The Energon Pub

[ricemazter]

This episode, I think, was slightly better than the last if only because we understand more about the context of the setting. Again, though the pacing and priorities of the directions are just strange. In a five minute long episode why, again, do we spend almost a minute and a half of the episode, almost a quarter of the run time, on establishing shots and Starscream in an elevator. These shots don't correspond to anything Starscream says about the situation getting worse, and are borderline filler.

Despite having more exposition, there are still too many missing pieces for us to really understand the stakes. Were the current combiners created using the enigma, or were they built during the war? If no one yet understands the enigma, how do they know it can be used to create an army of combiners or destroy them? If the war is over why does the council need more combiners? Is it to take current combiners? Are the combiners being treated as their own faction? If so, why are some loyal to the council and some not? Why would there be a question of wiping all of them out if some of them aren't acting in their own self interest? So far, there are too many unanswered questions.

Also, it seems that someone at some point switched the lines for Hot Rod and Starscream in the scripting process. Especially since at the beginning of the combiner wars comics it was Starscream that wanted to build more of them.

The weirdest thing about this series for me, with all the gravitas surrounding combiners, is that it feels like an advertisement for the toyline, which is already winding down for titans. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the only ones really left to be released Computron and the G2 versions of the others?

[Tyrannacon]

Honestly for a web series it's not that terrible at least. The length is my only issue, most web series I've seen were like 8 to 15 minutes (at the most). I do think if it were on the television I do think my own opinion of it would be a lot harsher at least. Kinda sucks because this series is meant to be for older fans at least. I just worry that if it does poorly there won't be another attempt to make a series for older fans though. I do hope this series does have some of the goofiness seen in other stuff from around the continuities.

[mesh]

In total honesty, these episodes are just too short. Too short to provide constructive critics and too short to get pulled into whatever they are talking about. For audiences with short attention spans these webisodes suck.
The animation blows compared to the hype produced at the SDCC Convention. They made the fans believe they were getting something extraordinary and mind blowing.
So far I am unimpressed but I'll give two more episodes to see how it developes.

[Galactic Prime]

The voice acting is bad, the animation is sub-par, the story makes no sense, and the episodes are too short.

Terrible, Hasbro should shoot these asshats for even making this

[partholon]

i have to concur .

its just not working.

the format is just all wrong for something as complex as an adult TF tale and the animation/voice acting isnt anything to write home about.

i guess i wouldnt be judgeing it so harshly if i didnt just get through watching a compliation of the cut scenes from war/fall of cybertron on youtube.

i laud the effort and hope they dont give up on giving us a more comics level of maturity animated series. but this is just failing to make the grade of such aims.

[SG Roadbuster]

This series is gonna fail, And fail hard. and Hasbro is gonna take away the wrong lesson from this. they'll think that older tf fans dont want an animated series/film aimed at them. when the real lesson to be learned here is not to let Machinima make your movie.

[Stealth Claw]

I've seriously never been disappointed by Transformers this much before it's strange for me.

it is isn't it. But don't worry I've had my fair share of disappointments (Beast Machines, Armada, Animated). they come and go. If you are patient, while another spectrum of the fandom is being catered to, it will come back around to what you like, just might take a few years. Combiner Wars was definitely not what I was expecting but I am enjoying it whilst all other parts of the medium aren't really "my thing" right now. Prime was amazing, and I don't expect to see another series as great, at least as far as what I'm looking for, for another decade or so. So, while CW is far form perfect, I'll take what little scraps I can get until Transformers decides to do something again mainstream more to my liking.

Btw what's wrong with Armada? if it wasn't for Armada....we finally wouldn't have gotten a Unicron toy! nor a Tidal Wave one either! nor would we have got the Armada videogame that everyone....well....almost everyone....seemed to love at the time....& maybe there's a few that still love it today as well).

It was a terrible show with a terrible toyline. Not much else to say.

hey armada was amazing, it was beast wars and armada that was the reason I grew up liking transformers.

[padfoo]

This series is gonna fail, And fail hard. and Hasbro is gonna take away the wrong lesson from this. they'll think that older tf fans dont want an animated series/film aimed at them. when the real lesson to be learned here is not to let Machinima make your movie.

Unfortunately your right, you put together a product hastfully and it misses the mark.....

[Kurona]

This series is gonna fail, And fail hard. and Hasbro is gonna take away the wrong lesson from this. they'll think that older tf fans dont want an animated series/film aimed at them. when the real lesson to be learned here is not to let Machinima make your movie.

I'm cynical enough to agree with you honestly. The whole bad-thing-failing-but-companies-getting-the-wrong-idea-about-why-it-failed-and-removing-all-the-few-things-people-liked-about-it thing happens a lot I feel.

[padfoo]

Also, the council seems to have some... INTERESTING architectural decisions.

Don't want people to know you have the Enigma? Keep it in a massive glass case that according to Windblade's sniper rifle, can be seen by anyone with a decent case of binoculars.

Talking of Windblade's sniper rifle, that's another interesting architectural decision. The place where the Council, the leading party of Cybertron in a time of war, unease and crisis; is a wide-open area with not even glass between them and a bullet from miles away. Like... wow. How has no-one taken out these morons before now?

I hate to be overly critical at the attempt to give us fans a animated series of a different caliber but you are right. I thought it was a fortress locked up like fort Knox based on Starscreams entrance through multiple doors but once he entered the entire center of the structure is open. Did someone forget to close the blinds, no guards, and we are in a one shot/hit one kill universe how is anyone still alive. On a positive note I felt it was better than the last episode......

[Mr Skram]

Oh man, the mouth shapes and lip syncing really stood out as horrible to me. Did the animation get worse in this episode or was I just paying more attention. I swear the first one was a bit more fluid. I'm of the opposite opinion of most here, I thought the first episode was better. I really wanted to like the series but I don't think I can be on board with this. Even the new prelude spot seemed to be lower quality than before. I'll keep watching to see where this all ends up since it's not much of a time investment, but I'll probably keep snidely chuckling to myself the whole way through.

[ZeroWolf]

This series is gonna fail, And fail hard. and Hasbro is gonna take away the wrong lesson from this. they'll think that older tf fans dont want an animated series/film aimed at them. when the real lesson to be learned here is not to let Machinima make your movie.

I'm cynical enough to agree with you honestly. The whole bad-thing-failing-but-companies-getting-the-wrong-idea-about-why-it-failed-and-removing-all-the-few-things-people-liked-about-it thing happens a lot I feel.

Come on guys and girls, let's not get too hasty with this series. For starters what's hasbro really got to take away from this series anyway? The toy line it's promoting is already at its natural end. They can't lose sales from this, and let's face it, it is just another toy advert. What may happen is that this becomes the only one of this series of it doesn't get enough clicks, so no titans return series or whatever the third part of prime wars is (I'm betting on it actually being called Prime wars).

While I hear and agree that more effort needs to be put in to make these better, it's still just a free-to-watch show at the end of the day, so I doubt that hasbro will walk away thinking the adult fans don't want material for them.

Now if the comics stopped selling completely then you would have something to worry about

[King Kuuga]

The sniper is revealed to be Windblade, set on stopping the council one way or another. She decides to fire at the Enigma, and somehow misses. She hits Starscream in the shoulder, and he falls. Another problem I have is right here. There's such a weird, delayed reaction to Starscream being shot by the rest of the council. There's a good two seconds before they really do anything. The Dialogue and sound effects become a little clunky here, as the Mistress raises the alarm and Rodimus checks on the former Decepticon.

It is pretty clear that she misses because Optimus pushes her at the last second.... before disappearing into the shadows for his dramatic reveal.



I'm getting a feeling from these episodes like I got from the second, third, etc episodes of RWBY volume 1. They're too short and not much is happening, and they're over right when they get interesting. Hopefully, like RWBY vol 1, it gets better as it goes on. I won't be too harsh until it's all out and available for judging, but this is starting off rather lackluster. As someone else said, we don't have enough information about the combiners yet to really understand the situation. They're being treated like titans, rather than larger robots made from their fellow autobots and decepticons. Seriously, not one hint that maybe the Combiners are the sum of parts other than just the name "combiners" and their mishmash appearances. You could currently sub them out with generic giant transformers and have the same story.

I will say, Starscream likes to make an entrance and I'd be more appreciative of that if it hadn't taken up a full fifth of the episode.

[HilltopOfKaon]

I thought these were pretty good. A nice twist to IDW's story. A little short i must say but it makes me want more.

[D-Maximal_Primal]

I'm going against the grain here, but I liked this episode a lot better. I hated being thrown into the story en media res but this episode made me actually like it some. Yes, it's too short, but I like it for what it is.

Now if only Optimus would actually be allowed to speak...

[Sabrblade]

It's funny seeing people complain about Optimus not talking at all when people were prevously sick of either all his psycho dialogue from the movies or nearly everything he ever said in the Prime cartoon.

[Sunstar]

that wasn't too bad. better than the last. I had to giggle a little. Starscream sounded a bit like he inhaled helium. Other than that. I felt it was okay.

[Burn]

I'm going to keep holding onto the belief that once this is all released and I can watch it in one sitting, it will be a good little series.

That being said, I really hope we don't get a repeat of Starscreams "entrance". Honestly dude, just use the front door next time.

[leokearon]

Given the weak animation models and all, is Rodimus supposed to be Hot Rod or actually Rodimus Prime

[Kurona]

Given the weak animation models and all, is Rodimus supposed to be Hot Rod or actually Rodimus Prime

Starscream says in his prelude that it's Rodimus. He looks to be based on his recent Masterpiece toy, mind.

[william-james88]

Given the weak animation models and all, is Rodimus supposed to be Hot Rod or actually Rodimus Prime

Neither, he is just Rodimus. Just like in the IDW comics.

Starscream says in his prelude that it's Rodimus. He looks to be based on his recent Masterpiece toy, mind.

Its based on his older masterpiece toy which was both Rodimus and Hot Rod. His newsest Masterpiece toy is just him as Hot Rod.

[o.supreme]

It's funny seeing people complain about Optimus not talking at all when people were prevously sick of either all his psycho dialogue from the movies or nearly everything he ever said in the Prime cartoon.

Yeah I definitely don't get that, and for the record, I thought Optimus Prime was amazing in TF Prime.

[Bradimus]

I don't get most of the complaints about this web series.

So what if the animation is questionable? I almost didn't watch RWBY because to be quite honest my initial impression of the animation was that it sucked. I'm glad I watched anyway because I would have missed out on a very entertaining series.

As for episode length, it's a web series. It's a 30 minute show broken down into 5 minute parts. When it's done and viewed as a whole I will not be surprised if most of the people complaining do a 180 and end up liking it.

I'll withhold my own judgement until it's over but I am happy with what I've seen so far. Could I wait until it's complete to finish watching it? Yes, and I may end up doing that. But as this is summer time and I'm starved for viewing content I'll probably watch the weekly segments.

[Sabrblade]

Given the weak animation models and all, is Rodimus supposed to be Hot Rod or actually Rodimus Prime

Neither, he is just Rodimus. Just like in the IDW comics.

Starscream's Prelude called him "Rodimus Prime", around the 1:10 mark:

[Ironhidensh]

I'm going to keep holding onto the belief that once this is all released and I can watch it in one sitting, it will be a good little series.

That being said, I really hope we don't get a repeat of Starscreams "entrance". Honestly dude, just use the front door next time.

This was my take away as well. Why are we wasting so much time watching Starscream enter?