Transformers: The Game [PSP]

After a few hours of playing various Transformers games, it was easy to get jaded on the idea of robot-to-robot combat at Activision's event last week, but the PSP version of Transformers: The Game changed all that. On the small screen and decked out in his yellow and black Camaro paintjob, Bumblebee was out to destroy some Decepticon drones and chased them into a steel factory. As the robots brawled, Bumblebee knocked one of the devious goons into a runway-looking area, and a molten pole of some sort shot from one end of the room to the other and crushed the bad news 'bot.

Finally, killing robots was fun again!

In case you've missed the ads, toys and juggling robots on street corners, Transformers is headed to a movie theater near you on July 4th, and studio execs want you to catch the mechanical fever. The movie's inspiring games on every platform under the sun, but the PSP title will be its own beast featuring 25 playable Transformers. Take that next-gen … current-gen … PS3, 360 and Wii. You only get only get nine Autobots and Decepticons to run around as.

Characters are just the beginning of what separates the PSP from the brethren. Although the game will feature the voices from the stars of the film like the other systems, the whole "choose your side" adventure from the consoles where players can either play as the good or bad guys in sandbox environment has been scrapped on the portable and replaced with a linear, 19-mission story where players will function as both the Decepticons and the Autobots while unlocking troves of characters and weapons for the meat of this game -- multiplayer.

Transformers: The Game will pack four ad-hoc multiplayer games for you and up to three friends. There's deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag (renamed Secure the AllSpark) and king of the hill (rechristened Ascension Rites) along with ten maps for you to blast your buds on. We tried out one multiplayer arena -- a gray canyon where we had been taking out helicopters and tanks in the single-player campaign -- and the environment seemed a little empty, but there was plenty of action between blowing up an in-level bridge and trying to catch up with Optimus Prime as he rushed the AllSpark back to his base.

Catching AllSpark runners such as Prime will come down to what weapons you're packing. Before the onset of a mission or multiplayer match, players will arm themselves with four weapons from the stockpile they've unlocked in single-player. That might not seem like much, but when used correctly the mix-and-match system can amplify your combat style. The shotgun might be your favorite weapon, but it's not going to do much in a long-range battle. However, arm the EMP as one of your weapons and you can turn the tide in your favor -- incapacitate the opponent with the pulse, run up on him or her and unload your shells.

Whereas the home versions of Transformers focus on using your massive robot fists to take out the bad guys (and good guys), the PSP chose to make those four weapons your favorite attack and modified the control scheme to match. The triangle and X buttons will control the pitch (up and down, dummy) of your crosshairs while square functions as attack. On the D-pad, up is your super-powered special move, right cycles through the four weapons you've chosen and down locks on to an enemy.

Off topic, you can transform at any time by pressing the left and right triggers together. Besides looking cool, the move provides a welcome burst of speed compared to lumbering around as a giant robot.

Although the game can't match the visuals of the big box consoles out there -- even though it did use the same ILM models from the movie to create its character models -- there's plenty for Transformer fans packing a PSP to be excited about. Aside from unlockable rewards such as character art, game art and music, the PSP features about a dozen old-school characters who didn't make it in the movie -- Wheeljack anyone?

Start charging your PSP now. Transformers: The Game arrives this summer.

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