Michael Bay's new movie Transformers: Age of Extinction did not fare so well with critics, but what about the recent multiplatform game from Activision, Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark? The reviews are in, and we've rounded them up here to help you decide if you want to pick up the game--the first in the series available on current-gen consoles. There's always the option of renting, too, if that's what you're into.
If you're in the market for a Nintendo version of Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark, be aware that the co-op Escalation mode is not available on Wii U and 3DS. For more on the critical response to the game, be sure to head to GameSpot sister site Metacritic.
Game: Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark
Developer: Edge of Reality (Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Wii U, PC); WayForward (3DS)
Platforms: Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PC, 3DS, Wii U
"The game tries to keep you hooked by doling out a constant stream of rewards for your progress in the form of weapon upgrades, experience point boosts, and other doodads, but the action is too shallow to make any of these rewards meaningful. The Transformers are a great property, one that seems like it should lend itself to the creation of great games, but Rise of the Dark Spark is so sloppy and incoherent that it feels more like a cheap knockoff than a proper Transformers game. Optimus Prime deserves better, and so do you." [Full review]
The Escapist -- 2/5
"I don't like this game very much. In other words, Rise of the Dark Spark is Edge of Reality laying a steaming hot turd on the grave of High Moon Studios' work, while Michael Bay and Bobby Kotick watch masturbating from the trees. With its gibberish plot and repetitive, unfulfilling combat, this regrettable little mistake serves only as a prime example of what happens when publishers miss the point of their own products and milk the teat dry." [Full review]
IGN -- 4.9/10
"Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark has a few bright spots; the co-op Escalation mode is enjoyable, and there are cool weapons befitting the bots. But the bland campaign is a slog with uneven difficulty, while vehicle transformations and combat are largely unsatisfying. Without nailing that, you've got a bad Transfomers game." [Full review]
Eurogamer -- 5/10
"It is, at best, a functional shooter that asks little of the player and offers the bare minimum in return. Though it pains me to say it, if there's to be another Transformers game to coincide with the inevitable fifth movie, a little of Michael Bay's bullish mayhem would go a long way in livening up this increasingly dull formula." [Full review]
GamesRadar -- 2.5/5
"In trying to be both a movie tie-in and an interquel to a fan-favorite series, Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark creates two different sets of expectations. Looking at it as a summer-movie game, it feels like a well-intentioned experiment gone awry. And really, given how movie-games so often turn out, it could have been a lot worse. As a Cybertron entry however, lackluster design and unremarkable action make Dark Spark a sad disappointment. I can only hope it's meant as a spin-off, and not an indicator of the series' future." [Full review]
Official Xbox Magazine UK -- 5/10
"Activision's Transformers adaptations shed a little more charm and fascination each time they transform. This super-lean take feels like the last OK offering before the rot truly sets in." [Full review]
Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on Twitter @EddieMakuch
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