Transformers: Fall of Cybertron GAME Exclusive Generation 1 Retro Pack PlayStation 3

Released on 24-Aug-2012

TRANSFORMERS: Fall of Cybertron transports you to the final days of the planet Cybertron where you will experience the darkest hours of the apocalyptic war between the AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS. Embark on an adrenaline-fueled journey through a wide range of missions and massive environments designed around each character's unique abilities. Fight through both sides of the most epic battles leading to their legendary exodus from their homeworld.

• Set in a desolate, post-apocalyptic Cybertron, the game thrusts players straight into an epic TRANSFORMERS story as seen through the eyes of both the AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS. From the Iacon Wasteland to The Sea of Rust, explore the devastated ruins of Cybertron and play through the final, darkest hours of the war.
  
• Characters convert from robot to alternate mode to defeat their enemies. GRIMLOCK can change into his powerful T-Rex Dinobot form for super strength and fire-breathing attack, and the COMBATICONS can combine into the massive BRUTICUS to dominate his enemies with this sheer size and power.
  
• Every character is equipped with distinct abilities and personalities that are suited for each of the diverse missions in the game. CLIFFJUMPER can cloak himself invisible to unleash undetected stealth kills on his enemies. OPTIMUS PRIME can call in targeted artillery strikes from the sky.
  
• The most robust character creator ever seen in a TRANSFORMERS game allows fans to design personalised characters from scratch by choosing their individual body parts, colours, vehicle shapes, weapons, abilities and more. Gamers can then take them online to go head-to-head in brutal AUTOBOT vs. DECEPTICON matches to prove their supremacy.
  

• TransFormers: Fall of Cybertron - Interview with High Moon Studios.

  
  

  TransFormers: Fall of Cybertron is finally here. And just to whet your appetite a little more, we managed to throw a few questions about the game to Dave Cravens, Senior Creative Director at High Moon Studios...

  

  What new features have been brought into the multiplayer experience?
  We put in a ton of new features in TransFormers: Fall of Cybertron. Sometimes small things like Host Migration, which means when the host of a match gets super angry for you kicking his butt all the time and leaves, the game migrates to a new host and you can play on. Sometimes big things, like our Character Creator! That's right, players will be able to build their own TransFormer from scratch! Everything you'd want to customise you can, including heads, shoulders, arms, legs, wheels, wings, colours and so much more. You can even adjust the metallic sheen of your creation!

  Are there more weapons and abilities for multiplayer?
  Yes! It would take a lot of time to detail everything, but if you played our first game TransFormers: War for Cybertron, you'll notice instantly both in single and multiplayer how many more weapons there are in the game, and everything is upgradable.

  On the full game will there be more character customisation options, such as more colour schemes?
  The more you play multiplayer, the more you will unlock. However it does start off with some great sets of colours!

  Does the fear of upsetting a very devoted fan base hamper any part of the design process; either characterisation, story or gameplay?
  We're part of that very fan base. And we'd hate to upset ourselves, so I guess the answer would be no! You can't please everyone, we know that, but we felt that if we made a game that we loved other fans would love it to. Love is the central theme here. I've said this before, and I'll say again - I feel we've created the definitive TransFormers game of all time. No kidding. That's what we want people to say after playing Fall of Cybertron, that's what we want them to feel. We think we've got a solid shot of making that happen.

  

  Who are your favourite characters?
  In the game? Man, there is honestly something I love about each of the ones you can play. From the start, we wanted each character to provide a very unique experience. When I play as Jazz, I get to zip around using my grappling hook. When I play as Optimus Prime, I get to call in artillery strikes or command my big city-sized buddy Metroplex to go smack bad guys around. When I play as Megatron, I get to literally look down on my prey from a hover before coming down on them like a ton of bricks. But if I HAD to choose, I'm an Optimus Prime / Metroplex combo kind of guy. Wait a second, Grimlock in his fire breathing space T-Rex form is pretty awesome too. And then there's Bruticus - who is a combination of five TransFormers into one! It seems that question is too hard to answer!

  What's the most creative pre-registered username you have seen? I personally like Optimus Prime Rib.
  Ohhh, that's clever. I'm partial to anything "tron." "Super-Mega-Tron," "Trini-tron-atron." Alliteration never fails to amuse me.

  For someone who is unfamiliar with the TransFormers series, why should I pick up your game?
  You don't know anything about TransFormers? Well, my friend, then this is the perfect game for you! We wanted Fall of Cybertron not only to appeal to fans, but be very accessible to those who know nothing about TransFormers. Our story experience is brilliantly multilayered so that beginners can follow it easily. If you don't care about story, you'll get just enough of it to understand who you're blasting and why. If you do care about story, there's plenty more for you to explore and soak up. I will say this is by far the most emotional TransFormers game you'll ever play. You'll laugh, you'll cry, it will become a part of you.

  

  Who was your favourite faction to develop content for? And what led to the inclusion of the legendary Dinobots?
  I'm an Autobot at heart, so it was awesome to develop for them, but there was still so much to love about developing for the Decepticons too. Regarding the Dinobots, the game director, Matt Tieger is a super dino-nerd, so he really, wanted the Dinobots to be in there. And who could argue that? They are inherently cool and super popular among fans. The challenge was to develop a story that allowed them to be in their dino-forms on Cybertron. So we felt it was a great opportunity to work with Hasbro and re-invent these beloved characters for modern times. Hasbro loved the story we came up with and the rest is history in the making.

  How difficult was it to select which TransFormers would be playable in the games story? With so many fan faves how did you do it?
  Those discussions were probably the toughest. You have your cornerstones that will absolutely have to be in the game like Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron and so forth, so those are easy. At the end of the day, what always wins the argument is the question, who would be the most fun to play? We are a game, and gameplay is the most important thing, so we chose characters who were not only fan favourites, but we felt would make fantastic gameplay.

  Is there going to be an awesome 80's hair metal tune playing in the end credits like in War for Cybertron?
  I cannot answer that question... without saying "yes."

  Published: 23/08/2012

• TransFormers: Fall of Cybertron - Review

  
  

  

  More Than Meets The Eye

  2010's War for Cybertron began the story of the Autobot/Decepticon civil war, and sequel Fall of Cybertron picks up where the first game left off, with the Autobots preparing their deep-space ship the Ark for evacuation from the dying mechanical planet.

  The second chapter in what we're hoping is a trilogy, the game shows how the robots-in-disguise travelled from their mined world to our distant planet, eventually crash-landing on prehistoric Earth, where they lay dormant for many years.

  While the original was split into two separate campaigns, one for the Autobots and the other for the Decepticons, Fall of Cybertron features a single narrative that alternates between each, which proves to be a definite boon when it comes to tight storytelling.

  One minute you'll take control of an Autobot battling to secure Energon resources for the Ark's evacuation and the next you'll play as a Decepticon aiming to sabotage those efforts, enabling you to see both sides of the conflict firsthand.

  The game also drops the original's three-player co-op structure, meaning you don't get to choose which character you play as in each level, but you'll still step into the suits of a host of fan-favourite TransFormers who offer plenty of varied gameplay.

  

  One Will Rise. Then Another...

  Third person perspective running 'n' gunning remains the main hook, but each Transformer is different. Optimus Prime levels feature an emphasis on shooting, for example, while the acrobatic Jazz can swing between ledges using his grapple hook in platforming missions.

  Starscream takes to the skies in excellent aerial/ground hybrid levels and Cliffjumper's cloaking ability is perfect for stealth forays. The melee-focused Dinobot section of the campaign can become repetitive, but given that the game delivers a roughly 12-hour single player adventure in which you get to play as a different character in almost all 13 missions, this is easily forgivable.

  Battling 'Bots

  Fall of Cybertron also boasts a solid online offering that adds plenty of value to the overall package. There are a handful of familiar competitive multiplayer game types such as Deathmatch, Conquest and Capture the Flag, which see you playing as one of four classes rather than known characters, but the star of the show is Escalation.

  

  It's a frantic four-player co-operative experience in which players face off against increasingly powerful waves of enemies. Each character class has unique support functions like the ability to absorb projectiles, heal team-mates or replenish ammo, while successful kills and captured objectives are rewarded with points that can be used to unlock weapons and upgrades, activate traps, or open doors to access new areas.

  While TransFormers nuts will get most out of Fall of Cybertron, it's a great game that offers something for all action and shooter fans. Featuring an entertaining story campaign and fun multiplayer modes that entice you to come back after the credits roll, it does a great job of making you feel like an absolute badass as you rip down structures, swoop from the skies, gun down enemies, slash them in two, or roast them with your dino flame breath.

  GAME's verdict:

  The Good:

  • A cool TransFormers story.
  • Regularly switching characters keeps gameplay fresh.
  • Makes you feel like an absolute ass-kicker.

  The Bad:

  • Melee combat could be less repetitive.
  • A few polish issues, lessened by installing the game on Xbox 360.
  • We'll probably have to wait two years for the next chapter.

   

  Published: 30/08/2012

• TransFormers: Fall of Cybertron - Review

  
  

  

  More Than Meets The Previous Eye

  While this is nominally a sequel to 2010's TransFormers: War For Cybertron, don't panic if you didn't play that robotic third-person shooter. Fall of Cybertron is essentially taking a second swing at the same thing rather, this time with a whole lot more scale and spectacle. If you know the basics of the TransFormers mythology, the heroic Autobots battling the evil Decepticons, then you'll grasp the basics, although a steady stream of references, in-jokes and supporting characters aimed squarely at long-term TransFormers fans means many will feel a little confused even if they did play the previous game.

  Each level puts you in the big metal boots of one Transformer, with the perspective frequently shifting from Autobot to Decepticon and back again. Whoever you're playing as will have a special ability to call upon in addition to the constant, frantic shooting action - Cliffjumper can turn invisible, Jazz has a grappling hook, Soundwave can unleash tiny defenders from his chest, and Optimus Prime can order devastating airstrikes from the city-sized Autobot Metroplex. It's the variety that transforms (pun very much intended) Fall of Cybertron from a traditional third-person shooter into something far more engaging.

  

  The changing, over-the-top cast also keeps the game zippy and witty, playing up to the broad personalities these robots were created with back in the mid 1980s. While you might not ever get to leave the beaten track, Fall of Cybertron is adept at ensuring there's always stuff worth looking at and listening to en-route.

  Not Entirely In Disguise

  The price paid for all of this focus-switching and gimmickry is transformation itself. While every character, bar the hulking Decepticon Bruticus, has an 'alt-mode' he can change into at will, there's almost no call to do so in single-player. It's such a barrage of scripted events, and usually so dependent on shooting, that being able to move a bit faster plays little part in the frenzy. A couple of levels do have you play as a flying character, so aircraft mode is mandatory, but that's about it. This doesn't harm the game as such, it's just a strange oversight given its title.

  If being a robot in disguise is the main appeal, you might want to direct your attention to multiplayer, which doesn't have the same bombast and spectacle of the campaign but does push transformation front and centre. Choosing from four different classes - car, truck, tank, plane - you then construct a character of your own design and wade into large-ish maps that require vehicle mode to traverse efficiently.

  

  Quick-fire transformation is also vital for avoiding trouble - or finding it. While the levels are more restrictive than they first appear, it's exhilarating to pursue a fleeing enemy across the skies, or to coolly transform to bot mode mid-flight and let loose a devastating heavy weapon shot at a foe who was convinced he had you on the run. You'll unlock more weapons and parts as you rank up over time, but fortunately for newbies this is more about offering choice than providing an upper hand.

  Build-a-Bot

  The create-a-character aspect is a bit underwhelming, as the stingy choice of parts and the somewhat indistinct art style means whatever you make will tend to look disappointingly similar to every other robot of its class, but hey, it beats being just another soldier with a machine-gun.

  All told, it's not a shooter for the ages but it is a huge improvement on the rather conservative War For Cybertron. The single-player mode especially is brimming with variety and excitement. It's also the most determined slice of fan service TransFormers devotees have likely ever known.

  Our rating: 8.0

  
  

  What's Good?

  • Plenty of variety
  • Warms the hearts of nostalgics
  • Witty, snappy script

  What's Bad?

  • Not much call to transform in single-player
  • Over a bit too soon
  • Multiplayer feels limited

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