Reviews// Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

Once you’re kitted out it’s time to head into battle in one of the four available multiplayer modes, ranging from classic Team Deathmatch to objective-based games like Capture the Flag and Conquest.

As you play you’ll earn experience and level up your classes, which in turn unlocks more weapons and upgrades for each class. You’ll also unlock extra slots to create and outfit more robots in each class. Theoretically this could be used for setting up different weapons for when you’re feeling like trying out a different playing style to your usual bot, but really it’s just a good excuse for playing around in the robot builder more.

One of the most notable changes is the removal of special abilities in vehicle form. Not being able to barrel roll as a jet takes some of the fun out of dogfights and makes you a pretty vulnerable target to anybody watching the skies. Even worse, I really miss being able to ram straight through enemies as a truck.

Oddly these abilities are still available during the campaign mode, but if they were removed from multiplayer due to balancing issues then they struck a small blow against fun at the same time.

Aside from the competitive multiplayer, there’s also Escalation mode. Pitting up to four players against waves of enemies, there’s a strong focus on teamwork and strategy here. Each player chooses one of the four Transformers available in each map, each with a special ability that gives them a specific role in the group.

There’s the always-essential healer, a shield-equipped bot ideal for drawing enemy fire, a supportive character who can replenish the team’s ammo, and another support bot who can deploy a heavily-armed defensive turret. The four roles work brilliantly at encouraging players to work together to survive.

Unfortunately while Escalation mode can be a lot of fun when you land in a good organised group, it’s held back far too much by a lack of content. With only four maps to choose from and only four playable robots on each one, it doesn’t take very long at all before you’ve been there, done that.

War of Cybertron had similar problems in regards to maps but at least let you choose your character from a large roster of Transformers so you could mix it up every now and then. In Fall of Cybertron only one of the maps even lets you play as a jet, and even then only if someone else doesn’t choose it first.

Every group of four is divided up into the exact same classes with the same special abilities as well. It might encourage teamwork more but it really hurts the replayability. It’s disappointing that despite the improvements made to the rest of the game Escalation mode has so little to offer.

Fall of Cybertron’s biggest strength is definitely the compelling campaign, and fans of the franchise will no doubt be won over by the serious treatment given to the story and characters and the sheer amount of fan-service and inside jokes packed into every level. The size of the levels and the number of collectibles to be uncovered means the game should stand up fairly well to more than one play through.

The multiplayer is good and will extend the lifespan of the game considerably, though there are too few maps and modes for it to stand up against the bigger titles. This is undoubtedly the best Transformers game since War for Cybertron and may remain the best Transformers game until High Moon’s next instalment, which judging by Fall of Cybertron’s climactic moments can’t be too far away.

Pros
+ Varied and action-packed campaign.
+ Lots of cool weapons.
+ Fan-service out the wazoo.
+ You can build your own Transformers!

Cons
- Lack of content outside the campaign.
- Escalation mode is very limited.

SPOnG score: 8/10