Ah, the age-old war rages on: is it better to play video games on consoles? Or on PCs? While the wider war is broader, today we’re focusing on video games solely for TRANSFORMERS fans. At the end, we’ll give you a verdict: is it better to have a console or to have a gaming PC, if you’re a TRANSFORMERS fans? Let’s find out!
There’s tons of games out there, sure. And many reviews to sift from: reviews of the High Moon Studios games, review of Jackpot City, reviews of the arcade games, reviews of the retro games on stuff like the ZX Spectrum… But for the purposes of this review, we’ll focus on home-bound games, and whenever possible, modern systems. I’d also like to focus on the highest-review games, because some systems have a lot of TRANSFORMERS games, but they aren’t very good!
THE CANDIDATES
Right off the bat, we can cancel out some stuff: current-gen systems barely have any games, and most are not that great. So, we’re going to focus on the systems with the most games:
- Modern PCs (x86/x64 Windows systems),
- Sony PS3
- Microsoft XBox 360
- Nintendo DS
Now, let’s take a look at each one, starting from the bottom and going up and up
NINTENDO DS
While many don’t immediately think of the Nintendo DS as a hardcore gaming system (more of a family-friendly portable), the reality is that it has quite a lot of TRANSFORMERS titles in its library:
- Transformers Autobots
- Transformers Decepticons
- Transformers Revenge of the Fallen: Autobots,
- Transformers Revenge of the Fallen: Decepticons
- Transformers Dark of the Moon: Autobots
- Transformers Dark of the Moon: Decepticons
- Transformers Animated: The Game
- Transformers: War for Cybertron Autobots
- Transformers: War for Cybertron Decepticons
As you can see, there are no less than 9 TRANSFORMERS games for the Nintendo DS! And while they aren’t the highest-rated games in the franchise, the Nintendo DS has a very strong thing going for it: you can get a Nintendo DS system for US$10 at any boot sale or charity shop/thrift store, and the games are not that much more expensive, either. Sure, the War for Cybertron games aren’t really the same as those on home consoles and PC, but if you can build a complete DS collection along with the system for under US$100, I think the Nintendo DS is a strong contender for the budget king in this shootout.
SONY PS3 and MICROSOFT XBOX 360
I’m bundling these together because they have the same library of games. So, if you have one or the other, you should probably just stock up on games for whichever system you already own. However, if you don’t own either and are set on home consoles, I’d personally lean towards the XBox 360, as it features backwards compatibility with the original XBox, opening the library further, and is actually more powerful than the PS3, offering better visuals on the games they do share. And about those games, here’s the list of what’s available:
- Transformers: The Game
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
- Transformers: Dark of the Moon
- Transformers: War for Cybertron
- Transformers: Fall of Cybertron
- Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark
- Transformers: Devastation
As you can see, the list of games available for the PS3 and Xbox 360 is shorter than the list of games available for the Nintendo DS. And the games are a bit more expensive on the second hand market too, just like the consoles (vs. the DS). However, in exchange for that extra investment, you get the full-blown console experience, which is of particular importance in the Cybertron games (developed by High Moon Studios), widely considered to be the best TRANSFORMERS games ever made. Also, most people either have a PS3/X360 or can get one handed down to them, so the cost of buying into the platforms isn’t all that great. Home consoles, a great middle ground, then!
MODERN WINDOWS PC
We finally come to the PC, which is my personal favorite, but this comes with a big caveat. You see, I already have a pretty decent PC, not necessarily for gaming, but for video editing and graphic design (which is my day job). So, I basically got gaming hardware “for free”. In truth, though, if you want a good gaming rig, this is by far the most expensive option of the ones presented here. And the library isn’t all that different from home consoles:
- Transformers: The Game
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
- Transformers: War for Cybertron
- Transformers: Fall of Cybertron
- Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark
- Transformers: Devastation
Out of the box, actually, it has even less games than the consoles. And while the games are still quite cheap, you better have the physical releases, because digital “ownership” is all over the place and some games aren’t even available digitally anymore. So, why would people choose the most expensive option that also happens to be the one that has the least games out of the box? Well, graphical fidelity, for one: the PC versions of all the games look MILES better than the console counterparts if you’ve got the right hardware, and that makes a huge difference to some people. Also, if you own the original games in physical form but not the consoles they were meant for, you can very easily emulate older systems to play those games on a PC. Transformers: Cybertron Adventures for example was only ever available on the Wii, and you can emulate that on a decent PC without an issue (just be sure to own the game!). Heck, you can play PS2 games, N64 games, even those older Sinclair ZX Spectrum games (remember, as long as you own the original games in physical format). So, while it’s more expensive and more fiddly, the truth is that the PC is the most versatile of the options presented here.
So, which one is the best? That depends on what you want. If you want variety and affordability, the Nintendo DS is an excellent option. If you want a good library and middle-ground in terms of investment, the home consoles (PS3/X360) are the way to go, and being honest, this is what I’d recommend to people who don’t own anything at all and want to start from scratch. And for people with a semi-decent PC and some technical knowhow, Windows opens up a ton of possibilities. So there you have it: TRANSFORMERS gaming for everyone!
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