Transformers: War For Cybertron
Megatron and Optimus return as Transformers: War For Cybertron comes to gaming consoles this week. The fate of Cybertron hangs in the balance as leaders of the planet’s factions fight for their future and the future of their home.
Taking place before the original Transformers animated series, War for Cybertron places players at the helm of two playable campaigns, one for each faction: the Decepticons and the Autobots.
Online play allows the campaigns to also be completed cooperatively and it features a slew of multiplayer modes.
The game spans 10 chapters, beginning with the Deception story, and allows players to begin each campaign independently, regardless of chronological order.
Players looking to get competitive online will find quite a few options in War for Cybertron. “Team Deathmatch” and “Deathmatch” are kill-based gametypes where the team or person with the most kills wins. “Escalation” mode, similar to Gears of War’s “Horde” mode, pits players cooperatively against wave after wave of robots for a single goal of survival.
More strategic game types include “Conquest,” similar to Killzone 2’s capture and hold, “Countdown to Extinction” where players must bomb the opposing team’s base, “Power Struggle,” a variant of capture the flag, and lastly “Code of Power” where players battle over two-and-a-half minute rounds for a giant melee weapon.
Players can also create their own Transformer for use in the game’s competitive multiplayer. Along with the ability to select one of the four classes: scout, soldier, scientist and leader, a Transformer’s looks, chassis, weapons and abilities can also be tweaked for battle.
The Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS have their own separate versions of the War for Cybertron game and feature bonus content. Transformers: Cybertron Adventures is exclusive to the Nintendo Wii, and although the game features the same setting and characters as War for Cybertron, the Wii version contains an exclusive level.
Two portable versions of War for Cybertron will also be released on the Nintendo DS. Unlike its counterparts, each separate game is based on the story of one faction. Collectively the games contain over 30 characters, with 11 of them exclusive to the Nintendo DS.
Both Gamestop and Amazon are offering bonus playable characters to those that pre-order. Transformers: War For Cybertron when it hits shelves on Tuesday, June 22.
Sin & Punishment: Star Successor
With portable consoles dominating new releases this week, Nintendo Wii fans will be glad to see a sequel to a classic returning to their console.
Drawing comparisons from Starfox and Virtua Cop, Sin & Punishment: Star Successor allows gamers to play as either Isa or Kachi in this on-rail shooting experience.
An on-rail shooter follows a specific route, restricting the movement of the player, and only allowing them to point-and-shoot as the game subsequently moves into the screen.
Star Successor is the second game in the Sin and Punishment series, with the first, Sin and Punishment, appearing on the Nintendo 64. First released in Japan in 2000, Sin and Punishment was first playable in the United States in October of 2007 on Nintendo’s Virtual Console. The game has received favorable reception, garnering an 85 percent on Metacritic.
So far, Star Successor has echoed this success with similarly positive scores on both Metacritic and Gamerankings, with an 85 and 87 respectively.
The game is playable with four different control methods, including the Wii Remote with Nunchuk, the Wii Zapper, the Classic Wii Controller and the Nintendo Gamecube controller, and can be played alone or with a friend in two-player co-op.
Players that can’t wait to check out this shoot ‘em up can expect to see Sin & Punishment: Star Successor in stores on Sunday, June 27.
Must see of the week!
This week features two “must see” items: the Xbox 360 S and last week’s E3 coverage.
Big announcements were in store for those that attended or watched the Electronic Entertainment Expo last week. Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, gaming publishers and developers jam-packed fresh titles, new sequels, 3D gaming, first-look trailers and new motion-sensing technology into the three-day conference.
Microsoft also announced a brand new version of the Xbox 360 at E3. Titled the “Xbox 360 S” or Xbox 360 Slim, this sleek and savvy version features a 250 GB hard drive, integrated Wi-Fi, optical audio output, custom AUX port and five USB ports.
Pre-orders for the Xbox 360 S are now available at Gamestop, Amazon and Newegg, and the console will hopefully be hitting other retailers this week. The model retails for $300 and will subsequently replace the Xbox 360 Elite at the same price tier.