We Review: Transformers: War For Cybertron

There’s a decent selection of pistols, assault rifles, rocket launchers, and sniper weapons throughout the levels. Ammo can sometimes be a problem, so if you’re not that good at resource management, you might find yourself running out of the stuff. Another issue you might encounter in the single-player campaign is the average AI of your allies. They might be invulnerable but their aim can be terrible at times and more often than not you’re the one doing most of the work and consequently taking most of the damage. Your enemies aren’t that bright either, and if you’re hunkered down behind some metal thing as cover (there is no proper cover system), they won’t try to flush you out. I would have preferred more aggressive AI, and a few more enemy types. There are only a handful of different enemies in game and aside from the big brute, there isn’t any tactical approach to deal with most of them aside from shooting them in the face. There are no puzzle elements in the game, although there were a few sections where the bots had to operate terminals and it would have been great to have a little mini-game attached to that – successfully complete it and the door opens, fail and killer drones will be dispatched to your location. That would have helped the sometimes repetitive corridor shooting that you’re doing.

The single-player campaign will take around 15 hours to complete. There is a bit of replayability here as you can team up with two of your mates and attempt to conquer the campaigns in co-op mode. Sadly this is online co-op and there is no option for an offline split-screen mode and I think this is a big omission from the game. There is another co-op mode entitled “Escalation” where a maximum of four players take on waves of increasingly difficult enemies. The situation is made more challenging by the fact that you have to purchase guns, ammo, shields, and health from the various kiosks littered around the map. Entry into different rooms containing better kit also comes at a price so there is a fair bit of strategy and teamwork involved as opposed to just gunning down waves of enemies.

While the single-player is enjoyable, it’s the multiplayer that really shines. It’s is a solid component of WFC, if a little uninspired. If you’ve played other shooters like Uncharted 2 and Gears of War, you may recognize the modes even if they have different names here. Aside from the standard deathmatch and team deathmatch modes, there is “Conquest” which is capture-and-hold game and “Countdown to Extinction” which involves defending your base while trying to plant an active bomb at the enemy’s base. “Power Struggle” is a King of the Hill type mode and “Code of Power” is a CTF variant. Add to this a leveling up system and you’re set to lose several hours in WFC’s multiplayer modes.

In the multiplayer you create a character and choose a class for it – soldier, scientist, scout, or leader. Each class has its own unique attributes and is best suited for certain conditions. The soldier for example is all about brute force, but the scout is better on speed. Scientists are the healers and snipers, whereas the leaders play a more supporting role with war cries and disruption abilities that force enemies to transform and be stuck in that mode for a period of time. Engaging in any of the competitive modes rewards you with XP which in turn increases your character’s level, and with increased levels comes better upgrades and abilities. The classes level up individually so you can play around with them and see which classes and strategies work well for you. It’s incredibly fun…when it works. On a few occasions I felt like I had been invited to the biggest lag fest ever. The screen kept jumping to different parts of the map, it was like watching a stop motion film and the game was pretty much unplayable. There was no lag when I participated in both co-op modes.

Overall WFC is a surprisingly enjoyable third person shooter. It’s fun, fast, and frenetic. The metallic environments are beautifully presented and characters are equally animated. The voice acting is good with the excellent Peter Cullen providing the voice for Optimus Prime and I particularly enjoyed the funny quips between the bots. While the single-player can get a little repetitive at time, it’s pretty decent and backed with two good co-op modes and surprisingly deep multiplayer. With WFC, I think High Noon Studios, has crafted a memorable experience and something that both fans of the Transformers universe and newcomers can appreciate.

[Transformers: War For Cybertron PC screenshots by Dead End Thrills. The PS3 visuals are great but can’t match the PC equivalent.]