Activision has been slow to release details surrounding TRANSFORMERS: Devastation, the high-octane Platinum Games take on the Transformers franchise. However, with a week to go before release, we have some new information regarding the game's campaign and other modes. The story will see Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Wheeljack, and Grimlock battling through a city being molded in the Decepticons' image. There is also a substantive challenge mode with 50 levels of increasing difficulty for veterans of the type of action that Platinum has perfected over the years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWVboDCZoV4 In the video above, the developers spoke about integrating the robot's abilities into their move sets and making them fights authentically. For all the good things about High Moon's Cybertron games, the Transformers seemed to be shoved into a third person shooter mold that didn't completely fit them as characters. In Devastation, the combat seems to be built from the ground up to suit the characters, with the transformations adding dashes and boosts across the battlefield that remind me of Vanquish. This attention to detail also goes into the art style, making everything look extremely similar to the Saturday morning cartoon that started it all. Everything here adds up to a genuine nostalgia trip for fans of the robots in disguise, one that can be indulged in starting on October 6th when the game is released on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PS4, and Windows PC via Steam.
Quick Take
I'm very excited to see what Platinum Games has in store with TRANSFORMERS: Devastation in a few weeks. The game being a $50 retail experience rather than the downloadable Legend of Korra game from 2014 also gives me confidence that the game won't be over in a flash. On the other hand, considering that this game was only announced at E3 this year, I'm somewhat worried it could have had a relatively rushed development process. Cautious optimism is the best policy, but this could be a great game for fans of Generation 1 in an age of Bayformers dominance.
Are you looking forward to TRANSFORMERS: Devastation? Are you bummed that you can only play as Autobots in this game? Do you wish someone would finally revive the Go-Bots license? Answer these questions and more in the comments below!