Movies based on games seldom work well. In the case of 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' it seems that the corollary is also true.

Maybe it's because we think that a movie as anticipated and popular as 'Transformers' would spawn quality merchandise, or maybe it's because we have simply come to expect a certain standard from our games, what with the price of both the consoles and the games themselves.

Either way, if you're planning on buying 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen', allow me to manage your expectations.

First, it is essential that you don't have any. None at all. Do not hope for anything, including fun.

The game takes "repetitive" to a whole new level... a level that could not be matched even if they took 'Space Invaders' or 'Donkey Kong' and resurrected it for a new generation console but kept the original gameplay and graphics.

You start off by choosing your allegiance. Do you want to be an Autobot or Decepticon? Obviously, your choice will affect your quests and the eventual outcome of the game. From that point on you progress by unlocking certain areas and missions.

Unfortunately, 90 percent of these missions involve going into an area and blasting the hell out of anything that moves, then blasting some more and finally blasting some more... just to make sure everything is good and dead. Certain missions are slightly more detailed but in the end they all come down to firing on anything and everything.

But strangely that is not the worst problem with the game. Easily the most frustrating aspect of 'Revenge of the Fallen' is the schizophrenic and, quite frankly, insane controls.

In order to transform your character from robot to vehicle you need to hold down the R2 button and keep it held down, otherwise you go back to being a robot. The only problem is that said R2 button is the same button you use to shoot while in robot mode and also the button you use to accelerate in vehicle mode. So if you're happily driving along and then decide you need to slow down to turn a corner, be warned, you'll probably jump back into robot form before you do.

Then there are a number of specialised attacks you can do while transforming by holding down certain buttons before releasing that pesky R2 button. While these attacks look very good, most of the time your enemies have wandered off before you get a chance to wallop them with your cool moves, simply because they take so long to perform and you're too busy faffing around with the controls to pay attention to where you're going.

And what makes this especially strange is at times you can do the move, know that you are way off the mark, but somehow destroy your enemy anyway. Doubly frustrating is that there is also no way to perform these manoeuvres without the initial transformation.

You also have to remember that if you want to shoot while in vehicle mode, you have to use the button reserved for your particular character's special skill in robot mode.

And then — no, it isn't over yet — if you need to use a sniper rifle, you have to click the R3 button, which changes your perspective completely, leaving you zoomed in on the sky or the ground searching around frantically for your enemies. It all makes for a very annoying experience and I found that I often didn't bother to try out the special attacks and rather stood in one place shooting... yes, at anything that moves.

And this brings me to yet another gripe: The AI is terrible. Your enemies cannot adapt at all.

They never seem to move out of their set courses and if they are performing a set action such as climbing a wall or building they won't stop until they've got to the top giving you the ideal opportunity to shoot the hell out of them without any possibility of them returning fire or even dodging your attack.

They all also seem to only have one or two attacks and you can predict way before the time exactly what they will do and when. Despite this, the overall feel of the game seems extremely chaotic and you'll often be caught in the middle of a fire-fight or find yourself low on health without really understanding why.

In its favour it does look amazing — the graphics are phenomenal, smooth, intricate and exactly what you would expect from a Michael Bay movie spinoff — but it does not capitalise on this to bring you those outstanding movie sequences that are common to PS3 games. No, why include those? Especially when you can just have the robots stand around and... tell you about it.

Another positive note is the multiplayer mode. While all the above-mentioned issues are still applicable, it's a damn sight more fun shooting your buddy (provided his playing skills surpass the AI) than chasing after Decepticons.

Honestly, 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' is just sloppy and one cannot help but imagine that the sole purpose of the game was simply to cash in on the 'Transformers' hype with absolutely no effort being made to ensure that the gaming experience was enjoyable.

Even the most hardcore 'Transformer' fans are going to find this game disappointing.

5.8/10

Buy this game: PS3 | Xbox 360 | Wii | PC | PS2 | PSP | DS

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