Transformers: War For Cybertron
Before They Were More Than Meets The Eye
Posted August 14, 2010
If there’s been one franchise that’s stumbled out of the gate more times than not in regards to video games, it’s the Transformers. They have been tossed into a series of mediocre games due to their recent emergence in modern cinema. High Moon Studios was faced with a tall order on War for Cybertron. Not only did they need to make a Transformers game entertaining, it also has to meet the high standards of the fans of the original TV show. War for Cybertron tells the story of what happened before the Transformers even came to Earth. The narrative takes place during the Decepticon / Autobot Civil War on Cybertron and essentially paints the events that lead up to the TV series. The story certainly pays homage to the loyal fanbase and offers insight into Optimus’s rise to power among other developments.
The single player game is split into two sides. For the first half of the game, the player takes control of the evil Decepticons and controls their attempt at taking over the planet with the dark energon. During the second half of the game, we are switched over to the side of the Autobots to help strop the Decepticons. It’s a pretty linear experience, but those heavy into the mythology of the Transformers will enjoy the exposition.
The game is designed as a third-person shooter, but without the main mechanic of recent TPS games; covering. There’s no cover system for the player and you are pretty much forced to pop out behind objects via strafing. The shooting system seems overly frantic and lends itself to overcompensating with extra gunfire. The enemies are pretty lame as well, typically an endless army of robot drones in the shape of different vehicles. On the plus side, transforming into vehicle form is a heck of a lot of fun. Gaining speed and transferring between vehicle to robot looks amazing as well. Transformers turn into ground or air based vehicles (both with hovering capability).
After the single player game is exhausted, players can turn their attention to the customization tool in multiplayer to build their own unique Transformer. This transformer can be used in a variety of multiplayer matches or the co-op matches. I found the most entertainment in the co-op matches, especially escalation. Think of the Locust survival mode in the last Gears of War game. There are also plenty of add-ons that can be unlocked while progressing through the ranked multiplayer matches. Transformers can be upgraded with extra health or perhaps a type of team advantage. The multiplayer matches can have up to 10 players. The standard modes are here (deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag, etc…), but I did have difficulty connecting to players / matches more often than not. It never became overly frustrating and may have had more to do with a string of bad matches rather than the game itself.
For fans of the series and perhaps younger fans that have only experienced the movies, Transformers: War for Cybertron can be entertaining when it comes to the story and the customization options in the multiplayer mode. Yet the repetitive pacing of the gameplay doesn’t do the game any favors and the difficulties with playing multiplayer matches is certainly frustrating for anyone ready to show off their new Transformer creation. This is definitely worth a rent if you are interested in the Transformers universe and perhaps a purchase for the 3 player co-op mode, but play some multiplayer matches before purchasing it outright to see if it will have a lasting spot in your current library of games.
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The single player game is split into two sides. For the first half of the game, the player takes control of the evil Decepticons and controls their attempt at taking over the planet with the dark energon. During the second half of the game, we are switched over to the side of the Autobots to help strop the Decepticons. It’s a pretty linear experience, but those heavy into the mythology of the Transformers will enjoy the exposition.
The game is designed as a third-person shooter, but without the main mechanic of recent TPS games; covering. There’s no cover system for the player and you are pretty much forced to pop out behind objects via strafing. The shooting system seems overly frantic and lends itself to overcompensating with extra gunfire. The enemies are pretty lame as well, typically an endless army of robot drones in the shape of different vehicles. On the plus side, transforming into vehicle form is a heck of a lot of fun. Gaining speed and transferring between vehicle to robot looks amazing as well. Transformers turn into ground or air based vehicles (both with hovering capability).
After the single player game is exhausted, players can turn their attention to the customization tool in multiplayer to build their own unique Transformer. This transformer can be used in a variety of multiplayer matches or the co-op matches. I found the most entertainment in the co-op matches, especially escalation. Think of the Locust survival mode in the last Gears of War game. There are also plenty of add-ons that can be unlocked while progressing through the ranked multiplayer matches. Transformers can be upgraded with extra health or perhaps a type of team advantage. The multiplayer matches can have up to 10 players. The standard modes are here (deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag, etc…), but I did have difficulty connecting to players / matches more often than not. It never became overly frustrating and may have had more to do with a string of bad matches rather than the game itself.
Graphics
- Are you ready for a mandatory install? There’s about 5 to 6 gig of information installed on your hard drive for War for Cybertron (around a 15 for 20 minute wait before playing). Strangely enough, the game still has framerate issues when the screen is covered in Transformers.
- The game does look good though. Explosions are excellent, lighting effects are well done and the game textures are colorful. The sheer amount of detail that went into creating Cybertron is stunning at times. It would have been nice if there was slightly more variety though.
Audio
- Once again for voiceovers, Peter Cullen is Optimus Prime. Although the writing is very weak in this go-around for the Transformers, the voices are damn good and fit the personalities of the Autobots / Decepticons. There’s also a bit more emotion to the Transformers with screams coming from fallen enemies / friends.
- The soundtrack is well done and paired well with the epic nature of the storytelling. Sound effects are average, nothing really standing out above the rest; pretty much on par with the movies.
Conclusion
For fans of the series and perhaps younger fans that have only experienced the movies, Transformers: War for Cybertron can be entertaining when it comes to the story and the customization options in the multiplayer mode. Yet the repetitive pacing of the gameplay doesn’t do the game any favors and the difficulties with playing multiplayer matches is certainly frustrating for anyone ready to show off their new Transformer creation. This is definitely worth a rent if you are interested in the Transformers universe and perhaps a purchase for the 3 player co-op mode, but play some multiplayer matches before purchasing it outright to see if it will have a lasting spot in your current library of games.
Discuss This Game on Our Official VGT Forum