Review: Transformers: Fall of Cybertron Demo [Xbox 360]
All right Transformer fans, the wait is finally over. Yes, I know some of you lucky gamers received the demo early by pre-ordering the game and kudos to you, but for the rest of us the demo version of Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is now available for download. After downloading it from the Xbox Live Marketplace, the demo has three parts to it: Two campaigns and multiplayer, so lets briefly get into the campaign portion of the demo first.
The Exodus, which is the first campaign and the Autobot portion of the demo, features one of the favorites among the Transformer series. Unfortunately you don’t get to play as Optimus Prime, however, you get to play his small, yet powerful sidekick, Bumble Bee. Facing the inevitable truth, the War is lost on Cybertron and Optimus Prime leads the remainder of the Autobots on a huge spaceship towards a portal that will, hopefully, take them somewhere safe and out of Megatron’s grasp. Unfortunately for Optimus, Bumble Bee, and the rest of the ship’s crew, the leader of the Decepticons have other plans. It’s up to Bumble Bee to defend the ship’s main deck (bridge) and eventually help Optimus Prime in defending their only vehicle out of harm’s way.
The second campaign called Death from Above puts the gamer in the cockpit of a Decepticon named Vortex. As a member of the Combaticons, his mission is to team up with Blast Off and help Starscream carry out an aerial assault to ambush the Autobots. The aim is to retrieve an Autobot transporter that contains the highly coveted Cybertron energy source, Energon. Vortex’s roll in all of this scheming is to clear a path for a shortcut to the bridge. Switching between helicopter and jet mode, Vortex has to weave through lasers and other obstacles while following and protecting Blast Off’s route to the objective. Once through the maze of electromagnetic radiated light, Blast Off and Vortex rejoin the other Decepticons and Starscream to retrieve their precious Energon.
Lastly is the multiplayer portion of the game. Without getting to involved and for the most part, the gameplay is very similar to War for Cybertron, the previous title. Obviously the maps are different as well as sharper detail in graphics, however, one of the notable differences is the left block button during robot mode. In War for Cybertron (WFC) it was used for special abilities, but in Fall of Cybertron (FOC) it is used to dash or sprint (holding) your character through the Transformer universe. Another example is the differences with the “B” or red button. Still in robot mode, in the first game, WFC, the button was used to throw grenades and detach weapons. In FOC, however, you use the “B” button to switch camera modes. For example, if you want to fire from your left shoulder as opposed to your right shoulder, this will allow you to do that. It helps when taken cover from either side allowing you to adjust your fire during intense battle scenes. For more on the controls, you can view the two screen shots below, one for robot mode and the other for vehicle mode.
As a fan of the Transformer series, especially the TV series from the 80s, this game is a must have. The characters stay true and very close to the generation one (G1) characters, which is the hook for old school Autobot fans like myself. Both campaigns are designed to start right where they left off in War for Cybertron, but created for new players in mind as well. So if you are not familiar with the first game, Fall of Cybertron will get you up to speed in no time.
The official release date is August 21, 2012, but you can download the demo now. If you are not sure about this series, check out my gameplay and opening credits of War for Cybertron here, which will get you caught up with the franchise. Also, I posted some gameplay of both campaigns, Bumble Bee and Vortex’s, as well as a game of Team Deathmatch from Fall of Cybertron below.
Transformers: Fall of Cybertron – The Exodus Demo
Transformers: Fall of Cybertron – Death From Above Demo
Transformers: Fall of Cybertron – Multiplayer Team Deathmatch Demo
Note: If anyone wants to see more of either game, just let me know via email or leave a message in the comment section below.
[...] Whether you are into cosplaying as Bumble Bee, trading old toys for new, or just want to see legendary voice actors, Botcon is the place to be and as Matt Tieger said it best, “This is Botcon and Botcon is all about the fans.” Check out the trailer below to see for yourself and if you are interested in the Transformers demo, you can read my review here. [...]