Transformers: Cybertron Adventures (Wii) Review

Probably one of the most recurring concepts I like to push in my reviews is that expectations can really change the way people can react to a game. With a less-than-stellar line-up, it’s a bit of a long stretch to assume that any Transformers fan can look forward to upcoming titles. Having heard that the developers of Punch-Out!! on Wii were developing Cybertron Adventures, my expectations were understandably rather high. Unfortunately, this new title does little to change my preconceptions about the Transformers game brand, instead being a rather drab on-rails shooter/driver.

Cybertron Adventures is split into two campaigns with two separate stories, which both take place some time before the events of the Transformers contacting Earth. Chronologically speaking, the Decepticons story, which follows Megatron attempting to restore Cybertron to its greatest period using whatever means necessary, is the first campaign. Following that, the Autobots campaign follows the newly-appointed leader, Optimus Prime, as he recruits new robots to defeat Megatron and the Decepticons. The story isn’t really all that groundbreaking but it is a nice origin story that is sure to appeal to fans of the series. It’s just a bit unfortunate in how it’s implemented.

Cybertron Adventures utilises a rather perplexing artistic direction in which a lot of bright colours can be seen on some of the textures while a large majority of the game’s textures sport rather dull and uninteresting colours. It’s a rather confusing mesh of the most colourful parts of Punch-Out!! with the more boring parts of Twilight Princess to create an artistic style that doesn’t really know what it’s doing. This confusing mish-mash of styles creates a rather distracting experience that somewhat detracts from the experience. The effects are somewhat lacklustre too, removing any immersion that the game may have had.

Now, for the rather unexpected part of Cybertron Adventures: the gameplay itself. Cybertron Adventures is a completely on-rails title. If we boiled down the individual components, they can be summarised as on-rails driving sequences, on-rails shooting sequences and, finally, on-rails driving and shooting sequences combined. It’s quite, well, disappointing to see the developers take this route. The lack of interesting gameplay is greatly exacerbated by this lack of control and freedom in the gameplay. Players have access to several different weapons but they don’t really have any use besides mixing up the repetitive gameplay, and those who are amused easily might even be able to see through this thinly-veiled gimmick.

This lack of control extends into the gameplay too, with the game being so easy that the game almost plays itself out. What’s most worrying about Cybertron Adventures is just how easy it can be. Not only do enemies almost never hit the player, they also take little to no damage before dying. It’s actually possible to finish the whole game without dying. This lack of a difficulty curve adds to the initial lack of interest throughout the game’s main campaign, and despite the creation of two separate campaigns, the probability of players playing through both after completing one of them due to genuine interest is quite low. Despite the number of unique levels to plough through, the game’s mechanics and overall production values make it feel more like a title that should be digitally distributed rather than released as an almost full-priced retail release.

The sound design in Transformers is nothing special either. The explosions sound cartoony rather than what you would expect, and the weapon sounds appear to have been taken from a library of sound effects that you would expect to hear in an early 80s cartoon. It’s a bit disappointing overall, and when you couple this with a bit of a disappointing soundtrack, the game doesn’t offer a heap.

Despite having two campaigns, Cybertron Adventures should take no longer than ten hours to complete and despite this, as I’ve previously said, it’ll be quite hard to find the motivation to complete both campaigns. Since misery loves company, another player can join in and play the game co-operatively, though it’s rather limited in that the game just adds a second reticule with less weapons to the fray to enjoy. Still, it’s a nice and welcome feature. It’s a bit of a shame to see a lack of online mode in this version, particularly when other developers have been implementing online into their titles for quite some time now. Then again, with this kind of gameplay, it’s hard to imagine how well it would translate.

It was a bit of a mystery as to why the developers decided to title Transformers: Cybertron Adventures differently to the other title, War of the Cybertrons. Upon spending a good amount of time with Cybertron Adventures, it’s quite evident why – the developers either didn’t really care about what they put out, tried to mimic the recently-released masterpiece that is Sin & Punishment 2, or were plain rushed by their publisher to produce something comparable to the HD cousins for the Wii. It’s such a horrible recurring cliché to see a poorly-produced Wii companion to much better and well-produced HD editions, and it’s even worse to see Activision still doing so. Overall, a great disappointment and a sign that Next Level Games should be working on stuff they love, not necessarily stuff they’ve been forced to push out.

Graphics 5.0

A poor artistic style paired with a rather disappointing mish-mash of bland environments creates an unpleasant but bearable style.

Gameplay 4.0

The Transformers brand doesnt suit an on-rails shooter, and this repetitive and mind-numbingly easy “action adventure” title disappoints.

Sound 5.0

A barely passable soundtrack with some generic sound design.

Tilt 6.0

For a game of this type, the game is quite long and the dual campaign creates a bit of longevity, though its a bit hard to see people returning to this after theyve completed even half. Co-operative play adds a bit of length and replay value but overall its not compelling enough.

Value 2.0

I didnt enjoy Cybertron Adventures at all. It was quite a disappointment and a surprise to see that such an action-based series has been relegated to the on-rails genre. While I love the genre, this just doesnt suit it.