Sunday, September 2, 2012

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron Review

For the longest of times, games based off of established franchises such as Batman or Spider-Man were dreaded for being cheap cash-ins.  Now in our post-Arkham Asylum world, certain developers such as Rocksteady and High Moon Studios have forged a new-found trust in the fans by creating quality license games.  High Moon Studios newest Transformers game, Fall of Cybertron, hopes to continue the loving trust they won from fans with War for Cybertron.  Fall of Cybertron delivers in spades.  It improves on the foundation High Moon Studios laid down with War for Cybertron in every single creating easily the best Transformers game of all-time.

Transformers:  Fall of Cybertron continues right after the events from War for Cybertron.  The civil war between the Autobots and the Decepticons has torn their beloved world of Cybertron apart literally.  Cybertron can no longer produce the life-giving materials that the Transformers need to survive.  With no hope left on Cybertron, the Autobots and Decepticons build their means of escaping this dying planet.  Fall of Cybertron recounts the events leading up to this major exodus.  The story in Fall of Cybertron is absolutely incredible as it takes you through the darkest hours of the Transformers.  For fans of the franchise, High Moon Studios has peppered the dialogue with a lot of references to the expanded Transformers lore and one amazing treat only found in the final mission that had me smiling from ear to ear.  While the ending is rather abrupt in my opinion, Fall of Cybertron provides a great conclusion to this chapter of Transformers lore.

Unlike War for Cybertron, Transformers:  Fall of Cybertron’s campaign can only be played by a single player.  While levels may come off as more linear as a result to the exclusion of the three player co-op, it has offered High Moon Studios some freedom to create a more focused single-player campaign with tons of variety.  You are never stuck doing the same thing for long in Fall of Cybertron.  This variety keeps Fall of Cybertron from falling into the monotony and tedious nature of most modern shooters.  There are even some levels in the game that focus on aspects other than shooting such as stealth, platforming or brawling.  These levels along with one truly epic final level that sees you jump between the Autobots and Decepticons on the fly are easily the highlights of Fall of Cybertron’s campaign.  Fall of Cybertron’s core shooting gameplay is the main focus of the game’s multi-player modes.  Fall of Cybertron’s multi-player is very fast-paced and action-packed as you trade kills and deaths at an incredibly high rate.  After a game or two, you will get the hang of things and start getting some streaks.  Personally, I found Fall of Cybertron’s multi-player to be much more approachable than other shooters and I can easily see myself going back to it from time to time.  A key part of multi-player is creating your own Transformer from the parts you win from playing multi-player.  While I personally did not get a chance to really dive into this feature, there are some very powerful customization tools at your disposal to create a robot similar to any existing Transformer or your own unique creation. 

While Transformers:  Fall of Cybertron is an incredible game, it does have one problem that holds the game back from being on a level with say Batman: Arkham City.  The problem in question is some glitches that pop up every once and a while.  I fell through geometry, got stuck in the floor, clipped through walls while transforming and even had to reset my PS3 because the game froze.  None of these glitches were anything game-breaking, but they did detract from the experience just a bit. 

With an incredible campaign, great gameplay, great gameplay variety and an approachable set of multi-player suite, Transformers:  Fall of Cybertron is hands-down the best video game interpretation of this venerable franchise.  Fall of Cybertron gives the proper amount of respect to the Transformers franchise and its lore while forging its own mark on the Transformers legacy.  Fall of Cybertron appeals to longtime fans and provides an excellent introduction to the Transformers universe for newcomers.  Transformers:  Fall of Cybertron is one of the best games of this summer and of this year.  It is an experience not to miss.

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