Transformers Fall of Cybertron Review

This game reminds me of why I loved those shapeshifting machines so much in my childhood. Cybertron is in it's dying throes, the Decepticons having utterly trounced the Autobots. It's war on an epic scale with epic themes being portrayed through every cutscene and the valiant natures of the Autobots seen through their dialogue and interactions with their foe.
We open up to a climactic space battle as Megatron and Optimus clash, though a certain Autobot throws himself into fate's way. This sets the pace for a truly thunderous campaign, showing us all that 1. High Moon Studios can make an excellent game and 2. Michael Bay way is not the only way. Instead of having two separate campaigns we are treated to a single intertwined campaign with the stories of both sides played out in tandem. I'm not particularly for or against the idea, but it's certainly an interesting juxtaposition of viewpoints and moralities. It also allows us to play in a mission crafted specifically to a character's mettle, which I'll explain later.

I certainly love the variety in the levels. The first game happened to suffer from the dark, monochrome palette that so many sci-fi games fall for, but here High Moon have learnt from their mistakes and presented a downright beautiful world. Who knew metal could be so pretty in so many colours? From dusty landscapes to grinding gears and polished interiors, Cybertron looks and sounds fantastic. And that's not even counting its many inhabitants. 

GRIMLOCK!!!!! OMG IT'S GRIMLOCK!!!!!!!! DINOSAURS!! Was the internet's response when they saw him in the first trailers. It's great to feel the same way playing him. He and his fellow Dinobots are actually a "plausible" part of the story and included with the Insecticons, another callback to the days of fame. He uses a sword and shield, different to the BFGs that every other Transformer wields, but he truly becomes memorable when he transforms. Eating Decepticons for health, thwacking them with his tail, breathing fire....It's all there, in one prehistoric package. 

Then there's Bruticus, the big lumbering Combaticon who's adept at stomping legions of Autobots into the ground. No wonder the Autobots are always outnumbered whenever we see them in a film or game. There's also Jazz (alas, let's pretend Transformers 1 didn't happen) who can use his nice grappling hooks to swing around huge indoor areas ala Batman, Cliffjumper, who runs around going all Sam Fisher on enemy Transformers, Metroplex, who is bigger than even Omega Supreme and Trypticon and absolutely annihilates everything in Prime's path, Vortex who flies around blasting Autobots into bits, Swindle who has his own dedicated chase sequence, and of course Prime and Megatron.

There's a huge amount of characters who appear in the game as fan service, and it only gets better in the multiplayer. The amazing Escalation mode is back where you and three friends fight off 15 waves of bad guys, making up for the loss of campaign co-op. There's also a competitive mode where you can play as an Infiltrator, a Titan, a Destroyer or a Scientist, each with their own buffs. Here, there's a gargantuan amount of customisation that can take place, from heads to skins to legs to torsos etc....

All in all it's a great game that actually manages to pull ticks in every department; characters, innovation and mechanics, graphics and environment, multiplayer, and story (there's a few sad moments in there, you'll see what I mean).

8.75/10