Transformers: War for Cybertron (Xbox 360)
Genre: Third-Person Action Publisher: Activision Developer: High Moon Studios Players: 1-10
Providing players with some of the back story from the cartoon, players are faced with two campaigns, each with five missions for both the Autobots and Decepticons. Five missions may not sound like much, but they’re pretty lengthy, and so each campaign, depending on how the difficulty is set, can last for five or six hours. Bolted onto that reasonable play time is an unexpectedly engaging multiplayer, featuring four combat classes and other functioning features like a detailed XP rewards system.
Cybertron is under attack, with the Decepticons using Dark Energon to poison the Autobot planet, an attack which will ultimately force all the Transformers from their homeworld, drifting into space as the heart of Cybertron heals itself, a process that will take millions of years. This is all part of Transformers lore and provides enough impetus to keep the story moving along at a brisk pace.
For players who remember the original Transformers, there is no denying the coolness of seeing Optimus Prime in all his blue-headed glory, or the likes of Soundwave appearing out of the mists of time, complete with his various cassette mini-bots. Megatron resembles the cartoon with a massive cannon on his right arm, unlike the Hollywood version conjured from the head of Michael Bay.
Transfomers: War for Cybertron borrows plenty of inspiration from other genres, although like the source material, you may have to go back a few years to find the original influences. While things like the health bar are cloned from Assassin’s Creed, the vehicular action works almost exactly like 1998’sBattlezone II. It may be an aged influence but it results in some pretty enjoyable hover-action.
Beyond the appeal of the subject matter lies a thoroughly competent third-person shooter. Players can transform from robot to vehicle at any time, and the arenas through which the battles move are suitably large. Although complete fantasy, the weapons all feel suitably meaty and it’s consistently enjoyable to play. Likewise there are benefits to changing shape, such as the separate ammo supplies for the various weapons, meaning that a quick change into a tank when you run low on your robot’s ammunition can save your life.
The art styling throws it into the same realm as Gears of War, complete with the same moments of focus that allow you to zoom in on an incoming ship or other event of interest. Thankfully the developers opted against including a cover system, which saves players from having to watch a 20-tonne robot cowering behind a piece of masonry.
Cybertron itself has been brought to life admirably, with plenty of stuff to gape at as you run or drive around the place, blasting enemies to pieces. The backdrops are often animated, with gears and pulleys operating continually, with puffs of steam or the crackle of electricity enlivening the locations. The lack of anything organic strangely doesn’t make the experience seem sterile, partly because the personalities of the robots are so engaging. This is evident with the Peter Cullen-voiced Optimus Prime (the only man who can effectively voice him, in my opinion) but also through the dialogue. Listening to Megatron berate the whinging Decepticons or have a verbal joust with Starscream brings all the memories of the original series flooding back.
Liberties have been taken. The timeline through the campaign is often bumpy, with some massive events and location changes demoted to a mention on the scrolling text at the start of a mission. Purists may balk, but it’s really not that bad, because ultimately it’s all just about the shooting.
Combat is interesting, and accessible. Players control a transformer, who can switch between forms at will. Each robot can carry two weapons, and has two skills, one which replenishes after time and another that requires collected shards of energy from fallen enemies to fill. There are eight or so skills which can be accessed depending on who you’re playing as, although these cannot be interchanged between characters and are not open to develop. The lack of any form of customisation is a letdown, considering there are just so many Energon shards available to the player throughout that making them a form of currency could have opened up an avenue to allow players to tinker with the various load outs.
I don’t think the multiplayer will provide enough depth to keep people away from their Killstreak Rewards or their Destruction 2.0, although it does hold its own. There are six game modes, four character classes, and the game throws XP at you while you play, not unlike Bad Company 2. Assists, long shots, power up kills, and loads more will see those XP rewards kachinging up the screen, delivering consistent scoreline gratification.
The online side of it did provide complete lag-free play though, courtesy of the brilliant feature that allows you to search for games by geographic location, a feature that debuted with Treyarch’s World at War but disappointingly hasn’t been seen much since. For people in Australia, that can be a key inclusion.
Transformers: War for Cybertron doesn’t break the mould, but it does offer wonderfully tight gameplay and a respectable online component. Overall, it’s an entertaining shooter to play, but for childhood fans of the subject matter, it really offers that little bit more.
By Keith B (1st Jul 2010)
Like Batman: Arkham Asylum, Transformers: War for Cybertron succeeds by ignoring recent Hollywood efforts and returning to the original material as inspiration.
Using the 80s cartoon as influence, rather than the recent movies, was an inspired choice that provides plenty of substance for those of you that remember what the chunky robots were before Hollywood got its hands on them.
I’m not sure if there is much room for nostalgia in the cutthroat world of modern gaming. My thinking would be that if a game awakens some long forgotten memories of childhood then it’s playing with fire – it’s either not going to be good enough to match the fuzzy warm memories, or it’s not going to execute its ideas well enough to appeal to a wider audience. I’m a cranky bastard from time to time, and I feared the worst for Transformers: War for Cybertron but thankfully my fears were unfounded.
Optimus Prime in all his 80s glory.
Providing players with some of the back story from the cartoon, players are faced with two campaigns, each with five missions for both the Autobots and Decepticons. Five missions may not sound like much, but they’re pretty lengthy, and so each campaign, depending on how the difficulty is set, can last for five or six hours. Bolted onto that reasonable play time is an unexpectedly engaging multiplayer, featuring four combat classes and other functioning features like a detailed XP rewards system.
Cybertron is under attack, with the Decepticons using Dark Energon to poison the Autobot planet, an attack which will ultimately force all the Transformers from their homeworld, drifting into space as the heart of Cybertron heals itself, a process that will take millions of years. This is all part of Transformers lore and provides enough impetus to keep the story moving along at a brisk pace.
For players who remember the original Transformers, there is no denying the coolness of seeing Optimus Prime in all his blue-headed glory, or the likes of Soundwave appearing out of the mists of time, complete with his various cassette mini-bots. Megatron resembles the cartoon with a massive cannon on his right arm, unlike the Hollywood version conjured from the head of Michael Bay.
He's the Rocket Man.
Transfomers: War for Cybertron borrows plenty of inspiration from other genres, although like the source material, you may have to go back a few years to find the original influences. While things like the health bar are cloned from Assassin’s Creed, the vehicular action works almost exactly like 1998’sBattlezone II. It may be an aged influence but it results in some pretty enjoyable hover-action.
Beyond the appeal of the subject matter lies a thoroughly competent third-person shooter. Players can transform from robot to vehicle at any time, and the arenas through which the battles move are suitably large. Although complete fantasy, the weapons all feel suitably meaty and it’s consistently enjoyable to play. Likewise there are benefits to changing shape, such as the separate ammo supplies for the various weapons, meaning that a quick change into a tank when you run low on your robot’s ammunition can save your life.
The art styling throws it into the same realm as Gears of War, complete with the same moments of focus that allow you to zoom in on an incoming ship or other event of interest. Thankfully the developers opted against including a cover system, which saves players from having to watch a 20-tonne robot cowering behind a piece of masonry.
Play as a jet, and you can take to the skies.
Cybertron itself has been brought to life admirably, with plenty of stuff to gape at as you run or drive around the place, blasting enemies to pieces. The backdrops are often animated, with gears and pulleys operating continually, with puffs of steam or the crackle of electricity enlivening the locations. The lack of anything organic strangely doesn’t make the experience seem sterile, partly because the personalities of the robots are so engaging. This is evident with the Peter Cullen-voiced Optimus Prime (the only man who can effectively voice him, in my opinion) but also through the dialogue. Listening to Megatron berate the whinging Decepticons or have a verbal joust with Starscream brings all the memories of the original series flooding back.
Liberties have been taken. The timeline through the campaign is often bumpy, with some massive events and location changes demoted to a mention on the scrolling text at the start of a mission. Purists may balk, but it’s really not that bad, because ultimately it’s all just about the shooting.
That achievement tracker in the bottom right will keep the GS fanatics happy.
Combat is interesting, and accessible. Players control a transformer, who can switch between forms at will. Each robot can carry two weapons, and has two skills, one which replenishes after time and another that requires collected shards of energy from fallen enemies to fill. There are eight or so skills which can be accessed depending on who you’re playing as, although these cannot be interchanged between characters and are not open to develop. The lack of any form of customisation is a letdown, considering there are just so many Energon shards available to the player throughout that making them a form of currency could have opened up an avenue to allow players to tinker with the various load outs.
I don’t think the multiplayer will provide enough depth to keep people away from their Killstreak Rewards or their Destruction 2.0, although it does hold its own. There are six game modes, four character classes, and the game throws XP at you while you play, not unlike Bad Company 2. Assists, long shots, power up kills, and loads more will see those XP rewards kachinging up the screen, delivering consistent scoreline gratification.
It's massive, electrified, pointy hammer time.
The online side of it did provide complete lag-free play though, courtesy of the brilliant feature that allows you to search for games by geographic location, a feature that debuted with Treyarch’s World at War but disappointingly hasn’t been seen much since. For people in Australia, that can be a key inclusion.
Transformers: War for Cybertron doesn’t break the mould, but it does offer wonderfully tight gameplay and a respectable online component. Overall, it’s an entertaining shooter to play, but for childhood fans of the subject matter, it really offers that little bit more.
8.3
Single Play
8.5
Friend Play
8.0
Multi Play
8.4
Graphics
8.1
Sound
8.5
Challenge
6.8
Entertainment
8.2
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Transformers: War for Cybertron
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Transformers: War for Cybertron (X360)
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