Activision unveiled the upcoming Transformer movie tie-in earlier this week in London to what we believe was a very average reception. We're huge fans of the brand and think that the movie is shaping up to deliver on that. We have a few reservations about the game though.
We said, "Although the game's still in development, it lacked the detail and polish we've come to expect from 360 games. The environment looked bland and there was a distinct lack of people and traffic."
Activision producer Callum Godfrey has responded to our article (which you read in full here) with the following statement:
"We're really disappointed you guys didn't get an accurate impression of what Transformers: The Game is all about and the direction in which we're headed. A work in progress system was shown that we finished putting together in the early hours of that morning specifically for a first-look presentation.
"We should perhaps have made it clearer to you guys that the physics system is not yet final and a large number of animations and reactions of the Transformers have yet to be implemented. These are due to come online during the next few weeks, and will help to make the player feel like they are taking heavy hits or are themselves generating considerable mass and force behind their own attacks. We agree this is crucial for a game about giant robots and this is where we're headed.
"The combat mechanics in a build we can show at this stage don't fully show the level of interaction between the Transformers in battle. The reactions are not hooked up yet, the melee combat has not been balanced and tuned for damage or impact and the enemy AI combat routines are being worked on in isolation at the moment. As I say, this was just a presentation piece to allow journalists to get a first glimpse of the game.
"A great deal is also changing in our next-gen environments. Our major cityscape area has four times the traffic and population over the build that was shown and we continue to push what the Transformers are able to do within the free-roaming environment we're constructing for them.
"The game is still in development and we're on course to deliver the game Transformers fans are hoping for. The new few weeks will see the game systems integrated and balanced, and we're really looking forward to bringing it out to show you guys once this process is complete!"
We'd like to thank to Callum Godfrey for stepping up. And we'll have a progress report on Transformers: The Game, including our thoughts on the above points raised, in the coming weeks.
I was one of the people feeling apprehensive about the game having read CVG's first impressions - even with unfinished code.
It was refreshing to read such a level headed response from Activision. I hope their team is afforded the time to get the game looking, and more importantly feeling right. Back on my wishlist-o-games you go, Transformers.
A very informative article. I wrote about it in our site. Here's the url: http://xbox360.qj.net/Activision-defends-Transformers-The-Game/pg/49/aid/86255
Quite frankly if something isn't finished then you shouldn't show it. People are only human and if you tell them to keep an open mind about seeing something that has only been put together that morning, their memories are inevitably going to be based on disappointment.
I mean come on, did Activision seriously think that they would garner anything other then apprehension from what they showed? Especially considering that this is Transformers. If this isn't damn near perfect then there are going to be a lot of peeved off fans.
Unfortunately, that's not the way the industry works. I mean, if nothing was shown until the day the review hits or the game is on the shelves, there would be a fortune in publicity costs. Preview code has always been part and parcel in showcasing new and upcoming games.
But yes, until there is such code in place to give as close an impression as possible to the final game, then no, I don't think it should be shown, otherwise we get what happened above.
Personally, I'd like to see another preview from Activision by way of showing us just exactly what they are capable of but only when they feel we can get an accurate idea of the final game.
Personally, I think it would have been best for Activision to wait until they had much more the game ready, sometime unveiling something too early can be bad for it.
If a games is in the early stages, I guess they're damned if they do and damned if they don't show it. After all, look how bad NWN2 was just a few months before release (and er, until about the second patch as well).
Personally, I think it would have been best for Activision to wait until they had much more the game ready, sometime unveiling something too early can be bad for it.
Indeed many Modders make this mistake, releasing alhpa versions of their mod, only to dissapoint loads of people, and they end up losing a lot of interest.
Activision are experienced enough to know what they should and shouldn't show, and it sounds like they made the wrong call here...or perhaps they just presented it in the wrong light.
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