Based in Vancouver & established in 2002, Canadian developer Next Level Games got its start developing 2003's NHL Hitz Pro, the final entry in the hockey equivalent to Midway's iconic NBA Jam & NFL Blitz. Following that, the studio would enter a relationship with Nintendo, developing Super Mario Strikers for the GameCube in 2005 & sequel Mario Strikers Charged for the Wii in 2007. These two games were just the start of a strong partnership with the Japanese gaming giant that has since resulted in Punch-Out!! for the Wii in 2009, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon & Metroid Prime: Federation Force for the 3DS in 2013 & 2016, & most recently Luigi's Mansion 3 for the Switch in 2019, almost all of which were received rather well (that Metroid game notwithstanding); there was even an unreleased Mario-themed volleyball game that went unknown until 2014. This relationship has been so strong that Next Level announced that it would work with Nintendo exclusively after 2014, & just last month Nintendo announced that it had purchased the studio outright, with the acquisition planned to finalize at the start of March. So, in this final month of independent life for the studio, I want to take a look at a pair of games Next Level developed that came out in 2010 that are interestingly similar, despite being published by two different companies & based on two completely different licenses, and see if their less-than-stellar reception at the time was due to actual game quality, or if they were simply victims of Nintendo's most successful system ever.
By the time 2010 came around, it was becoming more & more obvious that while the Nintendo Wii might be outselling Microsoft's Xbox 360 & Sony's PlayStation 3 by wide margins, its under-powered architecture meant that it wasn't really able to deliver the same experience when it came to certain games made for the competition. Sure, you had admirable & honestly unbelievable ports, like for the Call of Duty series, but for the most part the Wii got one of two options: A completely different game that was only related to what was coming out on the HD-compatible consoles... or just not getting anything at all. That was the conundrum Next Level Games found itself in the first year of the 2010s, and my only guess is that the studio got approached by two companies at around the same exact time, because that's the only way to explain what happened here. Anyway, June 22 saw Activision release Transformers: War for Cybertron, a third-person shooter by High Moon Studios that served as a prequel to the classic "Generation 1 era" of the franchise, detailing the war between the Autobots & Decepticons over on their home planet of Cybertron, long before the two sides crash landed on Earth. This saw release on PS3, 360 & PC, while the Nintendo DS saw a dual-release by Vicarious Visions that adapted the two campaigns across two games, one for the Autobots & one for the Decepticons. As for the Wii, Activision released Transformers: Cybertron Adventures, a rail shooter that acted as a "companion game" that took place during the plot of War for Cybertron. To say that it wasn't well received would be a bit of an understatement, though there were some positive reviews that acted as outliers, including one by Jim Sterling, who worked for Destructoid at the time & was notoriously contrarian very often (that's not a dig at Sterling, mind you).
Five months later, on November 16, Ubisoft (&, no, I will never get used to that name being only one word) released Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon for the Wii, which despite the simplistic title was not a mere port of the original game from 2001. Instead, it was a rail shooter similar to (but not exactly like) Transformers: Cybertron Adventures, but in this case the game wasn't developed to act as a "companion" to any new game in the franchise, unless you want to count Ghost Recon Predator, a PSP game that came out on the same exact day as the Wii game in North America (but was released a month earlier in Europe & Australia). No, this Wii entry was effectively the franchise's "main attraction" for consoles in that year & was also the first new entry in the franchise since 2007's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2; there also wouldn't be another console entry until 2012, not counting Shadow Wars for the 3DS in 2011. To say that it wasn't well received would be a bit of an understatement, though there were some positive reviews that acted as outliers; sorry, but no Jim Sterling review this time around. What's interesting is that, outside of some shared animators, the two games feature mostly different staffs behind them, despite being very similar conceptually. In particular, the games were individually directed by Jason Carr & Michael Inglehart, respectively, who had teamed up to co-direct Punch-Out!! the previous year. Ghost Recon (Wii) would be Inglehart's last directed game at Next Level, before founding mobile developer Hothead Games in 2011.
Personally, I've always been curious about whether these two Next Level Games productions are truly all that bad, or if they were victims of just not simply being what people really wanted from them, whether that meant being a partial lie by way of its marketing or being looked at as bad joke by people who really wanted "GRAW 3".
So let's just go in chronological order & start with Transformers: Cybertron Adventures, which isn't so much a "companion game" as it is "bonus campaign DLC that requires the player to own a completely different console in order to even play". You see, while this game does fill in some gaps in the "main game's" plot, it's literally all backloaded towards the endgame, namely starting shortly after the Decepticons start attacking Cybertron with Trypticon, which doesn't happen until Chapter IX, i.e. the penultimate chapter of the entire game. Specifically, it looks to fill in the gap between Chapters VIII & IX, though it does play slightly loose with things like time scales & when exactly things fit in, especially with the endgame, which takes place in concert with the end of the "main game". In other words, it's pretty much impossible to fully enjoy Cybertron Adventures as a standalone game/story, which is a shame as while War for Cybertron can be fun in its own right, it's also a game that shows its flaws as a single-player experience the further you go, namely in how the AI for your two partners is often kind of useless & boss fights are programmed to only ever attack you & not your partners (& even in normal grunt fights they'll still prioritize you if they can). In retrospect, it really just shows how Activision loves nickel & diming the consumer whenever possible, even going as far as expecting fans to buy games for both 360/PS3/PC AND Wii in order to get the full story. At the same time, however, the packaging & first impression for the game don't really establish that, as while the Wii game has a different subtitle & cover art, the back cover is almost exactly the same as that of the "main game", minus different screen shots (that don't show how different the gameplay is) & a single line indicating "original missions", while the intro seen here is literally the same exact one that's used for the "main game", making it impossible to even know that this game takes place so late in War for Cybertron's overall story. That being said, the two campaigns actually overlap with each other, like Autobot's Chapter II & Decepticon's Chapter III both ending with Ironhide & Bumblebee being captured by Megatron & Soundwave, which is honestly neat. But enough about how "Activision gonna Activision", let's dive into what Next Level Games brought to the party.
As mentioned at the beginning, Cybertron Adventures replaces the more traditional third-person shooter gameplay with that of a rail shooter, where your character (who changes with each chapter) automatically moves from one section to another, only stopping to deal with enemies who are in the vicinity, which is where you start aiming & shooting using the Wiimote pointer. That being said, Cybertron Adventures does offer some things that War for Cybertron doesn't, namely the ability to hide behind cover by holding A & the ability to switch between four weapons on the fly (Blaster or Cannon, Gatling Gun, Missile Launcher, & Sniper Rifle) using the Nunchuk's analog stick; interestingly, the "main game" has no cover system & restricts you to only two weapons at a time. Another modern gaming standard that's in the "companion game" but not the "main game" is recharging health, at least the way it's normally used. In War for Cybertron, you only recharge the next quarter of health on your meter over time, but need an energon cube for a full heal, while here you simply recharge health back to max as long as you aren't hit. It does feel like a trade off in some ways, because in the "main game" you can lose health rather quickly (especially since the AI prioritizes shooting you) & an energon cube can often be nowhere in sight when you need it, while here having fully recharging health emphasizes using cover when in danger, though there is the occasional scene where you do have a time limit, ala Time Crisis. Finally, each chapter does feature a few sections where you transform into vehicle mode, which does give you direct control over your character as you trek from one point to another, taking out enemies & environmental hazards along the way, which helps keep things from being too repetitive on a per chapter basis. There's also a strong arcade-like feel, where you're scored for each kill, getting successive kills without being hit gives you a multiplier to maintain, & you even earn bonus points for taking out foes with a "Critical" headshot.
Visually, while the Wii certainly was not capable of delivering the same graphical fidelity as that of the 360 or PS3, Cybertron Adventures actually holds up rather well when compared to War for Cybertron. Sure, the detail of the Transformers & Cybertron's locales are much more simplified, but they still carry over the general visual aesthetic of the "main game" very well. In fact, one could argue that it actually looks a little bit better, since War for Cybertron has a very dingy, dark, & repetitive look to it, and the Transformers themselves sometimes feel a little too detailed, making it seem like the team at High Moon overdid things a bit. In comparison, Next Level's game looks simpler, but in turn this makes environments much easier to get a bead on, while the Transformers themselves actually benefit a bit from the simpler models; Megatron, in particular, felt overly detailed in the "main game", yet looks easier on the eyes here. The music is similar to that of the "main game", namely in that it's utterly unmemorable & even hard to hear at times with all of the shooting & voice work you'll hear more often; in fact, it might even be the same Tyler Bates score. Speaking of the voice work, it's just as solid as it is in the "main game", which is no surprise since it uses the same exact cast. However, there's no subtitle option in this game specifically (as there is one in the "main game"), and when mixed with some lackluster audio balancing it means that you actually can't quite hear some of the performances all that well at some points, made all the worse with a character like Soundwave, who's modulation makes him nigh-impossible to understand without subs. Controls are rigid in that you can only use a Wiimote & Nunchuk, but they work excellently, as the pointer is just perfect in its use, switching between weapons is fast (& can even be done in advance during cutscenes, since they're all in-engine), & using the analog stick for driving is basic but works.
I should state that, unfortunately, there was a scratch on my disc that left me unable to do more than the first three chapters of the Autobot campaign, though I was able to play through the entire Decepticon campaign; I still feel I got the general idea of the plot & gameplay loop, though. Overall, Transformers: Cybertron Adventures is a game that, I feel, was definitely treated unfairly back at release, and doesn't deserve the low scores it received. In fact, in some ways, it's honestly superior to War for Cybertron, namely in how it gives you more combat options at all times, makes the vehicle modes more immediately relevant by forcing it on you, and (as Jim Sterling felt) might even have a somewhat stronger narrative. War for Cybertron's plot honestly feels very thin & giving each campaign only five chapters each (in reality it's four chapters, plus a final boss fight) makes everything feel rushed. In comparison, Cybertron Adventures gives each campaign eight chapters, with each one starring a different Transformer (with only a scant few repeat appearances), and though they only run from 6-15 minutes each, they do feel better paced than the 45-60-minute chapters (plus 10-20-minute final bosses) in the "main game". There's even some replay value in "Challenge Mode", where you have to accomplish specific tasks in each chapter, like taking out a minimum number of enemies in a scene, taking no damage, etc. Unfortunately, Cybertron Adventures doesn't work all that well as a standalone release, and that's solely because of its plot that honestly won't make nearly enough sense without knowing the late "main game" context it requires. Still, while it certainly wasn't the kind of game most people were expecting (or even wanted), Jason Carr's team did a solid job here, stymied only by Activision's sole intention for the game's very existence, so let's see how Michael Inglehart's team handled a rail shooter concept for a franchise known more for realistic wartime combat.
While I didn't have to do so for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (Wii), I did give a previous entry in the series a try before playing this next game. Specifically, I tried out the first Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter from 2006, mainly to get a feel for what was expected of this series before going into our second Next Level production. In true fashion, GRAW is a slow-paced & methodical tactical shooter, where running & gunning will get you killed ASAP, so instead the focus is on getting the slip on your foes, telling your small squad of three where to go so you can back each other up, & taking anyone out with as little damage as possible. In that regard, I can totally see where this Wii game likely turned off hardcore fans of the franchise, as Next Level created a game that's more Time Crisis than traditional Ghost Recon, resulting in a lot of fast-paced & intense firefights, with taking cover becoming much more of a focus. In fact, this game handles cover in the opposite from what Cybertron Adventures did, and by that I mean that your character by default is behind cover, and you have to hold a button to pop out & aim properly; you can blind fire, but it's naturally inaccurate. However, I feel that the people who reviewed this game at the time completely did a disservice to it, because this is easily the better of Next Level's two Wii rail shooters from 2010, and allow me to explain why.
In terms of the plot conceived by Tom Clancy's wordsmith Robert E. Dansky, it's really nothing special, detailing the missions a pair of "Ghosts" named Hibbard & Booth take part in during a campaign to help take out a group of "Ultranationalists" who have taken over Moscow, Russia... which now makes two Obscusion B-Sides in a row that feature plot points that ring way, WAAAAAAY too close to current events. I know that Tom Clancy himself was well regarded during his life for his political & military thriller novels, but in my limited experience with games bearing his name I honestly don't find the plots all that interesting, with the gameplay really carrying the games forward; they aren't bad stories, but they kind of just feel very same-y. Honestly, the plot in Ghost Recon (Wii) comes off as nothing more than an excuse to give you missions with objectives like getting to a mole within the enemy organization, sabotaging various outposts to deal damage to the enemy's resources, escaping capture when caught, rescuing hostages (only to then escape when it's revealed to be a trap), etc. I don't know if there is an overall "Clancyverse" that all of these Tom Clancy's games take place in (I know that there is a "Ryanverse" for Clancy's novels involving Jack Ryan, though), but this Wii game does have some minor relation to Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2 from the same year, but nothing that requires one to play that game for proper context; apparently it's just acknowledging Russia's trouble with the Ultranationalists. That being said, the voice work for Hibbard, Booth, & their commanding officer is solid, and you do get some small lines here & there that help humanize the pair of Ghosts a little bit. Similarly, the visuals are decent enough, though the Wii's limitations definitely show themselves when it comes to finer details, resulting in the game looking a bit "soft", in terms of image quality. Meanwhile, the music here by Mike Peacock, Darren Radtke, & Chad York, with some additional tracks by Tom Clancy's regular Tom Salta, is honestly rather good, and a marked improvement over Cybertron Adventures. It's not something you'd want to listen to alone, but perfect for setting up the mood for each part of the story.
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| Finding good images of this game isn't easy, so had to use one sourced from the Dolphin emulator. At least it looks clean! |
That being said, what takes the cake here is the gameplay, which just feels like the fully realized idea of what Cybertron Adventures simply tried being like. While you only have access to just three weapons at most at any point (two firearms & an explosive), each stage does mix up which weapons you use (some even completely swap out your loadout during them), and you sometimes can even pick which Ghost gets which loadout, keeping things fresh all throughout. And, yes, I did indicate that both Hibbard & Booth are in combat all times, because Ghost Recon (Wii) is a co-op shooter, making Booth controlled by the AI when in single-player, & even allowing for drop-in/out two-player action; Cybertron Adventures does offer two-player, but not quite like this. Because of this, I should bring up the AI partner, because it definitely has its hits & misses. When at its best, it really does feel like you have a reliable partner on hand, allowing you to take out enemies in one fell swoop like it's nothing. When at its worst, though, you have a partner that's constantly aiming at the same enemy as you, sniping far away foes when it doesn't have a sniper rifle (instead of taking on enemies right in front of both of you), throwing grenades with no real force & hitting no one, or just acting completely indecisive & constantly swapping between weapons infinitely, as though it's having an existential breakdown; more often than not, though, Booth's AI veers more on good than bad. In terms of controls, this uses the same general layout as its precursor (minus reloading by shooting away from the screen, though emptying a clip does auto-reload), but with two notable additions. First, while technically a rail shooter, the Ghosts won't actually move until you point to the next area of cover & press either A or C; this allows Hibbard & Booth to actually be at different covers at points, which is neat. Second, pressing "-" on the Wiimote activates Focus (when you have any on hand), which slows the game down & allows for easier aiming during intense firefights. Finally, the Ghosts can heal each other with a med kit (when you have any on hand) by pointing at the Ghost who needs it & pressing A. I'm sure that in co-op this results in each player being in charge of healing the other, but in single-player it does get a bit tricky since Booth is almost always in front of Hibbard when together, sometimes making it really tough to get your cursor over Hibbard when he needs health; I had a handful of moments when Booth got healed instead, by accident.
The end result of this is that the game kind of goes against type for this specific series by being mostly focused around getting into constant firefights, with a lowered focus on being stealthy. That being said, there are some "chapters" (or at least "missions" within them) that are focused around stealth & taking out enemies before they summon reinforcements, and they work well enough. Also, compared to the extremely short pair of campaigns in Cybertron Adventures, the 12 chapters seen here (containing 30 missions) are generally longer to get through, with each one taking anywhere from 10-30 minutes, depending on how often you die. Yeah, this game is also much tougher than what came before, though generally in a good way (some rough difficulty spikes notwithstanding). Beyond the campaign, there's also an "Arcade Mode" that comes in both cooperative & competitive flavors, with each one having its own set of stages based on the campaign, where the focus is on maximizing your score & hitting the top of the online leaderboards (which no longer exist, due to the Wii's online services being shut down in 2014). In a fun touch, you can also choose to play as other characters in Arcade Mode after unlocking them, whether it be enemy forces from the game or even characters from other Tom Clancy's series, like Rainbow Six or Splinter Cell; that being said, they are nothing more than simple model swaps. Inglehart's team also added in a set of 42 achievements to earn, like getting a ton of headshots, killing certain enemies with a rocket launcher, not using a med kit for a chapter, beating a stealth mission without failing, etc. All in all, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (Wii) is simply the more fully featured & realized take on what the people at Next Level Games came up with in terms of delivering a unique rail shooter experience on the Wii, and I absolutely believe that its lackluster reception was mainly because it simply wasn't what people normally expect from the Tom Clancy's games franchise.
Make no mistake, while this isn't one of the all-time greatest, must-have games for the Wii, this definitely does deserve a spot if you're a fan of rail shooters.
If Transformers: Cybertron Adventures is a good idea hampered by being nothing more than "bonus campaign DLC" that was instead sold as its own release on a completely different console, then Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (Wii) is said good idea being allowed to spread its wings & fly high, showing its full potential. While Activision seemingly just treated Next Level Games' rail shooter concept as nothing more than a way to take advantage of Wii owners & potentially trick them into thinking they're buying something more like War for Cybertron, Ubisoft seemingly allowed the Canadian studio to actually fully deliver on the concept, allowing it to act as a "main entry" for a major franchise, likely in some effort to alleviate the long wait between GRAW 2 & the eventual Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. They definitely weren't what people were necessarily expecting, and in the end only reinforced the feeling that the Wii was a "lesser" console when it came to certain gaming experiences, but I feel that they also show the flexibility of Next Level Games, especially since right before these was the Punch-Out!! reboot for the Wii, which is obviously a different type of game. Following a game based on the first Captain America movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the studio would work exclusively with Nintendo from then on out, resulting in these two rail-shooters being the last games developed for Nintendo hardware that came prior to the exclusivity deal (& incoming outright purchase).
If I have to pick just one, I fully recommend Ghost Recon, but I am glad to say that the critics were much too harsh on both of these two games, and I wish Next Level Games nothing but the best with their days as a fully-owned subsidiary of Nintendo.
Transformers: Cybertron Adventures © 2010 Activision Publishing, Inc. © 2010 Hasbro
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (Wii) © 2010 Ubisoft Entertainment
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