I had a few days with time to kill and nothing substantial to play. Transformers: Devastation was meant to be filler for me. But for the next two days I wore a blissed-out smile on my face as my childhood memories rushed back in cel-shaded renderings of the Autobots and Decepticons and the countless hours I spent plastered to the TV screen. Most of the original voice cast is even here. And there's Soundwave. Motherfucking Soundwave is in this game.

Devastation's playbook is simple but effective: light attacks, heavy attacks, even a powerful vehicle attack. There is some variation in combat between playable characters, but not much, and the combat becomes repetitive - which is a big detractor for Devastation. The roster of Transformers is impressive, though mostly on the Decepticons side and not playable. The playable Autobots are all-stars: Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Wheeljack, Sideswipe, and Grimlock. It's deep with transformers you forgot you loved: Constructicons and Insecticons and all the other reasons your parents thought Transformers was more toy commercial than TV show.

Double-bass metal brings combat encounters to a crescendo and makes most of the ride feel face-meltingly amazing. The buzz lasts through the whole campaign, but that on its own is short and very, very sweet for anyone who was ever a Transformers fan.

Finally!  Once, if at all, the Xbox Live achievements are re-synched with Giant Bomb, I'll have this quest done.  It's been a terrible run, including coming up two coffee thermoses shy in Alan Wake of the full "S" rank before the DLC hit, and several titles, so finally quenching that "S" lust with Pac-Man Championship Edition DX is all the sweeter.   
 
Not the most difficult game to get the full 200 achievement points, but one of the most fun, and my favorite Pac-Man game ever.  A few days ago I sent this to Twitter, and I still stand by it:   

As this year's holiday releases have started, including Microsoft and Sony's motion sensing add-ons and the latest, newest Kotick money maker COD game, I'm left wondering whether gaming has already reached its apex and is now in a slow, incessant decline. 
 
To focus for a moment on FPS games, Bungie has left Halo for good with Reach, easily the best Halo game made, and every other shooter game tries to mimic Modern Warfare 2.  It built on what Call of Duty 4 had done and may have set the high water mark for shooters, for good.  Between the persistent upgrades online and Spec Ops, nothing has come close since its release and even the recent Black Ops has left many people wanting.   
 
I'm hopeful that Bungie and Respawn will give us something that ups the ante, though I remain cynical. 
 
More thoughts on different game types, and my opinion on Kinect and Move (donde están los killer apps?) next time.