This is one of the most gratifying things about being an older gamer: when fans of popular franchises grow up and get jobs in the video game industry. A lot of uncharitable things can be said for media culture's habit of remaking, rebooting and rehashing old stories, but when it's done from the heart like Transformers: War for Cybertron plainly is, the result is very often a damn good time. See Joss Whedon's "Avengers" or Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" movies: both are exuberant love letters to their source material and it shows.

If you have fond memories of the 1980s iteration of The Transformers[www.imdb.com] cartoon up to and including the 1986 movie[www.imdb.com], High Moon Studios' first TF outing is a high-octane shot of finely-tuned nostalgia. From the minute you start up one of the game's two single-player campaigns (one for the Decepticons, and one for the Autobots - just for story's sake, I recommend you play them in that order, although the game gives you the option to choose), you will feel like a kid again, plopped in front of the TV after school watching the Autobots smash the bolts out of some Decepticreeps. Peter Cullen voices Optimus for the umpteenth time and hits it out of the park of course, and while he is, I believe, the only voice actor present from the original series, the rest of the talent is excellent and written in exactly the same style as the old cartoons. So you get the familiar banter of Megatron/Starscream, Megatron/Soundwave (the original bromance), Soundwave/everyone, Starscream/Skywarp/Thundercracker, Optimus/Ironhide, Bumblebee/everyone, but also some not-so-familiar characters like Air Raid & Warpath, both of which are hilariously scripted and voiced and really feel like they could be right out of the show. The story is a straight prequel of the cartoon: Cybertron is a war-torn mechanical planet, the Decepticons want to grab all the power they can, the Autobots kinda don't want them to, someone gets a little too Dr. Strangelove on things and oops, we have to leave the planet because we broke it. You're not gonna get Spec Ops: The Line or Bioshock Infinite out of this -- it's robots beating the crap out of each other, innit? But it is a pitch-perfect story with a delicious topping of fanboyism and if you're the target audience even a tiny bit, you'll love it.

So what about the game itself? Well... I hesitate to say too much because my inner kid loves the theme-park-ness to pieces, but it is unfortunately a rather average third-person shooter. That's not to say it's badly done, it's not. Technically it's spot-on, it looks good and plays well, but does it do anything new? Not really. It should have a cover system, it doesn't. You can transform into whatever vehicle your chosen robot is, which is awesome, but it doesn't really matter other than stretches of levels where it's either transform or run a lot (and you run slow, but okay, you weigh ten tons). The controls for vehicle mode are kind of frustrating (game devs: no one enjoys driving with a mouse. It was new and weird in Borderlands, it's old and annoying now. It really is. Stop doing it) and it's disappointing that you don't get a greater sense of speed when you're in "boost mode". The guns sound great, but they could have more variety. The world certainly looks like Cybertron, which again: awesome, however all the metal-on-metal-with-the-occasional-sky motif can be a little boring. But Cybertron is basically Coruscant with less trees, so I'm not sure what else they were supposed to do. There's not a lot in the way of exploration, either for collectibles (there are some, but they very much feel like an afterthought) or just because, and it can't be called anything but a very linear experience. But that's more or less okay since it really tries to be an extended episode of the cartoon, and in that, it succeeds. Hugely. But... all of that does sadly mean that in my opinion if you have little to no desire in watching a bunch of robots shoot each other while making snarky comments, you will probably not miss much by giving this game a pass. There are much better shooters if that's what you want.

But if you are a Transformers fan at all, grab this. Grab it grab it grab it. It's fantastic, and I can't wait to play Fall of Cybertron.

(Quick note on multiplayer (and a quick note is all it is since I have no experience with it): it's supposed to be good. Fall of Cybertron is supposed to be even better. That's it! There are plenty of other reviews for the multiplayer side and the consensus is, again, "good". "Fun", even. I don't know what else to tell you.)

Transformers: War for Cybertron is a good Transformers game. Wrap your brain around that. High Moon Studios clearly cares about the franchise, and went to some lengths to include a large number of popular Transformers, as well as lesser known ones. This game is not related to the Michael Bay movies. Even if the action is a little repetitive, it's a bold move to make a three-player coop, no cover system, third person shooter nowadays. The voice acting is fantastic, and the last couple missions are really awesome. If you like Tranformers, It's a solid A. For everyone else, it's a decent action game.

To be honest, I have actually written a pretty long review-ey type thing talking about the many things this game did right and whatnot but halfway along the way, it didn't seem persuasive enough to recommend people to play the game.

So instead, I'm just gonna list 30 awesome things/moments I can think of off the top of my head as to why you should get this game and play the heck out of it:

1. It has Transformers
2. It is amazing
3. It uses a lot of G1 influences meaning all the characters are their loveable and awesome selves, just as you remember them as a kid
4. The robots have all been redesigned with a modern look but still manages to capture the essence of the cartoons
5. Peter Cullen
6. The gameplay is awesome
7. The transformations are seemless
8. The shooting is incredibly satisfying
9. The voice acting is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ great
10. Megatron is so gar, you can't help but follow him
11. Optimus Prime is as gar as Megatron
12. The world building and the atmosphere in this game is so effective that you do actually feel like you're in a war in a dying planet filled with robots
13. You fight a boss so big and so powerful that you have to enter himself, disable him from the inside, escape his inside before he crushes you as he transforms, plummet from space to the planet below WHILE fighting the boss and then watch him crash land like a comet into the ground...
14. AND THEN fight him again cuz he's such a badass and that crash land was apparently just a 't'is but a scratch' situation before you can finally take down this behemoth
15. Incredible boss fights not limited to the one above
16. Scenery Porn (especially if you like metal-themed environments)
17. Memorable Characters
18. Bumblebee is voiced by Lelouch vi Brittania
19. Multiplayer Co-op
20. Catchphrases, One-liners, War Banters and Transformer Jargon are all music to your ears as you play
21. Did I mention the voice acting is great?
22. The voice acting is friggin' great
23. You can fly
24. You can drive
25. You can shoot stuff
26. You can shoot stuff while flying
27. You can shoot stuff while driving
28. You can shoot stuff while flying, transform to a robot and proceed to shoot more stuff, transform into a jet and zoom past the baddies and into a sniping point, turn around, shoot stuff, transform and shoot stuff with your sniping weapon :D
29. You can shoot stuff while driving, ram into the enemies, shoot stuff while reversing, transform and shoot them in the face, run up to them and melee them in the face, transform and drive away :D
30. This game made me realise how incredibly bad the Bayformers were.

When I discovered this game in my backlog I was initially scared when starting it up, I expected a game that was similar to those godawful Michael bay movies but instead it was like being transported back in time.

Megatron was again himself and his trusted henchman Soundwave was again by his side. Starscream is also in there being the cowardly rascal that he always was in G1. Its a great bit of nostalgia for an older gamer backed up by extremely good gameplay.

The campaign is a bit short which is to be expected , cmon its Activision but I enjoyed it immensely. Just a pity I discovered the game so late as the multiplayer is dead.

I would recommend getting it on a sale if you're a fan, the second game Fall of Cybetron also looks promising.

If you are a true Transformers fan, then you will love the game. A neat feature about the game is that there are 10 chapters; the chapters are LONG. The first 5 chapters you will play as the Decepticons and the last 5 chapters, you will play as the Autobots.

A cool thing about War for Cybertron is when you select a chapter, you can decide if you want to be Megatron, Barricade, Star Scream or even Sound Wave and a few others. My all time favorite Decepticon to play, would be Megatron. Megtron's main weapon is a huge cannon, which knocks an autobot down in one hit! Star Scream is also really sweet to play, he is quick and has a deadly weapon.


On the Autobot side, you can play as Optimus Prime! (like we didn't know already lol). He is really cool. His main weapon is a awesome assault weapon. A few characters you can play on the Autobot side, are Optimus, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Jetfire and a few more. Probably my two favorite are Optimus and Ironhide.

The campaign is pretty good. I read the book, "War for Cybertron" a year before I played the actual game. I enjoyed the game because it explained things better than the book. There were only a few things I didn't like; one was when you played as the Decepticons, the Autobots sometimes acted like bad guys when they shouldn't. For exmaple - autobot "I am going to destroy you!!". That seems like something Megatron would say. lol.

The graphics are pretty decent. The only downfall to the game, which is biggest issue for me, is that it's capped at 30fps so you won't be able to go past that (unless you download programs which I don't recommend). Since it's capped, it's best to keep the settings on low so it will run smoothly. There are times that my PC stuttered because of the 30 cap and it's not because my PC isn't good. My PC can run alll CoD games on High-Extra.

Other than the 30 cap, my next issue is that the last chapter was a little "lame" as for it was similar to the Autobot's campaign. I won't reveal any more info than this as I don't want to ruin it others. :\

As a side note, when I first launched it on Windows 8.1, it wouldn't load. If you expenience this issue, move the Physx file to desktop and launch the game, (it will give an error, after that, put the Physx file back where you found it), then launch it again and it should run.

Overall, good story, fun Decepticons/Autobots characters, decent graphics, = Worth it!

It's not only one of the best Transformers games out there, it's also one hell of an action game, with a unique theme, varied gameplay and lots of cool mechanics not present in other third person shooters. Though the story and execution are not as epic as the sequel - Fall of Cybertron - the overall gameplay is still thoroughly enjoyable and well paced. WfC also offers a bit better vehicle sections than FoC, and way better and more challenging boss fights. Not to mention, being able to select one of three characters available for a specific chapter is definitely a plus.

People familiar with the Transformers will immediatelly appreciate the amazing animations and the artstyle faithful to Generation One, but the overall graphics are impressive on their own. One drawback I can think of in that regard is that it can be too dark/brown at times, with enemies being hard to distinguish from the rest of the environment. As for the audio, let's just say it's almost flawless, featuring some great music tracks, quite powerful sound effects, and an amazing voiceover, with numerous actors reprising their roles as familiar robots from the original show.

Still, even though the PC port is very much playable, it's quite lacking in many respects. From unrebindable controls, 30fps lock, minimal graphics options, to a complete lack of DLC, and multiplayer being full of cheaters. That aside though, it's still an awesome shooter, worth playing despite these drawbacks for the story campaign alone.

Transformers: War for Cybertron is a 3rd Person Action Shooter. The Cybertronian Civil War takes a turn when Megatron and his Decepticons get hold of an ancient power source, just as a new Autobot leader emerges to face him.

Pros: The story, although linear, is solid with great voice acting and writing, as you walk the grounds of Cybertron facilities, prisons and cities in a 10-chapter campaign that has you battling in squads of iconic characters from the series (pretty fun in co-op, too!). Each chapter will have you choose from three characters with different class, weapons and vehicle form, a selection that varies with each chapter. Transforming is an essential part of combat, as robot form allows you to jump, do special moves and carry up to two weapons, while vehicle mode allows faster movement and strafing as well as alternative weapon & ammo reserve. Graphics are pretty good, textures being higher resolution in-game than in cut scenes, while sound effects feel genuine to Transformers.

Cons: Besides being able to transform, combat is nothing special, as there is no cover system beyond moving your character behind an obstacle, and weapons go from generic machine gun to generic shotgun, generic missile launcher, generic sniper, and anything in between. You might think melee combat would be an alternative, but in fact it feels worst as each melee strike takes a few seconds to complete, meaning you'll avoid using it at all in tougher fights unless the enemy AI happens to come within range. The characters, enemies, obstacles and backgrounds all have the same aesthetic and look, making it hard to know what's what in the heat of a firefight. As for the campaign length, well, let's just say they could've been longer seeing the only replay value lies with what's left of the multiplayer community.

Verdict: ★★★★☆ - Next on your list!

This isn't the Batman: Arkham Asylum of Transformers, but it's no doubt the best we'll get. Hasbro has certified it as an official canon prequel to the Transformers, so it's pretty awesome for a fan to see how Starscream came to join the Decepticons, how Optimus became a Prime, and what events took place in the times before the Autobots left Cybertron. While non-fans may find this game to be a plain 3rd Person Shooter, I still strongly recommend it!

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This was just my opinion.

If you found this review helpful, please consider giving it a thumbs up, and feel free to check out more of my (purely opinionated) reviews.

A few reasons to consider whether or not to get this:

1.) Any fan of the original will go nuts for the Nostalgia alone; worth full price.
- Totally awesome and original story with great voice acting.

2.) The combat is beyond insane.
- Runs FAST and flawless while looking gorgeous on ancient hardware (35 fps 1080p 2xAA Core2Duo 2.5GHz. NV:240GTS)

and Number 3:

A perfect 'excuse' / 'valid reason' to get that Garage Door size HD projector and Dolby Digital 7.1 Surround Sound setup you always wanted deep down in your heart. ;D~


A review before me summed it up perfectly:
"IT'S AWESOME!!!!"

Great game great story pretty cool cutscenes. this is true transformers (aka No Humans, No Earth, No Micheal Bay)

Only played the single player campaign.

Third person shooter. 5 missions for each side, Autobot and Decepticon.

You run around shooting stuff and picking up new weapons along the way. Your characters don't improve/gain xp.

Each mission gives you 3 characters to choose from. Usually they're all different classes, ie - leader, soldier, scout, scientist. Each class has different powers and starting weapons.

The story takes place on Cybertron. The Decepticon campaign tells the story of how Megatron basically broke Cyberton. The Autobot campaign tells the story of how the Autobots had to deal with Megatron's actions.

Controls are simple enough. Move, jump, double jump, aim/look, fire, secondary fire/zoom, switch weapons, reload, melee attack, use object/pick up weapon, throw grenade, skill action 1, skill action 2, and transform. Transforming will turn your character into a cybertronian car or jet. With either, you can execute a boost movement, this basically takes the place of running in robot mode. There is no run key for robot mode. As a car you can also jump. As a jet you can fly. This is a enormous tactical advantage. Another key differenc between car and jet is ammunition. Cars have cannons with limited ammo while jets have guns and missiles, both of which are unlimited. They're unlimited but you still have to "reload."

Every enemy you defeat drops energy. It's not health, it's energy to power your special skills.

It's pretty short but fun.