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‘Transformers: War For Cybertron’ Review: It’s Better Than The Films
I’m not a huge fan of the Transformers franchise (blasphemous, I know), primarily because I’m too young to have any nostalgic feelings towards the cartoons and despite some fantastic special effects, the films never managed to keep my attention.
Because of this, and the fact that I had to review the utterly terrible Revenge of the Fallen game, my expectations started off pretty low. Lucky for me, War for Cybertron isn’t based off the films, and is instead a return to the roots that made the original so popular.
The ten chapter long single-player story is broken up into two parts; the first half has you controlling the bad robots, or Decepticons, who are trying to take over the world of Cybertron, and the second half puts you in the shoes of the Autobots, who are defending their world. Both halves are made up of very similar gameplay, having you drive or fly throughout the levels, taking out waves of enemies or bosses that were dumb enough to get in your way, and simply kicking tons of mechanical ass.
The main difference comes with the weapons and abilities of the Transformers you control, because each has their own unique ability and vehicular form. Because I was allowed to control the leader in almost every chapter that usually ended up being the character I controlled since for the most part they were the only names I recognized, and because I figured they would be the strongest.
The story is interesting, and the world is beautifully realized with Cybertron shifting and transforming in a way that’s similar to the Transformers that inhabit it. The visuals are great, the sound effects enjoyable, and the voice acting over-the-top (in a good way). You can play through the campaign alone or with a friend, and with the exception of a few levels that consist only of boss fights, each chapter takes roughly an hour long to complete, bringing the campaign to a meaty 8-10 hours.
But that’s not all, there’s also a multiplayer component to the game that definitely doesn’t feel tacked on. Now, I’m not saying you’ll choose Transformers over games like Modern Warfare 2, but it’s a satisfying change of pace if you’re ever finding yourself bored with your current arsenal of online games. Then there’s also the Gears of War inspired Horde mode, called Escalation, which pits you against increasingly powerful waves of enemies. The addition of an experience system that gives you perks and upgrades takes the experience to a whole new level.
War for Cybertron is a great game that exceeded all of my expectations; it’s fun, has plenty of content, looks and sounds great, and with hidden items, achievements, and the option to play other Transformers, there’s more than a few reasons to play through again. The only downside is the lack of variety in the missions, which usually `consisted of driving sections or killing lots of enemies/bosses so you could get to your next destination and do it all over again. But if you’re a fan of the series or looking for a fun game, this game will treat you right.
Only one episode remains in Season 3 of “Chucky,” and what a bloody road it’s been so far, especially for actor Devon Sawa. The actor has now officially died twice on screen this season, pulling double duty as President James Collins and body double Randall Jenkins.
If you thought Chucky’s ruthless eye-gouging of the President was bloody, this week’s Episode 7 traps Randall Jenkins in an elevator that feels straight out of an iconic horror classic.
Bloody Disgusting spoke with series creator Don Mancini and actor Devon Sawa about that ultra-bloody death sequence and how the actor inspires Mancini’s writing on the series.
Mancini explains, “Devon’s a bit of a muse. Idle Hands and Final Destination is where my Devon Sawa fandom started, like a lot of people; although yours may have started with Casper. I was a bit too old for that. But it’s really just about how I love writing for actors that I respect and then know. So, it’s like having worked with Devon for three years now, I’m just always thinking, ‘Oh, what would be a fun thing to throw his way that would be unexpected and different that he hasn’t done?’ That’s really what motivates me.”
For Sawa, “Chucky“ is an actor’s dream in that the series gives him not one but multiple roles to sink his teeth into, often within the same season. But the actor is also a huge horror fan, and Season 3: Part 2 gives him the opportunity to pay homage to a classic: Kubrick’s The Shining.
CHUCKY — “There Will Be Blood” Episode 307 — Pictured in this screengrab: (l-r) Devon Sawa as President James Collins, K.C. Collins as Coop — (Photo by: SYFY)
“Collectively, it’s just amazing to put on the different outfits, to do the hair differently, to get different types of dialogue,“ Sawa says of working on the series. “The elevator scene, it’s like being a kid again. I was up to my eyeballs in blood, and it felt very Kubrick. Everybody there was having such a good time, and we were all doing this cool horror stuff, and it felt amazing. It really was a good day.”
Sawa elaborates on being submerged in so much blood, “It was uncomfortable, cold, and sticky, and it got in my ears and my nose. But it was well worth it. I didn’t complain once. I was like, ‘This is why I do what I do, to do scenes like this,‘ the scenes that I grew up watching on VHS cassette, and now we’re doing it in HD, and it’s all so cool.“
It’s always the characters and the actors behind them that matter most to Mancini, even when he delights in coming up with inventive kills and incorporating horror references. And he’s killed Devon Sawa’s characters often. Could future seasons top the record of on-screen Sawa deaths?
“Well, I guess we did it twice in season one and once in season two,“ Mancini counts. “So yeah, I guess I would have to up the ante next season. I’ll really be juggling a lot of falls. But I think it’s hopefully as much about quality as quantity. I want to give him a good role that he’s going to enjoy sinking his teeth into as an actor. It’s not just about the deaths.”
Sawa adds, “Don’s never really talked about how many times could we kill you. He’s always talking about, ‘How can I make this death better,’ and that’s what I think excites him is how he can top each death. The electricity, to me blowing up to, obviously in this season, the eyes and with the elevator, which was my favorite one to shoot. So if it goes on, we’ll see if he could top the deaths.”
CHUCKY — “Death Becomes Her” Episode 305 — Pictured in this screengrab: Devon Sawa as James Collins — (Photo by: SYFY)
The actor has played a handful of distinctly different characters since the series launch, each one meeting a grisly end thanks to Chucky. And Season 3 gave Sawa his favorite characters yet.
“I would say the second one was a lot of fun to shoot,“ the actor says of Randall Jenkins. “The President was great. I liked playing the President. He was the most grounded, I hope, of all the characters. I did like playing him a lot.” Mancini adds, “He’s grounded, but he’s also really traumatized, and I thought you did that really well, too.”
The series creator also reveals a surprise correlation between President James Collins’ character arc and a ’90s horror favorite.
“I saw Devon’s role as the president in Season 3; he’s very Kennedy-esque,“ Mancini explains. “But then given the supernatural plot turns that happen, to me, the analogy is Michelle Pfeiffer in What Lies Beneath, the character that is seeing these weird little things happening around the house that is starting to screw with his sanity and he starts to insist, ‘I’m seeing a ghost,‘ and his spouse thinks he’s nuts. So I always like that. That’s Michelle Pfeiffer in What Lies Beneath, which is a movie I love.”
The finale of “Chucky” Season 3: Part 2 airs Wednesday, May 1 on USA & SYFY.
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