Overview

Transformers: Dark of the Moon was a blockbuster movie and it inspired a video game adaptation published by Activision. The movie score once again featured awe-inspiring music from cinematic veteran Steve Jablonsky, but this time Activision decided not to adapt it for the video game adaptation. Instead, relative newcomer Jeff Broadbent created a new score for the game, topped off by the series' main theme. After neglecting previous Transformers game scores, Activision decided to publish a digital soundtrack for Dark of the Moon. How does it compare to its movie soundtrack?

Body

It's important to note that the production value of the game soundtrack isn't as high as the movie's soundtrack. While Activision generously funded orchestral performances on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, they reserved a much smaller budget for Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Jeff Broadbent mostly had to rely on samplers. Whereas the movie's main theme sounds like a cutting-edge electro-orchestral centrepiece, the game's main theme sounds more desperate and dated in its production. Broadbent maintains a high quality to many game scores, but rarely pushes the boundaries to offer particularly bold or unusual textures. Frankly, he sounds very constrained by his budget and most comparisons with the film soundtrack will be unflattering ones as a result.

That said, Broadbent's music almost always fits the tone of the franchise. Focusing back on the main theme, it's exactly what a Transformers theme should be: a traditional anthem with striking strings and heroic brass. The main melody is actually adapted from the movie, but it has been considerably reworked to give a more focused and clean sound. When the vocals emerge at the end and the mood shifts somewhat, it is evident that Jeff Broadbent let the score flow according to his vision, rather than being restricted by what was already set. The main melody is also used triumphantly in "Multiplayer Theme", where it is made more heroic with its brass focus. In fact, it is also similar to Brian Tyler's version of the main theme that was used for Transformers Prime.

The action themes of Transformers: Dark in the Moon are rich and energetic like their film counterparts. Tracks such as "Autobots the Protectors" capture the heroic Autobots with their grand and hopeful sounds, and comes closest to the supremacy of Jablonsky's themes. In contrast, the destructive Decepticons are portrayed with loud and brutal cues including "Shockwave Battle", while the melancholic vocals of "Dreadwind Assault" are particularly effective in capturing the human aspect of the robot conflict. There are also electro-orchestral hybrid scores here similar to what listeners have heard in the movies, for example "Bumblebee Cruising" and "Mirage in Transit". While they capture the Transformers sound, they aren't as deeply textured or richly sampled as Steve Jablonsky's film tracks, focusing on retro electronic samples and bombastic drum beats instead.

That said, there is some variety in the video game score beyond the action cues. The most outstanding exception is "Data Extraction", a slow ambient mix of electronic percussion and haunting whispers. "Laserbeak Espionage" is another ambient track that focuses on mysterious electronic distortion, but it is let down by its brief length and derivative tendencies. The odd one out between the slow tracks is "Mission Briefing", an 80 second cue that relies on bright rising orchestration rather than dark electronics. Indeed, despite the variety, the soundtrack does feel somewhat sparing with its playtime of 30 minutes and there was clearly room for more exploration of some of these electronic elements.

Summary

Transformers fans are advised to listen to some samples before jumping on the bandwagon to get this soundtrack, as it's not like its movie counterpart. The soundtrack features a striking main theme that emphasises the hybridised nature of the Transformers franchise, but otherwise features unmemorable action cues and electronic ambience. The dominant focus of the soundtrack — the action tracks — might get boring for some since they don't have anything unique about them like the movie soundtrack. The electronic ambience isn't explored enough and the short playtime of the individual cues and overall soundtrack is a major disadvantage. But despite its deficiencies, this soundtrack is definitely a fitting score to the game and does what is required. Activision should be commended for releasing it, and hopefully they will consider more releases dedicated to Transformers video games in the future, including Tyler Bates' Transformers: War for Cybertron and the upcoming Transformers Universe.