Transformers (2004 video game)

A video game based on the Transformers franchise, simply known as Transformers, but with the working title of Prelude To Energon. Released in 2004 and developed by the Australian Melbourne House team, the game is a third person shooter, specifically based upon the Transformers Armada series, but not taking place within the same continuity. The basic premise is quite simple and not that indifferent from the show; after fleeing the Autobot/Decepticon war on Cybertron, the Mini-cons are located one million years later. Knowing that they could help turn the tide of the war, both factions head to Earth in order to retrieve them. The player has the opportunity to take control of one of three Autobots; Optimus Prime, Hot Shot and Red Alert, as they explore the many environments across the world searching for Mini-cons. Along they way, they meet opposition from the Decepticons. Once found, the Mini-cons can upgrade the abilities of the Autobots and be manually assigned by the player to mix-and-match a whole set of firepower or defensive capabilities.

Despite a few bugging criticisms, like somewhat repetitive gameplay, the small roster of characters and sometimes high difficulty level, the game was very well received by both fans and critics alike and until Transformers War for Cybertron was released, was often considered to be the best Transformers game made. It also became one of the highest selling games on the PS 2, ranking as the 6th highest selling game at the time.

This game provides examples of:
"Optimus Prime: This is the end Starscream. I want Megatron!
 * Adaptation Distillation
 * And Knowing Is Half the Battle: You can actually unlock un-aired PSAs from the G1 series, complete with the Trope Naming Catch Phrase.
 * Always a Bigger Fish: After Megatron is defeated, the scene shifts to a peaceful view of Cybertron,.
 * Battleship Raid: The Mid-Atlantic stage.
 * Big Bad: Megatron.
 * Character Select Forcing: Cyclonus is far easier to fight with Hot Shot than the others, due to his alt form being short enough to put him underwater, and thus away from Cyclonus' fire.
 * Cloning Blues: The new army the Decepticons use in the game are called Decepticlones.
 * Degraded Boss: The Heavy Unit is the First Boss of the game, and a Giant Mook thereafter.
 * Ensemble Darkhorse: Red Alert gained a bit more popularity following the release of the game.
 * Frickin Laser Beams: One of Tidal Wave's attacks.
 * Friendly Fireproof: You can run over your Mini-con buddies and blast them all you like, it's not gonna hurt them.
 * It will send them flying quite a distance, however.
 * Goddamned Bats: The beast-like drones you first encounter in the second Amazon stage: About as fast as you are, have the nasty habit of throwing you around in close combat, and have a gun-disabling ranged attack that they're smart enough to fire about a second after their previous shot has worn off.
 * Hey Its That Voice: Red Alert is not only an Autobot, he's also the Digimon Warrior of Metal and Timmy Turner's Fairy Godfather. His actor, Daran Norris, later gained a recurring role in Transformers Prime as Knockout. He's also on double duty as Cyclonus.
 * Tunnel Rat's Unicron; while both Gary Chalk and David Kaye reprise their roles as Optimus and Megatron, respectively.
 * Meteor Move: Megatron grabs the player's Autobot of choice, jumps about as high as the rim of the volcano they're fighting in, and piledrives his victim into the ground.
 * Mythology Gag: There are a number of references to Transformers the Movie.
 * In one of the opening cutscenes, upon Optimus Prime's seeming defeat and the Decepticon victory over conquering Cybertron, Megatron gloats to a helpless Optimus "I would have waited an eternity for this. It's over, Prime!" - The same line the original Megatron uttered when he seemingly defeated his Optimus.
 * When he first shows up, Starscream tells you to "Prepare for extermination!" - A line most famously used by G1 Devastator.
 * He also uses G1 Starscream's "There's no escape!" and Megatron's "I'll rip out your optics".
 * Optimus's words that "Unicron must be stopped, no matter the cost!" are a direct reference to what G1 Optimus said before fighting Megatron the animated movie.
 * The only weapon capable of hurting Unicron in the game is the Matrix Cannon. In the movie, Unicron was destroyed by the Matrix Of Leadership.
 * Unicron's Famous Last Words in the game upon being destroyed are the exact same words he uttered upon being destroyed in the original film; "Destiny... You cannot... Destroy... my destiny!"
 * After Unicron is destroyed and Cybertron restored to peace, "T'il all are one!" is spoken by Optimus.
 * Optimus might also say that when you choose him in the Character Selection screen.
 * Ultimately, one of the game's weaker points was recycling about 50% of their dialog from Transformers the Movie.
 * No Waterproofing in The Future: One of the most blatant examples ever. Get into water as high as your character's head-level and your health and energy bars will drop like a stone.
 * Save the Villain: Optimus tries to do this with . Which is a reference to his death in Transformers Armada, where he lets himself fall into Unicron's black hole.
 * Scenery Porn: Stages tend to be expansive and beatiful, and will usually have at least one very high vantage point to show that off.
 * The Starscream: Starscream in this game is actually more along the lines of his traditional character than the specific version he is based on. For instance there's this exchange when Optimus demands Megatron's location so they can finish the war.

Starscream: Then get in line."


 * The Problem With Licensed Games: Averted. The game is actually pretty dang good.
 * Units Not to Scale: Averted hard with Tidal Wave.
 * Video Game Cruelty Potential: What you get when you cross unsuspecting enemy Mooks, expansive mountain terrain, and a tractor beam?
 * So here you are on one side of a large clearing or empty chamber. On the other side, a group of unsuspecting Decepticlones. Go ahead, you know you want to....
 * What Could Have Been: Demolisher was planned to play a sizeable role, but he was dropped from the plot entirely.
 * The game was also planned to have had a sequel based upon Transformers Cybertron, which was a few months into development, but then Atari moved the studio onto another project, which cancelled the sequel.