I am disappoint: Transformers War/Fall of Cybertron

I want to discuss with you a bit of disappointment I've had with High Moon's handling of the Transformers license up to this point.

Now, it's no argument that High Moon made the best Transformers game of all time with 2010's War for Cybertron. They turned what could only be made into a gimmick with any other studio, into a solid gameplay mechanic instead. The only thing that was missing, was that I never felt like I was truly in disguise (you know, like a Transformer). Earlier Transformers games have already attempted the robots-in-disguise shtick, but they lacked the solid foundation that High Moon had established with War for Cybertron. High Moon made me feel like a robot who was also a car, and they made it feel just right. The controls felt intuitive because they largely stayed the same regardless of what form you were in. Still, there was enough of a difference that it felt second-nature instead of feeling redundant. Now that the foundation is there, as well as the potential to see an earth setting, I want to see High Moon take the last step to the ultimate Transformers game:

Transformers should have always been about an espionage dynamic: switching between stealth and action-based gameplay seamlessly.

This isn't to say that stealth is a foreign concept to the Cybertron series: we've seen stealth-based gameplay incorporated into both games already. Fall of Cybertron even going so far as to dedicate whole sections of the game to sneaking around. However, I feel as though Fall of Cybertron, for the most part, was limited to the extent that it could have (and perhaps wanted to have) taken the gameplay in, and by that, I mean:

Your vehicle mode should have been your stealth tool, not just a secondary form of combat.

Now before we continue, I need to make something clear. It's completely understandable that neither War or Fall of Cybertron featured vehicle-based stealth. After all, how are you going to disguise yourself as a sports car on a planet where EVERYBODY is a sports car? That's where earth comes in. Now you have cars, jets, and helicopters all over the bloody place, so it becomes more about clever use of fight-and-flight tactics than just running in guns-blazing.

Structure-wise, all you're really doing is opening up the levels a bit more, making them more non-linear to encourage multiple methods of infil... Oh, wait. High Moon already did that. Honestly, if you've played these games you know just how gigantic and wide open the levels can get, so I'm completely confident in High Moon's ability to deliver on that front.

Gameplay-wise, the player, regardless of who they're playing as (Dino Bots excluded for obvious reasons), would have the ability to stealth while in vehicle form. This works exactly like the trigger for cloaking, only the player is using their vehicle form as the disguise instead, and you're hiding in plain sight, not simply turning invisible. Basically, all you're doing is switching the set-up: you activate stealth in vehicle form as apposed to robot form. That was always a disappointing thing for me with both Cybertron games, and it's why I've been clamoring to see them take the game to earth already! No more crouching, no more invisibility cloaking! This is Transformers for goodness sake! "Robots in disguise"!

This new emphasis on non-linear mission structure and guerrilla tactics could finally give the gameplay the depth it needs to prevent it from being inevitably labeled as a slightly quirky, yet generic run-gun action shooter. And it's not like this is asking too much of the impossible; If you want a perfect example of what I'm talking about, look no further than High Moon's very own Fall of Cybertron. Fall of Cybertron featured a level in which the player, as Starscream, was tasked with reaching an entry point. To do that, you had to deactivate two defense towers. Unlike the other stealth level, the environment was open instead of claustrophobic most of the time. The player was free to explore the play space as they pleased and they were also able to switch between stealth and full-blown action tactics whenever they wanted. The goal wasn't to kill everyone in sight, it was to infiltrate and deactivate using every means in your tool belt. The enemies were not the objective, meaning you were free to engage them or bypass them entirely. This gave me Metal Gear Solid flashbacks, a series that does action and stealth very well. The only thing that was missing was the ability to hide in plain sight.

And I know what some of you might be thinking:

"But, sweetSWAGGER, You can't stealth with those Cybertronian vehicles, they're far too alien in design! You couldn't have hovering cars with Tron lights all over them, that just wouldn't work on earth, you blithering, brain-dead, idiotic, foolish simpleton!"

Alright, that may not be exactly what you're thinking, but you raise a valid point. Just how would that work on earth? There, gents, is the real kicker.

While in stealth mode, the player takes the guise of a more earth-like, generic vehicle (which matches their class). Like what we've seen before, the player becomes limited in what they can do while in this stealthing mode. Pressing the button again or pressing any action buttons (again, similar to the original games) will cause the vehicle to quickly take on its original Cybertronian appearance. This would keep the option of using the vehicle mode as an attack mode, but would also give it an alternative purpose beyond a different means of shooting someone. This also means players will be constantly guessing what's a piece of scenery and what's another transformer waiting to strike! This also has a multiplayer appliance similar to Metal Gear Online or Assassin's Creed Brotherhood (only, you're doing it with cars instead of boxes or clones).

Now, the most interesting visual quality here is that this also re-establishes the Transformers as a concept. No one seems to really stop and think about it, but these are aliens that hide as everyday, mundane machines.

Say whatever you want about Michael Bay's Transformers, but one thing the first film did beautifully was reinforce the idea of aliens hiding among us. Suddenly, the novelty of a children's toy that goes from a robot to a car, turned into the premise for a horror film. The opening scene alone gave off a dark, eerie vibe. That's not to say I want a darker toned game, far from it, just a visual reinforcement: with High Moon's designs, we have just that. In this hypothetical sequel of mine: one minute the player appears to be a normal, everyday sports car. The next, they take on a more alien appearance. Now they're hovering, glowing, flipping around and firing lasers at enemies like they'd normally do in the previous games. However, it appears bizarre among an earth backdrop. It appears alien... like the Transformers are.

With the labyrinth of text here, you'd be forgiven for thinking that I'm over-thinking what should simply remain a quirky and nostalgic action game, but all High Moon would need to do is focus more on something that they were already fleshing out to begin with: open-ended levels, as well as a stealth and action dynamic that both culminate into a more espionage-styled game. This doesn't have to be the ENTIRE game, you can still have plenty of scripted moments or epic action set pieces (even Metal Gear Solid features plenty of that), but those should be the exception, not the rule.

High Moon has the foundation, and though Fall of Cybertron let me down in a few areas, it gave me a glimpse of an experience that Transformers should've been at the get-go. And that's not to say High Moon can't explore other avenues for a future title either. What about a co-op campaign that takes place on the remnants of Cybertron, where you play as your custom character in a narrative/cooperative setting?

I could go on and on over these games, but I've already said too much. If High Moon ever makes a third game, what do you think they should keep, change, or add? I know I'll be jumping up and down at the first trailer regardless.