VITALS
Game: Transformers: War for Cybertron
Developer: High Moon Studios
Released: June 22, 2010
Platform: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
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I’m going to be honest here; I’m not a fan of G1 Transformers. Sure, I’ve seen the show a couple of times and watched the incredibly cheesy 80s film, but most of my exposure to the franchise of poor marksmen in disguise was through the 90s iteration: Beast Wars. That said … OK, are you done booing now? That said, I’m familiar enough with the source material to recognize the major players, most of whom make an appearance in War for Cybertron.
Cybertron is, for those of you not in the know, the home world of the Transformers and, as the subtitle indicates, the scene of a war between the Autobots and Decepticons. The Decepticons do some bad, the Autobots do some good, and a lot of stuff blows up. That’s pretty much the entire plot of Transformers: War for Cybertron, but do you really need any more motivation to take control of a transforming robot/vehicle equipped with lasers and a giant energy sword?
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While the content of WFC may not be surprising, the quality far exceeded my expectations. A far cry from the previously released movie tie-in cash grabs, Transformers is — to put it bluntly– really, really fun. Controlling your robot of choice is a delight thanks to the seamless transition between forms, solid combat, and movement controls; nothing is more thrilling than zooming toward your target at breakneck speeds only to transform at the last second and wallop them over the head with an energon hammer. And the sound! Oh, the sound: nothing but bullets, butt-rock, and most of the (living) original voice actors. It’s the closest you can get to Cybertron without actually being there.
High Moon Studios hasn’t reinvented the third-person shooter, but they did craft a surprisingly competent addition to the genre. Missions are pretty standard: you break into the opposing force’s territory (the game offers five Decepticon and five Autobot campaign missions) and wreck shop between every switch activation and slow elevator ride. Thankfully, this monotonous formula is kept somewhat fresh by the option to pick one of three slightly different bots, each with their own weapons and abilities, at the start of each mission. Oh, and a few missions let you play as flying Transformers — like fan-favorite, Starscream.
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The real high point of War for Cybertron, however, lies in its end-of-mission boss battles. Some are vehicle-sized, some are skyscrapers, each is completely different from the one before it. Whether dodging enormous pistons or exchanging salvos of rockets on a fall from orbit, I thoroughly enjoyed each encounter.
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As for the multiplayer portion, it’s mostly standard fare: deathmatch, CTF, etc. There’s also a Horde/Firefight-esque mode called Escalation and a class-based leveling system that grants access to new abilities for your customizable bots. From what little time I spent with it, it seemed fairly deep. But like most multiplayer shooters, it wasn’t really my cup of tea.
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FINAL THOUGHTS
For the most part, Transformers: War for Cybertron hits all the right spots. It looks good; it sounds good; and most importantly, it’s fun to play. Should you have even the slightest interest in the franchise, it would be well worth your time to spend a night or two destroying and then saving Cybertron.
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This review is based on the 360 version of the game provided by Activision. The campaign was completed in about 11 hours with 39 of 50 achievements earned for 650 out of 1000 possible points. About 2 hours was spent playing various multiplayer modes. Images courtesy of Activision.
And be sure to stick around for …
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And now I get to the most important part of any game — the achievements.
The majority of the achievements in Transformers: War for Cybertron are obtained by simply running through the campaign and collecting/destroying various doo-dads. That’s good. Unfortunately, the remaining points are locked away in multiplayer. Many of these online-only achievements require you to max out all four classes, which at an estimated 20 hours per class and four classes total, is no small feat. So, unless you find yourself enthralled with the multiplayer, don’t expect to get more than 3/4 of the available gamerscore.
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