‘Transformers: Devastation' A Throwback Brawler From Activision, Titanium

Few toy franchises have proven to be as popular as “Transformers,” except for maybe "Barbie," “G.I. Joe” and perhaps “My Little Pony.” But now the “Robots in Disguise” are off to another new video adventure in “Transformers: Devastation,” a cel-shaded brawler from popular publisher Activision and game developer Titanium Games.

The game casts players as one of six playable Autobots, including “Transformers” mainstays Optimus Prime and Bumblebee as well as other fan favorites like Grimlock, Sideswipe and Wheeljack. As is the case with most “Transformers” stories, the Decepticons plan to take over Earth and make it a replica of Cybertron, the original home of the Autobots and Decepticons. Naturally, Optimus and his friends have to stop Megatron from succeeding with his plan.

Those expecting complicated game maneuvers or hard controls won’t find that in “Transformers: Devastation,” as the licensed game plays like a simple brawler, for the most part anyway, as reported by Polygon. While players will be doing a lot of punching and kicking in combat, they also will be dishing out the hits while transformed as a car or truck, which will add plenty of variety to the fighting.

According to Gamespot, the man responsible for this combat-heavy “Transformers” game is Kenj Saito, game director of “Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance,” who is heavily involved with this “Transformers” title. “Metal Gear Rising” was a combat-focused spinoff from the “Metal Gear Solid” games, and it looks like the stylish combat that defined that game is making its way to “Transformers: Devastation.”

It also seems like this game is also paying tribute to the classic “Transformers” cartoon, as the character designs of the Autobots and the Decepticons appear to be based on the 1980s “Transformers” animated series. The over-detailed computer-generated imagery (CGI) bots from the Michael Bay films are nowhere to be found here, as the game keeps things classic with a cel-shaded look that makes the Autobots and Decepticons look better than ever.

“Transformers: Devastation” will be coming to Microsoft's Xbox One and Xbox 360, and Sony's PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 later this year from Activision and Platinum Games. No official date has been given, though fans can check out the sleek-looking trailer below.

Transformers: Devastation Official Teaser Trailer (Credit: YouTube/ActivisionGames)