Review: Transformers - War for Cybertron Autobots

Several ill-conceived designs prevent well thought-out concepts from reaching their potential.

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5.0

The Good

Intriguing story * Hidden items encourage multiple playthroughs * Mission variety * Bonus missions add value to the game

The Bad

Switching Transformers feels forceful * Choosing other types of Transformers besides Heavy offers little usage outside of collecting hidden items * Vehicle form is too powerful, unbalancing the game * A.I. only becomes activated when you're close enough to the enemies * Lack of level checkpoints * Cheap deaths happen too often 

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Hasbro’s hugely popular Transformers franchise made its inaugural appearance on current generation home consoles in 2007 when Michael Bay’s live action take on the series was adapted into a videogame. This was superseded by 2009’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, another conciliatory tie-in to the live action sequel of the same name. This year’s Transformers: War for Cybertron, however, is a little different from the rest. Without any source material to work with, War for Cybertron is essentially an exercise in freedom, allowing Activision to create a game which draws upon an entirely original storyline in the Transformers folklore. Making the best use of the franchise, War for Cybertron for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 allows gamers to control their favorite Autobots and Decepticons as they play out the events which take place just before what fans have come to label as G1 Transformers. Running, wheeling and flying around the enormous world of Cybertron while blasting and swiping your weapons at opposing robots could be fun. How could it not?

The underpowered DS isn’t the best system to fully realize intensive third-person shooting on the glitzy world of Cybertron but I can only assume that Activision has the intention of spreading some Transformers love to as many people as possible. War for Cybertron is offered in 2 flavors: Autobots and Decepticons. Unlike the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, these are 2 separate games. Purchasing the Autobots edition allows you to play from the Autobots’ perspective and vice versa. It’s certainly a neat idea to get players better invested into whichever faction they are rooting for but if you have been following Transformers for DS, you would know that this has been the standard since the first Transformers DS game. The DS rendition of War for Cybertron also differs from the home console edition in a couple of ways. The result is a simpler portable version of War for Cybertron which manages to dish out some decent action although several ill-conceived designs prevent the game from ever being fun.

War for Cybertron for DS retells the tale from the home editions so if this is the only War for Cybertron which you’re playing, you wouldn’t be missing much. Fans would be delighted to discover the events leading up to Optimus’ promotion to a Prime while those rooting for the Decepticons would relish picking up Starscream’s story in the game. A handful of dialogues pepper the screens before every mission and it’s nice that some of the voiceovers from the home editions carry over to lend a feel of authenticity to a game on a platform which is more familiar with silent words than respectable aural experiences.

Turn the page of dialogue over and you would be introduced the world of Cybertron on DS. Gameplay is constructed around the varying weapon types which each Transformer uses and the ability to switch between a pair of Transformers of your choice at any point of time. A particular enemy may be resistant to a certain attack but more vulnerable to another while another enemy might offer a different set of resistance and vulnerability so there’s a constant need to quickly switch between your pair of Transformers to effectively battle the different types of enemies which populate your screens. The idea is far from original but it does well in elevating the game beyond a button mashing affair. Unfortunately, the game never really seemed like it could fully capitalize on this strategic element. It’s odd when you discover that an enemy can suddenly change its stats during a battle. For instance, an opposing drone can be vulnerable to a laser attack, but resistant to laser attack and become vulnerable to a melee attack in an instant during a battle. The enemies’ capability to switch stats on the fly may have added unpredictability and tension to battles, but it essentially removes any form of personality that each enemy may have. All too often, it also felt like the developers were trying too hard to make you switch Transformers – a well thought-out strategic concept which soon became too forceful.

Each Transformer is also categorized into one of the 3 types: Heavy, small and flying. Heavy Transformers can crash through rock walls, while small Transformers can sneak under small gaps on the ground. Flying Transformers offer increased mobility and are often solutions to hard-to-reach places. Some hidden items are placed in areas which are only accessible to certain types of Transformers so playing through only once may not get you all the hidden items. While it’s a good concept which encourages multiple playthroughs with different types of Transformers to uncover all the hidden items and unlock all the characters, it’s rarely significant outside of collecting hidden items. Small Transformers are weak so there’s little incentive in choosing them prior to each mission. Flying Transformers are enjoyable to pilot but the energy does not regenerate in jet form, leaving Heavy Transformers as the most recommended route for players who do not want to be frustrated by the hordes of enemy fire and powerful-attack, heavy-defense bosses.

More problems continue to plague the game as you progress. Like the home edition of War for Cybertron, the DS version allows you to quickly transform into vehicle form at the touch of a button. Vehicle form is good for escaping a tight situation and for getting to places fast. But vehicle form in War for Cybertron for DS is so much more. It’s the most powerful form of your Transformers. With increased resistance to all sorts of attacks, immunity to grenade blasts which would otherwise sweep a robot form Transformer off its feet and into the abyss, as well as a laser attack which has a higher damage and quicker rate of fire than any other weapon type you could possibly possess as a robot form Transformer, the vehicle form here is a ‘I win’ button. The game is challenging if you spend most of your time in robot form but once you realize that vehicle form is utterly unbalanced and all-powerful, and adapt to this flaw, you could steamroll your way to the credits.

The A.I. does more to help your cause. There’s little intelligence offered here and you can often quickly reduce enemies to scrap metal by merely keeping your distance and pounding them with shots without any retaliation. A game is hardly believable when the A.I. only becomes activated when you’re in close vicinity.

Perhaps the biggest problem with War for Cybertron is its very inconsistent level checkpoint system. There’s a distinct of lack of checkpoints for a handheld game. A death resulting from a boss fight could send you right back to the start and that’s when you know this game’s brutal. At other times, the game abandons its retro-inspired checkpoint system and puts you back on the platform where you fell off. But for most parts, the game isn’t generous. The grenade which sweeps your robot form Transformer off the platform results in cheap deaths while the handful of platforming sections makes War for Cybertron feel like Super Mario Bros. Transformers Edition and plunge to your death many times you will. I played through these portions of the game and when I was forced to restart the entire level, I was frustrated. Who wouldn’t?

War for Cybertron’s saving grace comes in the form of mission variety. The level design never feels stale, with varying interesting objectives littered throughout the course of the game. My favorite was the part where I needed to escape a facility before it came crashing down on me. I had to accomplish my escape under a very strict time limit. The given time does not allow you to make a single mistake so if you make a poor turn, knock into something to slow your vehicle down or didn’t boost enough, you wouldn’t make it.

Finish the single-player campaign and there’s still local 4 player deathmatch. Adding value to the package are what the game calls bonus missions. If you purchase the Autobots version which is the one being reviewed here, you will get 4 missions from the Decepticons package. Likewise, those getting the Decepticons version would find 4 missions from the Autobots pack to be playable so regardless of which package you’re getting, you’ll still get the chance to play and discover a little about the other side of the perspective.

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Transformers: War for Cybertron for DS isn’t a good companion to the home edition of the game. This DS version shares the same intriguing story as the home edition and there’s much to be liked about the mission variety but the rest of the game is filled with ill-conceived designs that prevent almost every well thought-out concept from reaching their potential. The idea of switching Transformers feels forceful and there’s little reason to choose any other Transformer type besides Heavy because the concept sees so little usage outside of collecting hidden items. The vehicle form is too powerful, making the game a romp – also possible thanks to the terrible A.I. However, the retro-inspired checkpoint system (or lack of thereof) is frustrating as strong bosses, cheap grenade deaths and difficult platforming sections will drag you back to the start point all too often.