As with most beloved series, Transformers’ continued popularity depends primarily on the devotion of its initial fan base that emerged with the inception of the series.
After years of unimpressive video game entries in the franchise, 2010’s “War for Cybertron” from High Moon Studios finally delivered the experience many original adoptees had been waiting for.
“Fall of Cybertron” is a superior sequel in nearly every way with a streamlined campaign featuring far more variety and impressive sequences. Despite the obvious leap forward, the title is marred by a lackluster story and an uninventive multiplayer offering.
For fans of the G1 series, the story picks up at nearly the same time as the pilot. The Autobots are gathering energon in an attempt to leave Cybertron as it shuts down while their usual foil, the Decepticons, are opposing the mass exodus in every way possible.
Dozens of characters are introduced that will surely please fans of the 1980s series, but as someone without that original affinity for robot automatons the story’s emotional appeals rang hollow.
There aren’t any impressive plot twists or engaging moments as the story consists of alternating efforts to gather resources; a linear tale full of one-note characters as empty as their fuel tanks seem to be for all the mechanical one-liners they spout about them.
Luckily, this mundane tale is saved by diverse gameplay elements that result in a vastly improved single-player experience.
Scrapping the co-op campaign of the previous title, High Moon’s decision to focus on only a single character at a time has helped eliminate the repetitive environments and gallery shooting that appeared so often in “War for Cybertron.”
Players control both Autobots and Decepticons throughout the course of the game and each character features unique gameplay. Optimus Prime totes guns around massive battlefields, Cliffjumper plays like a stealthy assassin and Jazz utilizes his grapple to move quickly between platforms amidst falling debris.
Although the immense boss battles are mostly absent, other one-off moments separate the casual destruction of Transfomer underlings across the planet.
Whether it’s calling down air strikes on a sprawling war zone or utilizing the brute melee strength of Bruticus or Grimlock, the sheer power of the Transformers is readily apparent.
An upgrade system also allows players to improve their weapons, vehicle modes or innate skills like running speed or health. It provided lots of incentive to find all the hidden collectibles strewn about the world as well as to discover various weapons’ unique abilities once fully upgraded.
Although added verticality to battlefields during jet missions allows for greater utilization of the Transfomers’ alternate forms, it’s still frustrating to see ground-based vehicles be used almost exclusively as a vessel to traverse the planet faster.
Multiplayer returns with two new offerings: headhunter (similar to the mode of the same name in “Halo: Reach”) and capture the flag.
Neither game type is particularly innovative and apes the similarly designed features in other titles. Escalation returns as waves of increasingly powerful Transfomers storm up to four players. While the levels featured additions like upgradeable weapons and less-constrained maps, it’s once again an essential clone of Horde mode.
High Moon includes all the necessary trimmings for a multiplayer game these days: an upgradeable perk system, multiple classes to choose from and customizable characters.
However, as with any other shooter not named “Call of Duty” or “Halo,” it’s nearly impossible to find a dedicated audience when your title doesn’t offer any distinguishing features.
Without any innovation in game types that could utilize one of the main hooks of their game (see: transform) High Moon Studios has crafted a multiplayer that may draw players in post-launch, but will quickly wither away as the more popular franchises release this fall.
High Moon’s willingness to scrap vital elements of the campaign mode from “War for Cybertron” undoubtedly helped them craft a far-superior single-player experience. Although the story is dull to those who haven’t invested 25 years into these characters, the myriad of additions to gameplay are still impressive.
Sadly, their innovation in the campaign only highlights the severe lack of ingenuity in the multiplayer space.
Despite my misgivings about the inability to utilize the game’s namesake in creative ways, “Fall of Cybertron” is a polished title with enough noteworthy sequences to please both fans and non-fans alike.
Grade: C+
Have a game you think Adam should review? Send him your suggestions at arparis@wisc.edu.
