I suspect it may have flown under the radar of many others as well, so I'm hear to remedy that with a little injection of hype. Hopefully the game lives up to that hype (and even though it comes with some extra costumes and weapons if you pre-order I always caution against doing that.)
In any case, we won't know if Devastation lives up to the excitement until the game launches next month, but there are plenty of reasons to look forward to the new brawler.
Here are five:
1. It's not just a licensed version of the movies.
More often than not, when a video game is nothing more than a licensed IP taken from the hit movie of the month, it's going to disappoint. Licensed games are far too often cheap misses that do an injustice to the films they're based on and to the gamers who play them. (The reverse---movies based on games---is also almost always a total disaster.)
But Transformers: Devastation isn't some attempt to replicate the Michael Bay films in video game format. It's much more of a nod back to the old-school TV show. You won't have to follow any of the characters from the films or anything like that, instead you get a brand new Autobots vs. the Decepticons action game, which is awesome.
2. PlatinumGames is the master of action titles.
The developer of Transformers: Devastation has a particular set of skills that make them simply one of---if not the---most qualified team out there making action games. Let's just list a few of their other amazing titles:
Bayonetta, Anarchy Reigns, Wonderful 101, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Bayonetta 2 and the upcoming (really cool looking) Scalebound just to name a few.
The studio was formed after the shuttering of developer Clover Inc, the developer behind Viewtiful Joe and God Hand. So there's a lot of history here, and a track record that justifies at least a little excitement over a Platinum-made Transformers.
3. A bunch of the original TV show's voice actors are back for the game.
Okay, this may not make for a great game, but getting a bunch of the original voice actors from the 1980's show is just cool.
Peter Cullen will voice Optimus Prime. Dan Gilvezan voices Bumblee; Michael Bell voices Sideswipe; and Gregg Berger voices Grimlock. Frank Welker is reprising his roles as both Megatron and Soundwave.
That's an impressive list of voice actors---all doing voice work on the TV show when I was just a little kid.
4. The graphics are all about 80's nostalgia.
Speaking of nostalgia, just look at the graphics. Granted, they look crisper and more 3D than the old TV show, but they're definitely aimed at capturing that animated cartoon style.
I suppose the cell-shaded look isn't for everyone, but this is a game I can really see myself playing even just to experience the visual pallet. It'll be like playing through the 1986 Transformers: The Movie, which was the visual inspiration for the game.
I was five when that movie came out, and I was probably more into the toys than the TV show at the time, but even I feel the nostalgia.
5. It's only $50.
You get a Campaign mode and a Challenge mode and are able to play as five different Autobots, able to swap between robot and car form. There's no multiplayer which may be a disappointment to some, but the game itself should be highly replayable if it's anything like Platinum's other games.
And it's ten dollars cheaper than your typical video game release. Sure, fifty bucks is still a hefty chunk of change, but it sure beats $60.
Transfomers: Devastation launches on October 6th on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Once again the Wii U is left out in the cold.
