DIDJA HEAR DIDJA HEAR?!? There is another Transformers movie coming out. Transformers: Age of Extinction, the fourth live-action Transformers film, releasing June 27th of this year. Right well, we'll get to that when it comes out, but in the MEANTIME, how about some games? Many of the Transformers games, movie tie-ins or not, haven't been anything truly remarkable, but enter High Moon Studios' Cybertron games, War for Cybertron (2010), and Fall of Cybertron (2012). Both of these games feature strong mechanics and presentation value, as well as featuring many of the Transformers fans and non-fans know and love. They're really quite good; special cases in the midst of mediocrity. So hey lets get to it, and while we're at it, be on the lookout for where I can shoehorn in the phrase "Roll Out"!
Transformers: War for Cybertron
The planet of Cybertron (as you can probably guess, a seemingly artificial planet) is embroiled in civil war. The treacherous Decepticons aim to control and rule over the denizens and their dwindling reserve of energon, led by former gladiatorial fighter Megatron. The Autobots are being pushed back, losing much of the line of Primes in the process. That...is where the game begins. Yes, for those familiar with either the animated series or films (or the toy line, for that matter) WfC serves as a formidable prequel to a number of events, such as Starscream's recruitment, Optimus inheriting the Prime name, and the reason for the planetary evacuation.
You'll get to see and play as various well-known Transformers such as the aforementioned Megatron and Optimus, as well as Ratchet, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Soundwave, Brawl and more. To top off the impressive voice cast for both Autobots and Decepticons, Peter Cullen returns from both film and animated series to voice Optimus!
It's a fair story, and I feel like it's one that fans will appreciate. It offers a lot of action and cool moments, and the witty banter is a definite plus. However, it also feels like half a plot at times; there's quite a bit of jumping around events, and although the overall narrative is focused, there's plenty of details that are left unanswered or unseen. It's a rather big story (considering it IS planet-wide) so it most certainly would have been nicer to play or at least see more causal events, particularly on the Autobot side of the campaign.
War for Cybertron plays much like your conventional third-person shooter, sans a silly cover system. A key difference here is that each Transformer can...well, transform. Some transform into fast cars with machine guns, others into jets, and some into hover-tanks. It's a unique and fun mechanic that isn't outright demanded of you, save for a couple scenarios that put you on a speedway or in the sky. The animation is slick, and combined with some fast movements can make you look real cool like. And I'm not ashamed to admit that the sound that plays when they transform made me giddy like a child.
You select between two guns, one exclusive to certain characters, as well as
an ability that recharges over time, and one that requires energon. Energon can be found by defeating enemies, or by smashing/shooting crates, which may also contain ammo or other types of weapons such as sniper rifles, repair rays, or various other Transformer-ized weapons that sound slick and cool. There's a great variety of weapons, and while some are immediately better than others, in practise the shooting is precise and effective. The core action gameplay is overall surprisingly solid and formidable, and doesn't suffer outright from repetitiveness. The same can't be said of the environments, however.
For a planet made entirely of robotics, you'd probably imagine a bunch of grey, metallurgic architecture that doesn't most colour or variety...and you'd be right. Which is disappointing, considering how much it can be varied and colourful, as its sequel shows. Yet with War for Cybertron, many of the rooms and corridors of the levels share the same dull and dark colour and lighting, and the same sort of layout.
There are set-piece moments that would make you stop and look around, but it's ultimately unimpressive, despite Cybertron's initial appeal. The distant towers and stations do look neat, but simply don't differentiate. And while the Transformers themselves look good, they also suffer from dull colours, and it becomes hard to distinguish between the foot-soldiers of the Autobots and the Decepticons.
There's also a myriad of bugs I encountered during my playthrough, ranging from failed checkpoint recognition and progression, to stuttering, to AI pathfinding issues (which, I must say, are still surprisingly good regardless).
In addition, War for Cybertron has a bad habit of introducing enemies from practically out of nowhere, and any direction given by markers or AI teammates as to where they're coming from is rendered moot. This causes particular frustration when you have a single designated target to defend or attack, and you can suddenly have dozens of laser blasts in your face while you're focused elsewhere.
On the flipside though, the audio and sound design is excellent. I mentioned the giddy transformation sound, but the blaster sounds, vehicle rumbles, and the soundtrack in general is quite strong.
And in addition to the campaign, which can be played solo or with a friend, there's also two multiplayer modes: Escalation, a wave-based mode that functions as an endurance round, and the main Multiplayer mode where you customize your own Transformer and fight in deathmatch, conquest, bomb rush, or King of the Hill modes. It's actually a really strong component of War for Cybertron, and definitely worth a try!
And that is also how I'd summarize War for Cybertron in general: definitely worth a try! It's quite impressive for the relatively new (at the time) High Moon Studios, and if it weren't for the much improved sequel, I'd recommend it outright.
YAY
- Competent action shooter with some solid mechanics.
- Great music that fits the atmosphere.
- Pretty faithful to the lore of Transformers, and showcases more than a few well-known Autobots and Decepticons.
- Simple but effective plot, and decently varied campaign that can also be played in co-op.
- Fun multiplayer!
- Bland and repetitive environments.
- Takes important plot liberties; feels like there's lost potential.
- Prone to glitches and bugs, noticeably in checkpoint handling and vehicle sections.
- Rough difficulty spikes.
Transformers: Fall of Cybertron
Gettin' right along to it, Fall of Cybertron picks up soon after the conclusion of War for Cybertron. The Autobots have designed an Ark to carry them from their dying planet, but their energon stores are dwindling, and the Decepticons aren't too keen on letting Optimus and his bros just pack up and leave.
As was the case for the first game, the story is played through the eyes (er...visual receptors) of both Autobots and Decepticons, although with a little more nuance this time. Some story points later on actually have multiple faction switches, and the result is a more enjoyable and flexible story that offers more action beats and events than before. It still feels like there's a larger story being told than what we're actually seen, but granted, the other events wouldn't likely be as impressive given the story context.
This time around more Transformers are given the spotlight, such as the rest of the Combaticons (and Bruticus!!) on the Decepticon side, and Cliffjumper, Jazz, and the Dinobots for the Autobots. Yes, the Dinobots are given a backstory and introduction, and yes, you do in fact play as Grimlock. GRIMLOCK!
Despite all of that however, the story does suffer from a pacing problem, where it definitely feels like at a few points in the story you're participating in a huge tangent thats purpose is really just an excuse to play as other Transformers. As well, the nature of the game's ending is unsubstantial and rather unfeeling, and it hurts what is otherwise an improved gameplay-narrative cross.
Speaking of gameplay, it has been improved quite remarkably from its predecessor, which already had a pretty solid way of things. It's a little more cleaner and simplified, but for the better. Gone is the energon-based ability from before, and instead now every character has a dash/dodge, and a special ability that's tailored to the level and character. For instance, Optimus has an artillery strike to call down at certain points, while Jazz can latch on to different ledges via a grappling hook. This new ability system drastically improves the feel and style unique to each Transformer, and combined with a shoulder-switching camera, fine-tuned aim, and better movement, manoeuvrability and variety amongst the different levels and Transformers is huge. Abilities like cloaking make new stealth sections surprisingly fun, but not repetitive, and the aforementioned airstrike is simply wicked.
The transformations themselves haven't changed too much, save for a common boost functionality and better design. Vehicle designated sections benefit from the much improved environment variety and aesthetic, and the vehicle mode is still a fun time, giddy transformer sound included.
Oh yeah, the music and sound is just as good as before, if not better. But the biggest improvement has to be the overall look and feel of Cybertron, and the larger variety of level location. Gone are the dreary grey and dull colours of both the landscape and areas, and the Transformers themselves, replaced by stronger lighting and more vibrant colours. The overarching design has seen a great improvement, and visually speaking, Fall of Cybertron is quite impressive indeed. It seems, however, that with the much-improved visuals come some stuttering animations on enemies. Despite the game being far more stable and bug-free than War for Cybertron, the animations are a lingering problem that is noticeable, even though it doesn't truly affect the game poorly.
Also returning is the fun multiplayer mode, again with Escalation and the customizable class-based online Multiplayer modes. What doesn't return, sadly, is the ability for co-op in the campaign. It does make sense story-wise, but it still stings for those looking to blast through the main game with somebody else.
Regardless, if you're looking for a Transformers game of any kind to scratch that Transformers itch...I'd direct you to a local doctor. I can't imagine such an itch would be pleasant. Heh. Anyway, if you're looking for a great Transformers game, or a strong action game in general, I direct you to Fall of Cybertron without hesitation. It's a great game, with some sweet set-piece moments, a hugely improved aesthetic, and probably the most important of all, fun gameplay.
ROLL OUT!
YAY
- HUGE improvement over predecessor in nearly every way, and is overall highly impressive.
- Core gameplay tweaked and slightly simplified to excellent results.
- Upward trend in great music and sound design, that really gets the action high.
- Graphically superb, far more colours and environment variety compared to War for Cybertron.
- Continued multiplayer fun!
- GRIMLOCK!
- Even more Transformers, both Autobots and Decepticons, in an impressive story...
- ...that sadly has some pacing issues.
- Unfeeling ending that betrays story improvements.
- Lack of co-op in the campaign is unfortunate.
- Randomly stiff animations for distant enemies.
