Transformers War For Cybertron Review

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Review: Transformers War For Cybertron

Released: 25th June 2010 (UK) (Out Now)

Platforms: PS3, Also: XBox 360 and Wii

As a long time transformers fan I've longed for a great Transformers game. Sure we had a Transformers game back in 2004 on the PS2, which was based on the Armada cartoon series being shown at the time and it was a decent attempt but unfortunately apart from a demo I never played the full version. However it doesn’t matter cause Transformers War for Cybertron, which is not just the best transformers game ever it’s also the best G1 related content ever. So good in fact that this game is the official back story and prelude to the G1 stuff on earth.

Decepticon Leader Megatron

Chapter Select

As if you already didn’t know or couldn’t tell from the title Transformers War for Cybertron takes place entirely on Cybertron (no humans at all). There are two main factions in this war the Decepticons who are lead by their leader Megatron who stumbles upon dark energon and wishes to use its power to corrupt Cybertron and win the war. However a faction lead by Zeta prime and later Optimus Prime, the Autobots launch a counter attack in order to stop Megatron, his Decepticon army and save Cybertron. The back is good and worthy of being a part of the G1 story. The story is broken up into ten chapters which, are split between a Deception story and an Autobot story. The first five chapters of the game form the Decepticon story while the Autobot story takes place in the remaining five chapters. The first thing like about this game is you can choose where you want the story to start. You can choose to play the Autobot story first which is the conclusion to the overall Cybertron story arch or start with the Decepticon story, which forms the beginning of the Cybertron story arch. This is a nice touch as it allows players to jump from one part of the story to another if they wish of simply play from beginning to end.

Optimus Prime (Leader Class)

Bumblebee (Scout Class)

It must be said that Transformers War for Cybertron is a third person shooter but also a game for Transformers fans only. If you have played many third persons shooters in the past then you might not find everything of real interest here. Players will find themselves shooting down and number of nameless Decepticon and Autobot clones, which can get repetitive as there is a lot of shooting in this game. Something else that can add to the repetition is the different class types. There aren’t many and characters that come under the same class from both the Decepticon and Autobot army hardly have any differences between them apart from the way they look. However being a Transformers fan I can forgive this repetition as I get to play as some of my favourite characters such as Prime, Megatron, Startscream and Soundwave, which are just a few of the characters you can play as from both the Decepticons and Autobots. In addition there may be a lot shooting going on but the game really does get across the whole idea of a war going on.

Taking on Omega Spreme

Jetfire

The designs for the transformers in this game are fantastic they look like machines but nothing like the live action films and they also have that humanoid look to them like in the G1 cartoons. It’s a nice mix for sure and another good G1 throwback. Since this game takes place before the Transformers encounters on Earth none of the transformers resemble any earth vehicle type. Instead they retain their Cybertronian look and modes. Saying this all the top well known characters like Bumble Bee, Prime, Startscream and Omega Supreme are still very recognisable and resemble the G1 looks to a certain extent. Cybertron is huge and looks fantastic and rightfully so since this is the transformers home world. There are a number of points in the game where you can see into the distance and you can see the details in the environments, furthermore objects are larger than most transformers. Due to the war Cybertron is a dark place and the designs really show it there are lots of dark colours and many places that are crumbling as a result of the ongoing war. During my playthrough of Transformers War for Cybertron there were many great memorable moments a lot of them being throwbacks to G1 stuff. Like seeing Omega Supreme or my all time favourite moment is the Soundwave boss battle, which for me is the ultimate G1 throwback. Seriously if you’re a fan you owe it to yourself to check out that one moment in this game. Not to mention the excellent voice work from the original voice actor for Optimus Prime and top notch voice provided for Soundwave which is another great G1 throwback.

Starscream

I could go on about this game all day but this is a blog and most people don’t read these days furthermore I’m trying to keep this short. The fact is War for Cybertron is the ultimate G1 throwback and best Transformers game ever. I had a lot fun being a transformer and I can’t wait for the sequel to hit. Just before I close this review the game also includes online multiplayer support. Any of the game modes are self explanatory such as DeathMatch, Team DeathMatch, and Conquest. Other modes include Escalation which is a mode similar to that of Gears of war’s horde mode. The game does contain its glitches but nothing that really has you screaming. If you’re a long time transformers fan and I mean back to the days of G1 then you owe it to yourself to pick this game up if you haven’t already.

TRANSFORMERS WAR FOR CYBERTRON BREAKDOWN

GAMEPLAY

Your typical third person shooter game with the added twist of transformers being added to the mix and the two elements blend well.

GRAPHICS & PRESENTATION

Occasionally textures and other details may take awhile to load. Apart from that the world of Cybertron looks great and so do the transformers.

LONGEVITY

The signal play story may last you around ten hours and these days the multiplayer may not be as active as when it first came out, however if you do get in to a game its blast.

AUDIO

Great voice for some of the characters and you really do get the feel of a war going on around. Just can’t ever get enough of that classic transforming sound.

FINAL OPINION: AWESOME FANFARE SERVICE