Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark Day One Deals via GameStop

Double

I got the game, it's decent probably better then FoC tbh.

Any notable contradictions between FOC and Cybertron portions of ROTDS?

Mindmaster wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:Any notable contradictions between FOC and Cybertron portions of ROTDS?

Only one I seem to find was that Megatron was in his post-Metroplex body. Beyond that, no. Though oddly, the main menu shows Megatron in his pre-Metroplex body. It also accounted for how Shockwave meets the Insecticons. No Fall of Cybertron Grimlock in the story, and Age of Extinction Grimlock doesn't speak at all, beyond roaring.

I think you'll be comfortable placing this story in within the main universe (apart from the Megatron quibble).

Does it take place between WFC and FOC, or between events within FOC?

Mindmaster wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

Mindmaster wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:Any notable contradictions between FOC and Cybertron portions of ROTDS?

Only one I seem to find was that Megatron was in his post-Metroplex body. Beyond that, no. Though oddly, the main menu shows Megatron in his pre-Metroplex body. It also accounted for how Shockwave meets the Insecticons. No Fall of Cybertron Grimlock in the story, and Age of Extinction Grimlock doesn't speak at all, beyond roaring.

I think you'll be comfortable placing this story in within the main universe (apart from the Megatron quibble).

Does it take place between WFC and FOC, or between events within FOC?

The Cybertron portion is within Fall of Cybertron, as they promised. The Ark had not yet launched.

Shockwave meeting the Insecticons makes it sound like it takes place before FOC since he's already familiar with them prior to that game, having sicced them on the Lightning Strike Coalition Force in the game's pre-story events (and in its prequel comic).

I don't think it specifically said when it was taking place other then before the Ark was launched.

I heard escalation wasn't working earlier. Anyone have experience with that? Can anyone provide a quick review?

Mindmaster wrote:Excited to get your mitts on Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark, to be released in three days? How about to go view Transformers: Age of Extinction, to be generally released in six days? Can only afford one of the two?

Why not both?

Video game retailer GameStop has you covered! If you buy a brand new copy of Transformers: Age of Extinction on day one (24 June, this coming Tuesday), you will receive a pair of goodies: an exclusive poster featuring characters from the game and two digital tickets to see Transformers: Age of Extinction in theaters! Also, Powerup Rewards Pro Members will gain up to 40% in-store credit if they trade in any games or accessories toward a brand new copy of the game!

So disappointed about this. I went to my store today and they didnt even have the promo for this No pre order content either and usually they give that out still on day 1 where I'm at.

Mungtavious wrote:So disappointed about this. I went to my store today and they didnt even have the promo for this No pre order content either and usually they give that out still on day 1 where I'm at.

What retailer did you go to? If you didn't go to GameStop, that might be why, since those day one deals are exclusive only to GameStop.

I have played both of the previous Transformers games made by High Noon which I thought were oozing with quality at least for someone like me who grew up with the franchise as a kid and always had a love for it.

So I was actually surprised that the newest game was made by Edge of Reality. They were the ones who did the ports for Dragon Age Origins and The Mass Effect Trilogy box set.

Ok so here is my first impression of the singleplayer after putting in about 4-5 hours into the game. This is up to chapter 7 which is about half way through the game. See the end for pros and cons.

The first level drops you right into the action trying to retrieve the Dark Spark or at the time an unknown object which has crashed on Earth and created much devastation in the city around you. You play as Drift.

The first thing you instantly notice and realize is that the level looks like complete crap compared to the last game. It is brown, bland, with just flat textures and blocky buildings and skyboxes. The game at first impression basically looks like it should have came out with the Xbox 360 launch or on like it was supposed to be released on the original Xbox or should be found in the $15 bargain in at Target. I am not kidding here it is bad looking.

However the voice work is good but appears to not be normalized in some spots. The score is exciting and has that Hanz Zimmer vibe. It just looks lazy. Everything looks like crap in the first level. There is just no other way to describe it.

The gameplay is largely the same. I was playing on normal. I heard that on harder difficulty levels its kind of unplayable. I also noticed that the AI got stuck a few times or had the Call of Duty they need you to do something before they follow scripting which annoyed me since there is a part where Optimus says charge or something and then stands there until you move.

Anyway once you get past the intro/tutorial level you are back on Cybertron playing as the Decepticons switching between I think Starscream if I remember correctly then Shockwave and Soundwave trying to retrieve the Dark Spark for Megatron.

Throughout this section the action is good and the dialogue banter between the Decepticons is actually really fun and entertaining which is what I loved most about these games. One part I really enjoyed about this section was being able to release Laserbeak and later Rumble when playing as Soundwave but it ws only in specific section and to perform specific basic tasks at least when it came to Rumble. I wish they allowed you to release them at any time all together and not one at a time. At least Laserbeak could be released to kill some of the bugs attacking. Meeting the Insectecons and later playing as one of them (Sharpshot) was also quite fun because he looked good in his bug form. One of the things I did enjoy was who Shockwave looked and performed. I liked his jet form. Overall the jets are more fun to play than any of the vehicles. The main issue I had with the flying levels was that there is a very low artificial ceiling so even though you might be in a very large structure you cant really go anywhere or even that hight up.

After that you switch sides to the Autobots playing as Sideswipe for a few levels, and after that switch again back to the Decepticons. Playing as the Decepticons is generally more fun and the areas look better as they are either on other planets or on Cybertron.

The biggest problem I had with this and future sections of the game reside primarily with the graphics. From what I experienced and saw the game appears to be put together very haphazardly or maybe by different teams or people on the same team working concurrently on different parts of the game but it looks like none of them talked to each other. Its like there wasn't a quality process that was followed to keep everything consistent. Let me explain what I mean by that.

First of all many of the details and animations that were part of Cybertron from the last game are gone. Nothing really moves outside of the robots and if it does its just laser effects or some sort of beams. The levels are very bland and simple in the sense that the setting does not feel like Cybertron and it does not feel alive like it did in the last games. It does not feel alien or mysterious.

The levels are primarily corridors with pipes and sewer textures which look nice but they look like they could be from any random sci-fi shooter and not a Transformers game. There is one section of the game that has monitor consoles scattered around a room with sine waves on them in clumps that looks like art assets out of some human 3rd or first person shooter like Gears of War or Wolfenstein. They just make no sense and they should not be present on Cybertron just because of how they look. They look like TV screens from a game set in some alternate earth history or lab.

The other issue is that each time you switch characters and complete a section the cut scenes are not the same quality. Some cutscenes are gorgeous using the in-game engine and are sharp and colorful. Others are obviously pre-rendered cutscene movie files that look like they were recorded and saved in lower quality using the game engine. Others are like like a combination of the two. Its weird because they might come one after another. In one instance you are watching the in engine cutscene and it looks good and 5 minutes later a shitty pre-rendered movie that is quieter and lower res. What is worse is that their volume levels are not even normalized so one will sound quieter than the other.

The action and dialogue is still good and its well scripted but the movie cutscenes in between the gameplay just do not flow and do not have the same level of quality throughout. As I said its as if the team had no quality controls in place or they were all working on different parts and just slapped it all together without doing the post production audit and work to make sure it all flowed technically. I also had to adjust volume levels initially as the dialogue was way too quiet. On top of that some of the VO does not make sense. In one part you need to plug in some power cores to get power back online and at first your fellow Deception refers to them as a fuse and others as Plasma Core or Power core or something. On the first level on Earth Optimus is surprised to see the Dark Spark and the other Autobots don't know what it is so he explains to them but when you play the 3rd level in the past he is aware of it, he is the one who sent the Autobots to retrieve it and they all seem to be aware of what it is or does. Maybe I am missing something but that made no sense to me.

The other thing I noticed is that the Transformations are also more basic.

The game feels extremely rushed and unpolished. Its almost like FOC had sex with shovelware and this came out as a result. The dialogue, and action is still good and generally fun but the way it looks is an insult to fans and the 2 previous games before it.

There are some bugs too. When I transformed into Bruticus I was instantly stuck on a ledge after blowing up a gun or something and could not move at all. After about 5 minutes of trying to dislodge myself the game locked up and crashed and I lost all my progress since the last checkpoint. On the initial Earth level I also got stuck once and then on Cybertron playing as the Autobots there is a ramp that has a little step and my AI companion got stuck on it and I could not progress until I pushed him over it.

The upgrade system sucks as you have to exit the gameplay and open up stupid lockboxes to open up upgrades for your weapons pausing the action. It destroys the flow.

One other thing I want to mention is that each transformer has a robot mode, a vehicle tank mode that floats and a car form when you hold down the left trigger. The vehicle canons are way stronger than the guns you pick up so if you just stay in the tank mode it makes the game ridiculously easy while in robot form you get destroyed pretty quickly.

I know I said allot of negative things about this game and singleplayer but the gameplay is enjoyable. Its still fun it just looks like ass. SO if you enjoyed the previous games, and if you enjoyed the banter between the robots, and if you generally liked the action this is still a fun game to play. As long as you realize that the polish is gone on the environments and are ok with this the game will be fun to play. Its not the next thing since sliced bread but its a fun Transformers action shooting gallery.

So hope this helps.


So in the end:

Pros:
Good action but simple
Good banter-dialogue between Decepticons/Autobots.
Optimus Prime/JetFire
Starscream/Shockwave/Soundwave/SharpShot/Swindle
Nice Music
Plays like the last games
Nice variety of weapons that feel nice for the most part.
No grenade spam at least on normal.
Other planets look cool but not amazing.
Robots look good like in previous games.

Cons:
Looks like shit especially the Earth levels
Cybertron levels look like ruins/junkyards from some other games like Warhammer Marine not Transformers
Flat Textures even lava looks like ass.
Less background animations
Voice oVer volume is too low
Random and inconsistent Cutscene quality
Dumb A.I.
Bugs (things including you get stuck)
Upgrade system is dumb
Inconsistent quality overall.
Worse then FOC
Looks like it uses allot of other game assets.