Transformers

Transformers: War for Cybertron

Release date: Out Now

Publisher: Activision

Developer: Activision

Platform: Xbox 360

Genre: 3rd Person Shooter

No. Players: 1

No. Live players: 1 - 16

Official link

News of a new Transformers video game didn't garner much attention from the unwashed masses; mainly due to the two latest outings, based on the feature films, having been horrendously average. Though when it was revealed that Hasbro would be attached to the project – people began to listen. With them aboard, it brings a certain level of authenticity and quality that fans would naturally expect from a Transformers product. A fresh change to those pitiful Michael Bay films, especially the sequel, which were critically panned and rightfully so. Question is, does Hasbro being on board help the product or hinder it? Does War for Cybertron deliver the fan service Transformers fans have had long-coming to them?

While the previous Transformers games were basically simple movie tie-ins, this particular game is based around the War for Cybertron, which they claim was the conflict to ‘start it all'. Megatron, infamous villain from the feature films, comes into direct contact with a chemical force known as ‘Dark Energon', which embodies corruption and evil. With the help of Starscream, Autobot defector, he is able to manufacture his own supply of ‘Dark Energon' – which he intends to use to corrupt the very core of Cybertron. As a narrative, its place is long before the films and even precedes the forthcoming Transformers: Prime animated TV series. While War for Cybertron features two campaigns, one each for Decepticons and Autobots, that can be played in any order I do recommend you tackle the Decepticon campaign first as it does prelude the Autobot story. All in all, it's a surprising and interesting insight into the early stages of the Transformers mythos (which was good for me, as I wasn't a ‘fan' coming in) with dozens of familiar and much-loved faces to encounter, or even play as, along the way.

War for Cybertron is a fairly basic corridor third-person shooter than draws comparisons to the Gears of War games; though, it lacks a cover system, which I found to be unfortunate as it feels the game could have benefited from one. The control scheme is all very stock standard and will have even the youngest Transformers fan tearing it up within the first level. Where it veers off the traditional path is with your ‘transform abilities' – I mean, we all know these are robots in disguise, right? With just a simple click of the left analog stick, you'll immediately under-go your transformation relative to your current robot, e.g. Megatron will morph into a tank, whereas Starscream will take the form of a jet. It's a cool feature to be able to change into vehicle form whenever you see fit, and at times, it will serve you well (like the long, drawn out dilapidated highways which, to traverse on foot, would take an eternity) – though, other than that, the advantages are sparse. It looks damn cool, though!

So with under-complicated controls that will suit anybody, this game does rely on its ‘wow factor' pretty much all of the time. For the most part, this does happen to work, as towering clanking robots do tend to distract the casual gamer from what, in reality, is a very bare bones affair. What helps is that War for Cybertron is miles beyond what the movie tie-in games managed to achieve. Each campaign has five chapters a piece, each taking about forty minutes to knock over; so the full game clocks in at about six hours, which is short, but as is the standard of video games today. Each chapter gives the player a selection of three bots to use, each with their pros and cons but, in the end, it is just a popularity contest as to who you take out for a spin. The enemy A.I. isn't overly bright sadly, which does render the game to be quite easy provided you take your shots and bide your time. On hard, employing a run n' gun tactic will see your shields carved up in no time, so using walls and other barricades for cover are certainly recommended (presuming you want to come out alive). Most chapters have some variation of a boss conflict to close the deal, which certainly either has the player welcoming or dreading the end. These can vary from routine and pathetic to bizarrely original and wonderful. It's certainly a mixed bag.

An unexpected positive to come from War for Cybertron is without a doubt the multiplayer component. It has countless modes for the player to engage war in, pretty much all of which being commonplace in any ‘shooter' game these days. The game supports up to ten players in these modes, which isn't a lot but it prevents the games from being over-crowded and with a sadly low amount of people playing War for Cybertron online, as it is, makes it that much easier to manage to find a way with little waiting. If you're not feeling player-on-player conflict, you and up-to two others can take on the campaign together (which is sadly only available online as the game lacks split-screen in a horrid developer decision). The player has the ability to craft and modify his bot to his liking; from the paint-job to the chassis, with higher levels yielding better unlockable goods. It's pretty shallow, but it's better than nothing, I suppose. You also have four ‘classes' you're to level up, with each having their own unique play-style and challenges; it's similar to the load-outs we've become familiar with in Modern Warfare, and that Bungie are implementing into Reach.

Visually, the game is the pure definition of ‘mixed bag'. At some stages it can look on par with other Unreal engine games the likes of Gears of War, and at other times it looks like a 360 launch title; it's very up-and-down so it's very hard to know how to feel about it. Hasbro worked closely with High Moon Studios to create brand spankin' new, darker toned models for each Transformer to compliment the game's narrative; which pays off big time as they look just terrific (when the game is looking its best, that is). Being that War for Cybertron is set on the eponymous planet, you'd expect the level design to reflect the inspired look at this early documented conflict in Transformers history – you come to expect the same amount of care Bungie are handling Reach with, treating it as a character in itself, which in Transformers case happens to ring true. Sadly, visually, the level design is a bit of a letdown. It's repetitive enough to grow tiring, and is generally just ugly to the eye; some set-pieces rouse a feeling of awe, though it is often fleeting.On top of a shockingly solid multiplayer experience, War for Cybertron follows the growing trend of including a ‘wave repel' mode, in the vein of Gears' Horde and World at War's Nazi Zombie modes. Escalation lends more from the latter than the former, including buyout points for the player to buy bigger and better weapons as each wave progresses – each map even has doors that, for a price, will open and extend the playing area. So, while being a carbon copy, it doesn't prevent Escalation from being a riot. Sadly, in my experience, getting into a game with a bunch of selfish imbeciles was a fairly common experience – so once people learn the spirit of the hunt, I'm sure the quality of the game will only increase. Being so rock solid, it only saddens me that not as many people are playing War for Cybertron, as it has crept far under the radar in that respect.