Fans have been waiting quite some time for a decent Transformers game to come along, especially once the blockbuster live-action movies helped reinvigorate the franchise. But it wasn't until 2010's War for Cybertron from High Moon Studios and Activision, which finally touched on many of the things fans expected from their favorite giant robots, that the potential for what a great Transformers game could be became apparent. Now the two companies have merged once more with its direct sequel, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, which, despite some potentially game-breaking flaws, has its energon in all the right places to not only make it one of the very best games based on Hasbro's generationally popular franchise but also one of the best all-out actions games you'll play this year.

The story kicks off with the Autobots and the Decepticons reaching the final parts of their ongoing war, which sees them leaving Cybertron as it falls to pieces. Here you get to experience the battle firsthand as you play with characters from both factions through stages that are catered to your bot’s abilities. The first level lets you control the small and nimble Bumblebee as you fight - and fit - your way through small spaces where other, bigger Autobots can’t get to. Later on, you’ll be able to use other famous bots such as Jazz and a stage that makes use of his grappling hook, or another that takes advantage of Cliffjumper’s stealth mode to silently take down enemies, and of course Optimus Prime (with the great Peter Cullen providing the voice) with his all-around balanced style which he uses to protect and help his fellow Autobots.

Fantastically, there’s even a stage where you can cut loose as the mighty Dinobot Grimlock (complete with Gregg Berger from the 80’s series reprising his voice). As stated earlier, you also get to play as some of the Decepticons such Kickback, Soundwave, Brawl and even the villainous Megatron (who is, sadly, not voiced by Frank Welker).

Controlling these giant mechanical beings is luckily pretty easy, especially for Gears of War fans who will fit right at home with the third-person cover-shooter action. Your left analog stick allows you to move around while pushing down on it activates your melee attack, as your right stick is used to aim / look around while pushing on it allows you to transform your bot into vehicle mode. There’s also your standard jump, dash, cover, reload and lock-on buttons, as well as an option that allows you to switch your weapon to either your left or right hand for better aiming. You’ll be using all of them quite often, as this title has a nice action-packed pace that’s one of its best features. More times than not, you’ll find yourself dash-jumping over gaping chasms while shooting and having to reload all at the same time in both robot and vehicle mode.

Besides starting off with a machine gun-like weapon, there’s plenty of other cool ones you can pick up along the way, such as a missile launcher or laser beam type attachment for your bot. Also keeping the action fresh is the ability to transform into driving vehicles for the Autobots, and flying ones for the Decepticons, adding some nice racing / flying sections to an already exciting game.

When you’re done with the single-player campaign there’s an online multiplayer mode where up to eight people can play against each other. One of the coolest things about this mode is the ability to make up your very own Transformer: you can choose to be an Autobot or Decepticon, pick body parts, weapons and abilities, vehicle shapes, size and color, and more. With an option like that, I think it’s a safe bet that most fans will probably opt to spend more time in multiplayer than the single-player campaign.

Everything looks and moves smoothly thanks to smart use of the Unreal Engine, with heavily detailed bots and levels that show off the intricate circuitry and rubble of our favorite characters and their doomed home planet. A great example of the game's visual spectacle is when fighting your way through the humongous Metroplex, the infamous city that can transform into the biggest Autobot ever, and details such as Optimus Prime’s exhaust pipes moving around like pistons in a machine while standing still in robot mode. I thought that was a nice touch to show how these guys are living machines. The sounds are also just as detailed, as every blast, explosion and piece of dialogue comes in perfectly. Even Stan Bush's "The Touch" (albeit in remixed mode) is here, giving fans yet another reason to be excited.

But with all of the good things going for it, there’s also a few negatives that keep it from lighting fans' darkest hour. The worst offender - and major dealbreaker for some - will be the game-breaking glitches, freezes, and lock-ups that happen constantly while playing, especially in the PlayStation 3 version. Even worse is that these issues seem to happen randomly, meaning a successful playthrough on one level without issue could spell disaster on the next go around, forcing you to perform a potentially dangerous (as it might corrupt data) on your console. This was very upsetting as I actually loved the game when everything was working perfectly, but it was difficult to fully enjoy myself while under the constant fear of having my game freeze or save data lost entirely. This seems to happen more with the PS3 version than Xbox 360, but I can only hope a patch is released soon to fix this.

High production values, blistering action, and a deep respect for franchise canon make Transformers: Fall of Cybertron one of the best pure action games you’ll play this year. Fun Gears of War-like controls are immediately familiar, and a great mix of transforming driving/flying sequences help keep things fresh and exciting - when it works. It's a shame that the game is plagued by so many game-breaking glitches and freezes, making each session a constant worry that your save data may become corrupted. But when running on all 8-cylinders it's a complete blast of Transforming goodness, especially with an ambitious multiplayer that lets you create an customize your own Transformer. Gripes aside, this one's a definite rental for those seeking an immediate fix, as there are few things as satisfying than watching Grimlock kick butt.