I absolutely love that something as goofy and campy as
Transformers has the audacity to take itself deathly seriously. I mistakenly referred to the end of the Cybertronian Civil War in my
War for Cybertron review. In actuality,
Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is the game that chronicles the end of the war between Autobots and Decepticons on Cybertron. The setup is simple. Optimus Prime and his Autobots see that Cybertron is lost and are preparing to leave in a massive ship called the Ark. However, Megatron and his Decepticons would oppose Optimus Prime even if his plans involved free pizza for all Cybertronians.
Fall of Cybertron plays identically to War for Cybertron. It's a third person shooter in the purest sense of the word. You run, you shoot, you transform, you get to the end of each chapter. Rinse and repeat. Unfortunately, a lack of interesting level design makes most of the campaign feel a bit dull and mundane, especially if you've played the first game. However, the final two chapters are fantastic. The circumstances surrounding these chapters shouldn't be spoiled, so all I'll say is that they are quite literally game changers.
Personally, I thought War for Cybertron's best asset was its multiplayer component. Sure, it wasn't original by any means, but it was fast and delivered that special Transformers charm. Fall of Cybertron's multiplayer is better due to its expanded customization options, though there aren't too many surprises with the actual gameplay.
First things first: Fall of Cybertron has no cooperative play. This makes sense, due to the lone wolf dynamics of the campaign. In terms of modes, Fall of Cybertron doesn't really reinvent the wheel. There's Deathmatch, Conquest, and Capture the Flag. No surprises here. Headhunter is my favorite of the modes, though. It offers a unique spin on Kill Confirmed. Once you kill an enemy, he drops his spark. Your job is to take the spark to a designated team node before your enemies get a chance to kill you or deny your claim to it.
Escalation returns in an entertaining (but blatant) rip-off of Gears of War 3's enhanced Horde Mode. By that, I mean the in-game economy, semi-customizable map experience, and core premise are all here. One thing I will credit Fall of Cybertron with in this mode is the class functions. Regardless of which faction you choose to play for, you'll have the option to be a tank, healer, ammo guy, and combat support. Healing beams, automated turrets, ammo beacons, you know the drill. Work together, destroy your enemy.
