TRANSFORMERS FALL OF CYBERTRON  Free Download GAMESPACK.NET

TRANSFORMERS FALL OF CYBERTRON  Free Download GAMESPACK.NET Following years of mediocre, movie-tied titles, 2010’s Transformers: War for Cybertron finally did right by the Robots in Disguise. The series lost some ground—and geek cred—with last year’s film-based Dark of the Moon, but with no Michael Bay influence in sight, the franchise has returned with a proper follow-up to what’s widely considered the best game the toy license has ever seen. Rather than taking the quick-cash path and simply duplicating War’s successful formula, though, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron retains its predecessor’s core appeal while tweaking its template in some significant ways. The result is another solid entry that improves upon the game that spawned it, but also takes a small robot step backwards. In terms of presentation, storytelling, and production values, Fall of Cybertron trumps its older brother across the board. While it takes place on the battling bots’ same war-ravaged home planet, its visuals feature far more detail and variety. Over the course of the campaign’s 13 chapters, players are treated to sprawling, scarred battlefields, cloud-sitting cityscapes, creepy interior dwellings, ancient sand-choked ruins, and slime-covered subterranean settings. Sure, the overall style is still defined by sparking scrap heaps and rusty metal.TOP/BEST ADULT VIDEO GAMES IN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (USA)

TRANSFORMERS FALL OF CYBERTRON  Free Download GAMESPACK.NET

But unlike War’s same-y feeling levels, each of Fall’s chapters pack plenty of visual surprises. The new focus on variety doesn’t just paint a prettier Cybertron, but also makes it a more interesting place to explore. Where War allowed players to pick a character before entering each level, Fall sets them up with a specific Autobot or Decepticon at the start of every chapter; this might sound limiting, but it’s allowed the developers to carefully craft each chapter around a specific hero’s abilities. So rather than simply barreling through each level from behind any old bot with a big-ass gun, players find themselves relying on Cliffjumper’s cloaking ability to navigate a level built around stealth, bouncing around a virtual jungle gym with Jazz’s grappling hook, and unleashing all kinds of hell in arena-style areas as Grimlock. Speaking of the gravelly voiced Dinobot, fans will be happy to know he makes far more than just a cameo. Grimlock, with his sword-and-shield-wielding form as well as his fire-spitting Jurassic state, is playable for a good 60-90 minutes of the campaign. The other new characters possess their fair share of fan-pleasing moments, too. It’s fun to unleash Metroplex, Optimus’ personal, remote-controlled Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em robot, and harnessing your inner Godzilla behind the screen-clearing Bruticus is an absolute blast.

Grimlock’s overarching narrative outshines his ability to barbeque bad guys.

Because Fall of Cybertron’s chapters have been thoughtfully built with specific Autobots and Decepticons in mind, their overall design feels a bit more scripted and linear than War for Cybertron’s levels. Despite the more directed action, there’s still ample opportunity to freely transform between robot and vehicle form and even customize each bot’s arsenals. Regardless of which Transformer you’re using—or which side of the war they’re on—collected currency, unlocked weapons, and their purchased upgrades are shared between characters. For the more adventurous types, Cybertron offers audio logs, weapon blueprints, and Energon shards off the beaten path to extend your play time. Fall of Cybertron’s narrative also benefits from its character-driven approach, breaking up the standard bot-blasting action with a number of stunning set pieces and scripted events. Additionally, the inclusion of those aforementioned cameo characters not only introduce creative new ways to crush robots like beer cans, but also support key plot points; Grimlock, for example, has garnered plenty of buzz for his over-the-top attacks, but his integral role in the overarching narrative actually outshines his ability to barbeque bad guys with his breath.Full Metal Furies Switch NSP

TRANSFORMERS FALL OF CYBERTRON  Free Download GAMESPACK.NET

Many objectives are also buoyed by a fantastic sense of urgency; whether frantically outrunning rising toxic waste as Jazz or attempting to halt a getaway transport as Swindle, there are more than a few time-based tasks capable of causing heart palpitations. Additionally, a few point-defending scenarios along the campaign path could teach any Horde-like mode a thing or two about getting players’ trigger fingers and pulses pounding in unison. Regrettably, War’s popular campaign co-op has been cut for Fall. Though justifiable from a plot perspective, those who prefer playing with friends might see this as a replayability-siphoning deal-breaker. Transformers: War for Cybertron was one of my top multiplayer games of 2010. Something about it just worked surprisingly well, and High Moon Studios deserved oodles of kudos for providing the Transformers license with an original, structurally sound, vastly entertaining game that respected the franchise in a way other games (and certain movies) had not. When faced with a sequel, High Moon has taken the “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” approach and essentially pulled the same trick twice. In fact, it’s hard to say exactly what the differences are between Transformers: Fall of Cybertron and War for Cybertron at a glance. Following the events of War for Cybertron, the Transformers’ titular planet is on the brink of collapse. The battle between the Autobots and Decepticons has drained Cybertron of its energon resources, and the Autobots decide to impose self-exile and find a new world on which to start over.

Land battle sequences.

Naturally, Megatron won’t have any of that, and will go out of his way to keep Optimus Prime grounded, out of little more than petty spite. While events certainly occur, there’s very little story in Transformers: Fall of Cybertron. Despite retelling the story of the Transformers before they came to Earth and heavily revising the origins of Grimlock and the Dinobots, the narrative campaign feels somewhat rushed, as important exposition is gotten over quickly. Each focal character gets one or maybe two chapters in order to say what they have to say. Unlike War for Cybertron, which had some nice build and was paced very well, the plot of Fall flits too easily between Autobot and Decepticon characters, never focusing on a single plot point long enough for it to have any gravitas. There are definitely some great moments on par with the original game. The Starscream coronation scene is a definite highlight (yes, the infamous dialog exchange takes place!) and the level involving Grimlock and his classic T-Rex transformation is a delightfully empowering jaunt. I also love that High Moon included a genuinely creepy take on my personal favorites, the Insecticons, though the purist in me still sneers at High Moon giving Shrapnel’s speech impediment to Kickback — a criticism that should have no relevance to any sane human with real priorities.Robo Recall

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Still, the campaign is left wanting in comparison to the first. The gameplay is still solid, with the same great controls for both robot and vehicular forms, and I love the new upgrade system, in which players can purchase and enhance a variety of weapons and perks from Teletraan 1 outlets — you can even rate each upgrade online to help new players find the best stuff. However, the newer, more open environments aren’t so much liberating as they are repetitive, arena-like areas that lack any sense of atmosphere. The weapons also seem to feel far less effective, especially when going up against masses of shotgun-toting enemies that can reduce player characters to scrap in seconds. Combat was always going to be clunky by the very nature of the robots involved, but this time around it feels unfocused, possessed of a certain anarchy that is more overwhelming than enjoyably chaotic. The game’s final level is truly the highlight of the show, switching from Autobot to Decepticon in a fluid way as players jump from bot to bot in an epic battle aboard Prime’s Ark. The elegance and scale of this battle is a thing of beauty, and something I wish there could have been more of.

Gameplay.

When High Moon pulls out all the stops, it still manages to create something awesome. Sadly, it does it with less frequency in Fall as it did in War, and the result is a single-player mode that feels rather unsatisfying. Still good, and still tossing out enough references and jokes to make the average Transformers fan smile, but nevertheless a little disappointing. The Transformers may be more than meets the eye, but Transformers: Fall of Cybertron has an obvious goal: to let you control numerous Autobots and Decepticons while filling the screen with as much fire and brimstone as possible. Developer High Moon strives for metal-on-metal sensory assault, which is both a strength and a weakness. When the game thinks big, your eyes and ears are treated to larger-than-life spectacles; gargantuan robots sprawl across your view, and you annihilate mechanical monstrosities with the touch of a button. But Fall of Cybertron’s most exciting moments are those you watch, not those you play. It can be a lot of fun, but the visual thrills don’t consistently translate into stimulating gameplay The first half of the single-player campaign never finds a groove. You spend several levels in control of the kingly Optimus Prime, who sounds more than ever like an elder statesman, morally incorruptible and in complete control of his emotions.

As in Transformers: War for Cybertron, you can morph from robot form to vehicular form and back again, though shooting, driving, and shooting-while-driving aren’t Prime’s only skills. He also fires artillery, ducks under beams, orders air strikes, lifts heavy objects, comforts his subordinates, and pulls levers. That’s normal shooter stuff, of course, but Fall of Cybertron’s first half has you spending so much time watching explosions, performing single-button tasks, and occasionally hitting a button to make things die, that the full-fledged action seems like an afterthought. There aren’t many extensive shooting sequences here. Instead, you get tossed from one task to the next without any kind of rhythm developing. Battles heat up just in time for you to find another door to open or another scripted event to witness. Aspects of the flat early hours carry over to later hours as well. Every major showdown between main players is interesting to watch but boring to play. That includes the game’s final encounter, which you conquer not by overcoming a challenging enemy, but by responding to button prompts. Prompts that involve only one button. Yet even before you leave Optimus Prime behind for other Transformers, there are momentary pleasures that keep you invested. Some of these moments are power trips: you speed across a bridge, mowing down the nameless bots that dare cross your path.

TRANSFORMERS FALL OF CYBERTRON  Free Download GAMESPACK.NET

Others build atmosphere: a facility morphs around you as you walk through it, making you wonder what might be causing such an anomaly. All the while, you get a real sense that the planet of Cybertron has reached its expiration date. Environments are in various stages of collapse, and the skies burn with sparking metal and the blistering exhaust of Decepticon dropships. Land battle sequences play out as a standard third-person shooter and are generally solid, though there is an odd disconnect between the mechanics and the level design. Most Transformers are glass cannons–that is, you might do a lot of damage, but you’re also surprisingly vulnerable, considering you’re a huge hunk of metal. The game even encourages you to use cover, and indeed, several areas seem ripped right out of a cover shooter. Friends and enemies regularly use cover, but you yourself cannot; you can’t even duck. Wading directly into the fray is sure death, and more time than you’d want is spent trying to find a safe spot for your shields to replenish, rather than standing strong. Larger levels fare better, encouraging you to morph back and forth from bot to vehicle. The best of these have you zipping through the air and dropping death on your foes in aerial form, and then landing on platforms and finishing off the survivors. Sadly, there are only a few such levels; others are more interested in sending you on a power trip than in making you earn your triumphs. Indies’ Lies

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