Transformers: Devastation

Last updated

Transformers: Devastation
Transformers Devastation cover art.jpg
Developer(s) PlatinumGames
Publisher(s) Activision
Director(s) Kenji Saito
Producer(s)
  • Atsushi Kurooka
  • Akiko Kuroda
  • Robert Conkey
Designer(s)
  • Hiroshi Shibata
  • Yuto Abe
  • Mari Fujita
Programmer(s) Kazunori Morita
Writer(s) Andy Schmidt
Composer(s)
Series Transformers
Platform(s)
Release
  • NA: October 6, 2015
  • EU: October 9, 2015
Genre(s) Action, hack and slash
Mode(s) Single-player

Transformers: Devastation is an action hack and slash video game based on the Transformers franchise developed by PlatinumGames and published by Activision. In the game, players control five Autobots as they battle to stop a Decepticon plot to turn the Earth to metal. Several creatives who worked on past Transformers media, including writers, actors, and musicians, contributed to the game's development.

Contents

Devastation was released on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360, and Xbox One in October 2015, and was the final Transformers game released by Activision. Critics praised the gameplay and faithfulness to its source material, but criticized its short length.

Gameplay

Transformers: Devastation is an action game similar to PlatinumGames' other titles (e.g. Bayonetta ). Players control one of five Autobots: Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Wheeljack, and Grimlock, as they battle against Decepticons and Insecticons who stand in their way. Each of the Autobots are able to use a variety of melee attacks and ranged weapons, and are able to transform into vehicle mode at any time. Similar to Bayonetta , successfully dodging attacks activates Focus, which slows down time around the player, allowing them to counterattack their opponents. Each Autobot also has a unique special ability and a powerful Overdrive attack that can be performed with enough energy. [1]

The game consists of seven chapters, which are each split up into several missions, including some optional side-missions. Players are ranked on each mission based on their overall performance. Players can earn credits and gain new weapons by defeating enemies, destroying certain objects, and solving puzzles hidden across each chapter. Credits can be used to purchase new items, moves, and weapons, forge T.E.C.H. to grant passive stat boosts, synthesize weapons to make them stronger, or increase the stats of each Autobot. Special collectibles can also be found in each chapter that unlock character and concept artwork. The game features multiple levels of difficulty, with more unlocked upon clearing the game multiple times. An additional Challenge Mode offers 50 stand-alone missions.

Plot

In New York City, a swarm of Insecticons and giant metal claws emerge from below, wreaking havoc. The Autobots: Optimus Prime, Sideswipe, Bumblebee, Wheeljack, and Grimlock arrive to investigate, battling Megatron and the Constructicons, who form Devastator. Megatron escapes into a hatch leading underground and reveals the attacks are the automatic defenses of the Proudstar , an Autobot ship which crashed on Earth millions of years ago that Megatron now controls, and announces his plans to use the Insecticons to cyberform the Earth, turning it into metal and creating a new Cybertron.

Optimus Prime explains that the Proudstar, captained by Nova Prime, was a ship meant to convert uninhabited planets into ones suitable to support Cybertronian life, and that its Ferrotaxis supercomputer contains a record of Cybertron's history and culture which had been lost during the Great War. Entering the ship, the Autobots fight off Soundwave and attempt to access the plasma core powering the Proudstar and the Insecticons, but the security system ejects the core from the ship. Emerging, the Autobots learn the core's location from Thundercracker and follow the trail. While they are distracted by fighting Blitzwing, Starscream arrives to take the core back to the Decepticons, but loses control of it due to a storm and crash-lands. The Autobots race Motormaster to the core, but find it damaged and at risk of an extinction-level explosion. Before they can shut it down, the rest of the Stunticons arrive and form Menasor. The combiner throws the core to Megatron, who takes it to Cybertron to be properly repaired.

The Autobots follow the Decepticons through the Space Bridge, but are delayed by Starscream and Shockwave, arriving too late to catch Megatron. Conversing with Shockwave, Optimus discovers that during the Proudstar's voyage, Nova Prime and the crew were corrupted by Unicron and had begun to cyberform inhabited planets as well, planning to do the same to Earth before they crashed. Returning to the Proudstar, the Autobots try once again to disable the core, but it ruptures and becomes inaccessible, leaving the Ferrotaxis, now in Megatron's possession, as the only way to stop the cyberforming process and keep the plasma core from exploding. The group head for the Proudstar's control room, fighting off the Decepticon forces as they ascend. Megatron escapes, ordering Devastator and Menasor to finish them, but the Autobots defeat them and follow Megatron, fighting him for the Ferrotaxis.

As he is defeated, Megatron fires the Ferrotaxis from his cannon into orbit and a swarm of Insecticons chase it. Optimus rides on one of the Insecticons into space after it, with Megatron in pursuit. The two engage in a final battle above the Earth, with Optimus emerging victorious, but cannot shut down the Insecticons due to Megatron's tampering. Left with no choice, Optimus destroys the Ferrotaxis, stopping the cyberforming and preventing the plasma core's detonation. As he falls back to Earth, Optimus declares Earth is now their true home, and they must protect it at all costs. Later, with Defensor and Superion's support, Optimus commissions plans for the Optimus Maximus project.

In a post-credits scene, aboard the Proudstar, Nova Prime is seen awakening from stasis.

Development

The game is part of the Transformers: Generations line, though its visual design is most strongly inspired by the original Transformers TV series with elements from both the IDW Publishing comic series and the Combiner Wars toyline. The game's story is written by former IDW Transformers writer and editor Andy Schmidt. Several of the surviving voice actors from the original show reprised their roles, including Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime), Dan Gilvezan (Bumblebee), Michael Bell (Sideswipe and Scrapper), Gregg Berger (Grimlock and Long Haul), and Frank Welker (Megatron and Soundwave). [2] [3] Original music was composed by The Transformers: The Movie composer Vince DiCola and Angry Birds Transformers co-composer Kenny Meriedeth. [4]

A downloadable content bundle containing character skins based on Nemesis Prime, Red Alert, and Goldfire, along with three additional weapons, was offered as a pre-order incentive. This bundle was later made available for separate purchase. [5]

Devastation was released on October 6, 2015, in the United States and October 9 in Europe, and was the final game released under Activision's 2006 licensing agreement with Hasbro. [6] Following the deal's expiration, the game and its DLC were removed from sale via digital storefronts in December 2017, alongside other Transformers games published by Activision. [7]

Reception

Transformers: Devastation received "generally favorable" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. [8] [9] [10] Critics praised the game's nostalgia, graphics, and gameplay, while criticisms were directed towards the repetition, frustrating camera controls, and the game's short length.

GameSpot's Scott Butterworth stated that "Devastation recaptures [the Transformers franchise's] spirit and presents it anew." [12]

Mike Fahey of Kotaku considers the game to be an answer to his 14-year-old inner child's Christmas list, saying that he "downloaded the game, started it up and spent several hours grinning like an idiot." He praises the gameplay as "brutal, lightning-fast war" in a "beautiful symphony of destruction" across a secret-packed "sprawling city map", with a "satisfying combat system that rewards timing and tenacity" based upon "silky-smooth melee combos". However, he found the camera system to be "a mess" and the gameplay to be repetitive. He summarized it as "the closest gaming has come to a playable Generation One Transformers cartoon". [15]

Giving a score of 6.5 out of 10, Justin McElroy of Polygon called PlatinumGames "one of the industry’s best action developers" and called the game "Platinum’s love letter to old school Transformers". He said the game's "numerous shortcomings will likely warn away all but the most diehard G1 fans", who are nonetheless "in for a treat". He found frustration in the camera manipulation, the melee button-mashing, and the boss battles, concluding that the player's "only meaningful interaction with the world of Transformers Devastation is beating the living hell out of a whole lot of robots in disguise." [14]

Giving a 7.7 out of 10, Jose Otero of IGN stated that the "high-octane action is a rad, over-the-top direction". [13]

Destructoid awarded the game a score of 8.5 out of 10 and called it "charming", saying that it is "[n]ot perfect, but it's easy to ignore the rough spots when faced with so many engaging design decisions and entertaining moments. A memorable game that's hard not to like and recommend to others." [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Megatron</span> Transformers character

Megatron is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Transformers media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. Megatron is the cruel and tyrannical leader of the Decepticons, a faction of sentient, war-mongering robotic lifeforms that seeks to conquer their home planet of Cybertron and the rest of the known universe. He serves as the archenemy of Optimus Prime, the leader of the rival Autobot faction. As with all Cybertronians, Megatron has the ability to transform between his robot form and various vehicles or weapons. His alternate modes have ranged from a Walther P38 handgun, a particle-beam weapon, a telescopic laser cannon, and a Cybertronian jet, depending on which continuity he is depicted in.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grimlock</span> Transformers character

Grimlock is the name of several fictional robot characters in the Transformers robot franchise. He is usually portrayed as the leader of the Dinobots, which are a subfaction of Autobots who can transform into metal dinosaurs. Grimlock was known for his dialogues being spoken in third person. He appeared on screen along with other Dinobots in the fourth installment of the Transformers film series.

Jazz (<i>Transformers</i>) Transformers character

Jazz is a fictional robot character from the Transformers franchise. He is usually portrayed as a music-loving robot who speaks using Black Vernacular English. In certain continuities he is shown as being Optimus Prime's good friend and right-hand man.

Jetfire is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers franchise. He is almost always depicted as an Autobot with flight capabilities and a jet or space shuttle as an alternate mode. In some continuities he is a former Decepticon.

Bumblebee (<i>Transformers</i>) Transformers character

Bumblebee is a fictional robot character appearing in the many continuities in the Transformers franchise. The character is a member of the Autobots, a group of sentient, self-configuring, modular extraterrestrial robotic lifeforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sideswipe (Transformers)</span> Transformers character

Sideswipe is a fictional robot character in the Transformers series. Because of trademark restrictions, the character's toys are sometimes marketed as Side Swipe.

Cliffjumper is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers franchise. His name is usually associated with an Autobot whose toys are often red repaints or remold of Bumblebee toys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Optimus Prime</span> Transformers character

Optimus Prime, also known in Japan as Convoy,, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Transformers franchise. The Transformers characters were developed for an American market after Hasbro representatives visited the 1983 Tokyo Toy Show. The characters were modified and the coloring was changed; notably, Optimus Prime was colored red, white, and blue. The popularity of the Transformers toys resulted in comics, movies, and a TV series.

<i>Transformers: The Game</i> 2007 video game

Transformers: The Game is an action-adventure video game based on the 2007 film Transformers, developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Activision. The game closely follows the story of the film, depicting the Autobots and Decepticons' arrival on Earth following a war between them that has ravaged their home planet of Cybertron. While trying to conceal their existence from humanity, both factions search for a powerful artifact called the AllSpark, which could be used to restore Cybertron to its former glory, or to enslave Earth's population. The game features a split-campaign format, with players choosing to join either the Autobots or the Decepticons, and completing various missions for whichever faction they chose. A sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, was released in June 2009, based on the film of the same name.

<i>Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen</i> (video game) 2009 video game

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a third-person shooter video game based on the 2009 live action film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. It is the sequel to 2007's Transformers: The Game, and the second video game adaptation of the live-action Transformers film series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game were developed by Luxoflux, and ported to Microsoft Windows by Beenox. The PlayStation 2 and Wii versions were developed by Krome Studios, and the PlayStation Portable version was developed by Savage Entertainment. All versions of the game were published by Activision, and released on June 23, 2009 in the United States. Australia received the games one day later, and Europe on June 26. A sequel, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, was released in June 2011, based on the film on the same name.

<i>Transformers: War for Cybertron</i> 2010 video game

Transformers: War for Cybertron is a third-person shooter video game based on the Transformers franchise, developed by High Moon Studios and published by Activision. It was released for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS and Microsoft Windows in June 2010. Two portable versions were released for the Nintendo DS, one featuring an Autobot campaign, the other a Decepticon campaign. A game for the Wii, Transformers: Cybertron Adventures, was developed by Next Level Games and utilizes the same characters and setting as War for Cybertron.

<i>Transformers: Prime</i> 2010–2013 CGI animated television series

Transformers: Prime is an American computer-animated television series based on the Transformers toy franchise by Hasbro that aired on the Hub Network from November 29, 2010, to July 26, 2013. The series focuses on the Autobots of "Team Prime", consisting of Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead, and their human allies as they attempt to protect the Earth from the villainous Decepticons and their leader Megatron.

<i>Transformers: Cybertron Adventures</i> 2010 video game

Transformers: Cybertron Adventures is an action-adventure video game based on the Transformers franchise, developed by Next Level Games and published by Activision. It is a companion game to High Moon Studios' Transformers: War for Cybertron, released exclusively for the Wii in June 2010. Like War for Cybertron, it features separate campaigns for the Autobots and the Decepticons, with the player being able to choose either faction to play as. The game received mixed to negative reviews from critics.

<i>Transformers: War for Cybertron</i> (Nintendo DS) 2010 video game

Transformers: War for Cybertron - Autobots and Transformers: War for Cybertron - Decepticons are two action-adventure video games based on the Transformers franchise, published by Activision in June 2010. A port of High Moon Studios' Transformers: War for Cybertron for the Nintendo DS, they were developed by Vicarious Visions, who also worked on Transformers Autobots and Transformers Decepticons in 2007, and Transformers Revenge of the Fallen: Autobots and Transformers Revenge of the Fallen: Decepticons in 2009. Although they share some basic similarities, the two games follow different storylines, and feature different characters, missions, and locations.

<i>Transformers: Dark of the Moon</i> (video game) 2011 video game

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is an action-adventure video game based on the 2011 film of the same name. It is the sequel to 2009's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and the third video game adaptation of the live-action Transformers film series. Unlike the first two games, Dark of the Moon follows an original story, set before the events of the film it is based on, and features only one campaign, which alternates between the Autobots and the Decepticons. A spin-off, Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark, was released in June 2014.

<i>Transformers: Fall of Cybertron</i> 2012 video game

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is a third-person shooter video game based on the Transformers franchise, developed by High Moon Studios and published by Activision. It is the sequel to the 2010 video game Transformers: War for Cybertron, and directly follows the events of that game, as the Autobots struggle to defeat their Decepticon foes in a civil war for their home planet of Cybertron. The game was released on August 21, 2012, in North America and on August 24, 2012, in Europe for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. In 2016, it was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on August 8, in Australia and on August 9, in North America. Mercenary Technology developed the game's Windows version, while Fun Labs developed the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions.

<i>Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising</i> 2013 television film

Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising is a 2013 American computer-animated action adventure television film that concludes the Transformers: Prime television series. It was first broadcast on Hub Network on October 4, 2013. After the Autobots' victory on Earth, Unicron returns in possession of Megatron's body with the intent on destroying Cybertron, forcing Autobots, Decepticons, and Predacons to form an unlikely alliance to counter this threat.

<i>Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark</i> 2014 video game

Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark is a video game based on the Transformers franchise, developed by Edge of Reality and WayForward, and published by Activision. It is the third and final entry in the Cybertron series, following War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron, and acts as a spin-off and crossover with the live-action Transformers films. One portion of the game takes place in the timeline divergent from the one where the films take place, serving as an alternative to the events of Age of Extinction, and follows the Autobots as they try to retrieve a Cybertronian artifact called the Dark Spark from the mercenary Lockdown. The other portion, set between the first two Cybertron games, depicts the Decepticons' attempts to use the Dark Spark to win the war against the Autobots, and the latter's efforts to stop them.

Transformers: Cyberverse is a cel shaded computer-animated series based on the Transformers toy franchise by Hasbro. The series debuted on Cartoon Network on August 27, 2018.

References

  1. ↑ Saito, Kenji (June 16, 2015). "Transformers: Devastation Details Revealed". PlayStation Blog. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  2. ↑ Dyer, Mitch (June 15, 2015). "E3 2015: Transformers: Devastation announced". IGN. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  3. ↑ Sillious, Cain (June 15, 2015). "Exclusive Hands-On With Platinum's Nostalgic New Title - Transformers: Devastation - PlayStation 4". www.GameInformer.com. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Zamora, Gabriel (October 28, 2015). "Transformers: Devastation (for PC) Review". PCMag . Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  5. ↑ "The Insane Combos of Transformers: Devastation on PS4, PS3". PlayStation.Blog. August 26, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  6. ↑ Tach, Dave (June 17, 2015). "Transformers: Devastation looks too good and might be true". Polygon. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  7. ↑ Fahey, Mike (December 22, 2017). "Activision Pulls Transformers Games From Steam And PlayStation Store". Kotaku. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  8. 1 2 "Transformers: Devastation for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  9. 1 2 "Transformers: Devastation for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  10. 1 2 "Transformers: Devastation for PC Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  11. 1 2 Carter, Chris (October 6, 2015). "Review: Transformers Devastation". Destructoid . Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  12. 1 2 Butterworth, Scott (October 10, 2015). "Transformers: Devastation Review". GameSpot . Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  13. 1 2 Otero, Jose (October 8, 2015). "Transformers Devastation Review". IGN . Ziff Davis . Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  14. 1 2 McElroy, Justin (October 8, 2015). "Transformers: Devastation review". Polygon. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  15. ↑ Fahey, Mike (October 12, 2015). "Transformers: Devastation: The Kotaku Review" . Retrieved October 12, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.