Parents' Guide to

Transformers: Devastation

By Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Fun, attractive, short but shockingly deep cartoon brawler.

Game PlayStation 3 , PlayStation 4 , Windows , Xbox 360 , Xbox One 2015
Transformers: Devastation Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Transformers: Devastation Game: Screenshot #1
  • Transformers: Devastation Game: Screenshot #2
  • Transformers: Devastation Game: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 6+

Based on 1 parent review

nuenjins
nuenjins Parent
August 22, 2017
age 6+

Homage to Gen. 1 Transformers not epic, but well done and fun.

This game is simplified compared to the Transformers "Cybertron" games but the familiar voice actors from the old toons make ALOT of cameos, even where you don't exspect them to show up. Also, the beefed up fantasy toon versions of the characters are perfectly rendered and pay homage to their roots with detail and credibility. The shooting portions are a bit lackluster and the weapons aren't Call Of Duty tight and responsive, but the balance of the slow motion dodge, vehicle and transformation attacks and upgrades, make a surprisingly unique and well done action game. Bayonetta fans will feel familiar, but it adds more than enough 'vehicle to robot' smoothly interlaced combat to be it's own thing without just being a copy, paste of other brawlers. The most glaring flaw is the lack of detail in the environment and the simplistic/contrived obstacles that are placed along the way like a lifeless maze. The nice touches and personalities compensate for this alot, but it's almost painfully obviouse where the time was taken in creating the game. The game is good for a runthrough but more for nostalgia than anything else. I'd like to see this rendering of the Transformers done on a "cybertron" game scale, although, that would be hoping for a bit much for G1 fans. I wouldn't put a full price tag on this one cuz it is a bit 'kidish', but if you find it for 20 bucks or less, for old times sake, is worth the experience to see how they treated the source material.
See all 1 parent review

What’s It About?

TRANSFORMERS: DEVASTATION is a combat-centric action game that stars Autobots, who are in a constant battle with other giant alien robots called Decepticons. In vehicle mode, you'll race around city streets to take on missions and reach objectives, and then, with a push of a button on the controller, transform into a metallic warrior to fight against enemies and wreak havoc on the environments you're in. Along with the single-player campaign, this third-person adventure includes 50 bonus missions. You can play as five familiar heroes -- Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Wheeljack, and Grimlock -- and each fighter has specific skills and abilities, all of which can be upgraded over time, plus there are more than 150 weapons to master.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (5 ):

Fans of the franchise -- especially the classic TV series and Hasbro's classic Generations action figures -- will no doubt fall for the charm in Activision's anime-inspired brawler. The controls are tight and responsive, the high-definition "cel-shaded" graphics make it look as if you're playing an interactive Saturday morning TV show, and the voice talent is great, which adds to the high production values. (Transformers voice actors have returned and include Dan Gilvezan as Bumblebee, Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, Frank Welker as MegaTron, and others.)

More importantly, the third-person fighting is surprising deep, with many moves, countermoves, combos, and special attacks to execute at the right time. Each of the noble Autobots has specific skills you'll want to unleash, and the environment must be taken into consideration on when, how, and where to do this and which weapon to use to defeat enemies and boss fighters (yes, those epic boss battles are gratifying and memorable). But on the downside, Transformers: Devastation is a relatively short game at about six hours, and many of the gameplay objectives are the same (race here, fight that). Though there hasn't been a lot of buzz about this game -- especially compared to many other blockbusters coming out this season -- Transformers: Devastation is surprisingly fun and somewhat deep, and it has high-quality visuals and sound to satiate even the most finicky fans of the franchise.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about violence in video games. Are parents OK with this kind of fantasy violence, as it's clearly not based on reality? Is fighting as and with 50-foot robots better than as or with humans? Do the cartoon-like graphics make it more acceptable?

  • Talk about licensed games. Are games such as Transformers: Devastation made for the fans, or are they made to promote toys and TV shows?

Game Details

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