Rock, Paper, Shotgun

I don’t know a Rod, actually. But if I did, I would definitely be telling him that this news is hot. At least once a year since RPS has formed I’ve whined “whyyyyyyyyyyyy doesn’t someone make a Transformers MMO?” Even the news that there was to be one purely for the Asian market didn’t shut me up. I do whine a lot. However, hearing that UK MMO devs Jagex, best known for Runescape and War of Legends, are on the case with their own Hasbro-sanctioned, reconfigurable-plastic themed game, means my slightly over-large man-child ears prick up fully. That’s just prime.
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That’ll be the initially Asia-only game being developed by Chinese outfit Netdragon. Toy-makers Hasbro (also responsible for brands such as GI Joe, My Little Pony and Nipple Torture Adventures In The 28th Century) revealed in their latest money hat conference that they’ll be releasing the game in the US and Europe too. There remain no details, other than a tiny JPG that just might have enough hints of red and blue to suggest Optimus Prime will appear in the game. In fact, I am willing to say right here, right now that the most well-known Transformer of them all will appear in an upcoming Transformers game even though that has not been confirmed. Yeah, crazy huh? I’m a daredevil, me.
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I’ve only had passing interest in the upcoming Transformers shooty-mcthumpy game War For Cybertron until now, but something about the previews that hit various sites earlier this week, and especially the below video – the first significant chunk of in-game footage to date – has awakened NERD-HUNGER in me. The environments look big and detailed, the robots are an excellent hybrid of 80s blocks’n'colours and intricate machinery and the combat looks varied… oh, who am I kidding? The reason I’m excited is because I recognise all the damned characters. Optimus! Ironhide! Ratchet! Megatron! Soundwave! Trypticon! Omega Supreme! I could go on. I did, in fact, but it started to look a bit scary, so I deleted half the names I’d written. You must not peek inside my brain of shame. Especially the bit that thought “the DLC for this game is going to be awesome.” Read the rest of this entry »

As Jim brain-farted last week, something has to follow/replace the current zombie trend, as its time basking in the golden light of zeitgeist can’t last forever. Giant robots seem a pretty good bet: a nerd-loved science-fictional touchstone that’s lately found traction amongst the streamiest of mainstream. That is, of course, due in large part to Michael Bay’s Transformers movies. The problem is 1) those movies are pretty bad and 2) their associated games have been really bad. But what happens when there’s a giant, shape-changing robot game, starring Mr O. Prime and chums, that isn’t churned out in a matter of months to coincide with a beyond-mindless movie? In other words – would it be totally stupid to start hoping that the newly-announced Transformers: The War For Cybertron could do for big robots what Arkham Asylum did for superheroes? A superb* Transformers game is the right of all sentient beings, after all.
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