Any American manchild worth his weight in geekery had at least a passing experience with Transformers growing up. High Moon Studios’ Matt “Tieg” Tieger is no different.

“It’s the game I’ve been waiting for since I was a little kid,” enthuses Tieger, project lead on the upcoming Transformers: War for Cybertron.

We know your expectations are probably set somewhere between “low” and “gutter” right now, but don’t flip the page just yet. Sure, there’ve been Transformers games before, most recently last year’s Revenge of the Fallen movie tie-in. War for Cybertron, however, is taking a new approach, ditching any inspiration from films involving Shia LaBeouf’s stilted acting and quite literally creating its own world.

War for Cybertron is the first Transformers game set exclusively on the planet Cybertron — the doomed homeworld of both the good-guy Autobots and the selfish, meany-faced Decepticons. Because of the planet’s destruction in the franchise’s backstory, most pieces of Transformers history are set on Earth — where the Autobots and Decepticons took their battle for Energon cubes — and the bots’ original home has rarely been seen in Transformers lore. So in bucking that trend, High Moon worked directly with the intellectual-property (IP) holders at Hasbro to both re-create the Cybertron environment and accurately add to the established Transformers canon.

The fresh take on the beloved franchise extends to the plotlines and character design, and it owes more to the ’80s animated series than to summer-popcorn film director Michael Bay.

“We wanted to capture fans’ nostalgia and make [the cartoon] feel real and modern,” Tieger says. “I think people are really going to embrace it.”

The plot of War for Cybertron consists of two self-contained, mission-based narratives that focus on the final days of the civil war between the Optimus Prime Posse and Megatron’s Marauders. Half of the game details the rise of the Decepticon leader, while the other half traces the accession of the tractor-trailer-transformin’ ultimate good guy.

Those who play the Decepticon portion will find themselves helping feed Megatron’s lust for power in destroying everything sacred in Autobot culture, including freedom, art, philosophy…and probably a deep appreciation for the Twilight saga. (Optimus is totally Team Jacob.)

Naturally, the Autobots’ tale of Optimus Prime involves rescues, redemption, and racing to stop Megatron’s warpath. While the tones and objectives in each section vary greatly, users have the option of playing either campaign at will without having to advance through one to get to the other.

As a third-person shooter, Cybertron boasts a bevy of playable Autobot icons, including Optimus Prime, Ratchet, and Bumblebee, while the Decepticon side serves up such villains as Megatron, Starscream, and Brawl. Also appearing are lesser-known Transformers like the Autobot tank Warpath. You’ll be able to select from three different heroes per mission, with the roster tailored to suit the storyline’s needs at every stop. (For instance, if the current level would be tough for Prime’s massive truck to manage, you’ll have the option of selecting more nimble characters.)

One of High Moon’s top goals for Cybertron is that its gameplay be both user-friendly and exciting. The actual, zero-restriction process of transforming was labored over until it “felt right and fast,” Tieger explains.

And what of multiplayer? Xbox Live support is a given, and we’re told to also expect detailed battlegrounds, online co-op play, and more exciting Transformers-related goodies they aren’t ready to unveil just yet.

But is this for us G1-raised kids-at-heart, or for the current crop of actual kids? Tieger sees the gritty Cybertron appealing mostly to kids who have transformed into grown-ups, though he realizes that tinkering with the look and feel of characters in such a beloved institution won’t go over well with everyone.

“Transformers is a blessing and a curse,” Tieger explains with a laugh. “Inevitably, I’m taking someone’s cherished memory and redesigning it. I’m sure someone will go on a forum and hate me for it.”