The Energon Pub

The good folks at Gameinformer give us an interesting look at the development of Activision's War For Cybertron Optimus Prime. Check out the article below..

The developers behind Transformers: War For Cybertron have an interesting task when it comes to their game's creation. Fans of the cartoon have a very specific view of how the robots in disguise look, but various iterations throughout the years have tweaked their image substantially. Many were irked by the Micheal Bay-ified insect-like versions of the Autobots and Decepticons in the recent live action films, as they strayed too far from the G1 originals. High Moon Studios is approaching this task by putting a modern polish on a look that still brings back memories of the cartoon that launched the series into pop culture history.

Take a look below at Senior Concept Artist Billy King as he details the most iconic of the Transformers - Optimus Prime.

...while the video can be seen here.

Keep it at Seibertron.com for the fastest Transformers news on the net!

Now isn't that just prime.

Cool. But, who is the TF in the background next to the pic of Prime? Looks like a Decepticon. Maybe a seeker or possibly Blitzwing?

Looks kinda like the Starscream concept art we saw not too long ago... only blue... Thundercracker perhaps?

These designs are so much better than Bayformers. IMHO of course.

Oilspill wrote:These designs are so much better than Bayformers. IMHO of course.

*rolls eyes* yeah because both designs were totally for live action movies. Apples and oranges man, I want to smack everyone who makes it a point toss that comment in there aside the head for being so thick to compare the two.(including the article.)

The G1ish/IDW style designs look fine...in a video game(or a comic or character for that matter.). Two different medias so different designs look better in one thing than another. Alot of comic costumes translate badly too(like why Xmen went with the black leather for wolverine). I think blockimus prime would looked horribly out of place like space jam characters against real people and settings. (when I played the first movie game and put on the G1 skin thats exactly what I thought like whoa that doesnt belong at all.)

It's one thing you didn't care for the live action designs but you have weight in the factors why stuff arrived at the point it did. Between them sticking to roughly same mass, scale and using parts of whatever they turned into. (G1 and other series didn't give a crap about any semblance of realism, and their designs often reflected it.) I enjoy both designs for their respective roles. I'm rather sick of hearing people bash the movie verse at every turn whether has anything to do with the current thing or not.

Lastjustice wrote:

Oilspill wrote:These designs are so much better than Bayformers. IMHO of course.

*rolls eyes* yeah because both designs were totally for live action movies. Apples and oranges man, I want to smack everyone who makes it a point toss that comment in there aside the head for being so thick to compare the two.(including the article.)

The G1ish/IDW style designs look fine...in a video game(or a comic or character for that matter.). Two different medias so different designs look better in one thing than another. Alot of comic costumes translate badly too(like why Xmen went with the black leather for wolverine). I think blockimus prime would looked horribly out of place like space jam characters against real people and settings. (when I played the first movie game and put on the G1 skin thats exactly what I thought like whoa that doesnt belong at all.)

It's one thing you didn't care for the live action designs but you have weight in the factors why stuff arrived at the point it did. Between them sticking to roughly same mass, scale and using parts of whatever they turned into. (G1 and other series didn't give a crap about any semblance of realism, and their designs often reflected it.) I enjoy both designs for their respective roles. I'm rather sick of hearing people bash the movie verse at every turn whether has anything to do with the current thing or not.

Roll your eyes all you want, an opinion is an opinion man. I get what you are saying wih apples and oranges, I don't think G1 asthetics would work in a live action flick either, BUT you can't deny that the Bayformers could have been done better than they were. Take optimus (flames aside) I thought he was well designed, same basic color scheme, recognizable G1 influence i.e. The mouth plate, windows on the chest, blue ear fins etc. Now for the opposing side of the design argument, take Starscream. Even though I don't mind the design (And starscream is my fave btw), I think more attention could have been paid to not making him look like a dorito chip with chicken legs. Don't give me the "chicken legs make it realistic for landing on buildings etc etc, Megatron was doing just fine in ROTF flying and landing on buidlings and pyramids with tank treds lol. As for the color scheme, I am ok with screamer not being red white and blue,...I buy the argument that he would not fit in with real planes colored like that....but how do the tattoos make him any less conspicuous? Bottom line, Bay has made it VERY clear that he doesn't even like transformers, and could care less about paying respect to the source material. I believe in the commentary for ROTF he even makes mention about telling the writers to out in farting robots with penis guns to ge tcheap laughs from little kids. The lesson to be learned here is this, you like the movie designs, some people don't. I am somewhere in the middle. Either way, there is no need to be condescending to the posters here. Just because you think you have a unique perspective to the idea of G1 designs not working in a live action film doesn't mean that other people "just don't understand". We get it,...we simply don't agree with you. Good day sir!

Roll your eyes all you want, an opinion is an opinion man.

Yeah but it's freaking an off topic one. A comparsion that wasn't warrented in this case.

get what you are saying wih apples and oranges, I don't think G1 asthetics would work in a live action flick either, BUT you can't deny that the Bayformers could have been done better than they were.

I never said they couldn't be better, just what heck does that have do with the new game? Oh wait...they don't.

Just because you think you have a unique perspective to the idea of G1 designs not working in a live action film doesn't mean that other people "just don't understand". We get it,...we simply don't agree with you. Good day sir!

No you dont or it wouldn't have been mentioned in the first place. It's just cool to hate it and I'm frankly a bit fed up with it. I mean what did this game have do with the movie that it warrented being griped about? It didn't just oh it's better than the movie for sake of adding a pointless comparsion. It's like comparing Adam West Batman to Nolans, there two completely different entities designed for different purposes.

You dont like em fine, but atleast complain where it's on topic, not every window. There's enough threads bashing them already, would it killed people kept that crap out of this thread and just be excited for the game. Just makes transformers fans out be a bitter and hateful bunch.(sound as bad as star wars and star trek fans are toward new versions of their properties.) There's been version of transformers I didn't care for or have any interest in following...I don't feel need voice that on every thread about a new version.

Lastjustice wrote:

Roll your eyes all you want, an opinion is an opinion man.

Yeah but it's freaking an off topic one. A comparsion that wasn't warrented in this case.

I disagree. These are new redesigns of transformers, and I was comparing them to the recent redesigns from the movie-verse. Seems perfectly acceptable to me.

I wasn't saying these designs should be used in the movie, though I would have preferred something more like this and less like the designs we did get. But that's all down to personal preference, which is why I said 'in my humble opinion'. That is, after all, what forums are for. Sorry if I hit a sore spot man.

*Edit* I re-read my original post and maybe I phrased it a little inelegantly, but what I meant was that I really liked the new redesigns for the game, and wished we'd had something more like this for the live-action movies.

lol wow *sigh*,....I think it is pefectly acceptable to compare designs. I think the real issue here is that someone's opinion of the movie designs differs from your opinion and you don't like it. Ok , dually noted. All I'm saying is that you don't have to talk about slapping people for thier opinion or get stupid about it, just agree to disagree and move on. You are not the forum police, we don't need anyone to designate finger wags for mentioning the movie in a game forum. If somebody says they like these designs better than the characters designs from Halo does that make it more appropriate because it is a video gmae comparison? Perhaps. But considering that the movie designs were CGI characters then Id say that is as close to any videogame out there. Whatever man, I have said my peace and welcome any rebuttles and discussions, just don't be a jerk because nobody really cares how tough your talk is. lol some people...

I wasn't trying to hate on the movie designs, I think were I got lost in my response is that the two designs between the game and the movie are relavent to me in that the game shows that you can have G1 based desings that are both reminiscint of the source material as well as complicated and detailed taking into account the space being occupied etc. I believe I even mentioned prime as a good example of that. I was simply saying that you dont need to call people thick or say you want to slap them, it tuens people off from wanting to participate in posting and its uneccesary man. We are all fans, lets get along. lol Truce