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Product Features

Genre: Action and Shooter
Publisher: Activision
Release Date: June 25, 2010
Available Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 3, XBox 360, XBox 360, XBox 360

Transformers War for Cybertron

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Transformers: War for Cybertron challenges players to become the ultimate weapon as a TRANSFORMERS character in the final, epic war that will determine the survival of their entire race. Armed with a diverse arsenal of lethal, high-tech weaponry and the ability to instantly convert from robot to vehicle at any time, players will engage in heart-pounding battles on land and in the air in this gripping, 3rd person action shooter set in the TRANSFORMERS' war-ravaged homeland. Complete with several multiplayer modes, Transformers: War for Cybertron allows gamers to play through story missions with their friends in drop in/drop out online co-op, and also create their own TRANSFORMERS character for competitive head-to-head multiplayer modes, choosing among four distinct character classes, personalizing...

Paul Martin July 14, 2010 360

****

Since Batman: Arkham Asylum questions have been asked why more well known brands such as Superman, Spiderman and Transformers haven't been able to produce the creative genius that Rocksteady studios produced in 2009. On June 25th 2010 Transformers: War of Cybertron was released on multiple platforms. The game was developed by High Moon Studios who are renowned for their previous outing The Bourne Conspiracy, which didn't receive many high praises from critics or the public. Although questions were made why such world renowned brand such as Transformers was given to High Moon Studios the answer was revealed when they managed to produce the Batman: Arkham Asylum of 2010.

The story is the story that has never been told before in the Transformers universe. It's Transformers: Episode One in Star Wars terms showing events from the very beginning of the Transformers timeline. The story is set on Cybertron, the home world of the Transformers race. Megatron the future leader of the Decepticons is seeking power by using a Dark version of Energon, the life source of all Transformers to bend those to his will. As sides are taken Cybertron is ravaged by war and chaos on the surface and sky forcing a new hero to stand up and take his rightful place as a Prime to stop Megatron and save the Transformer race from certain extinction.

The gameplay is similar to Gears of War, although the pace in which your character runs on screen is slow he has the ability to change into a futuristic vehicle whether it be car, truck, tank or plane. The fact that you are able to change into the four above explains the depth of combat you are able to use in Transformers War of Cyberton, as each class has his/her own unique style. The controllers are very simple to grasp and transforming into your vehicle counterpart is as easy as pressing one button. The gameplay is fast paced and features hours of fun and remains highly addictive. The single player features two separate campaigns one for Autobots, the other Decepticons. The Decepticons events happen before the Autobots, but you can play whichever you choose to begin with and no levels repeat throughout the game, although do provide similar mission objectives and gameplay feel. The campaign can be played with 3 online player co op making it that little bit easier on your playthrough if you choose to include your friends. The game also features a mode called Escalation, similar to Horde mode in the Gears of Wars series players are to survive everlasting waves of enemies as long as possible. The game mode is addictive and fun whilst also allowing players to play with characters from the game. The online multiplayer side of things however is by far the most entertaining thing about the game. With several modes including Deathmatch, Conquest and fan favourite Team Deathmatch there is endless fun to be had. The multiplayer has a new twist by not allowing players to play with fan favourites such as Optimus and Bumblebee but instead allowing the player to create their own Transformer. The player has the choice of chassis, which granted does include the characters from the game but allows the player to customize the colour, weapons choice and abilities for each individual class. There are four classes to choose from as you create your Transformer, Soldier, Scientist, Scout and Leader. The Soldier class is a pure brute and be able to take excessive amounts of damage. He has the ability to change into a Cybertron Tank. His attacks are aggressive and powerful, one of his special abilities is called whirlwind, causing the upper torso (although robots don't have torsos) to spin whilst holding a sledgehammer for you to hurl yourself into your foes path. This causes extreme damage on opposition players whether it be on or offline modes. Although the soldier is packed with health and firepower he does lack in speed. The complete opposite to the Soldier class is the Scientist class. Given the ability to change into a jet like aircraft the Scientist is the ultimate support class as he can heal teammates and spawn sentry turrets to give the edge in battle. He also has the ability to reach various areas that would be unreachable by any other class given him the tactical advantage in any battlefield. His strength is speed as he has little health and will be punished in up close combat. The Scout is the Bumblebee class of the game. The small car is fast and stealthy being able to cloak himself invisible. The cloak grants him the edge of first hit in battle and causes extreme damage from behind. He also has the ability to snipe from long distance which allows players to use him as a support class on the backline of the battlefield. His weakness similar to the Scientist is small health bar. Although the Scout takes more damage than the Scientist it is still dangerous to go head to head against the larger and more powerful Soldier and Leader classes. The Leader is fan favourite Optimus Primes class. The Leader is a powerhouse although not as much as the Soldier class. Being able to take less damage than the Soldier the Leader does have a more powerful melee attack using his energon axe. His weapons are also deadly featuring what can only be described as the bazooka of the Transformers universe. His main special ability warcry is for the teams benefit as well as his own. When activated it increases the damage of his own weapons and those on the same team provided there in close proximity. The Leader also has the ability to change in the Truck allowing the Leader to ram into enemies and deal a significant amount of damage. His main weakness is most likely speed, but by all means he is by far the most balanced class of them all. The biggest negative of gameplay, especially online is that High Moon Studios don't have any dedicated servers therefore you may find a laggy match on occasion or more frustrating the host disconnecting half way through the match. This is by far the most annoying problem with the game and given extra time could have been resolved leaving the game brilliant but flawed.

The graphics in the game are sharp and creative. The landscape provided throughout the gameplay is sometimes breathtaking making Cybertron feel that little bit more real. The character models are well produced with all the main characters being instantly recognisable. The transforming sequences are unique and never get old. The only downside would be that the game provides no cinematics at the start and end of campaign levels. I do feel that cinematics would have done the game more justice rather than using the in game models. It doesn't create the feel of a finished game although some people would disagree.

Audio is one of the strongest points in the game. The transforming sound is a delight to hear and characters voices resemble those that are found in the original cartoon series. Peter Cullen makes another Transformers return with his voice over of Optimus and it does make the game feel more authentic because of him. Megatrons cartoon voice over however Frank Welker is not present in the game, although I do believe the replacement will be well received by Transformer fans.

Overall the game is a powerhouse of fun and will require 40+ hours to complete fully. Although the story isn't the best thing in the world its good by all means and provides a nice insight on how the Transformers timeline gathers momentum. The multiplayer is by far one of the most addictive I've played in a long time and will take days to reach maximum levels across all four classes. The ability to customize your Transformer is a major plus and has been implemented well within the game. Another downside of the game would be there's no split screen co op although if your friends do have online gaming there should be no problem connecting and playing co op that way. The graphics and audio of the game are sharp and well used to make the game feel authentic to the older generation of Transformers fans. The fact there's no dedicated servers does provide the gamer with frustrating moments and does seem a little 5 years ago in terms on online gaming leaving it by far the biggest downside of the game. Saying that it's still a fantastic game and worth a look, if not a certain purchase. 9/10