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" Release Date: June 27 (Europe), June 24 (North America) Platforms available on: PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii U, 3DS Developer: Edge of Reality Publisher: Activision Genre: Action / Adventure Though not without flaws, recent Transformers video games have managed to win over their fair share of fans. High Moon Studios has released a number of competent games that have given users a taste of the Transformers mythos, all the while providing a decent amount of morphing robot action. Unfortunately, the sloppy and uninspired Rise of the Dark Spark manages to undo much of the good work laid out by its predecessors.  Take the story, for example. The clumsy plot attempts to tie the movies with the Cybertron games in a narrative that shifts between universes and time periods, as well as Autobots and Decepticons. The plot doesn&amp;#039;t offer any real insight into the movie world, and it fails to resolve any plotlines from the Cybertron series. So really, what&amp;#039;s the point?   Not everything in the game is a complete disaster. The third-person shooter action is both solid and satisfying, although it can become a little repetitive.  Attempts to retrieve the Dark Spark play out like a long, slow and clunky game of tag, with the universally gritty character design making it difficult to tell which side you&amp;#039;re on. The whole thing lacks colour and personality, something which is especially evident in the dated visuals, which wouldn&amp;#039;t even be considered decent on the PS3, let alone its next-gen successor.  Because of the shifting nature of the narrative, however, players will recognise areas from previous games, something which either cleverly or cynically (we&amp;#039;d lean to the latter) allows the developers to re-use assets for a bit of a visual boost. This same sense of recycling extends to some of the game&amp;#039;s set-pieces, something that really does feel rushed, lazy and cynical. Not everything in the game is a complete disaster, of course. The third-person shooter action is both solid and satisfying, although it can become a little repetitive. Players have access to a wide variety of different guns, which can be smoothly switched between arms or swapped for heavier varieties with a quick tap of a button.  Whether firing heavy burst machine guns or lasers, shotguns or slime cannons, weapons do feel distinct, while enemies crumple in a satisfying heap of scrap metal when you pop off a few well-placed shots. Players can also equip shields, boosts and other bonuses to the D-pad, which does, at least, add a level of strategy and individual customisation. Unfortunately, limited melee attacks and special abilities that are sometimes useless - for example in the case of Sharpshot&amp;#039;s cloaking ability - mean that players are unable to truly forge their own playing style. It doesn&amp;#039;t help that enemies are largely indistinguishable, while set-pieces rarely deviate from entering a large space and killing everything that moves.      Transforming is also nowhere near as much fun as it should be, with vehicles that are too slow and difficult to control. Thankfully, even though it doesn&amp;#039;t inject the necessary variety missing from the single-player experience, co-op multiplayer manages to entertain. Rise of the Dark Spark&amp;#039;s survival mode is frantic and fast-paced enough to make you forget about the dull campaign.  Transforming is also nowhere near as much fun as it should be, with vehicles that are too slow and difficult to control.  It could do with some challenges and a boss battle or two, but the eight maps are well-designed and the increase in waves certainly coincides with an increase in tension. Enemy intelligence still isn&amp;#039;t great, but &amp;#039;Escalation&amp;#039; mode distracts you with numbers, not to mention teammates that will often need saving. There&amp;#039;s a fear of dying in the single-player mode too, although it has more to do with not wanting to repeat huge sections of the game for a second and third time.  High Moon Studios has proved that a good Transformers game is very much within grasp, something that makes Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark&amp;#039;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&amp;#039;s redeemed only by enjoyable third-person shooter action, which comes alive in co-op multiplayer when there&amp;#039;s no story holding players back.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/transformers/review/a582580/transformers-rise-of-the-dark-spark-review-ps4-barely-a-flicker/>