Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Xbox 360)

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a game in the Transformers franchise and a prequel to the 2011 movie Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Much like the previous game Transformers: War for Cybertron it is a mix of a third-person action shooter and a vehicle combat game with the ability to transform at will. The story takes places three years after the events of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The game focuses on the ongoing battle between the two factions in a storyline that consists of seven chapters and an epilogue, and many locations have a South American setting. Unlike the previous game where the single storyline consisted of two campaigns for each side in succession, the single storyline now regularly switches perspective between the two factions for the chapters.

Playable characters include Bumblebee, Ironhide, Mirage and Optimus Prime for the Autobots and Laserbeak, Megatron, Soundwave and Starscream for the Decepticons. Generally each character gets its own chapter in the storyline (except for one mission where there are two) and they each have a specific set of abilities. These including cloaking, a sniping rifle, draining health etc. It is no longer possible to pick up new weapons. The vehicle mode now defaults to a new Stealth Force mode with a partial transformation, making the character much more stronger, allowing movement in four directions and providing an unlimited amount of ammo unlike in the regular robot form. There are also flying sections, for instance the chapter for Starscream using his jet form.

The three-player cooperative multiplayer mode and Escalation survival modes are not carried over into this game. There is a competitive multiplayer mode where player can create a custom character based on four classes (Commander, Hunter, Scout and Warrior) using circa 15 robot chassis assigned to a specific class. Some of these are pre-order bonuses or DLC, while others are available right away or unlocked by completing the campaign. Each class has different weapons, abilities and alternate forms. The game modes are deathmatch, team deathmatch and conquest (fight with a team to control power nodes to gather points). Characters earn experience, level up and earn new abilities. Initially one character can be created per class, but eventually three slots per class become available.

This version is different from the Wii / 3DS game Transformers: Dark of the Moon – Stealth Force Edition done by a different developer and played entire in a vehicle mode without the ability to transform. It is also different from the DS version which is a third-person shooter with the single-player campaign divided over two games based on the factions: Transformers: Dark of the Moon – Autobots and Transformers: Dark of the Moon – Decepticons and by the same developer as the Wii / 3DS version. Unlike the previous game there is no PC version.