Once again we find ourselves in the middle of a summer filled with Hollywood blockbusters and once again there’s a movie tie-in game released as well. While these games aren’t stellar or particularly good (with the exception of this year’s decent Wolverine game on Xbox 360 and PS3), they at least give fans of said summer blockbuster a chance to re-enact the best moments of the movie. Unfortunately, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen for the PSP offers nothing worth playing even if you are a fan of the transforming robots. 

Revenge of the Fallen is Michael Bay’s second film in the Transformers series where the Autobot allies have joined forces with the United State military in wiping out the remaining Decepticon enemies on Earth. It doesn’t take too long for the enemy, lead by Starscream, to find a way to resurrect Megatron and carry out the orders of a Decepticon known only as The Fallen. It seems that The Fallen is looking to wipe out humanity by triggering an ancient weapon that happens to be hidden on Earth. It’s up to the Autobots to put a stop to The Fallen’s plans and crush the Decepticons once and for all … or so the movie and the description of the story in the game’s manual mentions. 

You see, there’s not much of a story to be found in the PSP version of the game with the exception of some brief cut scenes in the War Room hub. You start the game playing as the Autobots led by none other than Optimus Prime. Aiding the Special Forces division formed to combat the Decepticons, the Autobots head out to Shanghai when word that Decepticons might be in the area. As Bumblebee, you set off to destroy the enemy forces in a few stages that will take you through the west coast, east coast and even as far as Cairo, Egypt. 

The game is played like a classic third-person shooter with a few driving levels to change things around. The problem with this style, however, is that the gameplay works against the game thanks - in part - to the lack of a targeting system. To successfully blast an enemy with your primary or secondary fire, you have to be facing them. This leads to you shooting up the place wildly in hopes that you’d hit the enemy. This is the reason I favor melee attacks over your weapons.

One thing that can also be said about Revenge of the Fallen is that the game follows a boring linear path with absolutely no room for exploration. Sure, there are collectibles scattered throughout and you can earn points good towards upgrading your teammates but there’s really nothing here that keeps the levels fun for very long. To top it all off, there are also a few glitches in the game that will not fail to frustrate. In one level, I fought a battle against the Decepticon boss only to find that if you move back far enough the enemy will just stand there and take blast after blast without moving for cover. In another level, I moved too close to a gun turret that it seemed to shoot right through me and not deal any damage to my Autobot. 

As I mentioned, there are driving levels that have your transformed Autobot or Decepticon racing in vehicle form. One level in particular has you in pursuit of a giant Decepticon as you drive and shoot your way in a freeway. It sound fun but there is very little variety to these missions no matter what side you play. The Decepticon campaign isn’t any different from the Autobot campaign with the exception that you will get to play as a few of your favorite Decepticon robots such as Megatron.  

There’s also the ability to play this game with a friend joining you in co-op. While it’s sound like a good idea to have a friend aid you in battle, the fact that you can’t advance without a friend means you both are stuck looking at the same screen until your friend is ready to move on with you. If you have an impatient friend then co-op is definitely not a good mode to play. 

As far as the graphics are concerned, Revenge of the Fallen is a complete mess visually speaking. If this game were on the PSOne it would have passed as acceptable … just barely. This is mostly due to the flat backgrounds, hideous visual effects and jerky cut scenes. The sound effects aren’t any better and neither is the soundtrack that is chopped from the film’s original score.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen makes for a flawed, unattractive and boring PSP game that fans of the Transformers should stay away from without question. If you absolutely want a Transformer game then I suggest picking up the Xbox 360 or PS3 version instead of this very disappointing title.

Gameplay: 4.5
There’s not much of a story here despite the fact that there are two campaign modes that tell the Autobot and Decepticon side. The classic Commando-styled shooting action and driving action could have been fun but the weak controls and various glitches just make this game nearly unplayable.

Graphics: 3.5
Visually, this has got to be the worst looking PSP game you will play this year. Everything from the backgrounds to the visual effects looks awful. The more familiar Autobots and Decepticons are recognizable at least.

Sound: 4.0
The soundtrack repeats itself often throughout the game and the sound effects are not only minimal but all laser blasts sound alike.

Difficulty: Medium
You will die a lot in this game but not because the enemy is smart but because the controls are awful and the shooting action is awkward.

Concept: 4.5
The single-player campaign mode allows you to play as the Autobots and later as the Decepticons and that’s not a bad thing at all. Unfortunately, the campaign is actually quite boring even with cool characters like Optimus Prime. There’s co-op mode that doesn’t work as good as it should.

Multiplayer: 4.0
A friend can provide backup in the game’s multiplayer co-op mode via Ad Hoc. The only problem is that the framerate stutters when explosions start going off and you have little control over a friend who wants to keep moving.

Overall: 4.5
A considerably flawed game from start to finish, the PSP version of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen just disappoints in every possible way. With little redeemable qualities, there’s just no reason for Transformer fans or shooter fans to pick this one up.