before I turn into this truck, I better make sure I have a license plate.”

You know. Wouldn’t want to get a ticket or anything.

Of course, there are a lot of things I don’t understand. Like why anyone would ever expect

a film or television tie-in to be a promising video game. Because much like a heaping platter

of German sausages, these things...are the wurst.

The point is I didn’t expect much when I popped in this particular licensed game, let

alone the fact that this is the Wii version of said game. And typically, that’s a recipe

for disaster, but lo and behold...with this one, there’s more than meets the eye.

It’s Transformers: Prime for the Nintendo Wii.

At first, Transformers: Prime seems like a predictable 3D beat ‘em up. Playing as various

Transformers, you pound on bad guys before moving on. But what makes it more entertaining

than the average beat ‘em up...is the diversity and polish of its gameplay.

For starters, each level focuses on a new Transformer, so you’re always using a different

character. Not only that, but you’re also doing different things. One stage provides

classic brawling, but the next might be a high-speed pursuit. There’s an awesome balance

between vehicular and on-foot stages that breaks things up beautifully and really keeps

the game from feeling stale.

Another nice touch is that the two approaches aren’t separate. The brawling and the driving

can be combined...so you can transform into a vehicle, rush toward a bad guy, transform

back in midair and then hit a really brutal attack. So the dynamic between driving and

brawling benefits the game even when you’re on foot.

Of course, with all that said, you shouldn’t expect this game to blow your mind or anything.

It’s a good licensed brawler, but...keep things in perspective. Some of the robot models

look nice, but the environments can be a bit bland visually. There’s a multiplayer mode,

but not much in terms of other modes...you get the idea.

Still, this is a brand new Wii release, which is something we don’t get to say much anymore.

And the nice thing is that...it’s actually a pretty solid one. Even during the system’s

heyday, third-party licensed games were usually way worse than this, so kudos to Now Production

for treating it like more than just an afterthought.

Wii owners have waited a ridiculously long time for a decent Transformers game, but...finally...it’s

here. In 2012. It’s Transformers: Prime for the Nintendo Wii.