It's a big day for our favorite fictional robot friends--opening day for the
Now, my older brother had a pretty rad collection of Transformers playthings, but some of the new generation of toys are pretty drool-worthy as well.
Here are my top five picks for Transformers toys. They're just as awesome as the 1986 movie version's soundtrack (Thank you, Stan Bush.):
• Transformers movie helmet: Now I don't know if you're into role playing, but if Transformers are your fantasy, you're in luck. This helmet not only shields your head from the elements while looking cool, but it also comes with a voice changer. Basically, you can sound just like Optimus Prime uttering, "Dinobots, destroy Devastator!"
(Credit:
Hasbro)
• Cyber Stompin' Optimus Prime: An obvious choice. He's the leader of the pack, and undeniably the sexiest and most powerful Transformer out there. Plus, he died in the last movie with the lines, "Do not grieve. Soon I shall be one with the matrix." No, I am still not over that.
• Cyber Stompin' Robot Bumblebee: Another Cyber Stompin' toy, Bumblebee comes with all the bells and whistles to match his flashy personality. Like the original '80s toys, there's plenty of fist-launching action, in addition to lit-up eyes and torso for the Autobot class clown. In this toy, little Bumblebee finally seems to stack up to the rest of his Autobot "big brothers."
• Transformers Vehicle Arm Blaster Starscream: Inflicting pain on others via foam is always fun. Enter the Transformers Arm Blaster. This handy transformer arm comes with four darts aimed at attacking the Decepticons of your life. Plus, it transforms into a cool jet.
• Optimash Prime: This spud is more than meets the eye. It starts off as a plain Mr. Potatohead, but can change into the leader Autobot, Optimus Prime. I will be picking one up on my way home tonight; he'll look good next to my Spidey Spud.
We dig giant robots.
OK, movie tie-in games tend to suck. It's a sad rule with few exceptions, but most movie games feel phoned in and generic.
Hope springs eternal, though, and the allure of giant transforming robots is keeping me at least a little bit hopeful for the Transformers games. Yesterday we received copies of Transformers for the Nintendo DS. I can't really give it anything beyond my first impressions yet (keep an eye on Gamespot for the inevitable review, though), but it seems like a fun game. The graphics are extremely blocky, thanks to the DS' relatively low power, and it doesn't have the destructible environments promised in the Xbox 360 and PS3 Transformers games, but it's still an entertaining shooter/driver/brawler.
The DS game comes in two flavors: Transformers: Autobots and Transformers: Decepticons. This isn't the first time we've seen two versions of a game come out (Pokemon Diamond and Pearl come to mind), but this is the first time we've seen significant differences between two game versions. The basic gameplay for both versions remain generally the same: you're a Transformer on Earth, and you have to run, drive, shoot, and fight the opposing faction. You can scan over 30 vehicles to decide your vehicle form and combat abilities, from a station wagon to a utility truck. Depending on the version you get, you get a different interface, different missions, and even different characters to play besides your own Transformer (you can play Bumblebee and Optimus Prime only in Transformers: Autobots, while evil robots like Brawl and Blackout are exclusive to Transformers: Decepticons).
Still, these are all pretty superficial differences. The big draw to the two versions is the game's online component, Battle for the Allspark. Both DS Transformers games can use Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to go online and participate in the battle for the mythical Allspark. Every day, you can go online and download a mission, like destroying a certain number of enemy drones, or doing as much property damage as possible. After you do those missions, you can go back online and upload your progress, which is then updated on the Spark Wars Web page. Depending on your version of the game, it adds points to either the Autobot or Decepticon side. At the end of each day, a winner is declared and that side gets a piece of the Allspark. Better yet, your participation gets you online tokens that can be used to unlock new, special forms in the games.
Okay, it's not a perfect system. You can't actually go online and fight other Transformers through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection; it's only for Spark Wars missions. It's still a fun detail that adds a little bit of immersion to the game. I would have preferred online combat, but this sort of Web-based interaction with stat-tracking and competition between factions is a pretty welcome change. It isn't perfect, but it's pretty creative.
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