The announcement of an upcoming Transformers video game is nowadays met with very little fanfare. The franchise consistently over-promises and under-delivers, and is frequently met with abysmal ratings, especially with its movie tie-in offerings. One game of the bunch that finally received a generally positive reception was Transformers: War for Cybertron, which had more flexibility in creating fresh content based on the historical homeworld of the Transformers, as well as showing players some introductions to the characters and how they came together.

It wasn't a flawless entry by any stretch, but it was perhaps the most ambitious Transformers title to date. Developer High Moon Studios worked hard to combine many elements of the fictional series, trying to please fans of the cartoons and movies, as well as gamers in general, all while staying in line with the visions of publisher Activision and franchise owner Hasbro.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is to be the sequel, but is being promoted more as a successor, which hopefully means the creation will take all the criticisms of the first game into consideration, reshaping the low points and fine-tuning the high points.

What little we know so far is that the overall atmosphere will be darker. This will be interesting to see when finished, since a world comprised almost exclusively of metal and machinery already has an excessively cold, hard vibe to it. Not to mention that we are at the pinnacle of a global war between the factions of the Autobots and Decepticons. Perhaps the script will reflect a darker tone; considering the expected finale (thanks to the game's title), the story could potentially crescendo toward an epic cataclysm.

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More effort will be needed in the visuals department this time around, with a strong variety of environments, instead of the sterile corridors that saturated much of the first game. That's not to say the detailing wasn't done well, especially in the character design, but most of the areas just felt bland.

A full list of playable characters is still unknown, but returns from Optimus Prime, BumbleBee, Jazz, Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, and other favorites are to be expected. There will some redesigns in the works, both to reflect the darker ambiance and fit each character better with its respective class. But what class will Grimlock be? That's right; the proud yet slow-minded Tyrannosaurus Rex has been displayed in some of the game's art and the first trailer. Also, it looks like the Decepticons will have the Combaticon Bruticus as their own mammoth machine. The entry of those two alone should have game copies flying off store shelves.

The armaments of the Transformers will also be given a nice overhaul. If we're lucky, this will mean they can hold more ammunition, as scrounging around after your guns were exhausted was a major issue in the first game. Upgrades will become more obvious when purchased, with instant gratification when you test them out in the field. Firefights will be more hectic with a boost to fire speed, but means little if the A.I. isn't given a complete makeover; it was a sad piece of production in the first game, in terms of both the enemies and your comrades. The pacing was further hindered by tedious boss fights, some of which took over thirty minutes to tackle.

Transforming should also be given special priority in the sequel—as this franchise is the progenitor of the entire concept—with more variety in how each vehicle type handles. Also, more freedom in where you can transform would loosen some of the chains of linearity that bound the first game.

Searching for and sniping down symbols was a fun little extra, but considering the decades of lore that encompass each character and the series itself, biographies, concept art, interesting facts, and other tidbits would make up a great in-game encyclopedia for players to piece together.

The multiplayer was a refreshing diversion from the campaign in Transformers: War for Cybertron, taking elements from many other first-person shooters. It didn't define itself among the group, but it did utilize a good deal of customization, as well as experience and a leveling system, and came packed with some nice arenas fit for Transformers. Most of the game modes—including Countdown to Extinction (bomb plant), Power Struggle (king of the hill), Conquest, and Deathmatch—were all fairly impressive, but the cooperative Escalation mode (Horde) was particularly fun, and hopefully all of these, plus a few more original ideas, will make it to the sequel.

Yet the campaign is where much of the work was needed, and if given the proper respect and energy from High Moon Studios, this one could finally give Transformers: Fall of Cybertron a respectable place in the world of video games. The production has been underway for a while now, and so far Autumn 2012 is the release window, giving them plenty of time to do it right on the second try.

By Sean Engemann
CCC Contributing Writer