I had a great romp with Transformers: War for Cybertron, and its sequel, Fall of Cybertron, was a great continuation of the romp through nostalgia. Even better, FoC seemed to have fixed many of the complaints I had with WfC, especially when it came to the odd difficulty spikes and the overall game mechanics. Driving and flying were much tighter and smoother, and you have no idea how great it is that all Transformers can dash away–even Megatron’s mega-slow ass.
The game also has quite a bit more features from its predecessor. There are actual collectibles, and they actually contribute to the game in a fun way. The following is an excerpt from my review on Gaming Angels.
The collectibles system and types of collectibles have also greatly improved over its predecessor. In WfC, the game’s ideas of collectibles were shooting down any insignias of the opposing faction that the player happened to see around the levels. Now players collect weapon blueprints and audio files, which are really scattered and hidden and force a bit of exploration on the part of the player if you are a completionist. The audio files are little audio diaries that members of the Autobots and Decepticons have recorded that offer a little bit of insight into the story and to their own personal feelings. For example, an audio file found early on was recorded by Grimlock, where he explains why he left his post. Without that audio file, the player will never really know why Grimlock left outside of Jazz and Cliffjumper’s assumptions as they look for him. A special set of audio files also details Shockwave’s experiments on Grimlock’s team and how they became the Dinobots.
The blueprints, however, can be used to purchase new weapons for characters. Unlike the first game, FoC has a store! Players can purchase weapons, swap out weapons, purchase upgrades for said weapons, purchase health packs and weapon accessories, and purchase perks. The perks include the ability to move more quickly, better shielding for vehicles, and more overall health, just to name a few.
Of course, most importantly, FoC has so many delightful callbacks to the 1980s, it made this retro-fangirl nearly shed a tear or two, especially hearing “You’ve Got the Touch” as the ending credits rolled. Ah, how many young’uns will that be completely lost on? No matter; this game and its prequel were made for the original fans, and it has made original Transformers fans, such as myself, very, very happy.
As I said in my full review, that you should read, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is great if you take it as it is with no expectations other than a fun, nostalgic experience. You will not, repeat, you will not find anything groundbreaking here. It’s about a dozen hours of a good-natured whaling on other robots. What more do you really need?
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