Transformers: War for Cybertron: Difference between revisions

 

A video game based on the ''[[Transformers]]'' franchise, released on June 22, 2010. Set before the Transformers come to Earth, the story is set entirely on their home planet of Cybertron. The game is meant to be the basis for an entirely new continuity and to set the stage for storylines of the franchise for years to come. The story is a set-up for the ''[[Transformers Prime]]'' TV series.

The player has the opportunity to play as both the Autobots and the Decepticons. Unlike previous ''Transformers'' games to do this, however, the plot for both factions will be entirely linear in nature, as opposed to [[Multiple Endings|Multiple Ending]] scenarios, with the Decepticon campaign taking place shortly before the Autobots. The game not only gives an idea of the events that led to both the Autobots' and Decepticons' exodus from Cybertron to Earth, it also shows up close how unflinchingly brutal the fighting was.

 

 

{{tropelist}}

* [[Action Girl]]: Arcee. Being the ONLY female Autobot and up against enemy robots that turn into tanks and jet planes, she holds her own as a small car and does so in style.

** Well, not completely, but with [[Fan Dumb|this fandom]], it's as close as we're gonna get.

* [[Always Over the Shoulder]]

* [[An Adventurer Is You]]: Four classes - [[Mighty Glacier|Soldiers]], [[Fragile Speedster|Scouts]], [[Glass Cannon|Scientists]] and [[Jack of All Stats|Leaders]].

** Which is "borrowed" from a d20 game called Mechamorphs, the developer of which had originally tried to license the Transformers name from Hasbro in 2005.

* [[Anti-Villain]]: He doesn't get much characterization in-game, but the site notes that Thundercracker isn't sure how strongly he believes in the Decepticon cause. Further, he's the most reasonable of the jets, and even seems to retain some scientific curiosity, where the others are just looking for more to kill or irritated at the prospect of being further hindered in their journey.

** They use turrets by transforming their entire body into part of the gun. See [[BFG]].

** Omega Supreme. Both slaggin' arms.

*** His left arm is for [[Carry a Big Stick|punching things]].

* [[Ascended Meme]]: The [[Transformers Animated|"Punch Of Kill Everything!"]] appears in the game as "P.O.K.E. V2.0" as a Leader class [[Kill Streak]] reward.

** Soldier-type characters have an attribute to enhance their [[Spin Attack|Whirlwind ability]] called "P.O.K.E. Alpha".

* [[Asskicking Equals Authority]]: Here's a hint: his name starts with "M" and ends with "-egatron". Challenge his authority when you're miles away, or he'll tear you apart with his bare hands.

* [[Attack Its Weak Point]]: Several examples, but the final Decepticon fight against Omega Supreme stands out the most. First you have to attack his turrets (which are explicitly stated to be outside his shields), damaging him enough to (somehow) make his chest a weak point for you to attack.

* [[Awesome but Impractical]]: {{spoiler|Trypticon}} is this for the Decepticons; it has incredibly destructive capabilities as a super weapon, but the excessive heat build up proves to be its undoing. Noted by {{spoiler|Ironhide}} and exploited by {{spoiler|your three Autobots in the final battle}} However, it ''is'' a thorough pain to exploit, and the Autobots have the fight of their lives to take him down.

** The overheating might have been due to some of his cooling systems getting wrecked in the previous level.

* [[Badass]]: If you're a named character, you're almost certifiably one of these. Megatron's the biggest example, though; you can see why Autobot grunts oil their pants when he shows up.

** In the intro cinematic alone, Megatron crushes a poor Autobot mook's head... with one hand!

* [[Bad Boss]]: Sort of. Megatron certainly shows far less concern for his troops than, say, Optimus does, and he's not above blasting nameless minions who disobey or even question his orders, but he doesn't sacrifice them unnecessarily. And say what you want about him, but Megatron leads from the ''front'', and he'll make sure you don't forget it. He actually spends almost as much time on the frontlines as the local version of Optimus due to both being playable characters.

** And depending on how well you follow orders and/or your usefulness, he'll be pretty flexible. Breakdown gets away with comments that lesser Decepticons would get shot over (as one does early on). Half of Megatron's barked orders to him are irritated but not quite angry calls to shut it.

** Starscream has shades of this with his subordinates.

'''Skywarp''': That's ''exactly'' what I'm talking about! }}

* [[Beware My Stinger Tail]]: {{spoiler|Trypticon}}

* [[BFG]]: The game looks like it's set to take things even further this time, as Trypticon (who is gigantic even compared to regular Transformers) is seen with several in the trailer. {{spoiler|As it turns out, Trypticon himself '''is''' one. His altmode is a [[Kill Sat]]. A big [[Kill Sat]]}}.

** If you're a Decepticon, and Optimus points his [[More Dakka|Ion Cannon]] at you, they'll need a shovel to pick up what's left of you.

** And naturally, Megatron's fusion cannon can one-shot any enemy not at miniboss or higher level.

** Zeta's also pretty merciless with any prisoners he takes.

* [[Blood Knight]]: Many. Megatron is the most flagrant example, but Brawl and Sideswipe certainly qualify. Heck, even Optimus seems to enjoy smashing up the bad guys a little too much:

'''Optimus''': It's purely a matter of ''perspective''. }}

* [[Boisterous Bruiser]]: Damn near ALL of them, with a few exceptions, Optimus being the most obvious one (he's much too humble for it). Megatron will CERTAINLY let you know you're in for a world of hurt.

* [[Bond One-Liner]]: The characters frequently exalt their own abilities or congratulate each other after kills, though only a few are puns. For example, if Optimus headshots someone, he might rumble:

** If he doesn't say anything, Bumblebee might say:

** Meanwhile, for a proper pun, Ratchet might snark:

* [[Boom! Headshot!]]: Instant kill on any trooper weaker than a Brute. Can be performed with any weapon with or without Fine Aim, meaning it's possible to get a headshot with a shotgun, or even a grenade launcher.

* [[Boss Dissonance]]: Criticized for having the Mario type, though at higher difficulty levels, anything less than a [[No Damage Run]] will typically result in immediate death.

* [[Breath Weapon]]: {{spoiler|Trypticon}} combines this with [[Frickin' Laser Beams]].

** The boss battle even has this line related to the laser beam that is just such a big G1 throwback it makes one giddy with nostalgia.

* [[Bullet Catch]]: the beginning cutscene has Optimus catching a missile with his hand after knocking another away. The one he catches explodes, but he survives anyways, despite the rough landing.

* [[The Call Knows Where You Live]]: Optimus had apparently turned down the title of Prime given by the Autobot high council in the past, but with Zeta Prime's death and every Autobot encouraging him he takes up the role.

* [[The Captain]]: Optimus ''is'' this trope.

* [[Captain Obvious]]: [[The Smart Guy|Thundercracker]], occasionally. This may be why Skywarp and Starscream sometimes neglect his advice, to their peril.

* [[Catch Phrase]]: Optimus Prime calls for the Autobots to "roll out!" in the newest trailer, just like he always does.

** Megatron '''''will not be denied'''''.

* [[Civil War]]: The eponymous War For Cybertron.

* [[Class and Level System]]

* [[Cold Sniper]]: Starscream, if one takes into account that his signature weapon, the Null Ray, is a high powered sniper rifle.

* [[Combat Medic]]: Ratchet, to the point where he actually seems to be the right-hand man of Optimus here.

* [[Comic Trio]]: The Seekers form one with Starscream as the schemer, Skywarp as the follower, and Thundercracker as the complainer.

* [[Commander Contrarian]]: Breakdown, who spends most of the Decepticon campaign complaining, much to Megatron's annoyance.

** Barricade also questions Megatron a few times, but since he's only around for one mission, he doesn't get as much opportunity to snark.

* [[Color Coded for Your Convenience]]: Decepticons all have purple [[Tron Lines]], Autobots all have orange [[Tron Lines]]. This even extends to characters with speaking parts like Optimus and Bumblebee.

* [[Cosmetically Different Sides]]: Other than in looks, the [[Mooks]] of both sides are completely identical in actual performance, all the way up to [[Boss in Mook Clothing|Brutes, Titans]] and [[Mini Boss|Destroyers]].

* [[The Corruption]]: Dark Energon's properties are ill-defined at best, but it seems mostly able to subvert programming and cause machines to go haywire. Stuff it affects usually starts sprouting black crystalline spikes that tear it apart, when it's not blown up outright. Megatron is the first Cybertronian ever to weaponize it without being destroyed by it; most of the other Transformers are so terrified of it that they only have a small amount of the stuff in storage and are prepared to destroy it before Megatron hijacks the production facility. The game centers around the discovery and weaponization of Dark Energon, while Megatron's personal plot revolves around using it to corrupt Cybertron itself and bring the planet under his control. {{spoiler|While Megatron succeeds, Cybertron does have a way to purge itself. However, the purging will require Cybertron to shut down and become uninhabitable for millions of years}}.

* [[The Dark Side Will Make You Forget]]: In the ''Exodus'' [[All There in the Manual|tie-in novel]], Megatron's goal for doing what he does is to free Cybertron from an oppressive caste system that stifles personal ambition and cultural development. By the time of ''War for Cybertron'', however, he's devolved into the megalomaniacal tyrant we all know and love, promising to relieve the population of Cybertron of "the burdens of freedom and choice."

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Most of the Autobots and Decepticons get a couple sarcastic lines off throughout the game, even the ones that were never that humorous. Like Megatron:

'''Megatron''': [[Sarcasm Mode|Yes, Breakdown. I'm well known for my sparkling sense of humour]]. }}

** Megatron gets another good one in at Breakdown's expense:

'''Megatron''': Yes, Breakdown. Your ''constant whining'' saw us through. }}

* [[The Determinator]]: This is Megatron's defining characteristic. The entire Decepticon campaign has various characters telling Megatron that he cannot do what he's trying to do (control Dark Energon, storm the gates of the Autobot capital, defeat Omega Supreme). Megatron's response is to give them all the finger and do it anyway.

* [[Disney Villain Death]]: Both subverted and played straight with {{spoiler|Trypticon. Subverted in that he survives a fall from ''orbit''; played straight in that Optimus, Bumblebee, and Ironhide manage to defeat him by blowing out his power cores and causing him to fall down a chasm. And even then, we [[Never Found the Body|can't be certain that actually killed him]]...}}

** {{spoiler|They didn't. He becomes the Nemesis according to Exodus. But his mind is out and out ''gone'', so he's running on a mixture of autonomous systems and the Decepticons working various stations and posts inside his body.}}

* [[Elite Mooks]]: [[Drop the Hammer|Brutes]], [[BFG|Titans]], and the aforementioned [[Heavily Armored Mook|overshield-equipped]] grenadiers.

* [[Escort Mission]]: Delightfully averted for the most part. Though you always travel in a squad of three, your squadmates are invincible. Even if they're auto-killed by an environmental effect (such as falling into a bottomless pit or {{spoiler|standing in front of Trypticon's laser breath}}), they respawn a moment later. In short, you are never punished for any [[Artificial Stupidity]].

** This also has a secondary effect: you'll NEVER use a medic during the campaign. Invincible medic = epic win for you.

* [[Evil Laugh]]: Starscream and Megatron are the most common users of this. Though the latter only does it when he's either killed something big in a fight or achieved some important goal.

* [[Evil Is Easy]]: While the campaigns can be played in either order, since the Decepticon campaign occurs first the player is expected to play to start with, and as such the Autobot campaign is intentionally made harder.

* [[Gatling Good]]: The X12 Scrapmaker minigun.

* [[Giant Space Flea From Nowhere]]: It's never explained where the hell Trypticon came from. There was no indication in the Decepticon campaign, for example, that {{spoiler|the transfer station was alive}}. (It should be noted that while Megatron is never put off by the sheer size and power of Omega Supreme, that might just be Megatron being Megatron...or it might hint of things to come...) It probably has something to do with how new Cybertronians are made, but since we don't know how that is it comes off as a bit odd.

* [[Gladiator Games]]: Megatron got his start (and name) in the equivalent of Cybertronian Fight Club. His desire to see a free Cybertron without a caste system where everyone is free to determine their own path sparks his rise to power as more and more Cybertronians (including the future Optimus Prime) come to his cause, leading eventually to a...

** [[Gladiator Revolt]]: Unfortunately, as Megatron's organization grows in power, some start to do less than moral things such as bombing an amusement park.

** [[Hubcap Hovercraft]]

* [[Humongous Mecha]]: Omega Supreme and Trypticon. The tank mini-bosses also, to a lesser extent. Technically the whole cast is this, but since this game is on Cybertron, you don't notice this.

** And even in his backstory, before his rise to power, he was like this (charismatic and leading by example). See the Gladiator tropes above.

* [[I Will Show You X]]: Skywarp's belated response to Starscream's Not-So-[[Stealth Insult]].

'''Starscream''': You always do... }}

* [[Incoming Ham]]: Everyone spouts a line like this when they transform back into robot mode. Or out of robot mode, really.

** {{spoiler|Megatron: "Take your Autobots and leave Cybertron forever or stay and face complete annihilation." He probably wanted them to leave ''immediately''; since Optimus chose to fight, Megatron wouldn't let them change their stance after giving his ultimatum}}.

* [[Kid Appeal Character]]: Bumblebee shows up, as a [[Hot-Blooded]] type 3 played by [[Johnny Yong Bosch]].

* [[Kick the Dog]]: Capturing and then crushing a lone soldier right before his leader's eyes, just to demonstrate your power over the facility? Really, Zeta Prime?

* [[Kill Sat]]: The Decepticons use one whilst in control of the orbital space station (formerly belonging to the Autobots). {{spoiler|Turns out, it's actually the alternate form of Trypticon}}.

* [[Kill Steal]]: Your teammates will comment if you kill someone they were fighting with, and the comments vary depending on who you're playing as. If you steal, say, [[Hot-Blooded|Bumblebee's]] kill, he'll be annoyed. If you knock off someone Optimus was fighting, he'll just say thanks for the assist. Few of the Decepticons, though, will complain if [[Bad Boss|Megatron]] steals a kill.

* [[Knight in Sour Armor]]: A few of the Autobots fit this trope, especially Ironhide and Silverbolt.

* [[Large and In Charge]]: Trust me, you'll see Optimus and Megatron coming...

* [[Large Ham]]: Megatron, Starscream, Optimus, and {{spoiler|Trypticon, figuratively and literally}}.

* [[Macross Missile Massacre]]: If you face [[Airborne Mook|flyers]], expect these. Oh, and:

** {{spoiler|Trypticon}}. DEAR GOD, {{spoiler|Trypticon}}!

** Everybody has a rocket launcher that does this in the Wii game.

* [[Master of Unlocking]]: Megatron loves to use his new Dark Energon powers to [[Mundane Utility|open doors.]] Megatron can be the NPC variant of this trope [[Captain Obvious|provided you're not playing as him at the time.]]

* [[Meaningful Name]]: Breakdown is a nervous wreck half the time.

** He's hanging around with [[Bad Boss|Meg]][[Blood Knight|at]][[Leeroy Jenkins|ron]]. Of ''course'' he's nervous.

* [[Mechanical Lifeforms]]: Aside from the Transformers themselves, the depths of Cybertron have weird floating robot squids and other such things.

* [[The Men First]]: Optimus and Ratchet will constantly try to avoid any casualties on their side.

* [[Mini Boss]]: Destroyers. Also the Decepticon War Machines in the first mission of the Autobot campaign.

* [[Mobile Maze]]: Level progression is actually pretty linear, but you can see ''so many'' bits and pieces of the background shifting and transforming. It's clear that the eponymous Transformers don't just restrict their transformation technology to themselves.

** For one, pretty much every single Achievement/Trophy in the PS360 version. Try reading through the list (you nostalgia, you lose).

** Just about every other line of dialogue contains one of these.

* [[No-Gear Level]]: One Autobot mission has Optimus and the others breaking out of prison, so they start without their ''projectile'' weapons. The Decepticons neglected, however, to take melee weapons like Optimus's axe, which is the main reason they're able to escape. (The melee weapons seem to be integrated into all Cybertronians' systems, but they actually emptied their ammunition reservoirs for their vehicle-mode weapons, too, and since when has having to mutilate someone to render them harmless ever stopped Decepticons?)

* [[No One Could Survive That]]: Ratchet's assessment of Zeta Prime's battle with Megatron, when a transmission from the Autobot leader seems to imply the opposite. Ratchet believes it to be a trap instead (course, he was actually half right: {{spoiler|Zeta wasn't dead, but the message was orchestrated by the Decepticons as a trap}}).

* [[Old Soldier]]: Ironhide's age and experience are commented upon during the game, especially on the mission he shared with Optimus and Warpath.

* [[Palette Swap]]: As expected, there are a few characters who essentially have the same appearance, but different colours (i.e. Starscream and the Seekers as usual). The game even gives you the option to do this yourself as part of multiplayer customization.

'''[[Anti-Villain|Thundercracker:]]''' Ugly? You and I look the SAME! }}

* [[Paper-Thin Disguise]]: One of the powers of the Scientist class, basically a [[Palette Swap]]. It's even more paper thin to other scientists, who can see the health gauges of all actual allies, but not disguised enemy Scientists, and even more so when someone tries this as Shockwave who has a very unique character model which involves a big purple glowing chest which when using this ability becomes a big red glowing chest. The lack of these obvious distinctions, however, makes it possible to fool an enemy who isn't a fellow Scientist long enough to club them with a melee attack, usually.

* [[Robot War]]

* [[Recycled in Space]]: The gameplay has so far been described as being akin to ''[[Gears of War]]'', but with giant shape-shifting alien robots on their home planet.

** Likewise, the system of abilities, perks, and traits is similar to the style set out by ''[[Modern Warfare]]'' (from Activision, who also did this game).

* [[Red Eyes, Take Warning]]: Megatron and many other Decepticons.

* [[Ruined FOREVER]]: Well, with the fanbase, this was a guarantee.

* [[Scenery Porn]]: Cybertron looks damned good in many of the overhead shots. But then again...

*** The design team was actually very careful about these tropes. The Autobot cities, whilst heavily damaged from civil war, are perfect symbols of the once proud civilization Cybertron must have been before the war, whereas Kaon, the Decepticon city, is purposefully rusty and grimy, with the idea that the Decepticons aren't out to build a functioning society. Or at the very least, a society based more around function, power, and making others do the grunt work. Whereas the Autobots are a cooperative utopia, the Decepticons are a competitive utopia.

* [[Sequel Hook]]: {{spoiler|After ordering the evacuation of Cybertron, Optimus also commisions the building of the Ark, a ship massive enough to much of Cybertron with them as they search for a new home}}.

* [[The Smurfette Principle]]: Arcee and Slipstream are the only "female" Autobot and Decepticon respectively, and they're ''bonus characters'' playable only in multiplayer to boot. Slipstream's model doesn't even appear in the campaign, and Arcee is only briefly seen in the Kaon prison.

* [[Smug Snake]]: {{spoiler|Zeta Prime}} is a rare example on the good guys' side. {{spoiler|He has Megatron's arrogance and pride, but not the skill to back it up}}.

* [[Sociopathic Soldier]]: Obviously a Decepticon trait, with Brawl being the biggest example, but Warpath also shows very little reluctance about blowing a keghole into someone.

* [[Soul Jar]]: {{spoiler|The Autobot Matrix of Leadership is a portion of the soul of Primus, given to Optimus by Primus himself. This is the most comprehensive origin story ever given to the mythology concept}}.

* [[Spin Attack]]: The ability called Whirlwind.

* [[The Unfought]]: The Autobots and Decepticons only get to fight the opposite faction's leader in multiplayer due to their stories being sequential rather than parallel. The only duel between the leaders that is in any way related to the storyline occurs in the intro.

* [[Up to Eleven]]: Parodied near the end of the Autobot campaign.

'''Jetfire''': No, that's the ''point!'' It's about to blow! }}

* [[Villainous Breakdown]]: After Megatron loses the Core of Cybertron, his most prized asset in the war, he starts using his [[Kill Sat]] to destroy the evacuation ships. What makes this a breakdown? Earlier in the game, he actually wanted the Autobots to leave the planet. And given that Cybertron was currently dying, those ships held some of the last living members of his race.

'''Ratchet''': He's... insane. }}

* [[Villainous Valor]]: Say what you will about Megatron, he's got the guts to dive right into battle and he leads from the front.

** [[Epic Flail]]: Megatron's weapon.

** Melee weapons aside, while most characters can equip any two guns they come across, Optimus and Megatron are unable to drop their signature Ion Cannon and Fusion Cannon.

* [[What Could Possibly Go Wrong?]]: {{spoiler|The Aerialbots decide to take out Trypticon's conversion cog and revert him back to his natural Cybertronian form}}.

'''Silverbolt''': Maybe not, but anything is better than this. }}

** You could say that it's Nebulan.

* [[Wing Man]]: The Aerialbots to one another. While the Seekers have the "chatter in the middle of battle" part down, they don't really care enough for each other for the "watch my six" part. [[Anti-Villain|Thundercracker might]], if the others weren't jackholes.

* [[X Meets Y|W Meets X Meets Y Meets Z...]]: Seriously, it's kinda tough to pin down what it exactly took ideas from to mix together.

* [[You Are in Command Now]]: When Zeta Prime is defeated, Optimus is forced to take command of the Autobot army in his place. [[Time to Step Up Commander|Not a single Autobot sees this as a bad thing]], except ''maybe'' Optimus himself. Starscream also tries to invoke this trope many times during the game, but, well, Megatron has a pesky tendency to not die.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Science Fiction Video Games]]

[[Category:The New Tens]]

[[Category:Blur Studio]]

[[Category:Zoic Studios]]

[[Category:Mecha Game]]