Michael Bay is one of the most divisive directors working on Hollywood today, but while his explosive and arguably jingoistic take on had it's detractors, the first was practically a masterpiece when placed alongside the official companion game, which did, in a word, suck.

With Bay's second Transformers film targeting a summer debut, we're once in for unadulterated escapism, and this time around are also vowing to make a good job of the tie-in video game, too. We stepped behind closed doors in the back streets of Camden to see how new developer Luxoflux are getting on with this weighty IP.

Having cut their teeth on the comendable Shrek 2, the designers of this new opus are clearly familiar with the rigours and near-endless pitfalls of movie-based game development. They are crucially, however, fans of Transformers and with Activision working more closely than ever with the film's production team I'm pleased to report that the game we're to be offered looks significantly better than last year's let down.

Luxoflux have been given near total access to the script, and this has allowed them to follow the movie plot closely, while at the same time going into more detail during scenes and settings only touched upon fleetingly in the film. We haven't seen the flick itself (who has?) but we're told the game will follow the movie's mantra of being much bigger and much better. explosions are to be expected, and I've already seen a few that actually made me wince in the otherwise darkened screening room where we previewed the game.

One of the ways the developer hope to up the ante is by offering more player choice, so fitting in with a few darker fantasies you'll now have the option of playing as the Decepticons, in addition to the all-too-nice Autobots. A raft of characters are available to choose from, including some lesser-known but highly creative bots, and each will have unique abilities. In gameplay terms, this will mean that you'll need to think about which robot might be most appropriate for the tasks in the mission at-hand, and these too will be varied as the game leads you through the plot.

We witness one new bot with sniper-like abilities, while new Decepticon face Sideways is likely to cheer old school fans, but not nearly as much as the full mode we're promised. Luxoflux tell us that this was perhaps the single most requested feature, and they have duly implemented a multiplayer mode complete with all the stalwart modes you'd expect; CTF, deathmatch, et al.

The multiplayer portion of Transformers 2 will incorporate a new transforming mode, and in addition to refined gameplay this ably demonstrates the broadening of the game's horizons - hopefully hinting at an experience that won't be all about making a quick buck off the back of the film's hyperbole. Environmental destruction is present, which should help cities like Shanghai come to life as bots literally tear the town to pieces in their battles with each other.

The physics have clearly received more than a lick of paint as well, the motion of the bots now boasting a palpable sense of momentum, the larger robots looking every bit the rampaging, unstoppable forces that made the original film so visceral. Overall, the visuals are also looking nice, the robots transforming in wonderfully complex detail, while the world around them is brought to life with particle effects of which the aforementioned explosions are just one example.

Luxoflux assure us that Transformers 2 is not an game, but it is certainly likely to offer the player a lot more freedom, while additions like time-limited missions should further add to the tension engendered in the game's plot. More combat in general is another design pillar, apparently, while the melee and ranged combat I was shown was almost unrecognisable from the first game. In one nice instance we witness Starscream doing battle with a Navy fleet out to sea, the Decepticon disguising himself as an allied plane before surging onto the deck off an aircraft carrier and unleashing merry hell.

While the game undoubtedly still targets the majority market that will lap up the movie, there are features being implemented purely for the more serious gamers buying the title, including more taxing secondary objectives in missions. Challenges like destroying foes by headshots will also appease the more serious players out there, too. Then there will be unlockable multiplayer characters complete with unique abilities, not to mention integrated leaderboards to boot.

As we close our demonstration, we're shown one last glimpse of a particularly large foe, the Demolisher, a vast concoction of junk metal that is bigger than Optimus Prime himself by several degrees of magnitude. A large-scale boss battle is going commence, but the screen fades before combat begins...

In addition to the and version we were shown, there is also a game on the way (taking advantage of motion control) and even and titles. All these games will be released this summer alongside the film, and when it comes to the next-gen version we're certainly inclined to give it the benefit of the doubt, as it's looking far more solid that than we might have predicted. We're looking forward to seeing more as release nears.

By Luke Guttridge