Just like the Michael Bay produced blockbuster film of the same name, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen delivers non-stop action and plenty of explosions. Add rumble to the mix and you are truly in for a treat.

The Decepticons are back, bigger and badder than before, and this time they are taking no prisoners as they seek to discover the location of the AllSpark fragment, raise Megatron who was previously banished by the Autobots to the depths of the ocean and ultimately destroy mankind.

In what seems to have become a tradition in the videogame arena over the past few months, and following in the footsteps of the first Transformers game, players can choose to play as either good or evil, something which definitely adds to the replayability factor of the game. By electing to play as either the Autobots or the Decepticons, players can choose to either save or destroy mankind in two distinct campaigns.

The game is told through a series of cut scenes played out in the Autobots’ war room. It is from here that the player can choose different missions which also feature cut scenes to expand on the overall storyline. While the cut scenes are reasonable, there’s certainly nothing too memorable to be found in them and they only served to slow the pace of the game down. In fact the war room telling of the story becomes downright boring and perhaps could have been made better by more in-game action cut scenes.

The game sees Hollywood A-list stars Shia LeBeouf and Megan Fox reprising their voice roles as Sam Witwicky and his girlfriend Mikaela Banes. If you are a real fan of the Transformers universe you will also recognise Peter Cullen and Frank Welker, they who provided the voices of imposing Optimus Prime and Megatron from the original animated series. The voice acting of the game is commendable, helping to immerse you in the Transformers universe and providing a bit of humour along the way. It goes a long way to setting Revenge of the Fallen apart from other movie tie-in games that do not feature the voices of the original actors from the film.

You will soon pick up the controls after a quick run through in the training zone but it will take you some time to master them. As an Autobot you will be able to climb buildings, jump over obstacles, attack using both primary and secondary weapons and launch melee attacks on enemies in close combat. At the start of each mission you can choose a different Autobot, complete with different weapons and unique special abilities to the previous one, making the gameplay more interesting. Make sure you check their statistics before choosing though because some are more deadly in certain situations than others. Sometimes you will be required to use a certain Autobot for a mission but you will be able to replay that mission again later with a different one.

While it may take a little while to become fluid with all the controls, once you are into it you will be fielding commands like a pro, transforming into your vehicle mode seamlessly and using each mode to the best of your advantage. For example, if you need to get somewhere quickly transform into your vehicle mode, but it’s easier to take on enemies in your robot form because you can jump and climb buildings. Before long you will be effortlessly changing between your primary and secondary weapons should one overheat or stunning your opponents as Bumblebee, healing your comrades as Ratchet or deploying automated rocket turrets as Ironhide.

Despite the fact that the gameplay can become somewhat repetitive (set out on a mission, defeat Decepticons sent to thwart you, progress a little further, defeat more Decepticons etc.), the developers have added some variation to the mix by adding different objectives. For example, one mission may see you escourting a truck carrying a secret weapon while another requires you to defeat the Decepticons in a certain area and before you know it you will be repairing communication towers and then transporting and defending Sam.

Variation also exists in the enemies you face during the game. You will sometimes have to fight air units, have to rethink your strategy when an enemy evades you by changing into a fast moving vehicle or may find yourself having to change your vantage point to take out enemies that have climbed up a building. Often you will find yourself up against multiple enemies in a gunfight battle and may even have to retreat in order for your health to regenerate a little.

You will soon discover that it can prove challenging to take down certain Decepticons, it’s hard to get a lock on fast moving vehicles and air units, then before you know it they are climbing up the walls of a nearby building! There’s also nothing quite as annoying as getting stunned by an enemy after he sneaks up on you before he starts welding your metal to shreds.

The more enemies you take out in a battle, the more your overdrive bar will fill up. Once it is full, deploy it to go into overdrive takedown (needless to say it’s worthwhile saving this deployment for when you are surrounded by Decepticons), making you invincible and your weapons impervious to overheating – think of it as a kind of crazed Autobot mode. Very cool. As you defeat enemies you will acquire energon which you can use to upgrade different abilities at the end of each mission. I found it to be particularly useful to upgrade your health, weapon cooldown and melee damage.

The environments are well constructed and detailed, with most of the objects being destructible. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as blowing up cars that stand in your way or the sound of electrical wires whipping through the air as you pass through them. As I mentioned earlier, there’s an explosion a minute and you will probably enjoy every second of it.

Each mission has a timer and you will be allocated a medal based on how quickly you complete it. Keep an eye out for timers that add an extra 10 seconds to the clock and, if you are a score junkie, make sure you check out the timer in the top left hand corner which keeps you updated on what time you need to achieve in order to score gold before moving on to the silver requirements if you don’t make the gold limit. The game is conducive to repeating missions in order to better your score, something which also adds to the replayability factor of the game.

The game boasts online features for the first time complete with new multiplayer modes and multiplayer exclusive Autobots and Decepticons. Many of the maps are large (a good thing), but I found that the full number of players were not always available so often you would spend a lot of the game time searching for players in the large area (not such a good thing). However, when I found a lobby of eight players it was great fun to challenge them to my favourite mode, Team Death Match. In this mode you join three other players as either the Autobots or the Decepticons to take on four players of the opposite team. At the end of the time limit the team with the highest number of kills wins. There was absolutely no lag and it was a lot of fun fighting, flying and driving around the stages. You can also take on players from around the world in Deathmatch, One Shall Stand, Control Points and Battle for the Shards.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a slickly polished blast-a-minute romp through the Transformers universe. Ultimately the game is let down by its mediocre cut scenes and whether or not you will enjoy it will depend largely on if you mind the repetitive nature of the gameplay. However, it’s still fun to become a Transformer and the two separate campaigns and multiplayer madness ensure that you will get a good number of hours out of it.

Pros: Good graphics and voice acting; fun to be a Transformer; great music; awesome multiplayer.

Cons: Repetitive gameplay; complicated controls; mediocre cut scenes.

Purchase: