate between the four weapons each Transformer is equipped with. Up on the stick switches to the sniper rifle. Left on the stick switches to missiles. Down on the stick switches to the blaster cannon. And Right on the stick switches to the gatling gun. The Z button is used to zoom when aiming your various weapons. The only one you really need the zoom function for is the sniper rifle though, zooming is key to being successful with that one. FYI, if you hit your enemies in the head you earn a critical shot, which nets you more points and increases your bonus meter. The C button is used to reload your weapons and also to brake/reverse when in vehicle mode (only as a car/truck, not as a jet). The Wii remote you point at the screen to actually aim your equipped weapon at your enemies. The B button is used to fire your weapons. When using the blaster cannon, if you hold B down and then release it you can build up a more powerful shot with some characters. With the missiles you have 7 or 8 available for one shot, so if you hold B down and drag it across numerous enemies you can score multiple hits (or release them all on one poor enemy for max damage!). And of course the + button is used to pause the game.
The pluses to this game are certainly the gameplay and the graphics. The graphics are pretty well done, especially the characters. The background can be a bit blocky at times, but that's about it. As for gameplay, the camera angles are spot on and the control functionality is perfect. There are absolutely no technical problems with this game whatsoever. It's also really cool how you get to use both the Autobots and Decepticons in this game, that was a huge plus for me. The game is a decent length, it could have been a bit longer, but that wasn't really an issue in the grand scheme of things. The unlockable content wasn't superb, but it was OK enough. The only minus to this game is how they didn't do it the same as the PS3 and 360 versions. In those games I've heard you can create your own Transformer to take in to battle and pretty much choose whoever you want to play any of the levels. That would have been nice, but what are you gonna do?
As for tips, the game is pretty self explanatory and easy to figure out. The only thing I recommend is staying patient on the last Autobot campaign, the battle against Trypticon. At first you'll be wondering exactly how you are going to beat him, and then how you are going to beat him in the meager time limit they give you! All I can say is make every shot count and take every opportunity you can get to fill him full of lead, plasma, whatever. Once you beat him the first time it will seem easy, but at first he is a little daunting.
Overall I was really happy with this game. It wasn't an absolute Transformers revolution or anything, but it was another top drawer game to add to my library. I would recommend this game for anybody, it's just plain fun.