Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is a direct game sequel to the 2010 game War for Cybertron that was released in Aug. 21, 2012. It was published by Activision and developed by High Moon Studios (with the PC version being handled by the Mercenary Technologies), this game is a continuation after the events of War for Cybertron.

Chapter I: The Exodus
Character: Bumblebee

The Ark heads off to the portal which will take them to Earth. Megatron invades the ship using the Nemesis, sending Decepticons over directly to the bridge of the Ark, forcing Bumblebee, Ratchet and Optimus Prime to fight off the aggressors. With more Decepticons swarming the engine room, Optimus heads off to help, leaving Bumblebee to protect the bridge. The artillery cannons are taken offline and the ship blows a fuse. Ratchet sends Bumblebee off to fix it, and after braving nearly being sucked into space, the scout soon replaces the fuse and ascending up a lift to the defense tower. He witnesses Autobots being overrun by a Titan and then on another level, Soundwave, Laserbeak and Rumble attacking. He reaches the defense mainframe and rushes the Decepticon manning it, reactivating the Ark's guns. The tower is hit by a claw that knocks him down a shaft. With his alternator jarred back into gear, Bumblebee transforms and races through an outer area, avoiding explosions, Decepticon tow cables and large chunks of rubble. He passes Bruticus having a brawl and bringing an onslaught of destruction. He makes it to a stronghold, restocking on ammo, energon and weapons. He fights his way through a few waves of Decepticons, making his way to the engine room, where Prime and Megatron are doing battle. He pushes through enemy lines, with the help of two Titans, and makes his way to the engine room. There he finds Optimus and Megatron engaging in a fierce melee battle on the hull of the ship, and just as Megatron fires a huge cannon at Optimus, Bumblebee throws himself forwards, taking the shot meant for Prime. As Bumblebee falls, Optimus lifts his body...

Chapter II: Defend the Ark
Character: Optimus Prime

Six days earlier, the Autobots are preparing the last transport for launch. Ironhide reports the energon reserves are aboard, and Perceptor is overseeing city shutdown, only for the news to come that the Decepticons have invaded the city. Optimus tries to contact Grimlock, as it's his sector the Decepticons have invaded, but gets no answer. As Prime moves to head out, a Warp Cannon crashes to the ground nearby and targets the Ark. Optimus heads through the Iacon ruins and enters Autobot City through a side door to find the Autobots trying to get the city stable without the absent Grimlock. After helping Ratchet stabilize a badly-injured Silverbolt, Prime sends Jazz to find where Grimlock's disappeared to. At the armory, Warpath reports that Perceptor and others are trapped in a nerve center, so he and Optimus fight their way there. After fighting off a horde of Decepticons, they unseal the detpak from the nerve center door. Sending Warpath back to the Ark, Optimus goes in to meet with Perceptor, who's struggling to get the city working again so they can fight off the Decepticons. He sends Prime to activate an old artillery gun using energon from the Ark, and Prime soon puts the weapon to good use taking out Decepticons. With news that the Warp Cannons are firing on the Ark, Optimus heads to the engine room, but as he moves towards the flight deck, the corridors restructure around him. Decepticons, including Starscream, have invaded the area, and Optimus finds many bodies, but heads for the neutron cannon. After fighting his way through more Decepticons, he brings the neutron gun online, but again the targeting is out. Optimus takes manual control and helps defend the Ark refueling station from a number of Decepticon tanks. When the cannon runs out of energon, Optimus heads back inside the city and is guided by a mysterious intelligence to the city's core where he pulls a lever... and the entire city transforms into Metroplex.

Chapter III: Metroplex Heeds the Call
Character: Optimus Prime

Optimus and Metroplex head for the Iacon ruins where the Warp Cannons are located. Once they find the first Warp Cannon, Metroplex laboriously synchronizes his targeting systems with Optimus and together they take out the first cannon. Moving on, Prime helps the survivors of a crashed Autobot ship and finds Warpath in a huge plaza. With the second Warp Cannon shelling them, they head into a building and manage to get close enough to the cannon for Optimus to mark it for destruction by Metroplex. That done, Optimus heads down more corridors and is confronted by three Leapers, which Metroplex handily takes out by putting a fist through the wall. After fighting his way across a huge bridge, Prime gets close enough to the last Warp Cannon to mark it, only for it to take out Metroplex first. With no other choice, Optimus makes his way to the base of the cannon and forces open a door, only to be blasted by Starscream, bashed by Brawl and Onslaught, and dragged in front of Megatron. While Starscream gloats at his victory over Prime, Megatron simply blasts his Air Commander before killing an Autobot in front of the bound Prime. Luckily it turns out Metroplex is back online, and he rips the roof off Megatron's throne room before smashing Megatron into the ground repeatedly with his fist. Starscream pronounces Megatron dead, himself leader and orders the Decepticons back to base. The day is won, but unfortunately all the Autobots' energon is exhausted and they need to find more. Prime believes Grimlock may hold the key, and says Jazz and Cliffjumper are tracking down their missing comrade.

Chapter IV: Eye of the Storm
Character: Cliffjumper

Sideswipe drops Jazz and Cliffjumper off over the Sea of Rust in the middle of a rust storm to look for Grimlock. In a ruined base, they find a crashed ship which they recognize as one that was stolen by Grimlock from the base. They soon spot Decepticons moving around and sneak inside the base. As they stealthily make their way through, they overhear some Decepticons discussing Shockwave and his "pets". Using a garbage conveyor, Cliffjumper finds himself in an ancient tomb where guardians are roaming around, scanning for Autobots. Jazz reports the rust storm is increasing in intensity outside. Cliffjumper finds a huge domed room and activates a starmap that shows him an image of Earth. Continuing through the tomb, Cliffjumper finds more Decepticons, plus sword marks and a trail of destruction he recognizes as Grimlock's work. Eventually he reaches outside again and spots Jazz, but a collapse cuts them off from each other. Cliff hunts through the storm and finds Jazz, freeing his companion from some fallen debris. They soon find more devastation and Jazz detects a faint Autobot distress signal which Cliffjumper tracks to a huge pit, just as the Decepticons seal it. Luckily the two Autobots find a huge bomb they use to blow the pit open and, leaving Cliffjumper behind, Jazz leaps in.

Chapter V: Cut and Run
Character: Jazz

Jazz reaches the bottom of the pit, where he discovers Sludge, who has been so badly damaged he's been forced into stasis lock. The audio he plays back from Sludge's memory is not promising. The meaning of the green pods Jazz spots is clear when he finds himself under attack by the Insecticon horde. He blasts a tank which releases a toxic green gas, and he has to race to escape in time. Escaping the pit, he seals it and pair continue to look for the source of the distress signal. They stumble on a huge lake filled with energon which the Decepticons are mining. They fight their way across the moat to the Decepticon facility where Cliffjumper promptly manages to trip an alarm. Jazz utilizes a network of service tunnels, but creeping down one of them, he falls through a grating and is ambushed. Naturally he fights the Decepticons off and even helps out Cliffjumper who's pinned down by Wall Crawlers and other Decepticons. The pair rendezvous at the other side of the moat and head inside the tower. Within, they find Insecticons in tubes and a map pointing to Earth's solar system. Intriguing! Further in, they find Shockwave arguing with Starscream via hologram. Cliffjumper fails to creep up on Shockwave, who sets a bunch of Insecticons on them before leaving. While Jazz keeps the Insecticons busy, Cliffjumper diverts toxic waste into the refinery to make it overload. The refinery starts to melt down and the pair book out, getting picked up by Sideswipe just in time. Jazz contacts Optimus with the news there's a lake of energon ripe for the taking. The Autobots begin preparing a massive energon transport to take the energon to the Ark.

Chapter VI: Death from Above
Character: Vortex

The Decepticons get wind of the Autobot plan, and as the transport heads back with a load of energon, Starscream tasks the Combaticons with intercepting it and leading it to an ambush. Vortex and Blast Off are sent to clear a short-cut so Brawl can take a dropship and destroy a bridge. They fly through an ancient Autobot city. The pair run into Autobots though, and Blast Off ends up racing ahead, leaving Vortex to fight them. They eventually reach the bridge, but when Brawl shells it, they find it's shielded. Vortex deactivates the shielding, allowing Brawl to take out the side supports. The central support is a little trickier, and Brawl has to blow a hole in it so Vortex can get in to find the shield controls. After fighting more Autobots, including a Titan, Vortex uses a detpak on the central support and races out as the bridge collapses.

Chapter VII: Belly of the Beast
Character: Swindle

Starscream springs his ambush on the transport, but the transport's defenses blast them. Onslaught exasperatedly sends Swindle under the transport to try to stop it. Swindle takes out the rear wheels and heads to the front, using his grapple to avoid the deadly acid pools, and takes out the front wheels. This unleashes a pair of titans which he has to destroy. However just as victory looks certain, the transport's wheels convert into jets. As the transport takes to the air, Swindle grapples on board.

Chapter VIII: Combaticons Combine!
Character: Swindle/Bruticus

Within the transport, Swindle begins heading through the transport, aiming to take out the anti-aircraft defenses so the other Combaticons can come over in their drop ship. He blows a hole in an exterior wall and starts making his way along the side of the transport. Starscream announces he's calling off the assault, but is corrected by Onslaught, who still believes they can pull it off. Swindle finds the anti-aircraft cannons can be destroyed by simply shooting the shells being fed into them, so he does that, then moves around to the other side of the ship. Unfortunately the Autobots are wise to what the Decepticons are doing and destroy the controls for the shell feed shields so Swindle can't deactivate them. Onslaught brings the drop ship around, and Swindle hops on. Once he uses the top turret to destroy the last gun emplacement, the Combaticons merge into Bruticus and start breaking things. He smashes through the transports turbine and break into the control room where the Combaticons split and make swift work of the Autobots. Unfortunately though they have the transport in their control, it's badly damaged and going down, and they can do little more than try to control its course as it crashes. Starscream's unimpressed that they managed to destroy half the energon supply in the crash, and when Onslaught talks back, pointing that the Autobots would have gotten all of it if they did nothing and everything going wrong was a result of Starscream's incompetence, Starscream orders the Combaticons arrested.

Chapter IX: Megatron Returns
Character: Soundwave/Megatron

In his old workshop under the gladiator pits, Soundwave powers up the assembly systems so he can put Megatron's salvaged body back together. With the help of his minions, he manages to get Megatron back in one piece and uses an infusion of Dark Energon to bring his master back to life. Megatron's enraged by the news Starscream is in charge and, grabbing his cannon, heads out to confront his former lieutenant. He arrives, naturally, in the middle of Starscream's coronation. Starscream sets the assembled Decepticons onto their former leader, but as Megatron points out, he was practically forged in these arenas. Once he finishes with the many, many Decepticons, he blasts Starscream who flees. Onslaught offers to chase them down, but Megatron doesn't consider him a threat and has other plans. As the Decepticons move a huge statue of him into pride of place, Megatron meets with Shockwave who has deciphered the ancient technology to open wormholes and located a suitably energy rich planet for them to plunder. Megatron boards a drop ship and heads for the crater where Trypticon crashed with the intention of recovering the giant Decepticon's power core. Unfortunately his drop ship is shot down on the way.

Chapter X: The Final Countdown
Character: Megatron

Jumping clear of the ship, Megatron notes that the Autobots have installed anti-aircraft defenses. Once the Decepticons assault the facility and take it over, Soundwave detects a power source nearby—the Autobots are using Trypticon's power core as an energy source. Furious, Megatron goes to investigate and takes out the defenses surrounding the main compound before calling in Bruticus to clear a path. The Combiner makes short work of the remaining Autobots and holds the massive doors open so Megatron can enter. After emptying the main compound of Autobots, he enters the main building where some Autobots are reporting to Optimus. Megatron slags them and makes it clear he blames Optimus for Cybertron's depleted state. The Autobots redouble their attempts to keep Megatron away, but as he gets closer to Trypticon, he realizes that the Autobots haven't removed the power core—Trypticon is still functional. Fighting through more Autobot defenses, including a titan, Megatron gets to Trypticon's legs and finds they've been bound. A few shots of Megatron's cannon frees them. Trypticon's torso is similarly easy to find, with a little help from Laserbeak. Once Megatron breaks Trypticon's bonds, Soundwave arrives and hacks the computer while Megatron smashes the Autobots attacking them. Trypticon, however, is still badly damaged. Megatron informs Trypticon that he failed to destroy the Autobots and will be rebuilt into a new form—the Nemesis.

Chapter XI: Starscream's Betrayal
Characters: Decepticon trooper/Starscream/Grimlock

As the Nemesis nears launch, the Decepticons are roused by an alarm as someone tries to hack Shockwave's data logs. A trooper and his friend are sent to check the main server. As the two troopers enter the server, they discuss Starscream's humiliating defeat, only for Starscream himself to decloak and flatten them. Hoping to build an army of his own, Starscream analyzes the data logs and discovers that Shockwave's latest experiments are imprisoned within the tower. He uses EMP detpaks to take out the security towers providing the defenses, which knocks out the force fields protecting the maintenance shafts. Flying inside, he finds Shockwave experimenting on Grimlock with Hardshell, Kickback, and Sharpshot. Once they leave, Starscream drops into the lab and informs Grimlock he'll be set free if he pledges allegiance to the Air Commander. Grimlock's responds that he can free himself, then throws Starscream into a wall. Grimlock's surgically altered body leaves him confused and unable to transform, and before long he searches for Swoop by smashing everything in his path. He finds Swoop, only to be confronted by a hologram of Shockwave, who has predicted this move. After destroying all the Decepticons in the lab, he solves the problem of freeing Swoop by smashing more things. Swoop reveals that he has gained a new alternate mode, although Grimlock still cannot transform. The pair search for the rest of their team, and discover more of Shockwave's experiments—Insecticons in tubes—and Swoop remembers where Slug is. Unfortunately Hardshell is waiting for them with some artillery, and Grimlock has to throw fuel pods at him until the ship's destroyed. Grimlock holds the Insecticon up to the optical scanner so they can progress. When they reach the surgical lab, it's totally trashed and there's a big hole in the floor. Grimlock and Swoop jump in.

Chapter XII: Grimlock Smash
Character: Grimlock/Swoop

Beneath the lab, the ground gives way under Grimlock, dropping him into a tunnel, and he decides they'll split up to find Slug. He soon finds the area is infested with Insecticons. Shockwave's voice rings out, telling Grimlock that he has yet to fulfill his full potential and transform, and Kickback has volunteered to help. The Insecticon taunts Grimlock and unleashes a huge "bruiser" Insecticon to fight him. When Grimlock is angry enough, he finally changes form into a space T-rex. Kickback decides discretion is the better part of not being slagged, but before he can escape, the door crashes down on him as Slug enters. Slug relates the news that Sludge didn't make it out of the caves, and Snarl's been taken by Shockwave for "extensive testing". As they step outside where Swoop is waiting, they see Shockwave's space bridge tower firing up. They soon track down Snarl being guarded by Sharpshot and squash his captor. Searching for a place to take shelter and patch up Snarl, they find an observatory and Slug discovers Shockwave's plans to open a space bridge portal. They contact Optimus, who orders Grimlock to return to base, but Grimlock insists on taking the space bridge himself. With Swoop's help, he flies to the tower and fights his way through more Decepticons until he finds Shockwave working. As he goes to attack Shockwave, he's seized by energy chains, while Shockwave reports to Megatron that all is ready. Grimlock switches to dino mode to break free and rips Shockwave's arm off before bashing the space bridge which explodes. Back in Autobot City, the Autobots note that Megatron's portal is becoming unstable and decide they must urgently launch. Metroplex offers whatever spark energy he has left, which allows the Autobots to launch the Ark, at the cost of Metroplex's life.

Chapter XIII: Till All Are One
Characters: Soundwave/Jetfire/Bruticus/Jazz/Optimus/Megatron

The Nemesis draws close to the Ark as it nears the portal. Megatron orders Soundwave to lead the first wave of the assault. Soundwave rides a tow cable over and, with the help of Rumble and Laserbeak, neutralizes the Ark's cannons. The Decepticons begin their assault en masse. Jetfire flies outside and severs the tow cables, but even though he's successful, Bruticus flies right past him and lands on the hull of the Ark. After smashing his way through the Autobot defenses, he busts the ship's main energon tank. Jetfire raises the alarm, and Jazz responds. He tries grappling onto Bruticus and shooting the giant in the face, but with the help of Jetfire and an EMP mine, the Autobots hit Bruticus with a series of air strikes, sending him flying off into space. Elsewhere, Bumblebee jumps in the path of Megatron's shot, saving Optimus. Enraged, Optimus punches Megatron across the hull and they face off once again. Their fight is eventually interrupted by the unstable space bridge portal sucking them and both starships in before closing.

Gameplay
Like War for Cybertron, this game is an over-the-shoulder third-person shooter. The player has access to a range of weapons split between light and heavy and can carry one of each class at a time. As one would expect from a Transformers game, the player character can also transform to vehicle mode which provides more maneuverability and in some cases the power of flight. Whereas in the previous game, characters had two abilities that were charged up by shooting opponents, each character now has "dash" and a unique ability that works on a time recharge. Abilities include Vortex's shockwave, Cliffjumper's cloaking, and Optimus Prime's ability to order a missile strike.

While War for Cybertron had three-bot teams in each campaign level, with the user playing as their choice of the three, Fall of Cybertron instead follows a single character at a time, though the character often teams up with other NPCs. This allows levels to be tailored to the player character's special abilities, such as Jazz's level having plenty of places to use his grapple, and Megatron's levels having places which are only reachable by hovering. The player will sometimes also automatically switch between characters as the narrative demands.

Fall of Cybertron introduces an upgrade mechanic. The player collects energon from defeated opponents which they can use at Teletraan-1 machines scattered throughout the levels to buy character upgrades, T.E.C.H. items such as C.L.U.T.C.H. drones, and weapon upgrades. Upgrades carry over between characters, so Megatron gets the benefit of upgrades purchased by Optimus Prime. Collecting the blueprints hidden in each level unlocks more upgrades or weapons. Also hidden throughout the levels are audio logs, recordings left by various characters which give extra information or insight into an aspect of the game world. Energon can be used to open Armory Recreators, which contain weapons and equipment.

Grimlock's sections alter the game mechanics substantially. He has no ranged attack, relying on melee with his sword. Rather than gaining currency from defeating Decepticons, their deaths fill his "rage meter", eventually allowing him to transform to his dino mode that lets him use his fire-breath and jaws to wreak more havoc. Similarly, Bruticus behaves like a melee brawler, fighting with a mix of weaponry like Vortex's propellers, a flamethrower, and the Sonic Pain Wave.

Multiplayer
Fall of Cybertron follows War for Cybertron's tradition in having a fleshed-out, online multiplayer mode. The general idea is the same, but quite a number of gameplay elements have been added, removed, or altered. For example, vehicle mode abilities have been removed, but every character has the ability to dash. Weapons are also exclusive to each class and can't be wielded by other players.

Players can create custom characters to participate in the regular multiplayer mode. Customization options are greatly expanded from the previous game: Individual heads, bodies/alt-modes, shoulders, arms, legs, and wheels can be selected, all based on existing character models. The color palette is also expanded, and players can alter the shininess of characters and choose from three different voices per faction.

Characters level up by performing well in battle. Completing challenges will also yield experience points. Class weapons and abilities become unlocked by reaching certain levels. Reaching level 25 in every class unlocks "Prime Mode," which resets all experience points and challenges and gives the player a cool spinny icon next to his or her name. Reaching level 25 for all classes in Prime Mode grants the player access to "Elite" heads, which are 4 heads per class, and are the most iconic character of the class (Bumblebee, Optimus, Starscream and Megatron) with a crown.

Finally, Energon shards can be gained along with experience points and can be spent on custom body parts and decals. The four classes return, with some alterations: The signature Autobot computer here lets the player sift through global player rankings and see the challenges he or she has completed. Prime Mode is also activated through this menu. Up to 4 players face off against increasingly difficult waves. Once the players finish wave 15, the game ends and the players are scored on how many kills, deaths, and energon chips they collected throughout the match.
 * Classes
 * Infiltrators - Cars. Fast, with an emphasis on stealth. Replaces the Scout class.
 * Destroyers - Trucks. Mixture of defensive and offensive abilities, with emphasis on explosions. Replaces the Leader class.
 * Titans - Tanks. Huge health and defense, heavy weapons. Replaces the Soldier class.
 * Scientists - Jets. Great speed, no armor, emphasis on healing and buffer abilities.
 * Playlists
 * Team Death Match - ELIMINATE THE ENEMY TEAM! Kills count as points for the player's team, and 40 points are required to win on default settings.
 * Conquest - There are 3 nodes, A, B and C. Team members wait at nodes to fill a bar and capture the node, and all teams are competing constantly for the nodes. The possession of a node adds points, and the rate at which points are added is increased based on how many nodes the team has. The match ends once a team reaches 400 points.
 * Headhunter - This match is very similar to Team Deathmatch, except killed enemies drop their Spark. Players must pick up these sparks and return them to teamless nodes to gain a point per spark. These nodes occasionally move, the approaching change signaled by beacons that mark their location, which flash when nodes are about to move.
 * Capture the Flag - Both teams have flags in their base. Players must protect their own flag and capture the enemy flag. Each capture grants a point, and the amount of points required for a team to win is 3.
 * Teletraan 1
 * Escalation

Autobots

 * Optimus Prime
 * Bumblebee
 * Cliffjumper
 * Ratchet
 * Ironhide
 * Jazz
 * Sideswipe
 * Air Raid
 * Silverbolt
 * Jetfire
 * Warpath
 * Scattershot
 * Hound
 * Sentinel Zeta Prime
 * Arcee
 * Ultra Magnus
 * Wheeljack
 * Perceptor
 * Grimlock
 * Swoop
 * Slug
 * Snarl

Decepticons

 * Megatron
 * Starscream
 * Soundwave
 * Shockwave
 * Sharpshot
 * Hardshell
 * Kickback
 * Bruticus
 * Onslaught
 * Blast Off
 * Vortex
 * Swindle
 * Brawl
 * Dead End
 * Demolisher
 * Quake
 * Breakdown
 * Dragstrip

Autobots

 * Titans
 * Metroplex
 * Sludge

Decepticons

 * Leapers
 * Guardians
 * Rumble
 * Frenzy
 * Laserbeak

Other

 * Fliers
 * Wall Crawlers