Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)
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 It's like Gears of War, but you turn into the Centaur. | |||||||
| Developer | High Moon Studios | ||||||
| Publisher | Activision | ||||||
| Platform | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 PC | ||||||
| Release date | June 22, 2010 | ||||||
| Ratings | ESRB: T | ||||||
Transformers: War for Cybertron is a video game developed by High Moon Studios and published by Activision, set before the Transformers take their war to Earth. Hasbro intends it to act as a foundation for Transformers franchise storylines for years to come, and so they've been giving a lot of input and stressing character development.[1] The book Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron serves as a storyline lead-in to the events of the game, which itself in turn sets the stage for the upcoming cartoon series Transformers: Prime.[citation needed]
The game itself is an over-the-shoulder third-person shooter in which the player can choose his character from a small roster of either Autobots or Decepticons. The game was released June 22, 2010, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC; however, the console versions were released at Sears stores on June 17th.
- One shall fall.Megatron
Synopsis
Unlike previous Transformers video games which feature distinctly separate campaigns for the Autobots and the Decepticons (traditionally depicting the playable faction utterly defeating the other), War for Cybertron features a single, linear storyline; the Decepticon campaign occurs chronologically before the Autobot campaign, but fans can play through them in whichever order they prefer.[2]
Decepticon Campaign
Chapter I: Dark Energon
It is the waning days of the Great War on Cybertron before the Transformers come to Earth. Megatron, genuinely believing a caste system will bring Cybertron back to its Golden Age, is researching a dangerous power source known as Dark Energon to fuel his conquest of the planet. Megatron discovers that the factory that produces Dark Energon is guarded by a neutral army led by Starscream, and he leads an attack on the station. After his ship crashes into the hull of the station, Megatron, Brawl and Barricade defeat Starscream's army and harness the power of the Dark Energon. Cornered, Starscream tells Megatron that he's the only one who knows how to make more of the energon and that he will help the Decepticon leader if Megatron takes him into his army. Megatron reluctantly agrees to this.
Chapter II: Fuel of War
- Characters available: Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp
- Boss: Cybertron's Sentinel
Megatron sends the seekers to reactivate the ancient Energon Bridge that will produce new Dark Energon. After fighting legions of Autobot defenders, they succeed.
Chapter III: Iacon Destroyed
- Characters available: Megatron, Soundwave, Breakdown
- Boss: Zeta Prime
With his new powers, Megatron takes the fight straight to the Autobot's capital city. While Starscream and Brawl lead the main attack on the city, Megatron takes Soundwave and Breakdown on a flanking attack to recover the Omega Key, which will allow him to access the core of the planet. Arriving at the key's holding place, the Decepticons learn that the Autobot leader Zeta Prime has taken it to keep it safe. The team regroup with Brawl and Starscream, and use Dark Energon bombers to eliminate the remaining Autobots before storming the building in which Zeta Prime is waiting. Megatron defeats the Autobot leader, stealing the Omega Key and punching a hole in his chest. Zeta reveals that the key Megatron has just stolen only activates the real Omega Key, and that soon it will find him. Suddenly a huge ship awakens and takes off.
Chapter IV: Death of Hope
- Characters available: Megatron, Soundwave, Breakdown
- Boss: Omega Supreme (Vehicle mode)
An unknown amount of time later, Megatron is commanding his ship in search of the "Omega Key". The ship is suddenly attacked by Omega Supreme, who shoots them out of the sky, causing them to crash-land in Iacon. Megatron, Soundwave and Breakdown began a desperate retreat from Omega Supreme's attack and take cover in a large tower. Once inside, the group hear Starscream announce that Megatron is dead and that he is taking command of the Decepticons (surprise!). Enraged but unable to make any outside contact, Megatron leads his forces through the city, dodging attacks from Omega Supreme while searching for a way to fight him. Soundwave discovers that they can use some of the Autobot's anti-air and anti-infantry turrets on a tower roof against the massive Autobot. Along the way, the group makes contact with Starscream and corrects his mistake, using him to distract Omega Supreme. Once they reached the turrets, the group manages to shoot down Omega Supreme, causing him to crash to the ground below.
Chapter V: The Final Guardian
- Characters available: Megatron, Soundwave, Breakdown
- Boss: Omega Supreme (Robot mode)
The Decepticons descend into the impact crater to loot Omega's remains, but he transforms into robot mode, unleashing his full barrage on the squad. Megatron manages to corrupt Omega with Dark Energon, using him to reach and corrupt the core of Cybertron with Dark Energon.
Autobot Campaign
Chapter VI: Defend Iacon
In a decimated Iacon, the young Autobot messenger Bumblebee is sent to tell the soldier Optimus that Zeta Prime is dead. Optimus decides to take temporary control of the Autobots, adopting Bumblebee into his team. The two of them and Ratchet kick off a counterattack to push out Decepticon forces. They manage to reactivate the planetary guns, clearing the skies over Iacon, and proceed to aid Ironhide in reclaiming the Decagon, tangling with Starscream along the way. Entering the Decagon, Optimus receives a message from Zeta Prime, revealing that he is not yet dead but is being held in a prison in Kaon.
Chapter VII: Kaon Prison Break
- Characters available: Optimus, Sideswipe, Bumblebee
- Boss: Soundwave
Optimus allows his team to be captured by the Decepticons and enter the prison. The three are just barely saved from a firing squad by Air Raid, but as they escape into the tunnels below, Air Raid is captured. The three Autobots sneak through the prison, rescuing Air Raid and releasing all the Autobot prisoners (including Arcee). Using the chaos as a distraction, the trio sneak to the high security bunker Zeta Prime is being held. When the Autobots try to save them, Soundwave attacks, sending out Frenzy, Rumble, and Laserbeak. The Autobots defeat them, but Soundwave manages to retreat. When Optimus tries to rescue Zeta, the Prime tells him that he is already dead and collapses. Optimus returns the body to the Autobot High Council, who tell Optimus that he must accept that he is a Prime and take up his role as leader. Thus, he becomes Optimus Prime.
Chapter VIII: To the Core
- Characters available: Optimus, Ironhide, Warpath
- Boss: Corrupted Space Slug
Optimus' first task as Prime is to cure the currently infected core. Heading to the entrance, where Omega Supreme is being held by the Decepticons, the three Autobots manage to free Omega, then call in Ratchet to repair him enough to open the Omega Gate. Thanks to the help of some space slugs, Prime, Warpath, and Ironhide defeat a corrupted space slug and reach the core. However, the core tells Optimus that, in order to repair itself, it will have to shut down for millions of years, forcing Optimus and the Autobots to evacuate Cybertron. Before the core shuts down, it gives Optimus the Matrix of Leadership.
Chapter IX: Aerial Assault
- Characters available: Silverbolt, Air Raid, Jetfire
- Boss: Trypticon
Returning to Iacon, Optimus Prime orders the launching of a full-scale evacuation of Cybertron's surface. However, as the transports leave the atmosphere, Megatron begins shooting them down with his giant purple griffin massive orbital space station. Optimus relizes the need to shut down the station, and sends a group of fliers to shut it down from the inside out. The team manages to blow up the power core, but Megatron taunts them as he activates a back-up generator. Then the station itself begins to mock them. Realizing the station is a Cybertronian, the team flies to find its conversion cog to force it into its robot mode before it can finish leveling Iacon, and Optimus with it. Succeeding, the Autobots race out of the quickly transforming space station as it reveals itself to be Trypticon. The Autobots shoot out the massive Decepticon's jetpack, causing it to hurtle towards the surface of the planet.
Chapter X: One Shall Stand...
- Characters available: Optimus, Bumblebee, Ironhide
- Boss: Trypticon
All seems quiet as Optimus and others search the wreckage, but soon a very much alive and enraged Trypticon emerges to wage a long and difficult battle with the Autobots. After targeting key weaknesses, Optimus uses his axe to knock Trypticon off-balance, sending it plummeting into the liquid below. As the other transports escape the planet's dying surface Optimus shows his team their new ship - an Ark that will allow them to take a piece of Cybertron with them, wherever their adventures may take them...
Characters
At the start of each level, the player can choose from one of three characters.
Featured Characters
Multiplayer
The multiplayer options make up a large portion of War for Cybertron's content. Hope you have a Gold account!
Campaign
The single-player campaigns can be played online, with players taking control of the other two allies that are usually just dumb A.I. If other players are participating, a tally of each participants kills is kept. You know, for bragging rights.
Escalation
This cooperative mode puts several friends together against an unending horde of enemies. With each horde vanquished, new areas are opened. Each area contains vending machines that hold weapons, ammo, and permission to access more areas. Characters in Escalation mode are the same as those selected in Campaign; custom multiplayer 'bots are not available here.
Multiplayer
This broad option is where you will be spending most of your hours after you beat Trypticon. Here, players can create their own Cybertronian combatant and pit them against the multitude of online transfans and 12-year-olds that will slaughter you. Custom characters can be leveled up by killing dudes in matches, with specific bonuses being given for specific actions. As they level up, more abilities become available.
- Characters
Characters are created from four different bases, each of which feature different weapons, abilities and alternate forms. They are:
- Scout - Cars. Fast, usually cloakers.
- Scientist - Jets. Also fast, usually medics and buffers.
- Leader - Trucks. Balanced, with emphasis on defense and ally-aid.
- Soldier - Tanks. Slow and powerful, with offensive abilities.
Initially, players are only able to create one of each class, but as they level up, more slots open for a maximum of three of each class. Names can be chosen for each, but don't get too excited about making the Transformer you always dreamed of: bodies are limited to about three options per faction and look exactly like characters from single-player (for example, the Autobot Scout category lets you choose from Bumblebee, Sideswipe or Arcee). You can, however, pick your color scheme. The palettes are rather limited, especially for Decepticons. However, if you preordered one of the three characters (Shockwave, Jazz, and Demolisher) from where ever, you can use their chassis in Multiplayer.
- Playlists
Choosing a playlist will automatically send you into a lobby, where the service will do its best to form balanced teams (I.E., you hopefully won't see a team of level 25 leaders fighting one level zero Scout). The service will also select a random stage, which players can veto. Finally, when the game begins, combatants select their character. If your scientist gets butchered too many times, you can pick a different character at any time during the match, and you will switch to it upon dying. Players also cannot pick a faction; the game does it automatically. Weapons can only be picked up from defeated enemies; ammo caches, overshields and energon are scattered throughout the stages.
Playlists include:
- Team deathmatch: Kill 40 opponents to win. Games can range from four to sixteen players.
- Deathmatch: Kill 20 opponents to win. It's a free-for-all.
- Conquest: Defend several "power nodes" until your team gets 400 points.
- Code of power: Capture the flag. Team with highest score after two rounds wins.
- Countdown to extinction: Plant the bomb in the enemy's base three times to win.
- Power struggle: Control the active power node until you get 400 points.
Production
As an early marketing campaign, the game's website included the feature "Operation Transmission Recovery": using transmission and coordinate dials, you could pick up "transmissions" from Cybertron (or "video clips" to you and me).
The art and design team did intense research (i.e. watched the original cartoon, looked at comics, and watched "typical sci-fi cool stuff" like Blade Runner) to work out the aesthetic of Cybertron; lead artist Ivan Power remarked that the original cartoon was the main inspiration, and that Cybertron wasn't shown there so they had to rewatch the same few clips "over and over". While many of the city designs are elaborate and shiny, Decepticon Kaon was deliberately designed to be sharp-edged, rusting, and slapped together to show the Decepticons weren't interested in building a functioning society. [6]
Trophy/Achievement list
When completing various goals and tasks during the campaigns and in online multi-player, the player can earn Trophies on PlayStation 3 and Achievements on the Xbox 360. There are 4 kinds of Trophies: Platinum is the highest, and is only unlocked after earning all the other trophies. It is followed by Gold, which include harder tasks and worth more experience. Then Silver, with less experience than Gold, and finally Bronze which represent easier tasks and worth the least experience. On the Xbox, each achievement has a Gamerscore (G) that adds to the player's total gamerscore, which is essentially the Xbox Live version of "Street Cred".
| Achievement/Trophy name | Achievement/Trophy description | Gamerscore | PS Trophy |
| A Prime Problem | Complete "Defend Iacon" on any difficulty | 10G | Bronze |
| The Last Prime | Complete "Kaon Prison Break" on any difficulty | 10G | Bronze |
| You Got the Touch | Complete "To the Core" on any difficulty | 10G | Bronze |
| The War Within | Complete "Aerial Assault" on any difficulty | 10G | Bronze |
| The Harder They Fall | Complete "One Shall Stand" on any difficulty | 10G | Bronze |
| Dark Awakening | Complete "Dark Energon" on any difficulty | 10G | Bronze |
| Paging Ratchet | Revive 5 Autobot soldiers in "Defend Iacon" | 15G | Bronze |
| Beak Breaker | Shoot the 3 hidden Laserbeaks in throughout "Kaon Prion Break" | 15G | Bronze |
| Slugfest | Save the slug before it is executed in "To the Core" | 15G | Bronze |
| Powerglide Performer | Fly through the coolant tunnels in under 23 seconds in "Aerial Assault" | 15G | Bronze |
| First We Crack the Shell... | Get smashed by Trypticon's hand as he falls into energon goo in "One Shall Stand" | 15G | Bronze |
| Autobot Recruit | Autobot Campaign Complete (Easy) | 15G | Bronze |
| Autobot Commander | Autobot Campaign Complete (Medium) | 30G | Silver |
| Autobot Prime | Autobot Campaign Complete (Hard) | 45G | Silver |
| Starscream's Brigade | Complete "Fuel of War" on any difficulty | 10G | Bronze |
| The Fall of Iacon | Complete "Iacon Destroyed" on any difficulty | 10G | Bronze |
| The Secret of Omega Supreme | Complete "Death of Hope" on any difficulty | 10G | Bronze |
| Victory is Mine | Complete "The Final Guardian" on any difficulty | 10G | Bronze |
| Your Lucky Day | Kill all but 1 of the neutral prisoners in "Dark Energon" | 15G | Bronze |
| Thief in the Night | Find and disable all of the security trip-wire switches in "Fuel of War" | 15G | Bronze |
| Chaos Bringer | Destroy the planets in the Stellar Galleries in "Iacon Destroyed" | 15G | Bronze |
| Motormaster! | Race across the Chasm Bridge in under 33 seconds in "Death of Hope" | 15G | Bronze |
| Devastator | Destroy all cover in the arena in "The Final Guardian" | 15G | Bronze |
| Decepticon Grunt | Complete the Decepticon Campaign (Easy) | 15G | Bronze |
| Decepticon Seeker | Complete the Decepticon Campaign (Medium) | 30G | Silver |
| Decepticon Warlord | Complete the Decepticon Campaign (Hard) | 45G | Silver |
| Till All Are One | Complete both Campaigns (Any Difficulty) | 30G | Silver |
| Brute-a-kiss! | Ignite a Brute's back 5 times in Campaign or Escalation | 15G | Bronze |
| Footloose and Fancy Free | Destroy a Jet Soldier's foot thrusters 5 time in Campaign or Escalation | 15G | Bronze |
| That's No Mirage | Headshot a Cloaker when it is invisible in Campaign or Escalation | 15G | Bronze |
| Targetmaster! | Kill two snipers in 5 seconds | 15G | Bronze |
| There Are Parts Everywhere | Multi-Kill 3 car soldiers at once using an explosive weapon in Campaign or Escalation | 15G | Bronze |
| Blast-arachnia! | Destroy 100 spider in Campaign or Escalation | 15G | Bronze |
| Fire in the Sky | Melee kill a Jet Vehicle in Campaign or Escalation | 15G | Bronze |
| Friends to the End | Complete a level in Co-Op | 15G | Bronze |
| Unlikely Allies | Complete a level in Competitive Co-Op | 15G | Bronze |
| More Than Meets the Eye | Earn a 1st Place MVP award in any Multiplayer mode | 15G | Bronze |
| You Got Spark, Kid | Reach level 5 in any single class in Multiplayer | 5G | Bronze |
| Spike's BFF | Reach a combined class of level of 25 in Multiplayer | 15G | Bronze |
| The Kup's Half Full | Reach a combined class level of 50 in Multiplayer | 25G | Silver |
| Only the Strong Survive | Reach a combined class level of 75 in Multiplayer | 50G | Silver |
| Top of the Scrap Heap | Reach a combined class level of 100 in Multiplayer | 75G | Silver |
| Prime Directive | Unlock Prime Mode | 30G | Silver |
| Powermaster! | Spend 25,000 power in Escalation | 15G | Bronze |
| Heavy Metal War | Complete the 15th wave in Escalation | 50G | Gold |
| Scavenger Would Be Proud | Destroy all hidden Autobot symbols in the Decepticon Campaign | 25G | Silver |
| Grimlock, Smash! | Destroy all hidden Decepticon symbols in the Autobot Campaign | 25G | Silver |
| Action Master | Get 10 kills with a single detached turret in any mode | 15G | Bronze |
| Wait! I Still Function! | Get 3 kills while downed in a Co-Op campaign or Escalation | 30G | Silver |
| Ramhorn | Ram-kill an enemy who is stunned by an EMP Grenade in Campaign or Multiplayer | 15G | Bronze |
| Sonic Pain Wave | Killing an enemy with a shock wave attack | ||
| Vector Sigma Victory | Unlock All Trophies | Platinum |
Demo
On June 10, 2010, a demo for the game was released on Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo is a multiplayer only demo, and only two of the four announced classes, Soldier and Scout, are playable in the demo. Only one "Create a Character" slot is open for each class, but customization for chassis is not available yet. Players can only level up to Level 3 in each class. The only map available is "Molten", and the two gametypes available are Team Deathmatch and Conquest.
Reception
The game has received many positive reviews from critics and fans alike. IGN has given the score 9/10 because of its "Great Presentation", "Fun Multiplayer", "Classy Fan Service", but subtracted from its score due to the "Repetitive Visuals".[7][8] Other scores such as 83 from GameRankings, 77 from Metacritic, 85 from GameInformer, B+ from 1UP.com, and 4 out of 5 stars from GamePro. The lowest, however, is 6.5 from Gamespot, citing the weaknesses: "Lack of visual and gameplay variety in the campaign, Paucity of ammunition, Boss fights are incredibly tedious, Friendly and enemy AI is poor, Transformations are integrated poorly with the core action".[9]
References
- ↑ War for Cybertron interview with Aaron Archer and Matt Tieger @ TFW2005.com
- ↑ Seibertron Q&A with Activision
- ↑ Twitter post by Johnny Yong Bosch confirming his role as Bumblebee.
- ↑ Bestbuy.com preorder page featuring a special Jazz trailer
- ↑ Amazon.com preorder page featuring a special Demolishor trailer
- ↑ Game Informer: Behind the Art of War for Cybertron
- ↑ IGN's review of Transformers: War for Cybertron on the PS3, page 1
- ↑ IGN's review of Transformers: War for Cybertron on the PS3, page 2
- ↑ Gamespot's review of Transformers: War for Cybertron on the PS3
