I do like the Transformers as a concept so I was curious about the game.
I tried the PS3 demo and immediately found the multiplayer very interesting and fun so, given also that it is a full co-op and me and my fiancé are avid co-op players it was an instant buy.
The Single Player campaign can be played by up to 3 players, either friends (closed game by invite) or online with casual buddies.
During the story you play both as Decepticons (first) and Autobots (through the end) which is nice and you have four different classes to try out (Leader, Soldier, Scientist and Scout as in the multiplayer) although only 3 and sometimes 2 of them are available at the same time.
The story isn't particularly "amazing" but good enough and the game really is challenging, the gameplay is varied enough and you also need to fine tune your strategy against the different bosses.
If you're playing alone or with only another buddy, as I did, the third character is sort of useless in that he doesn't do much in terms of kills etc. but it's useful as a guide and often takes the enemy attention (and bullets) without ever dying which can come in handy (and very handy when you're alone) so you can definitely use the NPC for your strategy.
If you like to play it in hard mode I strongly suggest playing alone or with friends as resources are pretty scarce so you want to share them evenly with your mate, also, it's important to co-ordinate and always pick the scientist when available (the curing weapon is really helpful in hard mode).
If there's something I have to complain about is the ammo/life supply, in hard mode they are very scarce in many places and highly concentrated where you don't need them at all so you end up craving for ammo (even though you're very careful about not wasting them) or having to leave them behind 'cause you've got plenty already (and usually all this abundance is just before a door or whatever that will close down and become inaccessible afterward.
The Multiplayer is very solid and quite entertaining.
It has good variety with four classes (quite different and that you need to play differently) each of which has different usable weapons, abilities and abilities-boosts you can combine as you prefer to fine-tune them to your own game style for that class.
It's also got several unlocks for each class and many challenges that give you additional experience points.
The soldier is the toughest character and easier to play, so to speak, as it requires less strategy. The scientist, on the other hand is very weak but it's also the only one that can fly which allows for a quite different gameplay.
All in all, obviously every character had their strategy but be warned that if you start with the soldier you'll be "spoiled" by his high life points and you'll really find it hard to manage lower life points characters like the scientist afterward.
One of the most intriguing aspects is the ability to play both in robot and vehicle style, every class has its own vehicle with different weapons mounted on it.
The robot/vehicle transformation is really a breeze, very well implemented and done and definitely adds a lot to the game experience.
The maps (8) are more or less the same style, you don't have snowy landscapes, forests, sea etc. since Cybertron is "just" an hardware world however they indeed are varied.
They are also well build with two or even three levels and weapons, life cubes and ammo well scattered throughout the map.
There is no weapon that gives you an unfair advantage, they are all well balanced and quite different to use.
The Challenges points aren't particularly rewarding however the kills indeed are, they can grant you several points depending on the weapon or ability you used to perform if or even more for weapon/ability combos. You also get points for ending kill streaks, for killing the same enemy repeatedly or when in low life and so on so earning experience points isn't that hard although maxing all four classes will require some dedication.
The multiplayer with the four different classes and the various maps is entertaining and varied enough that you will keep playing it for quite sometimes and it's certainly "refreshing", so to speak, as it's not the "usual" war-like setting (not that I have much against it but changing style every once in a while is cool).
The Escalation mode is also intriguing and fun to play.
You can play it with up to 3 friends although only playing characters will enter the field (there won't be any NPC) and you have to fight 15 waves of enemies.
They start slow with the little spiders and weaker robots and every wave, obviously, becomes tougher and harder to fight.
Kills give you points that you can spend on life, ammo and additional weapons and grenades. You also have to unlock doors to have more of the map at your disposal and reach rooms with shields and more powerful weapons to be bought.
The little squares you get when killing robots fill your ability bar, just as in the campaign. Is very important to pick your characters carefully.
I can certainly suggest Arcee (cloaking and shockwave) and Ratchet (turret and shield) if you're playing in two only (but also do include them in any larger team).
I have to say tough that playing it in only two is very hard but still fun, we have reached wave 11 so far but have good chanced to improve our score!
Conclusion
This is definitely a game worth picking and playing, it's very well done and it's really fun in all 3 modes: co-op campaign, multi-player and escalation.
Definitely a solid 8.5.
I tried the PS3 demo and immediately found the multiplayer very interesting and fun so, given also that it is a full co-op and me and my fiancé are avid co-op players it was an instant buy.
The Single Player campaign can be played by up to 3 players, either friends (closed game by invite) or online with casual buddies.
During the story you play both as Decepticons (first) and Autobots (through the end) which is nice and you have four different classes to try out (Leader, Soldier, Scientist and Scout as in the multiplayer) although only 3 and sometimes 2 of them are available at the same time.
The story isn't particularly "amazing" but good enough and the game really is challenging, the gameplay is varied enough and you also need to fine tune your strategy against the different bosses.
If you're playing alone or with only another buddy, as I did, the third character is sort of useless in that he doesn't do much in terms of kills etc. but it's useful as a guide and often takes the enemy attention (and bullets) without ever dying which can come in handy (and very handy when you're alone) so you can definitely use the NPC for your strategy.
If you like to play it in hard mode I strongly suggest playing alone or with friends as resources are pretty scarce so you want to share them evenly with your mate, also, it's important to co-ordinate and always pick the scientist when available (the curing weapon is really helpful in hard mode).
If there's something I have to complain about is the ammo/life supply, in hard mode they are very scarce in many places and highly concentrated where you don't need them at all so you end up craving for ammo (even though you're very careful about not wasting them) or having to leave them behind 'cause you've got plenty already (and usually all this abundance is just before a door or whatever that will close down and become inaccessible afterward.
The Multiplayer is very solid and quite entertaining.
It has good variety with four classes (quite different and that you need to play differently) each of which has different usable weapons, abilities and abilities-boosts you can combine as you prefer to fine-tune them to your own game style for that class.
It's also got several unlocks for each class and many challenges that give you additional experience points.
The soldier is the toughest character and easier to play, so to speak, as it requires less strategy. The scientist, on the other hand is very weak but it's also the only one that can fly which allows for a quite different gameplay.
All in all, obviously every character had their strategy but be warned that if you start with the soldier you'll be "spoiled" by his high life points and you'll really find it hard to manage lower life points characters like the scientist afterward.
One of the most intriguing aspects is the ability to play both in robot and vehicle style, every class has its own vehicle with different weapons mounted on it.
The robot/vehicle transformation is really a breeze, very well implemented and done and definitely adds a lot to the game experience.
The maps (8) are more or less the same style, you don't have snowy landscapes, forests, sea etc. since Cybertron is "just" an hardware world however they indeed are varied.
They are also well build with two or even three levels and weapons, life cubes and ammo well scattered throughout the map.
There is no weapon that gives you an unfair advantage, they are all well balanced and quite different to use.
The Challenges points aren't particularly rewarding however the kills indeed are, they can grant you several points depending on the weapon or ability you used to perform if or even more for weapon/ability combos. You also get points for ending kill streaks, for killing the same enemy repeatedly or when in low life and so on so earning experience points isn't that hard although maxing all four classes will require some dedication.
The multiplayer with the four different classes and the various maps is entertaining and varied enough that you will keep playing it for quite sometimes and it's certainly "refreshing", so to speak, as it's not the "usual" war-like setting (not that I have much against it but changing style every once in a while is cool).
The Escalation mode is also intriguing and fun to play.
You can play it with up to 3 friends although only playing characters will enter the field (there won't be any NPC) and you have to fight 15 waves of enemies.
They start slow with the little spiders and weaker robots and every wave, obviously, becomes tougher and harder to fight.
Kills give you points that you can spend on life, ammo and additional weapons and grenades. You also have to unlock doors to have more of the map at your disposal and reach rooms with shields and more powerful weapons to be bought.
The little squares you get when killing robots fill your ability bar, just as in the campaign. Is very important to pick your characters carefully.
I can certainly suggest Arcee (cloaking and shockwave) and Ratchet (turret and shield) if you're playing in two only (but also do include them in any larger team).
I have to say tough that playing it in only two is very hard but still fun, we have reached wave 11 so far but have good chanced to improve our score!
Conclusion
This is definitely a game worth picking and playing, it's very well done and it's really fun in all 3 modes: co-op campaign, multi-player and escalation.
Definitely a solid 8.5.
