Batman: Arkham Asylum surprised just about everyone in the gaming industry.  Deciding to eschew traditional licensing paradigms, the team at Rocksteady based the game on the comics rather than any current movie. In doing this Rocksteady Studios successfully replicated what made Batman and brought gamers along for an incredibly fun ride.  It's not like there was no indication that this would happen, but gamers everywhere were still caught off guard by the quality of this title.  Arkham Asylum had shown potential in all of its preview builds, but no one was willing to believe that it could actually back up its promises.  When it did, the game ended up being one of the bestsellers of 2009 and appeared on countless Game of the Year lists.  Flash forward to the present and the same kind of pre-release buzz is being leveraged around Transformers: War for Cybertron.  The game is looking better all the time, but for some reason, nobody really expects it to be anything too fantastic.  Call me optimistic, but the similarities between these two beloved franchise titles are too numerous to ignore.  We already have the game in the office, and I'm eager to dive in, but first I want to walk through five reasons why Transformers: War for Cybertron could be this year's Batman: Arkham Asylum.

1. Hasbro Approved

As a product of the '80s, Transformers actually has a history that spans more than 25 years.  While not all of the various series are interconnected plot-wise, each uses the same basic setup of the original episodes; wherein a robotic race of transforming robots accidentally land on Earth and continue their centuries-long civil war.  The most popular of these series by a Cybertronian mile is the original, also known as GenerationOne1, which has spanned many of the most well-known characters and themes.  Despite all this history and depp cosmology, no series has ever looked at the civil war that took place on the Transformers home world of Cybertron.  Transformers: War for Cybertron fills this gap by showing the events that led to the Transformers exile to Earth.  What's more is that the game is regarded as completely canon in relation to the story of Generation One. It's also been personally approved by Hasbro.  The story is split into two campaigns. The first one chronologically focuses on the Decepticons and begins with nefarious baddie Megatron igniting a war by returning Cybertron to what he considers its golden age by any means necessary.  As he continues more Transformers join his side while others take a stand against him.  The Autobot campaign picks up with Optimus Prime being thrust into a leadership role and trying to rally the Autobots from the brink of defeat.

2. Roll Out!

While a worthwhile story is always appreciated, more fans are interested in which characters will be appearing in the game.  Fortunately, War for Cybertron is stocked with many favorites including Arcee, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Ratchet, Sideswipe, Barricade, Soundwave, Starscream, and of course Megatron and Optimus Prime.  Moreover, Peter Cullen is once again voicing Optimus Prime and is joined by some of the most talented voice actors in gaming.  Many of them have acted in a Transformers series at some point in their career and are familiar with the material.  The fact that so many great characters are being given a spotlight, let alone able to be played should make the game highly replayable.  Hopefully, each character will feel unique and not just copy and pasted with a new look. Just as Batman: Arkham Asylum took gamers on a guided tour of Batman's Rogues Gallery, so too should War for Cybertron usher players through fan-service laden set pieces with their favorite Autobots and Decepticons on all sides.

3. Robot on Robot Action

The gameplay of War for Cybertron is highly reminiscent of Gears of War as far as the basic style goes.  Each section is played with a group of three that can be controlled by you and your friends online or alone with AI controller your partners.  At any time you can transform. This will give you an immediate burst of speed and agility, but will also lower your defenses.  Moves can still be performed in the middle of a transformation in case of a pinch, canceling the transformation and segueing into the new input.  Like Gears of War, your Transformer can only carry two weapons at a time, but each one also has two skills known as a resource and a cool down.  In the case of Optimus Prime, he has a sliding maneuver as well as a war cry that will temporarily increase his accuracy and strength.  Melee attacks can also be performed whenever the player wants.  War for Cybertron is truly different from other current games in regards to its cover system.  It has none.  Instead the developers at High Moon Studios want players to be mobile at all times and really use the ability to transform.  It all points to a game that's fast and full of the firefights that Transformers' fans expect.

4. We've Got the Touch

Most games these days have some kind of multiplayer element and most of them tend to be tacked on.  While there is no guarantee that this won't be the case for Transformers, it at least looks like the developers at High Moon Studios are at least making an attempt to make the multiplayer fun.  Rather than trying to invent new modes, the team tried to take existing modes and give the unique Transformers flair to them.  Well-known Transformers will be unavailable in competitive multiplayer and instead players will play drones matching up to four distinct classes with a leveling system that doles out unlocks such as weapons and "perks."  The first of the four classes are the Recons, which are small, fast, and rely on long-ranged combat.  Scientists can transform into jets and serve the roles of support or medic.  Leaders are bulky in design but offer buffs for their teammates as well as mid to close-range weapons.  Finally the Soldiers are the strongest but slowest of the classes, able to give and take the most damage.  The Transformers can transform at any time which should allow for a bevy of new strategies.  The modes themselves are the standard set including Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch, Conquest which is similar to the same game type in Battlefield, Assault, Capture the Flag, and a mode known as Code of Power where teams have two and a half minute rounds to vie for control of a giant melee weapon.  Up to ten players can play at a time which may seem small but the highly mobile nature of the Transformers will make matches interesting.  Add in the fact that the campaign can be played entirely in three player online co-op and War for Cybertron could make an excellent game for Transformers fans to play together.

5. It's Good to be a Kid

Every kid growing up imagines being a hero.  It's why we connect to larger than life characters like Batman and Optimus Prime.  Videogames are the perfect way to way to act out those childhood fantasies.  At least they should be.  Most games based off existing properties fail to capture the spirit of the original work.  That's why Batman: Arkham Asylum blew gamers away.  It was fun while also allowing players to immersive themselves in a character they revered and actualy get to feel like they were Batman.  War for Cybertron could accomplish the same thing.  Each player should feel like a Transformer.  The immense power, the destructive weaponry, the hulking size, the blazing speed are all at the player's fingertips.  Fans who grew up with the series will feel like they've been transported back to their living rooms and in their PJs, watching the show and reliving the memories.  Even better, they'll be the ones in control.

While success is never guaranteed, I have a good feeling about Transformers: War for Cybertron for all the reasons above.  Do you think it has any chance of being as well regarded as Arkham Asylum was last year? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to check back later this week when our full review hits.