Lately it feels like everybody wants to stomp all over my rose-colored memories of Transformers. From Michael Bay's bloated monstrosities to the incomprehensible cartoon I see on TV, it feels like the world is out to make me hate these giant transforming robots. But don't give up, longtime fans, because Activision has a game that throws away all the stuff from the movies and takes the series back to its old school roots. Transformers: War for Cybertron is a great action game that wisely ditches Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox and even the Earth.
With each new Transformers game it becomes clear that Activision isn't quite sure what to do with this franchise. Last year's model, Transformers: Rise of the Fallen, offered small open-world environments that were specifically built for one or two characters. They had you racing back and forth completing tasks and then battling a boss. Well, that's not what you get with War for Cybertron. Instead of being an open-world action game, we are stuck with a linear Gears of War-style third-person shooter.
This drastic change in genre can be either good or bad, depending on whom you ask. I personally had a lot of fun with last year's model, but I was quickly won over by this lengthy action game. This gameplay change allows the user to feel like you're on a fast-paced roller coaster ride, with huge explosions and all kinds of other crazy happenings going on around you. In that way it's more like Activision's Call of Duty series, only with huge robots that can turn into cars and jets.
As the name suggests, this game is set during an especially violent time of the Transformers' history. Both the Autobots and the Decepticons are locked in a battle for control over this mechanical planet. The story is set years before the original Transformers cartoon. It goes a long way to fill in a few of the gaps left in the canon, such as Starscream's defection and the succession of Optimums Prime. After stomaching the last couple Transformers games with annoying humans and menial tasks, it was great to get back to an era that more closely fit the Generation 1 cartoon series.
At its heart, War for Cybertron is nothing more than a three-person Gears of War clone. Not that this is a bad thing, there are far worse games you could be compared to. You and your two robot buddies fight your way through a dozen large levels on this weird alien planet. This is not one of those Transformers games where you're asked to go pick up a puny human and take her to the local library, in this game you battle wave after wave of badass robot enemies. And just when you think you've taken out the last one, an even bigger robot will show up. There aren't a lot of puzzles here, this is the kind of game where you keep moving forward and hope you have enough ammo.
For what it is, War for Cybertron is mostly successful. It's a lot of fun to play this game with two friends, even if somebody always gets stuck with a character they don't like. The action is also exciting, full of huge set pieces and explosive events. You command a good sized assortment of powerful guns, as well as some secondary items and a melee attack. As you choose your character you'll discover that each Transformer has its own special abilities and weapons, so you'll want to choose wisely.
Unfortunately there are a number of things that keep this Transformers game from being more than meets the eye. There's something to be said for brevity. For some strange reason, the developers decided to make each and every level about three times longer than needed. It often felt like there was about 20 minutes worth of content stretched into an hour of level. You'll find yourself fighting the same bad guys through similar corridors a bit too much in each level. This may pad out the number of hours it will take you to beat, but I found myself tiring of just about every level long before I earned my achievement.
This wouldn't be as big of an issue if it wasn't for the fact that most of Cybertron looks the same. While there are differences from level to level, we're mostly stuck looking at mechanical walls and blown up spaceships. The developers have done about as much as they could do with the source material, but after a dozen or more hours of this, it started to bum me out. How I yearned for the forest or a river. But alas, we're stuck in boring old Cybertron.
Even if you're really into the game's locale, you're still going to have to put up with some annoying gameplay decisions. For one thing, it's a little too easy to run out of bullets. In the early stages you'll find ammo boxes scattered around, but the further I played the less I saw these valuable items. Thankfully you can get by with pilfering weapons off of your enemy's body, something that becomes a necessity closer to the end of the game.
The game attempts to split up the action by tossing in a little variety here and there. In one level you will be running through corridors shooting robots, while in another you'll be a jet taking down flying robots. In each case you'll have to put up with some interesting control mechanics, which sometimes makes transforming a hassle. Speaking of transforming, for much of the game there's no real reason to turn into the vehicle. The only thing transforming did was remind me that it doesn't make much sense to be a car in a place like Cybertron. It's not like there are a lot of roads and you're better off just staying a robot.
But I digress. With a couple of friends, War for Cybertron can really be a lot of fun. Even if the levels are too long and there's not nearly enough transforming, the game benefits from a friend or two. Had I spent all of my time playing it with computer-controlled helpers, I doubt I would have had any fun. There's far too much repetition when you're by yourself. But that's not the case with a couple of friends; most of my issues were pushed to the side the moment I teamed up with a friend.
Given the emphasis on co-op multiplayer modes, I wasn't shocked to see that just as much time and care has gone into the competitive modes. Believe it or not, Transformers: War for Cybertron is a competent Team Fortress clone, giving each character a task to complete and a feeling like they had a dog in this fight. Best of all, the level designs manage to make the most out of this strange alien world. I can see fans of competitive third-person shooters sticking with this game's robust online modes for months to come. It may be based on a license, but War for Cybertron's multiplayer never feels tacked on.
That's the thing about Activision's newest Transformers game, you'll come away from the product impressed with how much game there is. There are all sorts of cool modes built in, both online and off. The game's two storylines will take you quite awhile to finish, especially if you end up working through it by yourself. Throw in an impressive set of online modes and you have one of the best Transformers games in years. War for Cybertron is not the game of the year, but it shows that Activision is on the right track when it comes to making games about giant robots.
