Spending a brief amount of time with the Transformers: War for Cybertron multiplayer mode, I quickly became privy to the fact that the latest attempt to delve into the Transformers universe wasn’t shoveled out of the door like most previous attempts. After tinkering around with the character selection screen, I chose to play as the Solider class. Scout, Scientist, and Leader were the other options. There will be some degree of character customization available in the final version, but one thing’s for sure: these are not Michael Bay-bots.
The stage featured on the demo felt a tad claustrophobic – especially for those playing as characters that transformed into flying jets. From my perspective, the flying robots looked to be hovering around, barely off the ground. I’m not sure if we should expect wide open skies in the final version, but I at least hope for stages with a little more flying room on a slightly wider scale.
As a soldier, I quickly found out that a quick tap of the analog stick transformed me into a tank and back again quite seamlessly. While engaging in a series of quick skirmishes with an Autobot solider, I was able to transform to robot mode, jump over oncoming blasts while firing a machine gun, change back into tank mode, and reengage. This entire process occurred with a seamlessness not found in any Transformers game.
The four-on-four multiplayer battled moved at a rapid pace, with Autobots and Decepticons racing to capture bases on the small, confined Cybertron stage. Weapons were sprawled throughout the level, but if your opponent got too close, a melee attack could be issued to get him off your back. On the surface, Transformers: War for Cybertron looks like just another shooter, but the transformation process brings both a nostalgic and strategic element that Transformers fans won’t want to miss. The depth of the multiplayer mode will make or break its long-term success, but based on playing one match at E3, War for Cybertron shows promise only previously found in a flickering spark in Optimus Prime’s eye.
