Over at Pure Xbox they’ve secured what they say are leaked screenshots for a soon-to-be-announced Transformers brawler from Activision. Maybe, maybe not—all I know for certain is the shots depict a game I’d love to play.
Update: A Best Buy Canada listing for the game for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One has surfaced, listing Platinum Games as developer and an October 6 release date.
According to Pure Xbox’s source, the game is Transformers: Devastation, and it’s coming to the Xbox 360 and likely the Xbox One, which seems an odd order to announce things in this day and age. Since Pure Xbox is purely an Xbox site and Activision is the rumored publisher, one can assume Xboxes wouldn’t be the only target for such a game, and they’re just going with what they know.
The screens depict a group of Autobots and Decepticons duking it out in a city setting. We’ve got Devastator—he’s the big green guy that’s actually six smaller green guys—Optimus Prime, Sideswipe, Magatron and Bumblebee, all cel-shaded to look like their first generation cartoon selves.
When last I spoke to Activision about the possibility of a G1 (generation one) Transformers game back in 2009, I was told there wasn’t enough interest. Of course it’s been six years since then, and G1 Transformers are enjoying a revival of sorts via Hasbro’s Combiner Wars line of toys.
Plus this looks like a downloadable game, not something that would require a retail release. Several people I’ve talked to have compared the look of the screens to Activision’s The Legend of Korra downloadable brawler, developed by Platinum Games. Pure Xbox goes as far as speculating that Platinum is developing this title as well, but that doesn’t seem very likely.
And so we have a handful of screens, along with what looks like an incredibly rough title card. I mean, look at that thing. If this is a real game, that had better be somebody’s idea of a placeholder graphic.
Plus that name is already taken. Transformers: Devastation is an IDW Comics miniseries from back in 2007, and while using the name again is surely Hasbro’s prerogative, fans of the IDW continuity have a hard enough time keeping up with continuity without a game making things worse.
It could be a new game. It could be an old game that got cancelled. It could even be a fan project of some sort. Whichever the case, I’d play it.
With Activision yet to respond (and unlikely to this close to E3) and Hasbro PR only telling me they do not respond to leaks and to “stay tuned,” I’m giving Transformers: Devastation a 50-50 chance of being a real robot boy that changes into a robot car. In other words, it’s pretty much up in the air.
What I can tell is that even though I am not seeing a single alternate mode in any of these screens—just bots beating on each other—I would gladly pay $15 or so for the opportunity to step into the blue booties of the original Optimus Prime and work out some of my frustration.
Anyway, give us a few days and I’m sure we’ll clear all of this right up, til all are one with an official announce or denounce-ment. In the meantime, if any of you have concrete info on where these screens come from, share it with the class.
Update: A Best Buy Canada listing for the misspelled Transformers Devesatation lists an August release date for the game on PlayStation 3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. The description lists Platinum Games as the developer, and says that many actors from the original show will be handling voice duties. The listing also features fresh screenshots not seen in the original Pure Xbox article.
Overview
Face off against Megatron and battle it out with the Decepticons in Transformers Devestation. Equipped with fast action capabilities, this game allows for instant robot to vehicle attacks, slam downs, counterattacks, and infinite combos for a unique master combat system. Five difficulty levels also deliver hours of intense gameplay.
More Information
- Autobots face off against the Decepticons when Megatron discovers a way to harness the enormous power of plasma energy to cyberform Earth
- PlatinumGames signature fast action allows instant robot to vehicle attacks, slam downs, counterattacks, and infinite combos for a unique master combat system
- Features 5 playable Autobots including Optimus Prime, Bubblebee, Sideswipe, Wheeljack, and Grimlock
- A deep customization system and 5 difficulty levels with overhauls in enemy composition deliver hours of intense gameplay
- Actors from the original TV series reprising their roles include Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime), Dan Gilvezan (Bubblebee), Frank Welker (Megatron and Soundwave), and more