Transformers : War For Cybertron-A Review

It’s easy to see what the developers of War For Cybertron were trying to achieve. They were trying to do for Transformers what Arkham Asylum did for Batman. Arkham Asylum was a commercial and critical success, which came as a shock to the industry because prior to its release there had never been a Batman game worth anyone’s time or even a game that was based on a super hero. Like Batman, all the previous Transformers games could quite easily be categorically grouped together as rubbish. While they were fun to play for a few minutes, there was no substance and no reason to push forward and dedicate hours of precious gaming time.
War For Cybertron (WFC) has bucket loads of substance. The game is overflowing with so much substance, die hard Transformers fans are left foaming at the mouth, desperate for more. As soon as you fire up WFC it’s clear that you aren’t playing your regular run of the mill Transformers. Instead, you’re immersed in a dark, gritty and downright hellacious world that feels as foreboding as it does foreign. Gone are the lush environments of Earth and present are the sharp and brutal contours of Cybertron; a mechanical planet that forgot to put out the welcome mat.
WFC is a third-person action blockbuster that runs at an incredible pace. I’ll warn you right now, if you intend to play this game on hard you better strap yourself in because WFC takes no prisoners. The game is broken up into playable chapters, like Gears of War, and these chapters are split between Autobot and Decepticon campaigns. Depending on the chapter, you’ll get to choose between multiple characters, all of which are quite recognisable if you call yourself a Transformers fan (even if you just watch the movies). There are chapters that require you to go in blazing in robot form, while other chapters allow you to cruise through the circular pipe-like streets of Cybertron in vehicle form. However, the best chapters are those that require flight. WFC is at its best when there’s an all out dogfight in the sky.
The gameplay mechanics that govern battles are not meant to make you feel comfortable. If you’re already used to snapping behind cover by pressing a button, like Uncharted, you might find the fights a little frustrating because there’s none of that in WFC. Other reviewers have criticised this, but really, what did they expect? Transformers are big clunky robots and it would look ridiculous if they were given the ability to instantly snap into cover with the finesse of Nathan Drake. The lack of cover makes it hard to avoid enemy fire, because even if you think you’ve got your bag of bolts hidden safely behind that wall, chances are you’ve still got a piece hanging out that you can’t see. And that piece is enough to see you blasted into oblivion before you can shout “Rollout”.
Instead of ducking behind cover and biding your time, you’ll find yourself changing from robot form to vehicle form multiple times throughout a battle, to either escape enemy fire or to find more ammo. This type of combat strategy will probably not go down well with the kind of player who prefers to use the stealth tactics they’ve learned from games like Metal Gear Solid. The change of pace starts off as unrelentingly painful and you’ll probably die a million times before you get the hang of it, but once you do, life is sweet from there on in.
WFC sticks as closely to the franchise fans grew up with. If you’ve ever wanted to fight Soundwave as he unleashes Frenzy, Laserbeak and Rumble, now’s your chance. If you’ve ever wanted to take down the coolest Autobot of all-time, Omega Supreme, buckle up, because that fight is one you’ll remember for years to come. True fans will also rejoice at all the cheesy dialogue and character traits. Optimus Prime still sounds like he’s desperately trying to be everyone’s friend and Starscream is still a thorn in Megatron’s mechanical backside.
WFC is worth the money for the multiplayer features alone. The developers have taken all the gameplay elements that made Modern Warfare 2 so successful and added to them, to create one of the best multiplayer experiences on the market right now. While multiplayer death matches are as fast as they are furious, there’s nothing like teaming up with another 2 mates to work your way through the chapters co-operatively, especially if you attempt this feat on hard.
Overall, WFC will appeal to anyone who appreciates a good action game. Transformers fans will be talking about this game for the next few months and non-fans are likely to be converted. Get into it, you won’t regret it.