Transformers: Dark of the Moon - boxed - PS3

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a game in the Transformers franchise and a prequel to the 2011 film Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Similar to the previous game Transformers: War for Cybertron, it's a mix of a third-person action shooter and a vehicle combat game, with the ability to transform at will. The story takes place three years after the events of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The game focuses on the ongoing battle between the two factions in a plot consisting of seven chapters and an epilogue, with many locations set in South America. Unlike the previous game, in which the single storyline consisted of two consecutive campaigns for each side, the single storyline now regularly switches perspective between the two factions from chapter to chapter.

Playable characters include Bumblebee, Ironhide, Mirage and Optimus Prime for the Autobots, and Laserbeak, Megatron, Soundwave and Starscream for the Decepticons. As a rule, each character gets their own chapter in the story (with the exception of one mission, where there are two), and each has a specific set of abilities. These include stealth ability, a sniper rifle, health drain and so on. It's no longer possible to pick up new weapons. Vehicle mode now switches by default to the new Stealth Force mode with partial transformation, which makes the character much stronger, able to move in four directions, and, unlike the normal robot form, equipped with an unlimited amount of ammunition. There are also flying sections, such as the chapter in which Starscream uses his jet form.

The three-player co-op multiplayer mode and the escalation survival modes were not carried over into this game. There's a competitive multiplayer mode in which the player can create their own character based on four classes (Commander, Hunter, Scout and Warrior), using around 15 robot chassis assigned to a specific class. Some of these are pre-order bonuses or DLC, while others are available immediately or unlocked by completing the campaign. Each class has different weapons, abilities and alternate forms. The game modes are Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Conquest (a battle in which a team controls power nodes and collects points). Characters gain experience, level up and gain new abilities. Initially, one character per class can be created, but over time three slots per class become available.

This version differs from the Wii / 3DS game Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Stealth Force Edition, which was developed by a different studio and is played entirely in vehicle mode, without the ability to transform. It also differs from the DS version, which is a third-person shooter in which the single-player campaign is split across two games based on the factions: Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Autobots and Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Decepticons, developed by the same studio as the Wii / 3DS version. Unlike the previous game, there's no PC version.