Transformers: War for Cybertron (PS3)

Transformers: War for Cybertron (developed by High Moon Studios and published by Activision) is more fun than a barrel full of transformable robot monkeys! I was anxious about the quality of this title after my experience with Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption, but I needn’t have worried. Not only is the game fun, but it brings to life a franchise that many of us have loved dearly since we were children. Even as I write this, my brother and cousin are sitting on the couch taking turns playing multiplayer matches and laughing their heads off as they enthusiastically gun down enemy Autobots and Decepticons.

War for Cybertron is a high-action 3rd person shooter where players take control of their favorite transformers for in single and co-op campaigns, as well as online multiplayer matches. The campaign is divided into 10 chapters; 1-5 for the Decepticon campaign and 6-10 for the Autobot campaign. The Decepticon campaign centers around Megatron’s quest to subjugate Cybertron using Dark Energon whereas the Autobot campaign centers on thwarting Megatron and saving Cybertron. The campaigns are fairly short, running roughly 10 hours to complete all 10 chapters, but they do offer an unparalleled glimpse of the Transformers fighting a civil war on their home planet.

The gameplay in the campaigns is both fun and nostalgic, but a bit slower than the multiplayer modes. The transform ability is absolutely impressive. Characters can transform on fly in less than a second, fluidly changing between robot and vehicle modes. The controls are good, but the default mapping of the transform button to the L3 thumbstick on the PS3 should be changed to the triangle button as soon as you start to play. The only complaints that I could level at the campaign modes are that I seemed to run out of ammo fairly frequently and that I wish the game where longer – or perhaps larger, as in a small MMO. The multiplayer mode, however, has quite a bit more longevity, offering 4 classes (scout, scientist, leader, and soldier) and 25 levels of experience. Multiplayer matches are fast and vicious and incredibly fun. My personal favorite is Conquest (a control the node game), but there is also Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Countdown to Extinction, Power Struggle, and Code of Power (see Wikipedia for descriptions of the multiplayer game types).

The graphics are good, generally offering a gritty rendering of Cybertron that fits nicely with the civil war theme. And there is not a single biological life form in the entire game. No plants, no animals, nothing that isn’t entirely robotic. And all of the massive metallic settings are accentuated with the use of Energon fields for windows, floor panels and bridges. The soundtrack and sound effects mesh seamlessly with the gameplay, helping to draw the player into the battle at hand. So much so, that as I listen to my family play, I can tell what is going on and what powers are being used and even what form they are in.

All told, I am happy with my purchase of Transformers: War for Cybertron. It isn’t an innovative game full of new and creative gameplay, but it is an excellent implementation of a 3rd person shooter that really delivers on the high-action that it promises up front. The campaigns are fun and have moderate replay value, but the multiplayer action is where War for Cybertron really shines. High Moon’s implementation of a tried-and-true genre in the Transformers universe is highly polished. I give Transformers: War for Cybertron an 8.33 out of 10 and I heartily recommend it as a great way to spend some summer down-time.