Transformers: Cybertron

[Flawless]

More Transformers: War for Cybertron Videos

[Flawless]

[boomhauertjs]

Liking what I'm hearing and seeing...

[boomhauertjs]

More cool stuff - create your own Transformer for online play.

[grunt]

I want this game.

[Flawless]

IGN: Multiplayer Hands-On

Quote:

War For Cybertron's competitive multiplayer mode revolves around class based third person shooting with an experience driven ranking system, complete with skill, weapon and "perk" style unlocks. There are four classes. Recon Transformers, which resemble sports cars and coupes (with a Cybertronian flair), are the smallest and fastest of the lot, who favor long distance scoped weapons over short or mid-range attacks due to their more fragile construction. The Scientists are up next. These are the "jets" that include Starscream and Jetfire, which serve as support and medics. Leaders are the bulkier truck-like vehicles such as Optimus and Soundwave - yes, Soundwave is a truck in War for Cybertron, cry about it now and move on - that offer buffs for their teammates in addition to packing their own offensive weapons. Finally, there are the Soldiers. Transforming into tanks and including the likes of Megatron and the formerly B-squad Autobot Warpath, these are the bruisers of War for Cybertron, dealing the most damage and taking the most punishment. Each class has a collection of Autobot and Decepticon "chassis," which are existing Transformer body types that have customizable color schemes. Playing through the campaign unlocks additional chassis to select in multiplayer.

Quote:

Of course, all of these classes and customization options mean nothing if the game sucks. I asked Tieger where previous Transformers games have failed in their quest to give players a satisfying experience, and he seemed to believe that too often, other developers have felt the need to reinvent the wheel, as it were. High Moon has instead chosen to take existing third person shooter conceits that work and go from there. "We see layering Transformers on top of what works as the path to success," Tieger told me. "Pattern after the best," he continued, "but add strategy." All of which goes to explain why War for Cybertron feels so damned good. Paced similarly to old-school shooters like Unreal Tournament and Quake 3, WFC is fun and very fast. The transformation element adds a fantastic amount of options to both combat and strategy. Transformations for now are handled by clicking in on the left analog stick, and each form offers its own advantages and weaknesses. Vehicle forms are faster and highly mobile, but can withstand less abuse and can be locked onto by tracking weapons. Robot forms have more combat options and can use special abilities - like the scientist's ability to heal other Transformers, or powers that prevent the opposing team from transforming or activating their own powers. Other abilities include sentry drones (particularly useful for the Conquest modes, where you'll hold points on the map as long as possible) to a shockwave that damages all enemies around you and hampers their vision. It's hard to know exactly what to expect as you wade into combat, leading to battles that feel frantic and unpredictable. Matches support up to ten players, which sounds minimal but certainly doesn't feel that way - since everyone is so mobile, it's easy to make it across the map to interrupt would be conquerors or help support your harried teammates. I found myself gravitating toward the scientist class during my time with multiplayer, and within seconds I was transforming into a jet and rocketing off toward unsuspecting enemies. As I transformed back into robot form in time to drop behind an oblivious Autobot and smashed him into pieces with a giant mace that extended from my Decepticon scientist's arm, High Moon's claims about WFC existing as a game first and a licensed property second clicked.

Quote:

Of course, the jury is still out on the singleplayer game. High Moon wasn't ready to let me play much of it; I was given the controller for two very specific, very short segments from the Autobot campaign, and thus far, it's hard to get a feel for it. While the mechanics between multiplayer and the campaign are basically the same, I couldn't tell much about level or encounter design from what added up to about 10 minutes of playtime total. The campaign is looking better though, with a better framerate and more polished visuals all around from the already good-looking showing on display at GDC in February. Regardless, my hopes have been renewed based on my time with the multiplayer and the team's clear enthusiasm for the subject matter; Tieger told me his biggest frustration with the game is how little of the massive amount of new fiction generated for War for Cybertron can actually make its way on screen. "But," he said smiling, "if War for Cybertron sells six million copies or something, we'd love to do another one." I'm hopeful that it does - so far at least, War for Cybertron is leveraging the Transformers universe to create something shaping up to be pretty special.

[NovaStar]

Quote: Originally Posted by boomhauertjs

I know it's a licensed game, but this one looks and sounds like it may have potential. http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/106/1060279p1.html

That looks pretty freakin good! I would rather watch it than play it.

[42]

Video Games | Transformers: War for Cybertron | Multiplayer Customization Developer Diary HD
XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii