Review: Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark

A new Transformers game is out in time for the motion picture release of Transformers 4, but the unfortunate news is that it may not be very good! We have a few choice details in this review of the new Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark, out now for Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Wii U.

Little new to offer

Where Dark Spark feels best is when it tries to emulate the successful Transformers antics of old. Watching Starscream go crazy in jet mode and blast targets out of the sky is good stuff, and it's always a joy hearing Peter Cullen pump energy into the voice of Optimus Prime (and, for that matter, Frank Welker do his thing, particularly as Soundwave). However, in terms of new content, Dark Spark has very little to offer.

How's it look?

Case in point: the environments and action look poor and are riddled with technical problems. There were disappearing characters and frame rate issues with the game, especially the Xbox One version. Here was a chance for Activision to really take its Transformers game to the next level, and instead we're just getting the same old auto-fluff. The game does look competent at some points, but it's hardly an evolution for the franchise.

Multiplayer is meh

It's not bad, but it's underwhelming. War and Fall of Cybertron raised the bar, so the fact that this effort couldn't even try to keep up is a shame. For that matter, there's no option to team up with a friend locally. Either you get online or you handle everything yourself. Last time I checked, that's not the Autobot way. Even Optimus Prime needs Bumblebee.

Overall - 5 (out of 10)

If you're a fan of the Transformers though, you still may want to check this one out, just keep your expectations in check. It doesn't sound like the guys at Shacknews liked this one, giving this game a five out of ten, but if you want some more detail on why Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark is underwhelming, click over to their review.