Review: Transformers The War for Cybertron

I was a bright eyed kid growing up in the 80s, setting the foundation for many of the things I love today; video games, toys, cartoons, awesome music, and women. Back then, liking toys and cartoons, you had to be a hermit to not enjoy Transformers. The brand was everywhere, and for good reason; it kicked ass.

When I heard Transformers was going through it's latest remake by High Moon studios, I was excited. No cautious optimism, none of that "we'll see" bullshit, no. Excitement. Where so many other studios have tried and failed when it comes to Transformers, I knew High Moon would get it right, and here's why.

Save & Close

WFC joins the battle on Cybertron, in the midst of the brutal Cybertronian civil war, pitting the Autobot sentinels aganst the aggressive and destructive Decepticons, millions of years before their arrival to earth. The character designs seem to take a page from Dreamwave's Transformers War Within series, who's art was as spot on as any fan could ask. The attention to detail in WFC is amazing, as it seems like everything transforms, and does so beautifully. You pick up a new weapon, it transforms into part of your arm. You mount a turret to shoot down some pesky aerial bots, your arms and chest transforms into part of the armament for stabilization and coolness. As you drive through the Autobot capital of Iacon, bridges transform in front of you to see your group carried across ravines filled with raw energon. Hell, even as you're standing idle, gears and panels on whichever of the 12+ playable characters you've chosen are turning and shifting on their back. It's pretty fucking sweet to see detail like that. 

The campaign itself is a little on the short side, as you could probably get through in under 10 hours. It's not easy though, especially if you're playing cooperatively online, which you can do with two other friends or randoms. If you're not working as a team, you'll quickly become overwhelmed and destroyed. After a certain point, I found myself wanting to play with the mindless and oft facepalm-inducing dimwitted AI teammates rather than randoms online, because at least the AI will follow you into battle. The story is broken into two halves; Decepticon and Autobot, and you can choose which story to play through right from the get go. If you care about story progression, please play Decepticons first, and follow with the Autobots, unless you're Quentin Tarantino, and you just happen to like going through stories backwards. Both halves are impressive and enjoyable, however the Autobot campaign is more varied and spiced.

To offset a quick campaign mode, the developers were kind enough to add an awesome multiplayer mode. Awesome it is, but haven't we seen it somewhere before? Yep, multiplayer is pretty much a straight jack of Modern Warfare's multiplayer mode; class customization, a level up system, kill streaks rewards, the whole shebang. So think of Modern Warfare, with less customization options, less emphasis on camping, and 10 transforming mecha. Sounds fun, don't it? It most definitely is. You get to choose from four classes (scientist, leader, soldier, scout) each with different skills, weapons, and kill streaks, each with distinct play styles, and each playing a vital part in helping a team emerge victorious from a multiplayer playlist. 

I could sit here and continue to tell you why this game kicks ass, but I won't. You should go buy it, and discover yourself why The War for Cybertron is one of this year's best games.

Buy it if: You like Transformers, 3rd person shooters, fast paced action, multiplayer
Rent it if: You don't play online
Value out of $60: $50
The Score: 8 outta 10 Blasters!