Seibertron.com Energon Pub Forums

[Burn]

:shock: & you didn't take a picture

next time take a picture when you have a movement

Keep your fantasies to yourself mate.

[partholon]

watched the youtube version as like most of the planet ive no choice.

its not bad.

theyve learned alot of lessons from combiner wars.

its got better pacing thanks to the longer episodes, the frame rate is a hell of alot better and the general art style is gorgeous. the script/dialogue is still a bit naff but there was some genuinely good bits in here.

starscream in particular going a bit "rick" when he thought he was off to the afterlife. that had me cracking up - VERY reminiscent of his "transformers prime" take . but they handled the whole "city-speaker" thing very well with windblades expo dump from metroplex.

like others i couldnt catch a word of what rodimus was saying in the basiclla of the primes. one of the few times i wished that fecking youtube subtitles thing would actually work for once.

but all in all those two episodes were a good start.

And hey, computrons still alive so thats good.



as an aside got a laugh out of noticing the back of perceptors head is basically two red legs folded over. so ya just know titan masters are due to turn up eventually

[Burn]

One thing I find really odd.

"We need to find fighters". So ... that city Trypticon is stomping on is inhabited by a bunch of civilians? The war just ended, do they expect me to believe it's either empty (with the lights on) or populated with Cybertronians that don't know how to fight?

[Bronzewolf]

It's that time of the year, a special day of celebration and the gathering of friends and family! No, not Christmas. Not even Thanksgiving. It's time for a brand new Machinima Transformers animated series!



Yaaaaaay



While I don't hold the original Combiner Wars series in very high regard, I have (potentially blind) hope in it's sequel, Titans Return. Is it Good? Is it bad? Well, pull up a chair, slice some turkey, and pour yourself a tall glass of your strongest Energon, because we're about to dive into the first episode of Machinima's Transformers Titans Return.



("Spoilers" for Machinima's Combiner Wars Series below. If you missed out on that series, I slightly envy you, but I recommend going and reading my reviews for that series, despite some broken images.)



We open on a wide shot of Cybertron, with a general recap (which sounds like it’s potentially narrated by the original G1 cartoon narrator?) of the previous series to get us back up to speed. It briefly runs through the past 8 episodes, and does a good enough job of getting all the important info in there. We get reminded of the cliffhanger(?) In the last show, of Fortress Maximus' face, with a slightly ham-fisted "The Titans have returned" from Windblade overdubbed.





Roll credits! *ding*





After a slightly overly-fancy title logo sequence, we finally get to the new content.





Well, that's half the budget gone, right there.



It cuts to Starscream's mangled body on the side of a mountain. We actually spend a considerable amount of time with Starscream's ghost this episode, which is a nice call-back to the original cartoon. He's just realizing he perished in the previous battle, indicating that this is taking place very shortly after the end of the previous series, perhaps even the next morning.



We immediately get another title card, this time with the title of the episode, "Aftermath and Rebirth". That's right, "Rebirth". Pretty confident that's a bad omen.





Because with a name like "Rebirth", it has to be good.



We next see the Constructicons cleaning up Cybertron after the battle. We even see them individually (!), some even in robot mode (!!), and one even talks(!!!), which is a big deal in this series, as it couldn't make up it's mind last time around if it wanted the combiners to be made of individual robots, or just one large entity and even a seperate race from the rest of the characters.



They get some help from the other Combiners, with some awkward dialogue thrown in for good measure. We're then reintroduced to two of the main characters from the previous show, Optimus Prime and the Mistress of Flame. Optimus Prime is now voiced by Peter Cullen, the, uh, OP OP, shall we say.









We have to address the Mistress' performance here, because it's not great. Robotic, static, and near emotionless for most of her dialogue in this scene, it’s rather jarring throughout. Windblade chooses this moment to arrive, shocked that Optimus is leaving so soon.



Windblade seems to have a complete tonal shift from the previous series, being more of an indifferent young girl with little emotion here than her previous "I hate everything and everyone all the time" character. This, too, is an extremely jarring change, and it makes the dialogue slam to a halt, feeling clunky and badly timed from here on.





okayniceknowingyoubai



So, then, uh, Metroplex appears. Just out of the ground. Yeah. Like that, with very little ado. The city splits open and Metroplex climbs out, which is disappointing, as I think he should be the city itself. I feel like this would have made more of an impact anyway, with buildings starting to move and finally form into this giant robot.



She very quickly accepts Prime leaving without much convincing required, and departs with the most awkward line so far and a bizarre transformation sequence that completely feels like filler. Prime leaves, saying goodbye to the Mistress of Flame, and then driving away. He then comes back, sits there in truck mode for a couple beats too long, honks at her, and then drives away the opposite direction. This is the only part I laughed out loud at, just because the pacing is SO ridiculous.





Oh, uh, crap, I drove the wrong way. How do I turn around without making this awkward? Oh, I'll just honk at her then drive the opposite direction. There. Nailed it.



We see a quick cameo shot of Megatron, overlooking the previous characters, and then we move on.



Rodimus is dropped off at the home of the 13 Primes by one of Victorion's Helicopters (yay more individual combiner personalities!) to return the Matrix of leadership. Is it just me, or is nothing in this scene understandable? Judd Nelson's voice over in particular is so poorly mixed with the Music (which by itself is too loud), and the 13 Primes have this layered voice effect that makes it so you just can't understand anything any of them say. We get another filler transformation shot of Hot Rod after he's given back the matrix, and then we get the final scenes of Episode One:



While this was all happening, the Gods take Starscream to the hollowed out remains of Trypticon, who actually fills his city role, unlike Metroplex. The gods make Starscream embody the large titan, and give him new life. On a distant hill, Perceptor is meeting with Windblade. He's voiced by Wil Weaton and, uh, he has a large head.





Where else is he going to fit all that science?



He's in the middle of analyzing Starscream's remains, when they both see Trypticon forming in the distance. That's right, while sort of dumping most of their cards on the table, Trypticon makes a fully fledged appearance. With a mighty roar, he brings episode one of Titans Return to an end.



Woahh, slow it down, guys, it's only the first episode.





So, is it bad? I'd argue no. The extended length of the episodes (12 minutes instead of 6-7) makes for a much easier ride, but at the same time, you get some odd pacing issues and some filler shots. You can tell the producers weren't really sure what to do with the extra time in some areas.

The animation finally improves, on many fronts. In fact, the recap of the previous show at the beginning of this episode illustrates that perfectly. You get a taste of that jerky animation and those completely unsynched voice movements and you can see instantly how much better those are here. Over all it makes it so much more enjoyable when those factors aren't constantly annoying you. I'd honestly say the worst part of this is the voice acting, which does not bode well for the show as the VA was by far the best part about it's preceding series. At least, despite her wanting to kill everyone, Windblade had believable emotion and frustration in at least her voice. Here, like I said before, she seems indifferent to everything that's going on.



It just feels like three steps forward, and then a step back.



So that's my take on episode 1 of this new series. If you want to watch it for yourself, you can over on Go90. These reviews are going to be longer as the episodes themselves are almost double what they previously were. What did you think of the episode? What did you think of my review? Let me know down in the comments, and stick around for my review of Episode 2, which also premiered today. Some questions get answered, but even more are asked.

Thanks for reading, and keep your optics and audio sensors tuned to Seibertron.com!

[RodimusRex]

One thing I find really odd.

"We need to find fighters". So ... that city Trypticon is stomping on is inhabited by a bunch of civilians? The war just ended, do they expect me to believe it's either empty (with the lights on) or populated with Cybertronians that don't know how to fight?

My memory of Combiner Wars is hazy but my impression is that it's been at least a few decades since the war ended... and this episode made note of how Metroplex was decommissioned a long time ago during the war.

Could be as much as 100 million years since the second Golden Age started, I suppose, given Starscream claiming to be 108 million years old.

Most timelines place the creation of the Transformers at 8-12 million years before present day.

[Windsweeper]

I have to say I don't quite agree with this review.

I thought Mistress of Flame and Starscream's voice acting was improved though Starscream isn't perfect. I thought MOF's voice acting suited her personality which strikes me as somewhat reserved.

I liked Wil Wheaton as Perceptor. He sounded less overbearing than his G1 self.

I will agree about the sound when Rodimus first meets the Primes though I still enjoyed the scene.

It was nice to see Long Haul get a line at least. Though seeing Menasor made me cringe. While he's always been my favourite Decepticon Combiner and the scene fitted his character, I was bracing myself expecting him to say something in that cringy voice from Combiner Wars.

Combiner Wars was a guilty pleasure of mine and it improved greatly with the introduction of Megatron. I'm well aware of it's faults, the one consistency in all Transformers series regrettably, but I still liked it overall.

I have looked forward to Titans Return and so far I've enjoyed the first two episodes. I think the creators have genuinely tried to improve from Combiner Wars and so far, to me at least, they have.

I'm still sceptical about Menasor's voice given that was the worst part of CW and I'm not happy to see his va return. It ruined my favourite Combiner for me.

I am looking forward to the next episodes.

[Va'al]

You should be aware by now that the second animated series from Hasbro and Machinima featuring the Transformers, Titans Return, is being released in the US on the go90 app platform - and surely soon to follow for non-US viewers by other means, like its predecessor Combiner Wars. Our review of the first episode can be read here, and a review of the second will be making its way to the front page later today, too.

With that covered, you may want some more behind the scenes material, and Collider is here to provide the content - namely, an interview conducted and coordinated via Twitter with the voice of Optimus Prime, Peter Cullen, returning to the franchise once more after the live-action movies and the animated shows Robots in Disguise and Rescue Bots. Check out some selected parts below, and read the whole piece here - which touches on a lot more than Titans Return, but always in a Peter Cullen and Optimus Prime shape!

It’s impossible to separate you from Optimus Prime, having voiced the character for over 30 years, but looking into the far-off future, what would make you step away from voicing Optimus?

Cullen: Yeah, well that’s been done before. I’ve already rehearsed that scene. [laughs] I’ve only done five movies since then, so it’s not like we’re talking, in terms of expansive years, since 1986, I’ve done a few games, Machinima, the second series now with them. Other than that, it’s been a very frugal way of making a living as Optimus Prime. What’s in store for him, I don’t know. But I’m not willing to give it up as long as it’s popular and people care for it. I would respect that part and continue on without much debate. But whether or he’s going to? I don’t know. I can’t speak for the multitude of people who are behind the steering wheel of this huge machine. If it all goes well, I’ll be doing it for years to come!

What was his reaction to being approached to play Optimus prime



Cullen: Elation, because I had waited a couple of weeks, which is not uncommon when you’re auditioning for a series and when they inform you that you have that role or that part. But more to the point, I had no idea who Optimus Prime was outside of the small audition that I did. In those days, back in the 80s, we were constantly doing cartoons, Frank Welker and I. We would meet at auditions sometimes or end up on a show and say, “Hey! You got a gig? So did I! That’s great!” That’s how we met by the way. Over the years, you try to add up all those feelings and say, “What actually happened?”

I remember the audition, I remember doing an impersonation of my brother who was a Marine, and heeding his advice, not to be an a-hole. Be real, don’t be Hollywood, that kind of thing. An audition that lasted perhaps a few minutes ended up changing my world, my life. That character has affected many different people’s lives in many different ways; I’m always overwhelmed by that, humbled by it, to tell you the truth.

[...]

What’s his favorite moment or scene as Optimus

Cullen: I would probably have least-favorite scenes. [laughs] I would include, the most important one, when I did the death scene. The other ones are doing all the screaming, yelling, blood-throat scenes; those are my least favorite. My most favorite scenes, which they don’t do enough, are when he’s written to express compassion and understanding. They never really want to express that level of Prime, which I thought was his most important, valuable trait.

[Va'al]

You should be aware by now that the second animated series from Hasbro and Machinima featuring the Transformers, Titans Return, is being released in the US on the go90 app platform - and surely soon to follow for non-US viewers by other means, like its predecessor Combiner Wars. Our review of the first episode can be read here, and a review of the second will be making its way to the front page later today, too.

With that covered, you may want some more behind the scenes material, and Collider is here to provide the content - namely, an interview conducted and coordinated via Twitter with the voice of Optimus Prime, Peter Cullen, returning to the franchise once more after the live-action movies and the animated shows Robots in Disguise and Rescue Bots. Check out some selected parts below, and read the whole piece here - which touches on a lot more than Titans Return, but always in a Peter Cullen and Optimus Prime shape!

It’s impossible to separate you from Optimus Prime, having voiced the character for over 30 years, but looking into the far-off future, what would make you step away from voicing Optimus?

Cullen: Yeah, well that’s been done before. I’ve already rehearsed that scene. [laughs] I’ve only done five movies since then, so it’s not like we’re talking, in terms of expansive years, since 1986, I’ve done a few games, Machinima, the second series now with them. Other than that, it’s been a very frugal way of making a living as Optimus Prime. What’s in store for him, I don’t know. But I’m not willing to give it up as long as it’s popular and people care for it. I would respect that part and continue on without much debate. But whether or he’s going to? I don’t know. I can’t speak for the multitude of people who are behind the steering wheel of this huge machine. If it all goes well, I’ll be doing it for years to come!

What was his reaction to being approached to play Optimus prime



Cullen: Elation, because I had waited a couple of weeks, which is not uncommon when you’re auditioning for a series and when they inform you that you have that role or that part. But more to the point, I had no idea who Optimus Prime was outside of the small audition that I did. In those days, back in the 80s, we were constantly doing cartoons, Frank Welker and I. We would meet at auditions sometimes or end up on a show and say, “Hey! You got a gig? So did I! That’s great!” That’s how we met by the way. Over the years, you try to add up all those feelings and say, “What actually happened?”

I remember the audition, I remember doing an impersonation of my brother who was a Marine, and heeding his advice, not to be an a-hole. Be real, don’t be Hollywood, that kind of thing. An audition that lasted perhaps a few minutes ended up changing my world, my life. That character has affected many different people’s lives in many different ways; I’m always overwhelmed by that, humbled by it, to tell you the truth.

[...]

What’s his favorite moment or scene as Optimus

Cullen: I would probably have least-favorite scenes. [laughs] I would include, the most important one, when I did the death scene. The other ones are doing all the screaming, yelling, blood-throat scenes; those are my least favorite. My most favorite scenes, which they don’t do enough, are when he’s written to express compassion and understanding. They never really want to express that level of Prime, which I thought was his most important, valuable trait.

[Stuartmaximus]

Double post ^

[Kroenen]

Really says a lot when even the voice of Optimus is telling you that the aggression needs to be toned down. I agree wholeheartedly. I haven’t seen a truly compassionate side of Optimus in years. I hope that, should Peter be signed on for Cyberverse, they write him with a more gentler side.

[Hydrargyrus]

I think it’s pretty cool that he really loves voicing Prime.

[Carnivius_Prime]

Really says a lot when even the voice of Optimus is telling you that the aggression needs to be toned down.

Not really what he said.

[o.supreme]

One thing I find really odd.

"We need to find fighters".

The entirety of the Original Transformers character Library, other than the few you see on screen are apparently off world on missions. (IRL-Budget)

But Hey, Seeing Tundecracker, Skywarp, Sunstorm, and um..miscellaneous seeker (I know it probably has a name, but if it wasn't named in the original series I would not know it) crash & burn to their deaths was cool I guess...

[Qwan]

And the episodes still aren't up in any official capacity for the rest of us non-USians to watch, as far as I'm aware. Machinima, mates, if you're gonna make an exclusivity deal with a service that only works in the US, maybe you should also find a way for the entire rest of the world to watch it too without resorting to piracy. Come on now.

[Burn]

And the episodes still aren't up in any official capacity for the rest of us non-USians to watch, as far as I'm aware. Machinima, mates, if you're gonna make an exclusivity deal with a service that only works in the US, maybe you should also find a way for the entire rest of the world to watch it too without resorting to piracy. Come on now.

It's not piracy if it's on YouTube.

Besides, you're Australian, we're the biggest digital pirates in the world.

[Qwan]

And the episodes still aren't up in any official capacity for the rest of us non-USians to watch, as far as I'm aware. Machinima, mates, if you're gonna make an exclusivity deal with a service that only works in the US, maybe you should also find a way for the entire rest of the world to watch it too without resorting to piracy. Come on now.

It's not piracy if it's on YouTube.

Besides, you're Australian, we're the biggest digital pirates in the world.

Oh believe me, if it wasn't technically against the forum rules, I could go on for hours listing all the shows I totally should've paid for and maybe didn't actually do so. I'm quite a firm believer that a series should earn my money before it receives it

But suffice to say, I had been waiting for them to go up officially on Machinima's Youtube or something, but given the situation at this point I will be watching the first two episodes of Titans Return this afternoon. Draw your conclusions.

[Kroenen]

Really says a lot when even the voice of Optimus is telling you that the aggression needs to be toned down.

Not really what he said.

Maybe not directly, but you can tell he doesn't like playing hyper-aggressive with Optimus. I think he's even mentioned this in other interviews. Saying stuff like "I'll kill you" is clearly betraying who Peter believes Optimus should be.

That's not to say Bayverse Prime is bad or anything (or that Peter's view is the only valid one), just that he clearly isn't comfortable with the direction it's taken.

[Burn]

Oh believe me, if it wasn't technically against the forum rules, I could go on for hours listing all the shows I totally should've paid for and maybe didn't actually do so. I'm quite a firm believer that a series should earn my money before it receives it

As long as you don't provide links to downloads of stuff that's available commercially, it's all good.

And you're more than welcome to discuss whatever you watch, that's what General Discussion is for ... people really should take a look at it, it has lots of cool stuff!

[Bronzewolf]

The first two episodes of the Machinima Titans Return series premiered yesterday, picking up where the previous Combiner Wars series left off. We've already broken down Episode 1, and it, surprisingly, was not bad. So now it is time to turn the spotlight to Episode 2, "Our Heroes Respond". Let's just jump right in to it, shall we?

After being welcomed again by the overly-fancy title sequence, we find Windblade where we left her last episode, meditating with the newly reawakened Metroplex.

Meditating with Metroplex, coincidentally, is my favorite holistic workout tape

During the mind-meld session, we get the lore of this version of Cybertron built out for us in the form of Metroplex telling Windblade his story and the purpose of the Titans overall. We actually learn quite a bit of useful backstory here, and I think it was executed very well. Not overly exposition-filled, and it succeeded in fleshing out the world quite a bit.

Narrationformers! Exposition in Disguise!

They both finally realize Trypticon has also risen, and Metroplex volunteers himself to go and defend Cybertron again after all those years. Windblade is opposed to this, as Metroplex is in no state to go and do battle with another Titan (even though we haven't seen, and won't see, these supposed injuries she mentions).

Scrud? Is...is that what she said? Does...does she mean Scrap? I've got nothing.

In trying to find another solution, she again goes to see Perceptor in his lab, who's currently studying some of the samples he's collected from Starscream's corpse. She discusses with him Trypticon returning, and the best course of action to stop him from continuing to tear the city apart. My biggest issue with this scene is just some of the animation feels really clunky. Like Windblade looking around Perceptor's lab looks like a video game cut scene. It just kind of pulls you out of the narrative.

They decide to take their case to the Mistress of Flame who, in turn, sends the "Eilte Air Resistance Squadron" to hold Trypticon off. These, we find out, are the seekers. The pretty much instantly die, which is unfortunate, as it would have been interesting to see them cope with Starscream going AWOL. There was also a chance to have an interesting subplot about how Starscream doesn't really want to kill his former comrades, but whatever piece of Trypticon is still within the shell of the giant titan takes him over and makes him do it. I consider that a missed opportunity.

While this is all happening, the Mistress of Flame discovers that Hot Rod has given up the Matrix when they needed it most, and for the first time so far in the series, we can hear Judd Nelson.

Heyyy, that's better!

It's nice to hear the original voice of Roddy return, and I think, while Judd Nelson is obviously older than he was when he originally did the voice for Hot Rod, it still feels the same. He does a great job.

Hot Rod says he'll come and help fight off Trypticon, just as Metroplex starts to move toward the oncoming Kaiju. We do get some nice action scenes here (None with Metroplex and Trypticon yet), and it's pretty much the best part of the episode. Perceptor makes a hint that he will go find Fortress Maximus to help in the battle, which again feels like they're dumping all their material in the first episodes, but we'll see. With a threat like they've never seen before just on the Horizon, Episode 2 ends.

Overall, I think the biggest issue was timing/pacing. There were lines here and there that waited a couple beats too long to be delivered, didn't have the right emotion or movement tied to them, and so on. It's a good episode, certainly better than a lot in Combiner Wars, but it feels underwhelming. It's not good enough to walk away with a sense of "Oh, that was amazing!" and it's not bad enough to be entertainingly so. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather it be the good than bad, but it felt like it just needed to move along a bit quicker. Anyway, that's my take on the (so far) enjoyable first two episodes of the Machinima Titans Return series. I'll be here with another review next Tuesday, when Episode three premiers over on Go90. Thanks for joining me, and thanks for reading Seibertron.com! See you next week!

[Deadput]

Lol at the Seekers, did they at least get any lines?

This is better then CW but in the same way it's better to stub your toe then to lose your whole foot, you literately see and hear how much little effort was put in by Hasbro if they funded the show at all, I bet this series only exists in a failed attempt to keep the fan boys satisfied about making the best Adult Transformers show for them.

[Hydrargyrus]

it's better to stub your toe then to lose your whole foot.

I try not to point out grammar mistakes online, but this is just hilarious when taken literally and out of context.

Also, what do you think about the characterization of combiners across the whole franchise? Except for the toy bios, I feel that characters like the Stunticons and Aerialbots have kind of just been collective entities.

[Whifflefire]

Okay, got around to watching the episodes.
I was pleasantly surprised that the constructicons and Stormclash made individual appearances, as it means that the combiners are still able to become individuals, though other than Long Haul's "Hey!" I wouldn't bet on any more of them speaking.
It was a little jarring at first hearing Perceptor speak without a British accent, but he turned out to otherwise be the most faithful to his original counterpart. The visible legs on the back of his head lead me to believe we'll see some characters become headmasters. Or Perceptor is just a closet headmaster.
Starscream's scenes were almost entertaining, and while it's neat that they're revisiting Starscream's ghost, I doubt they'll discuss a mutant, immortal spark, nor whoever/whatever was controlling his spiritual journey to Trypticon. I'd bet it will probably be Scorponok.
While I never minded the animation, the voice direction is severely underperforming. Characters do take too long to respond and react to almost anything. Mistress of Flame in particular. I was relieved to find that the Rodimus/Primes scene was not just a problem with my computer's audio. I like Nelson's Hot Rod voice, and though his reasons for declining the Matrix seemed forced, I look forward to more of him.
All in all, not the best start, but I suppose not the worst either. As long as the character dynamics become more cohesive, and the action remains good and fitting with the story, it will be worth it.

[Sabrblade]

Did everybody here just forget that Scrapper, Scavenger, and Long Haul all appeared individually before back in Megatron's debut episode in Combiner Wars? Their reappearance here in episode 1 of Titans Return isn't some revolutionary thing. It's just Machinima recycling the same three Constructicon character models that they had already used before.

[Whifflefire]

Did everybody here just forget that Scrapper, Scavenger, and Long Haul all appeared individually before back in Megatron's debut episode in Combiner Wars? Their reappearance here in episode 1 of Titans Return isn't some revolutionary thing. It's just Machinima recycling the same three Constructicon character models that they had already used before.

True, but CW left it ambiguous if, once combined, the components retained individuality or became bonded permanently. The constructicons' reappearance proves that the individual 'bots are still there (though we'll probably never see them).

[Deadput]

it's better to stub your toe then to lose your whole foot.

I try not to point out grammar mistakes online, but this is just hilarious when taken literally and out of context.

Also, what do you think about the characterization of combiners across the whole franchise? Except for the toy bios, I feel that characters like the Stunticons and Aerialbots have kind of just been collective entities.

Yeah combiners as a whole don't get much characterization, I don't mind for the actual combined forms themselves since I view them more as living weapons then their own individuals although I personally like how some Combiners have different problems compared to others such as Menasor being a complete monster while Computron just takes a long time because he is too smart.

For component most of them suffer from a lack of character hell sometimes some random component gets more character then the leader of the team (First Aid to Hot Spot) (Breakdown to Motormaster) etc.

Still doesn't change my opinion on how much Combiners just..suck in this series and it's kinda ironic that they are getting more "development" in Titans Return then in their own show.