Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark Reviews
Starting off weak and getting not only worse, but extremely tiresome due to repetitive gameplay and some horrendously awkward controls, Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark smacks of a cheap attempt to cash-in on the new movie release, not even properly linking to the feature film for those awaiting its release or tying various story threads together from the previous movie and game releases. The mess of a story definitely extends to being a mess of a game. It is simply cynical and bound to leave a bad taste in even the greatest of fans' mouths, this is undeserving of the Transformers name.
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark is an insultingly overt cross-marketing bid that isn't worth your time.
I actually came into Rise of the Dark Spark with relatively high hopes. The "Cybertron" games have actually been quite good, and with the dawn of new console hardware, I was looking forward to seeing what was possible for my favourite robots in disguise. Sadly, what we got was a half-baked offering that was clearly put out to meet the movie's release date. As a long term fan, Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark is about as fun as having unnecessary surgery. The only thing that poses any form of saving grace is Peter Cullen's voice work, but if you're after that, there's plenty more Transformers content that you could be watching.
As a next-gen title, Transformers Rise of the Dark Spark is an embarrassment
Rise Of The Dark Spark feels rushed: a mess of half-baked ideas and sloppy execution that's put Transformers on the same track as the Spider-Man games, approaching the point of no return. We can't be certain as to why Activision seems so intent with steering these wonderful properties so deeply into the dirt, but we hope it realises the value in the brands before it's too late. passable co-operative mode aside, there's very little to recommend out of Rise Of The Dark Spark.
The last few Transformers video games bucked the trend of subpar licensed products, instead giving us the Transformers games we always wanted as kids. Perhaps the PlayStation and Xbox versions of Rise of the Dark Spark are just as high-quality as their predecessors, but on Wii U, Rise of the Dark Spark is everything Nintendo fans have come to loathe about movie tie-ins and multiplatform gaming: a lazy port with missing features that treats Nintendo players like second-class citizens.
It's not always entirely drab – a bit of mindless blasting is always entertaining in short bursts – but much like the weedy Ultra Magnus, this is still a shadow of the title that it's trying to replace.
A terrible backwards step for Transformers games, and a movie tie-in so cynical it tries to cut corners by ripping off its own predecessors.
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark tries to coast on the goodwill established by the previous two games, but mishandles their gameplay concepts with a badly rushed execution. Boring level design, an awful framerate and a confusing story make this game a slog from start to finish.
If you've just gone to see Age of Extinction and really want to play an awesome Transformers game, High Moon's past efforts are all you should even consider going for. Leave this pile of scrap out to rust until someone comes along to polish the franchise up again.
While the Escalation mode remains as fun as ever, Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark is nothing more than a cheap rush job that boasts poor graphics, boring gameplay and a borderline incoherent story.
High Moon Studios has proved that a good Transformers game is very much within grasp, something that makes Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark's flaws harder to accept. The storytelling is sloppy, the set-pieces are repetitive - and in some cases stolen from past games - while the visuals are dated. It's redeemed only by enjoyable third-person shooter action, which comes alive in co-op multiplayer when there's no story holding players back.
It's lucky it has Insecticons, otherwise I'd have been really, really critical.
Offering no more than meets the eye, Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark is just a shallow, frustrating, and incoherent third-person shooter.
The absence of the practiced creative hands of previous Transformers developer, High Moon Studios, is keenly felt as Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark has sadly turned out to be both the weakest Transformers licensed title and the most uninspired third-person shooter in sometime.
If you're a die-hard fan of the Transformers film series, I would recommend picking up Rise of the Dark Spark when it's heavily discounted (like, under $10) with a group of friends just to play Escalation. As a side note, the Wii U version doesn't have Escalation mode -- so just avoid buying it altogether.
Rise of the Dark Spark is a colossal failure
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark may not follow the plot of the movie Age of Extinction, but this is a game clearly rushed to coincide with the movie release.
A good Transformers game has good transforming and good robot-blasting. Rise of the Dark Spark has neither.
The combination of repetitive gameplay, pacing and story issues in relation to the Earth/Cybertron dynamic and the absence of almost any new ideas will result in Rise of the Dark Spark finding itself being forgotten in the not too distant future. In the vocally distorted words of Bumblebee… "[Sad bleeps]". Sad Bleeps indeed.