TFW2005 Fall of Cybertron Hands On and Impressions

The 2005 crew is back from SDCC and has a second to breathe after covering all the news and pictures for TFW2005, HissTank, Toyark, Thundercats.ws and Tokunation last week.

While out in San Diego, we were able to take a tour of High Moon Studios (see pictures here). During that tour with all the pretty pictures - they also told us things and let us see gameplay and intro sequences - go figure. We were also at the hands-on event Wednesday night, where we were able to play a bit of Campaign, Multiplayer, and Escalation.

Check out our round up of info and impressions, along with a slew of official in-game images, inside!

Campaign

• Thirteen chapters.
• Not split into Autobot / Decepticon campaign, back and forth telling the story of Cybertronians.
• Three acts, Autobot, Decepticon, then back to Autobot.
• Can not choose characters per level, chosen for you.
• Co-Op dropped.
• Camera is zoomed in, much closer to character.
• Guns switch hands, transforming back and forth between gun and hand so you can look around corners and walls on either side.
  • First chapter is Bumblebee, it's the tutorial, very cinematic. Shows the "end" of the story, the build up to the launch of the Ark. You finish the level and it jumps back to "6 earth days earlier".
  • Starscream - flight. Pop in and out of robot mode. Hover and shoot down, drop and finsih with melee.
  • Jazz and Cliffjumper level. Jazz - grappling hook. Uses it spider-man like to get through level. Cliffjumper is telling you where to go. Classic team up.
  • Grimlock - all fighting methods out the window. Sword and shield guy. Melee based. Large. Transformation is special. Build up Rage Meter through robot fighting, transform. Have several melee based moves in dino mode. Stop, bite, fire breath. Can transform back before time runs out, and keep extra time, less time to recharge.
• Levels much bigger, visually and game play wise.
• Levels fine tuned for the bot you are using. Part of reason character choice was removed.

Teletraan 1 - weapons store.

• Addresses you differently based on what character you are.
• Purchasing weapons in one level makes available to all characters in game.
• Upgrading early on, makes available to different characters later.
• Stores different in multiplayer and campaign modes. Credits do not transfer.

Multiplayer

• Classes - Infiltrator (Scout), Scientist (Healers), Destroyer (Soldier), and Titan (Brawlers, Tanks)
• Customization - crazy. Tens of hours just customizing your transformer before you even play multiplayer.
• Dinobots and Insecticons - Available in DLC later.
• As you gain more experience in campaign and multiplayer, additional parts for each body will be unlocked.
• Multiple parts of bot. Head, arms, wings, chest, guns. Change turret type on tank model in robot mode, when you transform, thats the turret in tank mode. Colors, a lot, from flat to metallic.
• Play - very similar to last game with some elements of DOTM MP in there.
• Weapons drop at death is gone.
• Movement and overall flow a bit smoother.
• Host migration. Host migration. Host migration.
• Lots of weapons.

Escalation

• 15 waves.
• Healer, Munitioner, Shield, C.L.U.T.C.H Drones.
• Teamwork stressed, if one class doesn't do their job, much harder to succeed.
• 3 chances to beat the level. If all at level 7, all die, you can restart there 2 more times before starting completely over.
• Primary and secondary weapons. Each use different ammunition. Yellow and Blue ammo icons around levels (same in MP and Campaign).
• Different difficulty level for each member in same session/level.
• Combine points to open store like last time.

DLC

• It's coming.
• Grimlock / Insecticon Chasis for MP.

Wrap Up

To start - I am not a gamer. I think I've turned my PS3 on 2 or 3 times since I stopped playing War for Cybertron. That being said, I loved War for Cybertron, even the multi-player, which I had never played any game's version of before then. The last game was exactly what I want from Transformers as a brand - visuals, fiction, everything. If I could get 30 minutes of their cutscenes a week, I would be completely content as a Transformers fan (something I haven't been in a decade). I know those things are hella expensive, so bring it down a couple notches and I'll still take it.

This game seems to be more of that, on steroids. They've fine tuned the good stuff, dropped the bad stuff, and somehow gave me even more of the epic "This is my s***" feeling I get when watching good nerdivsion. All that before I even played the game. Intro scene... how much? Doesn't matter, bought.

The gameplay was a bit smoother, still familiar. Camera is in closer to the character, which I like. Feels like you are in the action, and "one with the character" however cheesy that sounds. I've bullet pointed the key points I think a gamer will care about above, so I won't get too technical. Bottom line - WFC - fine tuned, looks better, great fiction and presentation of story. Can't say enough good things. If you dig the first game, or just like Transformers with a harder edge - grab it.

Transformers Fall of Cybertron hits stores on 8/21/2012. Pre-Order you copy at your local game store or on Amazon here.

We'd like to thank Activision and High Moon for inviting us to their place for the tour, giving us a hands on at SDCC, and making a kick ass game!

TRANSFORMERS™: FALL OF CYBERTRON FACT SHEET

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

The successor to the highest-rated Transformers game of all time and in development by the acclaimed team at High Moon Studios, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron allows players to experience the darkest hours of the war between the AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS as they vie for control of their dying home world. Fans will fight through both sides of the Transformers’ most epic battles that culminate in their legendary exodus from Cybertron. With the stakes higher and scale bigger than ever, players will embark on an action-packed journey through massive, war-torn environments designed around each character’s unique abilities and alternate forms, including GRIMLOCK’s nearly indestructible T-Rex form and the legendary COMBATICONS combining into the colossal BRUTICUS. Taking the franchise’s competitive multiplayer to all-new heights, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron lets fans go head-to-head in blistering AUTOBOT vs. DECEPTICON matches after creating their own unique characters with the most in-depth, advanced customization ever before seen in a Transformers game.

KEY FEATURES:

The Fall of their Legendary Home Planet – Set in a desolate, post-apocalyptic era, the game thrusts players straight into an epic Transformers story where they will explore the devastated ruins of Cybertron and fight through the final, darkest hours of the war between the AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS.

Colossal Scale to Win the Battle – In a desperate war for survival, fans will be able to convert from robot to alternate form when they choose to turn the tides of battle. GRIMLOCK can change into a powerful T-Rex DINOBOT for super strength and fire-breathing attack, and the COMBATICONS can combine into the massive BRUTICUS to dominate his enemies with sheer size and power.

New and Unique Gameplay for Each Character – Every Transformers character is equipped with distinct abilities and personalities that are suited for each of the diverse missions in the game. AUTOBOT JAZZ can deploy his grappling hook to traverse across multi-level platforms. CLIFFJUMPER can cloak himself invisible to perform undetected stealth kills on his enemies. OPTIMUS PRIME can call in targeted artillery strikes from the sky. Additionally, countless characters make their very first in-game debut including GRIMLOCK, BRUTICUS, METROPLEX, the INSECTICONS and more.

The Biggest Character Creator Ever – Adding and vastly improving upon their acclaimed multiplayer gameplay from War for Cybertron, High Moon Studios has developed the most robust character creator ever seen in a Transformers game, allowing fans to design 100% personalized characters by choosing their individual body parts, colors, vehicle shapes, weapons, abilities and much, much more. Gamers can then take them online to go head-to-head in brutal AUTOBOT vs. DECEPTICON matches to prove their supremacy.


Publisher: Activision Publishing, Inc.
Developer: High Moon Studios (Xbox 360, PS3),Mercenary Technology (PC)
Release Date: August 21, 2012
PlatformsXbox 360®, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Windows PC
Suggested Retail Price: $59.99 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
ESRB Rating:“T” for Teen