IF you’re a fan of giant shape-shifting robots beating the scrap metal out of each other, Transformers: Fall Of Cybertron offers all the droid-on-droid action you could possibly crave.

Transformers: Fall Of Cybertron

Publisher: Activision

Price: �49.99

Format: Xbox 360 (also on PS3, PC)

Age rating: 12+

IF you’re a fan of giant shape-shifting robots beating the scrap metal out of each other, Transformers: Fall Of Cybertron offers all the droid-on-droid action you could possibly crave. It’s the flashy sequel to Transformers: War For Cybertron – a third-person actioner released a couple of years ago – and continues the story of the brutal civil war between the heroic Autobots and the dastardly Decepticons as they battle for control of their home world.

The only problem is that Cybertron is now a dying planet, with the Autobots, lead by Optimus Prime, eager to escape its death throes in a gigantic space ark, while the Decepticons want to take control of the vessel for their own nefarious ends. It’s not an epic storyline by any stretch of the imagination, but what did you expect from a videogame that takes its inspiration from a 1980s cartoon series?

The single-player campaign is spread across 13 chapters, and each one has been crafted to highlight the abilities of a specific ‘robot in disguise’. The semi-destructible environments play host to a Who’s Who of Autobots and Decepticons, so one minute you’ll be stomping about as Grimlock, toasting adversaries with your fiery dino breath, and the next undertaking a stealth-based mission using Cliffjumper’s cloaking ability or taking to the skies as Starscream. Each mission is punctuated by impressive set-pieces, but the lack of a cover system is puzzling, and we’d have liked to have played through the campaign with a buddy, especially as this was an option in the first game.

While campaign co-op didn’t make the cut, Escalation mode makes a welcome return. This Gears Of War-style survival mode lets you and up to three friends battle waves of increasingly powerful AI bots across multiple maps, using in-game credits to buy extra ammo and weapons. Competitive multiplayer is also back, and as slick as ever, with four modes, the ability to mix and match body parts to create your own robo warrior, and more weapons and equipment becoming available the longer you keep playing.

Transformers: Fall Of Cybertron puts Michael Bay’s soulless movies to shame. Although the main campaign can be vanquished in less than eight hours, it’s still a wonderfully engaging experience, bolstered by some robust online scraps. Time to transform and roll out.