‘Transformers: War for Cybertron’ Review

Transformers fanatics have been clamouring for a quality video game of their favourite transforming robots ever since the show began way back in 1984. Atari’s 2004 effort, based on the Armada TV series, was a step in the right direction, but since then we’ve suffered through multiple tie-ins to Michael Bay’s big-budget movie extravaganzas that have failed to be anything other than mediocre-to-average action games. Developer High Moon Studios looks to change this declining formula with Transformers: War for Cyberton, taking events back to the Transformers home world and focusing on solid third-person mechanics mixed with the unique twist of transforming characters. Is it more than meets the eye, or another failed attempt at recapturing our childhood heroes within the video game spectrum?

Things certainly get off to a positive start with Hasbro confirming War for Cyberton as official canon in the Transformers mythology. The story is set before the events of season one of the Generation 1 (G1) TV show, once again pitting the heroic Autobots against the nefarious Decepticons. However, with the vast time difference things are slightly disparate so you’ll get to see how many of the Transformers met each other, and how they changed before their time on Earth. You’ll encounter the first meeting between Megatron and Starscream as their complicated relationship begins its rocky path, and even see how Optimus earned his heralded Prime status. It’s certainly an interesting look at early Transformers lore that should satisfy hardcore fans of the series and those with a nostalgic fondness for the franchise. And the narrative does a good job propelling the action forward, portrayed like a series of the TV show or even another animated movie.

Though, perhaps the best part about War for Cybertron’s story is the characters themselves. They may not have much depth or complexity, but each Transformer has more personality than we’ve seen from the franchise in years. During each level they’ll constantly talk to one another, trading the kind of amusing banter we’ve seen from Gears of War’s COGs over the past few years and referencing throwbacks to the original TV series that fans will eat up. The voice actors do a good job with the work they’re given, especially Peter Cullen – as usual – and the way gears and pistons will shift and re-adjust on each characters body really helps bring these recognisable robotic mechanisms to life. Even the steel world of Cyberton has its own distinct flair, even if influences like Blade Runner are often times evident. It’s a truly gigantic world, filled with luminous structures, large-scale space stations, over-arching highways and ancient archaeological sites, all shifting and consistently working like you’d imagine a mechanical world would. And all of this is littered with drop ships, laser fire and a multitude of robots fighting and transforming in and out of their different forms. It really gives the impression of a large scale war that’s so far been omitted from previous Transformers games.

And that’s complemented by the Autobot and Decepticon campaigns. Each one fuels this impression of large scale war as objectives task you with restarting powerful space stations, defending areas from capture and aiding the skies with AA guns. The war between each faction is an ongoing struggle and you’ll get to experience both sides of the conflict as you split time between Megatron, Soundwave, Brawl and so on; and Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ironhide and the rest of the Autobots. You can choose to play through each campaign simultaneously, or do it chronologically – starting with the Decepticons – giving the story a much better sense of cohesion. Though, through both campaigns, you’ll spend the majority of your time shooting a whole bunch of robots. War for Cyberton takes plenty of inspiration from recent shooters, notably Gears of War and Halo. The third-person shooting has a distinct Gear of War feel to it, so it’s very satisfying, if a tad derivative. There are myriad weapons to help you in your fight, ranging from variations of assault rifles, shotguns, snipers, and so on; so there’s a nice mix of both long and short range combat, and even a few turret sections to spice things up as well. Combine this with your deadly melee attack and the added firepower achieved when you transform, and there’s certainly a fair amount of variety to the combat. And the transformations aren’t just a cheap gimmick either. Most of the time you’ll be using it to quickly travel from one location to the next, but it has its uses in combat as well, allowing you to move across the battlefield quickly and flank enemies. Each vehicle is Cybertronian so they can hover and strafe from side to side; and with the added firepower that comes from transforming into a tank, for example, it can become an excellent means of destruction as well. The combat can still get tedious towards the end, but with both campaigns lasting around four to five hours each, it’s not long enough to get truly monotonous.

And there are plenty of thrills to be had throughout each campaign with some spectacular set pieces, gargantuan boss battles and a general level of high-energy combat. It can also be pretty tough in spots, with any sustained time under enemy firepower resulting in a quick death. You definitely need to be tactically aware and cautious, though the lack of a dedicated cover system is a baffling choice. It makes some sort of sense when you consider the transformations, but with its similarities to Gears of War, and the fact allies and enemies will take cover; it’s odd that you have to make-do with manually standing behind objects to find refuge. However, if you do find yourself in a spot of bother you can always draft some friends in to help, with drop-in, drop-out co-op. Each level has three playable transformers so you can either play with friends or leave it up to the AI. The AI is poor, often running into walls, getting lost and generally being useless. With friends, it’s a lot more enjoyable, and the different classes guarantee the experience will be slightly different depending on your character choice.

There are four classes to choose from: scout, scientist, leader and soldier, and each class has its own special abilities and weapons. For instance, the scout is the speediest of the bunch, able to use stealth to get in close, while the leader supports the team with damage modifiers or shield barriers. Neither class pays much dividends in single player since the AI is too dumb to realise when you need healing (an ability of the scientist), or any other ability for that matter. But with other humans, particularly on the higher difficulty settings, you can utilize the skills of each class to effectively kill each enemy in the most sufficient manner. However, the classes definitely come into play a lot more in the multiplayer; specifically in Escalation. Here, you and three buddies must survive waves and waves of increasingly difficult enemies. You’re probably thinking of Horde, but it actually shares more similarities with Call of Duty: World at War’s Nazi Zombies than anything else. As you kill enemies you’ll earn money that can then be bought to buy ammo and health before eventually unlocking doors to new areas and new weapons. It’s an interesting dynamic that relies on teamwork as you combine your funds together and share the load. It’s also very tactical if you mix and match each of the four character classes, so you’ll begin setting up drone turrets and shields, while one member is tasked with healing the others or providing a big damage modifier when the going gets tough. It’s a lot of fun, though you’ll be gasping for a cover system by the end.