I have to say that lately I've found myself in a bit of a funk when it comes to shooters. It's almost like the romance has gone from the relationship, the love that we once felt for one another turning stale. Gone is the whimsy of the 90's and early 2000's, with their Quakes and their Red Factions, their Dooms and unending streams of World War 2 imitators. Remember when dogs could drive back in the original Medal of Honour? Now that was gaming. Sadly however, we now live in an age of Kane and Lynch, Gears of War and loathe most of all, Call of Duty. Don't get me wrong, these are all very popular franchises but between the cover mechanics and blatant money grabbing it's hard to feel anything but disappointed in the games industry. They're the abusive spouse, putting us down and taking our money, while we continue to love them despite the misgivings in our gut. So when I picked up Transformers: War for Cybertron at the poultry price of £3.75, I can't say I was expecting all that much. Michael Bay had seen to that. But now it's ten hours of play later and I have to say, well done Half Moon Studios.
Megatron, "Death to the Autobots!"
In a wise turn they ignored the diabolical offerings of the silver screen and stuck to the cartoon of my youth. A semi ridiculous, over the top story about transforming robots battling across the stars. On one side, lead by the heroic Optimus Prime stands the Autobots, the other, Megatron's evil Decepticons. They have changed a few things here and there, for instance Megatron no longer turns into a pistol, as well, it was kind of stupid to begin with. But at it's heart, War for Cybertron stays faithful, expanding the universe and giving us a look into the history of the conflict that started it all. Ever wondered how Starscream betrayed the Autobots, or Optimus succeeded to the rank of Prime? It's really a lot of fun and quite the nostalgia trip. I mean sure, the dialogue is kind of corny and the story a little 2 dimensional, but that's what Transformers is all about. It's not masterpiece theatre but nor is it meant to be.
Cybertronian Optimus
Beyond the simple thrill of playing as my childhood favourites each of the Autobots and Decepticons have been brought to life with great detail. The fluid movements between transformations mirroring their cartoon counterparts to a tee. There really is nothing like jumping off a platform only to turn mid air into a deadly fighter jet. It can take some getting used to, when and where to switch between vehicle and robot, but once you have it down the sparks sure do fly. Also it must be noted that as this is pre earth, or G1 depending how in the know you are, the models aren't identical to those found in the series, but they retain enough of their personality as to be instantly recognisable. It obviously wouldn't have made sense to have Optimus rolling around Cybertron as a Kenworth truck. Not that it wouldn't have been entertaining to see.
The game is divided along the faction lines, with half the game dedicated to the Decepticons and the other, the Autobots. This may seem a little off putting, that to play the story in order you have to go through one campaign first, but with the option to choose which you play and the story being fairly straightforward nothing is really lost, there are no spoilers to ruin the ride. Simply put, Megatron wants a weapon, he gets the weapon and then you have to fight Megatron to stop him destroying Cybertron with the weapon. Arguably the most succinct synopsis of a game ever written. Just the simple nature of the story is a breath of fresh air, with no ham handed attempts at drama making their way into the script and stealing focus from the action.
Do you like my gun? I vandalised it myself.
On a graphical front the game gives a solid performance that while not stunning, doesn't disappoint either. This can be put down to the games multiple ports, so if you feel like blaming anyone for it's lack of Crysis beauty, take it up with the console jockeys. Cybertron comes alive as the Transformers home world, a foreign construct of steel and rivets that manages to possess an organic quality at the same time. It has been criticised for lacking an expansive, Dulux colour pad design scheme, but I feel that in this instance it can be forgiven. There are only so many shades of grey after all, but with some interesting level design and plenty of action you'll barely notice. You'll be far too busy slaughtering your way through your robotic foes, whoever they may be. And I have to say, that while the selection of weapons to hand aren't mind blowing, they do have that oompf factor required to really get stuck in. From oversized EMP Shotguns to Neutron Blasters there's enough to keep you killing with glee for many an encounter. You can even rip mounted turrets from the ground and heft them around 80's action hero style, I wet myself a little at that. The melee component is boiled down to whacking whatever gets in your way with, for example, a bloody great axe, depending on who you are playing as. But I felt it's relative simplicity was and is compensated for by the myriad of special abilities you can throw out to thwart your opponents. My personal favourite being the energy shield deployable by Warpath, which is extremely handy in a firefight where you're taking a pounding.
So to conclude, Transformers: War for Cybertron satisfies an itch for no holds barred, shooty fun. It doesn't demand a great deal in return, just a steady trigger finger and an appreciation for robot on robot violence. The fact that it fills in some gaps in the Transformers law is a gift to fans of the series, but it doesn't require any foreknowledge on the players part to enjoy. The camp, over the top bad guys and overpowered weapons see to that. It is, therefore, everything it says on the tin and well worth a look, if only to escape the repetitiveness of modern shooters and their equally meaningless characterisations. Autobots, roll out!
