By John Walker on August 30th, 2012 at 8:00 pm.
It seems I’m going to have to live until 2299 to get to be a Transformer. Right now I’m limited to shouting “KEE KOO KAA KER CHAAA!” and waving my arms around, and while it looks bloody amazing, it’s not quite the same. That’s when Strike Suit Zero says we’ll have colonised space, but also gone and made the silly mistake of having a war. And now it’s up to me, apparently, to save Earth. Again?!
You play as a robot man thing that can turn into a spaceship. That is a good thing. The design is by Junji Okubo, who if you’ve heard of before you’ll care to know is involved, and if you haven’t, you won’t. And you can read a short preview of the game from Paul Dean here.
But there’s been a bit of a shuffle going on behind the scenes. It was originally being developed by doublesix, but duties are now in the hands of indie studio Born Ready Games, with much of the original team still involved. This all came about after what looks like a break from their publisher, Catalis SE. The original Summer release date has now ambiguously slipped into Autumn, with nothing more specific. But as the trailer below shows, it’s looking rather pretty.
30/08/2012 at 20:08 Lord Custard Smingleigh says:
No, it’s “KAA KEE KOO KER CHAAA!”.
30/08/2012 at 20:48 Andy_Panthro says:
Not sure it’s either of those…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhLh4pw44uw
30/08/2012 at 22:13 grundus says:
I skipped straight to the comments, as any good internet user would, and thought you were talking about this (skip to 1:53): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9TXVMkQ29g
30/08/2012 at 23:48 Skabooga says:
I thought I would have the glory of naming the Arrested Development reference first, but the collective internet is faster than I’ll ever be.
31/08/2012 at 02:26 bodfbbsa says:
Good news! The ultra-high-speed USB 3.0 multi-function memory card reader only $ 16.90! 15% discount! Free shipping! http://sqlit.be/0dWu
31/08/2012 at 16:05 EPICTHEFAIL says:
The spambot`s timing was perfect. Please do not kill him yet, Horace. Let him amuse us a while longer.
30/08/2012 at 20:13 Chizu says:
Looks good, not enough robots-in-space games. They’re always stomping about on planets.
The music gives me some Zone of the Enders vibes. Which can only be a good thing.
30/08/2012 at 22:43 AdmiralFisticuffs says:
The music is by Paul Ruskay, who did the fantastic Homeworld soundtracks. He has something of a pedigree for making ridiculous space combat seem beautiful and tragic in the moment.
31/08/2012 at 06:04 Davie says:
I knew it! Homeworld had the best space-y music I’ve ever heard in anything. I suspect it’s indirectly responsible for the best bits of the Halo soundtrack, too.
31/08/2012 at 09:52 King in Winter says:
Paul Ruskay! I immediately sat a little straighter when his name flashed on the screen. If there was a reason for me to get this, I think, it would be the soundtrack.
30/08/2012 at 23:05 grundus says:
Just the opening made me think of a Wipeout soundtrack, then I remembered about Studio Liverpool then got sad. I really hope someone makes a new Wipeout-alike on PC in their honour, then I hope it’s extremely successful as an ‘up yours’ in Sony’s general direction, regardless of whether they had good reason or not. Bastards.
30/08/2012 at 20:19 spaceoperavictim says:
Homeworld 3?!!!! it could be possible?!!! Ho…Home…home…..oh wait!…. it happened again!. Please, stop playing with my feelings….sob…. it´s so cruel…sob…
30/08/2012 at 22:11 Iliya Moroumetz says:
I was thinking the exact same thing. Long dust trails off of the fighters, long ion canon beams, gorgeous background art, middle eastern inspired sound track. IT HAS TO BE!!!! :D
Then, it wasn’t… :(
30/08/2012 at 22:44 AdmiralFisticuffs says:
Even the same composer!
30/08/2012 at 22:57 Iliya Moroumetz says:
No wai! :O
Makes all the more heartbreaking.
31/08/2012 at 08:35 CMaster says:
Indeed, the first 50 seconds made it look EXACTLY like a Homeworld Trailer.
03/09/2012 at 19:53 Hmm-Hmm. says:
Me too, me too. Homeworld: Mecha!
30/08/2012 at 20:41 handyman24602 says:
Reminds me of watching Robotech as a kid. Wonder if you can land on ships hulls and and stomp about?
30/08/2012 at 21:25 JiminyJickers says:
No, it just gives you special abilities. At least last time I looked into it.
Would have been awesome if you could stomp around.
30/08/2012 at 20:44 John Walker says:
Oh my goodness, the whole Internet has had 45 minutes to congratulate you me on the INCREDIBLE title for this article, and NOTHING.
30/08/2012 at 20:47 Crimsoneer says:
…
I don’t get it.
Is it German?
EDIT: OH. In De? As in “Indie”? I’m lost :(
30/08/2012 at 20:49 John Walker says:
Say it out loud!
30/08/2012 at 21:29 eldwl says:
Well, I’ll say it then. Good skills, John! It was transformational…
30/08/2012 at 21:46 caddyB says:
I knew there was more to the title than meets the eye.
30/08/2012 at 22:20 YogSo says:
Regarding headline puns, one could say John has ‘the touch’. ;-P
30/08/2012 at 23:38 President Weasel says:
it’s sapped me of all my energon :(
30/08/2012 at 23:52 Skabooga says:
It took 45 minutes? More like 43, which as we all know is the optimal prime . . . number.
03/09/2012 at 20:02 Hmm-Hmm. says:
He has the spark, and he knows how to use it.
31/08/2012 at 03:39 Jabberwocky says:
Clever! I got it right away. Prolly because I need to sound out the words when I read, like cookie monster.
I don’t totally get why transforming to a robot helps you in a space fight. But other than that the game looks really nice.
31/08/2012 at 17:19 kud13 says:
you just had to dare to believe it would happen
30/08/2012 at 20:48 Brun says:
AHAHA! I got it John.
“Robots in DE SKIES” – say it out loud.
30/08/2012 at 20:50 YogSo says:
Hey, sorry, I’ve just read that headline and – honestly – I’ve logged only to post this: *resounding applause*.
I’ve not even read the article yet! :-P
30/08/2012 at 20:50 AmateurScience says:
I was about to come and congratulate you (honest) but I got distracted by a minor invasion of mosquitoes in my bedroom.
30/08/2012 at 20:51 fyro11 says:
Robot De Nearo?
Okay, okay, I’m getting my coat.
EDIT: Smart man, John. Aaannnd, where was my coat again?
30/08/2012 at 22:40 Spengbab says:
Actually, I lost it at “and while it looks bloody amazing, it’s not quite the same.”. Could you post a vid of this?
31/08/2012 at 07:52 Schrefu says:
Brilliant!
31/08/2012 at 09:01 RaveTurned says:
I See What You Did There™.
31/08/2012 at 09:04 Rao Dao Zao says:
What killed de dinosores? DE AICE AAAGE.
31/08/2012 at 16:07 EPICTHEFAIL says:
Cool story bro. Dammit, why don`t we have another movie with Mr. Freeze in it?
31/08/2012 at 14:28 Sparkasaurusmex says:
Jokes are funnier when left alone
30/08/2012 at 20:47 solymer89 says:
Wonderful, they have identified the next evolutionary step after the jetpack. I’m excited for the future!
30/08/2012 at 20:55 mckertis says:
“You play as a robot man thing that can turn into a spaceship. That is a good thing. ”
Not particularly. It was pretty silly in 1985, and it still is today. There is absolutely no reason to stick to aerodynamic shapes in space. It made some sense in the original Macross, but not really anywhere else since.
30/08/2012 at 21:09 PatrickSwayze says:
It doesn’t look aerodynamic in the slightest.
Anyways since you don’t like fun please leave the internet.
31/08/2012 at 08:37 Harlander says:
Arms and legs out for ease of pointing your different guns at things, vs. spaceship shape for more precise translational control due to everything being closer to the centre of mass?
Or maybe it just looks cool?
30/08/2012 at 21:11 JackDandy says:
Looks freaking great.
30/08/2012 at 21:19 DK says:
It’s visually great. It has a great (if incredibly Homeworld derivative) soundtrack. But the gameplay they’re showing is atrocious. It’s slow. It’s boring.
Transforming Robots in massive Space Battles! And they’ve made it look boring.
30/08/2012 at 21:50 mondomau says:
Boring is unfair, I played it at Rezzed and it was quite good fun. It does feel a bit light on gameplay for a complete game though, particularly considering there’s no multi-player.
31/08/2012 at 13:59 Spengbab says:
Its not Homeworld 3, is what the big problem here is.
03/09/2012 at 20:05 Hmm-Hmm. says:
The soundtrack could very well sound like it, since it’s made by the same composer (Paul Ruskay). I thought I recognised the name.
30/08/2012 at 21:33 marcusfell says:
That is nt nearly fast enough. I’d rather it be cel-shaded if it increased the game speed by 200%.
30/08/2012 at 22:00 Nabobalis says:
This does look interesting. It reminds of me the Gundam Anime.
30/08/2012 at 23:37 Kid_A says:
Getting super-strong vibes of Omega Boost from the dying days of the PS1 with that mech-suit mode. Which is a good thing, because that game is criminally underappreciated.
31/08/2012 at 11:21 ZephyrSB says:
Wait..what? You mean someone other than me played Omega Boost!?! *And* instantly thought of it when seeing this? :p
31/08/2012 at 11:31 SeraphyGoodness says:
Make that 2 other people. Definately got a strong OB vibe from this. (Although it seems to be less mental spinning all over the place)
31/08/2012 at 01:31 Artist says:
Whats that? ROBOMANPIG! Half robot, half man, half pig!
31/08/2012 at 09:34 JiminyJickers says:
No, its clearly a half man, half robopig.
31/08/2012 at 01:44 Solidstate89 says:
It’s the Itano Circus everyone!
http://youtu.be/BzXfVgYCxWI
Reminds me of Macross in the best way possible.
31/08/2012 at 16:14 EPICTHEFAIL says:
Ah yes, the Macross (or Manticore, for Honor Harrington fans) Missile Massacre. We need more TvTropes links here.
31/08/2012 at 21:16 Solidstate89 says:
One of the few times TVTropes has actually got it wrong. Macross Missile Massacre is the incorrect name for the Itano Circus ;)
31/08/2012 at 03:00 Grey_Ghost says:
Reminds me just how much I want to see a Homeworld 3 happen.
31/08/2012 at 09:01 Makariel says:
“Earth needs a saviour”
Again? Can’t earth take care of itself for five minutes? I’m still busy trying to save Lordran (futile, I know) but ok, ok, I’m coming…
31/08/2012 at 09:16 Caiman says:
Combat looks great, nice visuals, excellent music. But, I hope there’s a bit more depth than on display in the trailer, or that it’s about $5 because that’s all the gameplay that I’m seeing so far. Paul’s take doesn’t convince me otherwise either. Given the potential gameplay of a transforming robot that can fly through space and shoot, it would be pity if you couldn’t say land on capital ships and go nuts, or at the very least have some kind of extended campaign where you can make strategic decisions.
31/08/2012 at 09:40 JiminyJickers says:
As far as the landing on ships go in robot mode, last time I looked into it you couldnt do it, I assume it hasn’t changed otherwise they would show it off. All the comments wanted a similar thing.
The robot mode was a bonus boost mode, which you had to unlock first by building up your energy/rage/whatsamacallit by killing things, you can then turn into a robot for a limited time and do maxixmum damage. Not too convinced by it so far. Hopefully it turns into something a little bit more complex and make the robot mode more interesting.
Will still keep an eye on it because it may turn into a gem.
31/08/2012 at 11:26 Nallen says:
Pleeease make a video of KEE KOO KAA KER CHAAA and arm waving. You know you want to.
Also, how’s the Pro Adventure Gaming title hunt going?
31/08/2012 at 17:23 kud13 says:
looks nice, but it’ll never be a true derivative mecha game without an impractical, implausible melee weapon in space.