Transformers: Fall of Cybertron demo thoughts

Like pretty much every kid who grew up in the 80s, I loved the cartoons of the day. Name a cartoon from the day and I probably watched it – “Thundercats,” “The Real Ghostbusters,” “G.I. Joe,” “Transformers,” I was a huge fan of them all. But despite my epic nerdery at such a young age, I never bothered playing “Transformers: War for Cybertron” when it was released on PS3 and Xbox 360 two years ago. And after playing the recently released demo for “Transformers: Fall of Cybertron” I’m really starting to wonder what I could’ve been thinking.

I’ve been into video games since a young age as well and if you had told my younger self that some day I’d be able to play a game where I not only could create my own Transformer but play as series favorites like Optimus Prime or Grimlock, I would’ve probably hyperventilated with excitement until I passed out.  Now that a game exists where all those things are possible, I’m handling the situation with a bit more dignity and grace - but just barely.

Thought I never played “War for Cybertron” I had heard from friends that it was actually a pretty decent game and not just a cheap cash in on the popularity of the franchise (or the popularity of Michael Bay’s movies). Still, I never actually got around to playing it myself so I have no idea if “Fall” has made any improvements to the formula that “War” presented. But I can tell you this – “Fall” is a very, very fun game.

As the name implies, “Fall of Cybertron” focuses on the final conflict between the Decepticons and the Autobots that ultimately forces the Autobots to flee to Earth. In the full game, you’ll be able to play through separate Autobot and Decepticon campaigns. Well, I’m hoping they’re separate and that the levels aren’t all the same, just with an Autobot or Decepticon taking center stage. In addition to the campaigns, there is also a multiplayer mode with a character customization system. 

Optimus Prime is only one of many recognizable Transformers

to get a visual makeover for "Fall of Cybertron"

The demo offers two different single player levels – an Autobot mission starring Bumblebee and a Decepticon level featuring the Combaticon Blast Off – as well as multiplayer. Bumblebee’s mission is pretty boring and I’m sure was included as more of a story teaser than to actually show off the gameplay. Blast Off’s level, on the other hand, shows off quite a bit. In addition to showing off a large, wide open yet highly detailed environment, you also get a taste of playing in both vehicular form as well as being on foot. Blast Off, as his name suggests, is capable of flight in his default vehicle form, a helicopter, but can also fold into a sleeker, jet form when turning on the speed boosters. As a vehicle, Blast Off can access heavier weapons but is also capable of quite a bit of destruction on foot as well. In addition to carrying two weapons (as well as being able to perform a melee strike), each Transformer has a special maneuver performed by pressing the right bumper. Blast Off’s special power unleashes a massive shockwave, toppling any Autobot unlucky enough to be caught in its wake.

Going into the demo, I wasn’t expecting much. Like I said, I never played the previous game and though I had always heard good things. I guess I never actually believed it, feeling safer just assuming that this licensed game would be about as good as most licensed games. Now, that’s to say that all licensed games are terrible – just most. Once I actually started playing, however, I quickly found that “Fall” was not only an incredibly fun third person shooter but it actually goes beyond most generic shooter titles, adding variety to the genre by combining on-foot combat with vehicular combat. Along with playing very smoothly and having solid gunplay, “Fall” implements a simple yet effective cover system. Instead of having a button to move your character into and out of cover, the B button switches which side the camera is on, letting you peek out from behind a solid object without actually being stuck to it.

"Fall of Cybertron" offers four distinct multiplayer classes to choose from

But the multiplayer is the real meat of the demo. In it, you can pick from four different classes, each sporting different traits, abilities and weapons. For example, the Titan is the largest by far, with a heavy machine gun and an “Energon Collector” (that functions similarly to a shotgun except the damage it deals is returned to you as health), a special ability that performs a devastating melee attack and can transform into a massive tank. My favorite class, though, is the Scientist. Not only does he have powerful weapons and a special ability which heals nearby teammates but is the only multiplayer class that can turn into an aerial vehicle. Needless to say, the Scientist seems to be a fairly popular class.

Though it only offers one map and two modes (team deathmatch and conquest, which is like COD’s domination), the thrill of dashing through a map, engaging in a firefight, watching your enemy transform into a jet and fly away as you transform into a jet and give chase all in one seamless sequence of events is incredible – and I don’t think I feel that way because that little kid in me is doing cartwheels over the novelty of playing as a actual transformer. The slick gameplay that I experienced in the single player missions translates perfectly to the multiplayer portion of the game and could only get better with more modes and more levels.

In fact, the only thing I don’t feel this game got right is the weight of the characters, meaning that their movement doesn’t necessarily feel as heavy as the characters look. But that is literally the only complaint I have about “Fall” and its admittedly a very small, almost insignificant complaint at that.

For some reason, I though that this game slated for a later release but its actually due out in a few weeks, scheduled to release on August 21. Seeing as how I haven’t had much new to play in what feels like months and the next big game on my radar, Borderlands 2, doesn’t come out until midway through September, picking up “Transformer: Fall of Cybertron” might have just made its way onto my “To Do” list.

Whatever Happened To - Stuntman

 I’m not a huge fan of driving games. Actually, scratch that – I’m not a huge fan of racing games. For instance, I absolutely love the driving mechanics in “Grand Theft Auto 4” and I’ve yet to meet anyone (myself included) who doesn’t appreciate a few (dozen) rounds of “Mario Kart.” But for some reason, I just cannot get into a game where the main gameplay mechanic is racing. I’ve felt this way about racing games even going back to my younger days. For example, games like “Gran Turismo” or “Forza” just could not bore me more.

Now, if there’s some sort of hook to a racing game, well that changes things. “Mario Kart” is a good example of a racing game with a hook. Along with racing around a track, you could also collect power-ups to enhance your performance or mess up someone else. The old series “Road Rash” is another example of a racing game with a great hook. In “Road Rash” you would race motorcycles on real roadways (as in, not around tracks) but you could also have weapons like chains and billy clubs to beat on anyone who tried to pass you.

Later on, I was even a big fan of the original “Driver,” a game where you took on the role of a getaway driver working for various criminal organizations. Each “race” took the form of some sort of criminal act, (getting someone to a location, racing away from the scene of a crime) but it was much more interesting to me for the game to be set in the context of a “getaway driver” than just a “race car driver.”

But perhaps my favorite driving game of all time was the “Stuntman” series. The first title was a PS2/Xbox game while the second in the series, “Stuntman: Ignition” (the title I’m most familiar with) was for the Xbox 360/PS3. In these games, you took on the role of a stunt driver performing driving sequences and stunts for various fake versions of well known movies/genres. Stunts would range from high speed chase sequences, jumps and hitting specific marks to trigger elements like explosions or gunfire. Often you were tasked with driving a unique vehicle which would make performing even simple stunts more difficult. 

"Strike Force Omega" let you drive some really huge vehicles

“Stuntman: Ignition” featured six different movies to work on with each movie presenting six different scenes to film. At the beginning of a scene, the director gives you a set of objectives to complete during the course of filming which you earn points for completing. Successfully completing objectives also increases a point multiplier that can be extended by also driving in a more exciting manner (by driving closely to walls/other vehicles or drifting, for example). At the end of a scene, your performance was given a star rating and you could choose to retry the scene to get a higher score. The only thing was, to obtain the highest star rating, you’d have to hit every element in the scene while successfully maintaining your multiplier (“stringing” a scene, as in, stringing together each objective). To string a scene took not only an incredible amount of skill and tenacity but also a great deal of patience and strategy as completing scenes was usually a game of trial and error and hitting every element in a scene required nothing short of complete memorization.

“Ignition” was more accessible than the first game with the addition of a “strike” system, which let you miss a few objectives before the director called for a scene to be restarted. Though, you would probably want to restart a scene on your own if you missed more than a few elements as your score would suffer severely if you weren’t paying close attention to the course and the stunts laid out.

I was a big fan of “Stuntman: Ignition” because it took the racing genre and put a unique twist on it, delivering an experience unlike any other driving title. While the movies themselves were just thinly-veiled parodies of major motion pictures, like “Never Kill Me Again,” a nod to the James Bond films, and “Night Avenger,” an obvious take on the new Batman series, that didn’t take anything away from the incredibly fun concept of being a movie stunt driver. My favorite movie to work on in the game was probably “Strike Force Omega,” an action movie about a mercenary group blowing stuff up in the desert. In this movie, you got to drive a few different, huge, vehicles through all manner of explosions and gunfire in a desert setting.

 This scene from "Overdrive" ends with you crashing that yellow super car into that helicopter

When I first started playing the game, the fun initially came from seeing what kind of off-the-wall movie could be next and what new, outlandish stunts they would have lined up. After completing each scene, I had a blast going back through each film, trying to earn the most stars that I could. As the sequences became longer and more complex, memorization was essential to scoring big, hitting elements at the right spot and knowing when and where to try and extend your multiplier with a drift or a close call. I’ll be honest, it was a bit frustrating at times when trying to string scenes because one little mistake could ruin your multiplier forcing you to start over or accept that this run will only net you four stars.

“Stuntman: Ignition” was released in 2007 and the first game, “Stuntman” was released way back in 2002. (So by that release schedule, we should be seeing another this year, right? Right?) Though “Ignition” was rated fairly well and was one of THQ’s highest selling titles the quarter it was released, apparently it wasn’t good enough as nothing was ever heard about the series again. The designer of “Ignition,” Paradigm Entertainment, was bought by THQ in 2006 and subsequently closed in 2008, which would, I assume, leave the “Stuntman” series in the hands of THQ. But seeing as how THQ is experiencing its fair share of problems these days, resurrecting a series that only sold marginally well is probably not at the top of their to-do list. And that’s really a shame because it takes a special kind of racing game to capture my attention the way “Ignition” did and its innovative take on what a racing game could be somehow yet to be replicated.