The Energon Pub

I'm...not sure how I'm supposed to feel about this. Am I supposed to like it?

who why when did they decide putting to completely different franchises together was a golden idea?

I'm being too harsh. Too early to tell. I'll think about it more after some sleep.

The films and the Aligned continuity cross dimensions?

Interesting.

I hope this combining of 2 TF universes gives way to some crazy ass Bioshock Infinite ending type of feel to the game. I've always wanted something like that for Transformers. But I don't think it's ever been done. And I won't be surprised in the slightest if that doesn't happen here, but considering how many universes lie in the Transformers multiverse (franchise), I'm surprised no one has done that yet.

Accidental double post.

Agamemnon wrote:

Dead Metal wrote:

Agamemnon wrote:*Sigh* Well, it looks like I can finally cut myself off from these video games. It may be awesome in playability, but what drew me to WfC and FoC was the definite G1 tie in. I do not like the tie in to the movies (or even Prime, for that matter.)

WFC/FOC are not G1 though, they are (or where if this is going to be connected to the movies) Aligned, which means Prime.

True, but I find that more of a retcon. It seems clear to me that WfC, in particular, was meant to align with G1, or at the very least throw back to it. (Compare BB with G1 and Prime/the movies, and I think this is pretty clear.)

Also, I should state that I don't like Hasbro's attempts to "align" everything. They own the properties, so they get to do what they want. But I think it is wrong of them to stifle the imagination of their customers, which is what I think they are doing whether intentional or not. But, that's just my opinion...

No it's not, if you look at the behind the scenes stuff, the interviews, and the fact that the story is basically the same as all the other Prime prequel material it's clear that it's always been intended to serve as a tie-in to Prime. High Moon even said that they just wanted to let it look as close as possible to the G1 cartoon because that was their favorite incarnation and the one they grew up with.
If by looking vaguely like G1 is all it takes to convince you that it's supposed to be G1, then you probably also view Animated as G1.

So it is a crossover and not a real sequel to FOC? Lame, it doesn't even have High Moon attached from what I can tell.
Skipping this.

I'm afraid Activision is now framing this as Call of Duty: Transformers. The previous games were already moving towards that line, but the current setup of having you unlock stuff in single- and multiplayer implies that there's no way Actvision will provide us with a large (story-based) campaign.

The basic equipment will probably unlock in single throughout the campaign, while in multiplayer it'll take you just a few battles, further equipment trickling in through in-game purchases, DLC or season passes. Or. Very. Slow. Grinding. The two worlds colliding thing is just there to generate more content (and recycle assets from the previous games). This also makes sense considering Transformers Universe flip-flopped from being an online multiplayer shooter towards a LoL-clone.

We'll be lucky if we'll get a four hour campaign out of it, I think. On the other hand, this might just be the 'movie tie-in', and in that respect this sounds much better than any of the other preceding movie games.

Um two universes? Does that mean they can connect to each other like doing some Spiderman edge of time stuff

At first I was actually excited, but after thinking about this, it just looks like a cheap cash in. The Idea of these two universes colliding just SCREAMS the material was scraped off from past projects in order to make a new profit.

These are the two biggest universes out right now, but the only people who actually know that the Aligned and Bay-verse universes are not the same are those that actually spend as much time as we(the TF fandom) do. It's important to remember because why couldn't they just have the two universes "bleed" into one when the portion of the game's market never knew or cared that the universes were different. Then the cliche' MULTI-VERSE COLLISION ARC wouldn't have to be used to make what could be a great game.

This game will be rushed and undone, as its Activision and High Moon is no longer a studio.
And unless done with Bio-Shock-esque physics/story, there won't be a good reason for the two worlds colliding.I think the only way this could be acceptable on a cannon base story would be if FOC Shockwave tries to rebuild the space bridge after FOC and something goes wrong (though i would be skeptic from the start because Shockwave is too smart to make a mistake resulting in a space bridge opening a portal to another dimension completely).

This being said i'm sure i should just shut-up, stop being so picky, and enjoy the AWESOME THAT WILL ENSUE!!! WOOO!! IM CHOOSING FOC ALL THE WAY!! SCREW THE BAY-VERSE!!!

So does this mean I can pick my favorite bayformer and have him blast off FOC Omegas stupid monkey arms ? This might make it worth buying an xbox, ps4 or whatever it is people play these days...

Dead Metal wrote:

Agamemnon wrote:

Dead Metal wrote:

Agamemnon wrote:*Sigh* Well, it looks like I can finally cut myself off from these video games. It may be awesome in playability, but what drew me to WfC and FoC was the definite G1 tie in. I do not like the tie in to the movies (or even Prime, for that matter.)

WFC/FOC are not G1 though, they are (or where if this is going to be connected to the movies) Aligned, which means Prime.

True, but I find that more of a retcon. It seems clear to me that WfC, in particular, was meant to align with G1, or at the very least throw back to it. (Compare BB with G1 and Prime/the movies, and I think this is pretty clear.)

Also, I should state that I don't like Hasbro's attempts to "align" everything. They own the properties, so they get to do what they want. But I think it is wrong of them to stifle the imagination of their customers, which is what I think they are doing whether intentional or not. But, that's just my opinion...

No it's not, if you look at the behind the scenes stuff, the interviews, and the fact that the story is basically the same as all the other Prime prequel material it's clear that it's always been intended to serve as a tie-in to Prime. High Moon even said that they just wanted to let it look as close as possible to the G1 cartoon because that was their favorite incarnation and the one they grew up with.
If by looking vaguely like G1 is all it takes to convince you that it's supposed to be G1, then you probably also view Animated as G1.

So it is a crossover and not a real sequel to FOC? Lame, it doesn't even have High Moon attached from what I can tell.
Skipping this.

But, see, that's the same problem I'm having with Hasbro. Why must this align in a way that takes the customer, i.e. us, out of the creative process? Why not leave it open to interpretation how we all want to see it?

And, no, please don't put words/thoughts in my mouth. I can see a resemblance between BB of G1 and WfC, not Animated. If this was always intended to be Prime/aligned, then why not make BB look more like Prime BB? Because they wanted to have that G1 tie in, or throwback. The stories of WfC and Exodus, while not entirely consistent with the G1 cartoon mythology, could be reasonably integrated with each other, as long as one doesn't get too picky, in my opinion. Perhaps my memory is a little fuzzy, but I thought the aligned continuity idea came during WfC development. Now, granted, I didn't see the behind the scenes interviews, so I will gladly defer to you on that info. But, given how the game looked, the references to G1, it has the feel of decisions being made part way through to make changes to "align" things more.

But I do agree with you. I don't like the crossover idea at all and will be skipping this altogether.

awesome game can't wait till the movie!

During the craze of Toy Fair 2014, we hope you gamers out there got a kick out of the next game featuring our favorite transforming robots, Rise of the Dark Spark. In any case, the company developing the title, surprisingly, is not High Moon Studios. No, instead the game will be developed, Examiner.com reports, by Edge of Reality.

High Moon Studios, who developed Transformers: War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron, is not developing Rise of the Dark Spark. Edge of Reality, who previously worked on the Mass Effect Trilogy and Dragon Age: Origins, are developing Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark and the game will be available for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PC, Wii U, and 3DS.

On a side note, for the 3DS version, the developer will be Way Forward, who is known for making Duck Tales: Remastered and other games.

I wonder what HMS is working on right now, I want to believe it's a AoE game, but who knows at this point.

No PC version = no interest from me.

Mkall wrote:No PC version = no interest from me.

At the end of the trailer it did have a PC logo.

I'm pretty big into my games and I've never heard of Edge of Reality. Having a quick look at the list of titles they've worked on I'm not filled with hope. Seems to be mostly ports and a handful of piss-poor licensed games.

Agamemnon wrote:

Dead Metal wrote:

Agamemnon wrote:

Dead Metal wrote:

Agamemnon wrote:*Sigh* Well, it looks like I can finally cut myself off from these video games. It may be awesome in playability, but what drew me to WfC and FoC was the definite G1 tie in. I do not like the tie in to the movies (or even Prime, for that matter.)

WFC/FOC are not G1 though, they are (or where if this is going to be connected to the movies) Aligned, which means Prime.

True, but I find that more of a retcon. It seems clear to me that WfC, in particular, was meant to align with G1, or at the very least throw back to it. (Compare BB with G1 and Prime/the movies, and I think this is pretty clear.)

Also, I should state that I don't like Hasbro's attempts to "align" everything. They own the properties, so they get to do what they want. But I think it is wrong of them to stifle the imagination of their customers, which is what I think they are doing whether intentional or not. But, that's just my opinion...

No it's not, if you look at the behind the scenes stuff, the interviews, and the fact that the story is basically the same as all the other Prime prequel material it's clear that it's always been intended to serve as a tie-in to Prime. High Moon even said that they just wanted to let it look as close as possible to the G1 cartoon because that was their favorite incarnation and the one they grew up with.
If by looking vaguely like G1 is all it takes to convince you that it's supposed to be G1, then you probably also view Animated as G1.

So it is a crossover and not a real sequel to FOC? Lame, it doesn't even have High Moon attached from what I can tell.
Skipping this.

But, see, that's the same problem I'm having with Hasbro. Why must this align in a way that takes the customer, i.e. us, out of the creative process? Why not leave it open to interpretation how we all want to see it?

And, no, please don't put words/thoughts in my mouth. I can see a resemblance between BB of G1 and WfC, not Animated. If this was always intended to be Prime/aligned, then why not make BB look more like Prime BB? Because they wanted to have that G1 tie in, or throwback. The stories of WfC and Exodus, while not entirely consistent with the G1 cartoon mythology, could be reasonably integrated with each other, as long as one doesn't get too picky, in my opinion. Perhaps my memory is a little fuzzy, but I thought the aligned continuity idea came during WfC development. Now, granted, I didn't see the behind the scenes interviews, so I will gladly defer to you on that info. But, given how the game looked, the references to G1, it has the feel of decisions being made part way through to make changes to "align" things more.

But I do agree with you. I don't like the crossover idea at all and will be skipping this altogether.

Sorry, now that I re-read my comment, it sounds much more mean-spirited and douchy than I had intended. So I apologize.

Aligned was being worked on a long time before WFC, before Animated started. For instance, work on Animated started at about the same time the Energon toys hit shelves. And High Moon stated that they where working closely together with Hasbro from day one.
The only way WFC/FOC could work as being a prequel to G1, is if it was the prequel of a completely new G1, due to all the things in the games that don't work with all the G1 material we have.
As I stated, the designs are so G1y because that was the version the designers where most familiar and comfortable with. Yea, sure BB looks more like G1 BB than Prime BB, but then again we already have proof that these guys change their bodies. Megatron for instance got a new body in FOC that makes him look closer to Prime.
And if we tried to force this in G1, we would have to ignore almost 90% of the game, including all of the technology and the body designs, since really it's only really the heads that are G1. The bodies are more movie with all those complicated moving parts.
Seriously, if you really look at it, there is simply no way how this meshes with any incarnation of G1 ever.

And Hasbro wanted this to be part of the Aligned continuity, because they wanted it to. It's their property and they are trying to branch out into different forms of entertainment, one of which is story telling.

Also, don't forget that it's the stories and the media that actually make us attached to Transformers, and if we got to decide about those things, well it wouldn't really work anymore.

thats kind of disappointing but then again could be good, after war for cybertron high moon hasnt had a good track record. Fall of cybertron wasnt that great & dark of the moon & deadpool were failures. But edge of reality hasnt really done much, looking at the list of games they developed nothing stands out. They did a good job on the mass effect & dragon age ports but they didnt make the original games. Only time will tell at this point.

IMO, as long as they don't ditch their game less than six months after release in favor of making a game of mediocre quality, I'm all for them.

Oooohhh! Now I get why I am flabbergasted. I shouldn't be. I figured this was still High Moon, who has the Midas Touch of Transformers games, it seems, and I was wondering why they would do something so... Well... Nonparallel in concept. Think about it: If they had crossed WFC with almost any other series, it would still work. If they did WFC meets Unicron Trilogy, it would work; if they did WFC meets G1, it would work; if they did WFC meets Beast Wars, it would still kinda work; they could do much of the different universes, but this just doesn't... Blend. All this seems to be is a vie for money, capitalizing on the new movie hype and the general adoration of WFC in general. I probably won't buy it, unless it become more than what it seems.

This could actually be a decent game, I'll stay optimistic, I just really want to have movie shockwave battle g1 optimus

The graphics look like crap.

Yeah...until I get confirmation that High Moon Studios - or whatever's left of it - are actually working on this game in some capacity, I'm not touching this with a ten-foot pole.

They weren't even laid off because Deadpool was a bad game; IIRC they got canned right after development, before it even hit the shelves. And it was adequate.

This whole thing reeks of a cash grab in an industry plagued with cash grabs.

Such negativity, wow

Sorry to read that High Moon isn't the developper. Those guys were pretty dedicated and enthusiastic about Transformers.

Okay DOTM had a lot of flaws, but FOC made up for that more than enough.

I think I'm going to enjoy the game.

And I don't care about how it not perfectly fits in with G1 or the movie. As long as it's great gameplay like FOC and has cool characters from FOC and the movies then I'm a happy gamer.

Might even get a PS4 for this

Activision has announced today that Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark is set to release this June. It will complement Age of Extinction, and go beyond the movie by tying together the movie universe with the Cybertron universe. It will be a third-person action adventure in which players may choose from over 40 characters, and battle to secure the Dark Spark. Rise of the Dark Spark will release on Xbox One, Playstation4, Xbox 360, Playstation3, Nintendo Wii U, and Nintendo 3DS, along with Windows PC.

UPDATE: Courtesy of GameStop, we have a confirmed release date of 24th June 2014 (shortly before the Age of Extinction cinema opening), and a price tag of $59.99.

And thanks to CVG.com, we have a couple of additional screenshots from the game, mostly featuring the two versions of Optimus Prime, below.



Mark Blecher, SVP Digital Gaming and Corporate Development at Hasbro, Inc. said:

Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark is an arc between the Cybertron and Earth based worlds of this popular franchise. This year marks 30 incredible years of TRANSFORMERS. This game tells another chapter in the TRANSFORMERS story that all fans will love.

As a follow-up to both Age of Extinction and games War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron, Rise of the Dark Spark tells the tale of the search for an ancient, powerful relic—the Dark Spark. Players can switch between factions throughout the single-player campaign. Gameplay will include fast-paced running and shooting combat, along with vehicle action and large, dynamic conflicts.

Players will also be able to access multiplayer mode, Escalation, which allows for wave-based, survival-style gameplay for up to four online players cooperatively. Rise of the Dark Spark will feature new, upgradeable defense systems, recognizable opponents, and an expanded roster of characters, past and present. A new level system unifies single- and multi-player into one consistent character development path. Any experience earned in any part of the game will unlock awards and tactical loadout choices, like new characters, stronger weapons, special abilities, and consumable bonuses, which will be available through the entire game.

Rise of the Dark Spark is currently rated “RP” which is Rating Pending by the ESRB. Watch for the latest information.

About Hasbro, Inc.
Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) is a branded play company dedicated to fulfilling the fundamental need for play for children and families through the creative expression of the Company’s world class brand portfolio, including TRANSFORMERS, MONOPOLY, PLAY-DOH, MY LITTLE PONY, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, NERF and LITTLEST PET SHOP.

From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, digital gaming and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its global customers with innovative play and entertainment experiences, in a variety of forms and formats, anytime and anywhere. The Company's Hasbro Studios develops and produces television programming for more than 180 markets around the world, and for the U.S. on Hub Network, part of a multi-platform joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK).

Through the Company's deep commitment to corporate social responsibility, including philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to build a safe and sustainable world for future generations and to positively impact the lives of millions of children and families every year. It has been recognized for its efforts by being named one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" and is ranked as one of Corporate Responsibility Magazine's "100 Best Corporate Citizens." Learn more at http://www.hasbro.com.

© 2014 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's website, http://www.activision.com.