Transformers: War for Cybertron
Available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
(other versions also available for
Wii and DS)
Game Developer: High Moon Studios
Game Publisher:
Activision
Release Date: June 22, 2010
Official website: www.transformersgame.com
Review Summary:
This generation of game consoles finally gets a great Transformers game. Leave it to High Moon Studios to deliver the darkest and grittiest version of Transformers yet. The single-player campaign isn’t too long, but it’s a nice look into the history of the Transformers’ origins, from the Decepticon or Autobot perspective. The multiplayer game will offer more gameplay life with a leveling system. Transformers fans will be most pleased with Transformers: War for Cybertron.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5
Transformers: War for Cybertron review
Transformers: War for Cybertron drops you into the chaotic battlefield of the Transformers’ home world. The rise of both Megatron and Optimus Prime, and the demise of Cybertron, are told in this dark chapter of the Transformers universe. Many other iconic Transformers characters such as Soundwave, Starscream and Bumblebee are playable. Decepticon or Autobot, players are in for plenty of non-stop action.
Gameplay take place from a third-person perspective. Most of the time, the player will be on foot. There are a few missions where the player will need to transform into the Cybertron vehicle version (remember, this is before the Transformers arrived on Earth). Vehicles include futuristic looking cars, tanks, and airplanes. The controls worked well in either form, although there are some corners the player can get stuck in and won’t be allowed to transform. A few weapons and healing tools are at the player’s disposal, from scoped rifles, lock-on rockets, flash-bang grenades and heavy turrets.
Transformers: War for Cybertron offers a single-player mode which takes place over 10 chapters. The player has the option of selecting to start from Chapter I, the beginning of the Decepticon campaign or from Chapter VI, the start of the Autobot Campaign. Each campaign is mainly four chapters, with a concluding boss battle at the end chapter of each. The player can select from a Easy, Medium or Hard mode as well. On a Medium setting, the single-player mode will offer about 8-10 hours of play, but playing for complete Achievements/Trophies or trying to find all the hidden Autobot/Decepticon symbols will bump up the play time significantly.
Whether selecting the Autobot or Decepticon route, the player will always be accompanied with two other Transformers at a time (making for a team of three). The campaign can also be played in an online co-op mode, which allows other players to drop-in/drop-out seamlessly. A notification appears when another player has joined your online campaign, as well as their name appearing over the character they have selected.
As a reward for completing the Autobot and Decepticon campaign, a couple of female Transformer characters are unlocked. Those who pre-ordered Transformers: War for Cybertron received multiplayer exclusive characters (see here) such as Shockwave, Demolisher or Jazz. It wouldn’t be a surprise if these characters, and/or possibly other Transformers, are made available as downloadable content in the future.
Besides the co-op online campaign, there are a couple of other multiplayer modes. An Escalation gameplay mode for multiplayer plays much like Gears of War 2′s "Horde Mode" or Call of Duty: World at War’s "Nazi Zombie" mode. The player and group of online buddies (2-4) must survive waves of increasingly difficult opposition. The heart of the multiplayer game is really in the various playlists: Team Deathmatch, Deathmatch, Conquest, Code of Power, Countdown to Extinction, and Power Struggle. Different character classes can be selected from, which include these four: Leader, Scientist, Scout and Soldier. The player can customize their Transfomer a bit and work on leveling it up, which makes for addictive level grinding.
Epic’s Unreal Engine works wonderfully in Transformers: War for Cybertron. The textures on the Transformers characters are detailed and gritty, as are the environments. No texture load-in was noticeable. The voice acting and signature Transformers effects are here and all are sounding excellent (with a nice surprise soundtrack at the end). Transformers: War for Cybertron also offers a few "Extras" in-game. This includes Concept Art and Movies. That almost makes up for the flimsy black and white manual included with the game. The in-game tutorial isn’t the best, which asks the player to pause and consult the instructions from the pause menu rather than being interactive in the game.
Overall, Transformers fans will be most pleased with Transformers: War for Cybertron. Players who are not so much into Transformers may find the run and gun gameplay a bit repetitive. As a Transformers fan, I really enjoyed this Transformers game better than any other that I have played to date. High Moon Studios has delivered a fun to play and rewarding game, whose life is extended through an addictive leveling online multiplayer mode.
Transformers: War for Cybertron trailer:
