War For Cybertron does what you'd expect, but nothing more.
With no corresponding movie to rush the development of a lousy tagged-on game, Transformers War for Cybertron begins the epic battle between good and evil robots in disguise on its own merits. Transformers creators Hasbro gave a lot of creative freedom to the development team at High Moon Studios. The result is mixed bowl of feel-good nostalgia and conflicted history when considering the original animated series. Does this game have more than meets the eye?
Gameplay.
War for Cybertron is a tried tested and true 3rd person shooter. It borrows the basic features and heavy feel from the likes of Gears of War, but unfortunately does not employ a similar cover system. This makes playing Transformers a frantic test of shoot and dash as you fight your way through waves of enemy robots.
The main campaign is set millions of years before the events of the 80's cartoon series. The heroic Autobots and evil Decepticons wage war across their metallic home word of Cybertron. The campaign is divided into 10 bite size chapters. The first 5 of which you will play as the malevolent Decepticons as they search for the power of dark energon. Once that storyline is complete you switch over to the Autobot side as you fight to vanquish your greedy adversaries. You will have the opportunity to play as many different characters from the original series.
The action is fast-paced and enjoyable. Shooting feels great when you can find yourself enough ammunition to do so. Running out of power is a constant, and sometimes annoying theme that blankets the experience. Finding new weapons and reload boxes is a bit sparse, but if you look long enough you will find what you need to blaze through. The guns themselves come in a variety of shapes and forms. You will dawn machine guns, snipers, energy beams and grenade launchers as custom for the genre. There is nothing new here that you haven't played with before.
Enemy AI and variety are lacking. The majority of your time on Cybertron will be spent blasting away at swarms of generic looking robots casually moving around in open space. Pillars, boxes and machinery offer some cover from enemy barrages, but the lack of a true cover system makes the gameplay feel somewhat dated.
One other issue with the game is that no matter which character you are using, they all feel relatively the same. As this is a prequel to the earthbound events of the carton, most of the transformers vehicle modes default to space tanks and starfighters. From this mode you'll be able to utilize your heavier weapons and traverse the environments more quickly. Survival and success will depend greatly on your ability to use the different modes of your transformer to move and fire. Some of the more enjoyable sequences in the game happen when you control those transformers that can fly.
The main campaign can be played cooperatively and really this how the game should be played for the most enjoyment. Computer AI of teammates is even worse than that of the enemies you'll encounter. For this reason, finding a friend to join you on your journey makes the game a lot better. Co-op campaign is not the only multiplayer facet in War for Cybertron. There are online competitive and cooperative modes. Unfortunately the aforementioned ammo and energy shortages hamper this cooperative experience. Couple this with the missing cover system and you have recipe for frustration as aggressive waves of relentless AI enemies rush your position and destroy you all too quickly. This "horde" mode has been done a lot better in other games. Overall the game plays like you would expect and the basic controls work well. Gameplay = 7/10
Graphics.
The best part of Transformers War for Cybertron is the fan service given in the character design. Unlike the unholy abomination in rending of the Transformers in the recent movies, WFC's characters hold much more true to the original vision of the generaton 1 animated series. As previously mentioned, the only time you will be taken out of the experience is when you see your favorite character morph into something completely different than you expect. This is a prequel however, so such creative liberties can be excused in War for Cybertron.
The transforming itself is excellent. Characters look great while switching between robot and vehicle modes. High Moon Studios has done a fine job with character animation and identifiable character design. Some transformers look better than others. Thankfully the most popular characters have been given special attention and look very close to their original design. Highlights include the robot modes of Optimus Prime, Soundwave and the gigantic Omega Supreme.
Textures could use some work. For an adventure that takes place on a shiny metallic planet, the absence of grit and detail is tolerable. The artistic style of the game is a blend of cartoon simplicity and hyper-realistic robotic science fiction. Colors are vibrant and models are simple. A wash of purple has been applied to the game which does make most of the environments feel extremely similar to one another. There is not a lot of visual variety to Cybertron. This can make the game look a little stale after hours of gameplay.
Explosions and gunfire look fine, but again its nothing to get excited about. Character damage is only detectable through your heads up display. It would have been great to see your transformer get dinged and smashed up as you play. It's these little details that keep War for Cybertron from achieving something great. Overall the game looks good, but when set against other shooters of the day, it just doesn't have the power to surprise and reign supreme. Graphics = 7.5/10
Sound.
The voice acting is very good even if it doesn't maintain all the qualities established in the stellar cartoon. It's difficult to separate the animated series from WFC because it's clear that High Moon Studios was going for a retro nostalgia in its game. Peter Cullen is the game's audio highlight, lending his distinct gruff John Wayne-esque voice for Optimus Prime. Soundwave sounds awesome. Other than that however, most of the characters you may or may not have grown up with sound completely different. I was taken a little out of the fantasy when listening to different voice actors playing the characters that I knew so well. They all do a great job and most of the character's established personalities hold true in the script. Starscream is a defiant. Silverbolt is afraid of flying. Soundwave issues orders with cool precision to his cassette minions. These are some great moments caught in the game's audio.
One of the series biggest sounds is the distinct transforming effect. In War for Cybertron it comes close, but does not quite hit the mark. In the end a nice balance of nostalgia and new technology compliment the game's sound.
The weapons and environmental sounds are not all that memorable. The soundtrack is decent. A mix of ambient and dramatic scores play well behind the action and a familiar retro rock tune plays as the credits roll. Sound = 6.5/10.
Overall.
War for Cybertron the game is a battle in and of itself. Maintaining the integrity of what has been established and updating the look to something new seems to be a design battle that High Moon Studios took to heart. In the end they landed safely in between. The game doesn't do a lot to deliver a new and original experience. The lack of cover system and weapon shortages do hinder the experience somewhat. Still it is a fun and straightforward action game that plays it safe. This game will surely have more impact on those that grew up with the original series. Transformers War for Cybertron meets the eye, but does nothing more.
Final rating = 7.1/10