Transformers - Commodore 64

Transformers by Ocean Software I can remember seeing this game on the C64 when it was first released. It came out in 1985 - at a time when Ocean software had a reputation for some technically impressive games and some great arcade conversions (through their Imagine label), and when the original Transformers toys were in their prime (sorry!), Ocean turned to experienced developers Denton Designs to produce this platform adventure game for them. The game loaded up with an impressive title screen (okay, well it was at the time!), revealing gradually while a great piece of music played by Martin Galway. Unfortunately, Ocean didn't allow Galway to do the in-game music as well, leaving Denton Designs to use their regular musician, Fred Gray. Basically, Transformers is a platform shoot-em-up. You take on the role of a team of five Autobots (Optimus Prime, Jazz, Bumblebee, and two others that I can't remember!) and you have to explore the games levels collecting pieces of the Autobot logo and returning them to your base, negotiating the array of platforms and avoiding the onslaught from the Decepticons who are out to stop you. Collect four pieces and the level is complete. Why they are doing it, is anyone's guess! To help you, each Autobot has three modes of transport - walking, flight, or vehicle mode. Different modes are best used to negotiate different parts of the levels with some platforms only being accessible through flight. Naturally, driving around is one of the quickest ways to explore the levels, but it is all too easy to drive too fast and end up going over the edge off a platform. You are open to attack in vehicle mode, but can shoot back in robot or flight mode, and different modes of transport offer different benefits and levels of control for manoeuvring around the levels themselves. Each of the Autobots on offer gives different advantages and disadvantages to the player. It is possible to switch between 'bots at any time during the game as long as you move into one of a number of pods scattered around the playing area. Naturally, Optimus Prime is the best for firepower and damage resistance, but he is rather cumbersome when it comes to negotiating some of the trickier platforms. By the same token, Bumblebee is not a 'bot to use if you are expecting heavy combat, but because of his size, he can go where no 'bot has gone before. However, Jazz would appear to be the best all-rounder. The graphics in the game are something of a mixed bag. The sprites are well drawn and well-animated, especially the transformation sequences, but the background images are appalling. The platforms consist of little more than metallic pipes on a plain black background. Yes, the game scrolls smoothly enough, but when the screen doesn't even look interesting, the gameplay has to exceptional to make you come back for that elusive "one more go". Special mention has to go to the music by Fred Gray. He has managed to produce a faithful renditioning of the Transformers theme for the game, although there isn't a great deal of music during the game itself. However, the sound effects are rather sparse and what is there is rather pitiful! Overall, this game is too damn difficult for it's own good. It is a difficult game in it's own right, but coupled with a lousy control system that is unresponsive and, and an icon system that makes the game a pain to play (not to mention making transforming your 'bot difficult and not something that can be done in a hurry). Denton Designs were famed for their icon-based games for the C64, starting with their revolutionary graphic adventure, Shadowfire, but icons have no place in a platform game. If that wasn't bad enough, there is some dubious collision detection, and worst of all, it is impossible to tell what is coming from off the screen. All too often, you can be in flight mode and suddenly finding yourself crashing head first into an oncoming platform. To be honest, this game never really set the world alight when it came out, and looking back at it now it has dated very badly. Overall - 46% - Reviewer: Simon Plumbe