Botcon 2009: Activision Transformers ROTF Panel

Botcon 2009: Activision Transformers ROTF Panel

Seibertron.com was present during the Activision question and answer panel which covered the upcoming release of Transformers Revenge of the Fallen the Game. Below you will see a breakdown of the events during the panel and a portion of the Q & A session that followed:


ROTF was created in 5 completely unique game modes for multiplayer and all platforms. The Nintendo Wii and DS both have unique versions of the game due to the simpler control functions of the system.

We were treated to video of the game shown with multiple transformation sequences and battle scenes. Different screen shots from the different platforms the game is available on were featured giving us an idea of how different the game is for each console.

Begin Q&A

How do you take advantage of the PS2 control version as opposed to the Wii and its controls?

One of the biggest challenges is making the ps2 version and then moving it to the Wii so they created the wii version first and transitioned them since the wii controls are more simplified. This is why the different platforms have unique versions.

Are you allowed to play as individual constructions in multiplayer mode?

One Constructicon is available but Devastator is a major boss that is not playable. There are bonus characters for multiplayer mode and will be downloadable characters such as Protectobot and Aerialbot (conglomerates of the original combiners).

Did you look at the first game and went with that theme or did your own version of the game?

The developers looked at all previous games plus what fans were saying on the forums to get an idea of what they should do with ROTF which is why multiplayer was developed and the unique versions became a necessity. Multiplayer was a main focus during the creation of the game.

Is Soundwave a playable character?

What we can tell us is that everyone that worked on the game are huge fans of Soundwave.

Can you jump and transform in motion?

Yes you can.

How many people worked on the game? How many of the cast of ROTF are in the game?

The total number of workers on the game were about 80 focused on the game with about 30 doing test version play for the game. They had people working on the game globally with a total of about 140. For number of cast in the game there’s Peter Cullen, Mark Ryan, Jess Harnell, Frank Welker for Megatron, Robert Foster ratchet, Megan fox and Shia Labeouf. Additional voices John Demaggio as Sideways (Futurama’s Bender).

How long will it take to get all the achievements for 360?

Most players will be hard pressed to get to a major boss in any one campaign in less than 60 hours? You have to metal in all levels to even begin to get close to completing the achievements.

Any concern in multiplayer with players corrupting the game?

This was a big concern and a lot of effort was made to make sure that any players that do that have minimal affect on the game as a whole. There is an achievement in which you can receive by getting affected by these players. The unlockable throughout all the games have a lot of things that are for G1 fans.

Based on the generation of games, given the cast of characters, what kind of game play differences will there be playing different characters?

We approached the game play as to what kind of roles each character filled in the game Ratchet has healing ability which is great for teams and Ironhide is a weapons specialist that can help with attacks. There was a lot of time spent making sure the characters had the abilities they’d be expected to have and added additional features that may not be expected.

Since you mentioned XBOX 360 achievments, is there Trophy support for PS3?

Yes.

Any plans for other downloadable content besides characters?

“There’s so much to come”. Definitely more than just characters and it will be equal between platforms.

Compared to the first game, how much more detailed are the characters?

One of the things taken from the first game was improving on the features of the characters making based directly off the movie. A lot of time was spent comparing images and different angles to make sure things like transformation sequences worked well. A big focus was making them blend in more as opposed to “sticking out” and not being in the real world.

How closely is the game play to the actual movie?

There are some things in the game that are spoilers for the film but the design team spent a lot of time with the movie developers to give the game a flow of the movie and give hints as to points in the film but gave added content to it. Overall it follows the same characters and the same storyline but was meant to compliment each other.

What forms of music are being used for the game?

Steve Jabowski was a big part of the music production along with a lot of musicians from the movie soundtrack. Over 100 minutes of unique music was created for the game.

Was Stan Bush’s “The Touch” included?

No.

Are all the game characters getting toys?

Hasbro worked very closely with the team on developing the game and were looking into the possibility of making the game characters that are not film characters.

What type of attacking capabilities will the characters have?

As far as attacks you’re not limited. You can do straight attacks, surprise attacks, aerial attacks and more.

XBOX 360 and PS3 both have 6 G1 episodes as additional content.

How is gameplay for the PS2 version? Will game play lag like in the first game?

A lot of technical issues from the first game were addressed. The second game was completely built from the ground up to allow for better gameplay. There is a coop additive that can be done with the single player campaign for the PS2.

More Botcon 2009 info to come.