Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

Rating: 3 out of 3 Stars (why only 3 possible stars?)
Genre: Third person shooter
ESRB: T (For lasers hitting robots? Dismemberment of Cybertronian limbs? Feels like E10 to me.)
Estimated hours of gameplay (thorough play/quick play): 10/8
Developer: High Moon Studios
Wiki page

Yes! A sequel that goes from two stars to three stars! It feels good when things improve, doesn't it? Although I'm still far from calling this game of the year or other kinds of high praise, I do feel this game now goes far enough to warrant a positive recommendation to anyone. And especially to fans of the franchise, since this both offers what is considered "official canon" for backstory AND follows the events immediately prior to the beginning of the "G1" series. Actually, it steps over some things that happen in the first episode of Transformers. I'm not nit-picky enough to throw a fit, but it'd be interesting to see what more dedicated fans think of what they've done.

Don't you dare mess up Beast Wars, though. I will never stop ranting on the internet if you do!

The single player campaign received the most positive changes. The levels have actual color to them and provide better arenas for more story-driven combat. And the approach follows a more modern design than before, where levels were merely waves of enemies trapped in tight boxes. Now there's scripted events galore! Shit explodes and the scenery gets torn apart! You jump in turrets and sometimes control really big robots! The beginning of the game is oddly slow, and the first level feels too much like Call of Duty as the player just gets dragged around and told exactly what to do. But soon enough things pick up and the player has to just rumble with scores of enemies. On minor (but still very important) notes, there are two added things which can prove to be good or bad depending on your view. There is now a store where you can buy upgrades and switch up your load out. I like this, even if it seems a bit out of place. The second thing is that there are now exploding barrels all over Cybertron. I hate exploding barrels! Why are these still in video games!

We all know!

Another thing I dislike is that I don't feel the desire to transform frequently enough in single player. This game addresses that by having certain levels where there are large open spaces where being a vehicle is clearly a good idea. There's also a couple levels where you turn into something that flies, which is stupidly useful. And one last level where it suddenly becomes a super move (like a Musou attack from Dynasty Warriors). The problem might be that I played the game on hard and that requires a bit more tactics to get through than normal. But, you see, I don't want transforming to just be a gimmick to dick around with. It should be viable in all modes. Where it really shines is multiplayer. The added mobility makes you harder to hit, something a human player would actually struggle with but a computer opponent would not.

Unless that human cheats by using an aimbot...

There's two forms of multiplayer in Fall of Cybertron, both returning from the first game. First is Escalation mode, which is your standard Horde mode. While this game is a good vehicle for such a mode, there is no progression to it. This means that you start with nothing each new game and have to re-earn it during the match like some kind of stupid strategy game. What's also strange is that you are required to use actual characters from Transformers and not custom ones. These things combined with the low number of maps and enemy types meant that I got tired of it a little too quickly (especially since, once again, I'd much rather spend time in Mass Effect 3's Horde mode).

Who are we buying guns from anyway?

The second form of multiplayer is your standard competitive game modes: deathmatch, capture the flag, headhunter, and some other objective game type that sucks as much as CTF (Head hunter is fun since the objective still revolves around combat). I've read some complaints that the multiplayer is too watered down from War for Cybertron. I guess I now realize how little of that I played because I'm enjoying Fall of Cybertron much more. They removed perks and kill streaks, but honestly I'm tired of both of those things. After Uncharted 3 and Resistance 3, I got pretty frustrated with not knowing every little perk and advantage a player could have. Especially since those perks weren't balanced at all! And kill streaks can cause there to be too much reliance on momentum in a match. IE the other team calls in ten things in a row and your team can't even fucking move outside for like 5 minutes. That suuuuuucks! And the thing is, kill streaks in Call of Duty work with how that game is designed: around careful camping. It both rewards you for being tactical and gives both sides access to tools to defeat campers (kill cam, flash bangs, etc). This game, however, is all about jumping around and going nuts. There is no kill cam and there is a respawn timer, but that's alright here. I'd still like a kill cam, but it isn't desperately needed and the respawn timer is very low.

Yay, customization! Hm, this head isn't small enough. Try the next one!

Finally I just want to talk about the classes quickly. This is why perks aren't needed: you already have access to customizing your play style. Personally I find the "scientist" to be absurdly useful because he both has teamwork skills AND can turn into a Goddamn jet. And two of his guns are good at long range! He seems like he might get nerfed at some point, but we'll see. The other three I haven't totally figured out. The infiltrator is a little ninja who stealths around and is quick, but his guns are so shitty I can't understand how to do anything with him. I switched his stealth out for an EMP grenade because invisibility is for pussies, but that didn't really help me either. The other two I still need to figure out: destroyer and titan. They both are big guys with big guns, so I'm unsure what role they're supposed to fill. The titan is bigger and has more health, so he's like a tank (he is also quite literally a tank since he can turn into one). But the riot cannon on the destroyer feels like a beefier weapon. I guess the destroyer is supposed to be the jack-of-all-trades... maybe? Whatever. They're all pretty cool. I've actually spent a lot of time on multiplayer, and plan to spend much more!

It's like that one game, except people actually play the console version.

Conclusion:
Whether you're a fan of the franchise or not, robots that shoot lasers and turn into vehicles are fun to play as. And this game gives you as much of that as it possibly can and does so well!

Also, these robots are ironically more human and relate-able than anything in those "realistic" shooters.