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Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

1 of 2

photo contributed

The cover for Activision's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

photo contributed

The cover for EA Sports' new release, "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10."

Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC, PS2, PSP, DS

Genre: Action

Publisher: Activision

ESRB Rating: T for Teen

3 stars

Games with a movie tie-in normally lounge in a state of mediocrity and unfinished glory. But it's not half bad to play the robots in "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." That makes the game a success, right?

Loosely following the movie's plot, you get to experience the life of an Autobot and a Decepticon. Everyone is happy, because one minute you can be trying to destroy the world; the next, you can flip roles and attempt to save it. Your Transformer role impacts your game-play style, though not as overtly as you might think. Some robots are slower and more powerful, while others are speedy and weaker.

The game has its faults. The maps and overall level designs are not the most interesting to look at, except for the aircraft carrier scene. Most of the time, you are battling on mundane city streets or open deserts that just kick up faux dust. Playing these maps in multiplayer at least allows you some distraction, since you'll constantly be evading and destroying your friends online.

The game is best experienced once you get a hold of the control scheme, but don't get your hopes up that you'll understand it within a short time. Making your own Transformer from an Erector set may be easier. Flipping from robot to car/plane/whatever and then back to robot and into combat mode is frustrating.

"Revenge of the Fallen" can be a lot of fun, as long as you are willing to dig in and learn the controls. If the movie's gross receipts are any indication, a third movie and yet another game will come along in a couple years, giving gamers the chance to (hopefully) geek out over Transformers in a more complete way.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PSP

Genre: Sports

Publisher: EA Sports

ESRB Rating: E for Everyone

4 stars

When you have a franchise like "Tiger Woods PGA Tour" and you're the only real game in town, you can't expect excellence with every edition. Thankfully, "Tiger Woods 10" has just enough upgrades to make it well worth the greens fee to play.

The biggest addition this year is weather, which cannot be overstated as a huge plus. I'll be the first to admit that playing St. Andrews under the same conditions each and every round is a tad silly, so having weather affect your game brings a definite realism to the action.

If weather does not impress you, the varied difficulty levels should. "Tiger Woods 10" is accessible both to putt-putt fans and to weekly hackers who pride themselves on knowing club distance and proper shot selection

Being able to play at the most difficult level against the AI and then take it down to the easiest level for some fun with friends adds a whole new dimension.