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It's on like Cybertron.
Despite Transformers' three-decade history dovetailing almost exactly with the rise of home gaming, it's been a constant source of frustration that Hasbro has only ever managed to commission one decent videogame - and Transformers: Armada was far more successful as a tech demo than an exercise in pushing your nostalgia buttons.
But then, like a mirage, came the first shots of War For Cybertron, a back-to-the-old-school prequel that looked like the sort of game Transfans had been hounding Hasbro to make for years. The shockwaves put the community on red alert, prowling constantly for new information - Decepticon and Autobot campaigns, design your own transformer, COD-style multiplayer - could this actually be good? They had the latest Unreal engine, Optimus Prime voice god Peter Cullen and all developers High Moon Studios (Darkwatch, The Bourne Conspiracy) thought they needed was a little Energon and a lot of luck. Maybe that list should have included a few fresh ideas, too.
Transformers was always a mongrel franchise; the original toy range was cherry-picked from a range of different Japanese toy lines, and so perhaps it's appropriate that War For Cybertron has strip-mined the gaming trends of the last few years. The bulk of the gameplay has come from Halo: two-tier rechargeable shields, a loadout of two weapons plus grenades, and more glowing purple décor than an irradiated New Age emporium. The rest is all Gears of War "OMG look over there!" explodo-porn.
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Despite Transformers' three-decade history dovetailing almost exactly with the rise of home gaming, it's been a constant source of frustration that Hasbro has only ever managed to commission one decent videogame - and Transformers: Armada was far more successful as a tech demo than an exercise in pushing your nostalgia buttons.
But then, like a mirage, came the first shots of War For Cybertron, a back-to-the-old-school prequel that looked like the sort of game Transfans had been hounding Hasbro to make for years. The shockwaves put the community on red alert, prowling constantly for new information - Decepticon and Autobot campaigns, design your own transformer, COD-style multiplayer - could this actually be good? They had the latest Unreal engine, Optimus Prime voice god Peter Cullen and all developers High Moon Studios (Darkwatch, The Bourne Conspiracy) thought they needed was a little Energon and a lot of luck. Maybe that list should have included a few fresh ideas, too.
Transformers was always a mongrel franchise; the original toy range was cherry-picked from a range of different Japanese toy lines, and so perhaps it's appropriate that War For Cybertron has strip-mined the gaming trends of the last few years. The bulk of the gameplay has come from Halo: two-tier rechargeable shields, a loadout of two weapons plus grenades, and more glowing purple décor than an irradiated New Age emporium. The rest is all Gears of War "OMG look over there!" explodo-porn.
Read more...
More...