I’ve mentioned repeatedly on this blog that I went to BotCon 2009 and had a blast. In 2009 it was in Pasadena, in Southern California where I grew up. I currently reside in Northern California. Going back to SoCal is only a short drive of 5 to 6 hours. I missed BotCon 2010 because it was all the way out in Florida and I was just way too busy to be planning a trip cross country.

So it is with great enthusiasm that I report the following: BotCon 2011 will be back in Pasadena! I am totally thrilled that this will be back on the West Coast where it’s easily accessible for me. Usually the BotCon organizers do not announce the location of the next BotCon until it’s fairly close to the date of the event. So it is very unusual that this was announced right after BotCon 2010 ended. It is also unusual that Pasadena is getting it again 2 years later considering the same location usually does not get it again til 5 or 6 years later (if ever). I’m not sure what bucked the trend this time. Maybe because 2009 was such as success, or maybe they just want to coincide the release of the 3rd Transformers movie at a location near Hollywood. Whatever the reason, I’m glad it will be back in Pasadena. Me and Gemini will be there for sure! You can count on it!

The Pasadena Convention Center is a nice place too. The surrounding area is nice, and there are plenty of nice restaurants right across from the convention center. Right now Botcon is not so big that you can’t even find a place to eat without a long wait around meal times. I should have took pics of the outside venue in 2009, but I will do it in 2011. Part of the reason I stopped going to Anime Expo is the venue. I hate the Los Angeles Convention Center. It is in the heart of downtown LA where it’s pure ghetto. Sure it’s next to the Staples Center (where the Lakers play, and everyone knows me knows that I am a Laker die-hard, and congrats to them on their latest championship), but the whole area surrounding the place just feels trashy. AX is also over-populated IMO. Way too big and way too many attendees where doing anything becomes more of a chore than having fun. But yeah, I’m getting off topic. BotCon in Pasadena is just the right size and venue.

There is a story about 2009 I want to mention. The lines to get inside were pretty long (I don’t even think the BotCon people expected this), and it went around the convention building into this one area. Total wait to get in was about 90 min to 2 hours, not too bad by convention standards. Anyway, the line went under this tree that had a pretty big beehive in it! Obviously the bees were disturbed and they started to fly out and attack people to defend their nest. It was a crazy scene for a while. Some people were stung, including kids. So we heard a lot of crying. Yeah, I need to mention that BotCon has a lot more kids than your typical anime conventions. But the BotCon people quickly re-routed the line so we wouldn’t be under the tree. Still, if I had been stung, I would’ve quickly called up a lawyer friend of mine. I’m gonna need to put his number into my speed dial before I go in 2011. I wondered what kind of bees they were and asked it out loud. Gemini replied, “Bumblebee.” LOL!

And for those of you that missed my BotCon 2009 pics, here they are: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

TransFans, Roll for BotCon! Transform and Roll Out!

Transformers: War For Cybertron was finally released last Tuesday on June 22nd. I pre-ordered my copy from Barnes and Noble, who has an arrangement with Gamestop when it comes to fulfilling their video game orders. I had a B&N gift card, and I knew that Gamestop had exclusive content for Shockwave as a playable character. The game was shipped out on the 21st, and I received it on the 23rd.

I’ve had about a week to mess with the game now. Hands down, this is the best TF game ever made to date. In fact, I’m tempted to say this is the best game I’ve played all year, but I’ve only played for a about a week so I will reserve giving out such high praise until I’ve had more time. I’ve completed 5 solo campaigns on normal difficulty so there’s still much to be done. Besides, for this post I’m just going to throw out some random initial thoughts. I might do a full review later.

I love how the campaigns are set up. There are 10 chapters total. The first 5 chapters are Decepticon campaigns and the last 5 are Autobot campaigns. Only Chapter 1 and Chapter 6 are available initially, the first chapters of each faction. Completing one chapter will unlock the next chapter. Story wise, the events in each chapter occur sequentially to form a coherent story. So for the first half of the game, we learn how Megatron and his army set the stage for invasion, and in the last half of the game we see how the Autobots counteract this threat.

There are 3 characters for each campaign. It’s different for each chapter and they are pre-determined. For chapter 1 it’s Megatron, Brawl, and Barricade, while in chapter 6 it’s Optimus, Bumblebee, and Ratchet. You get to choose which one you want to play as in solo mode, and the other 2 will be computer controlled. You can also play the campaign in multiplayer co-op, up to 3 players per game. I can’t wait to try the multiplayer.

Each campaign is freakin’ long! It takes about 2 hours to do one. It’s a good thing the game will save automatically upon every check point, so you don’t have to do the whole 2 hours in one sitting. The game also automatically saves in the middle of a long boss fight (most of them go through multiple modes of attack), so if you die you don’t have to re-start the fight from the beginning.

WFC is essentially a third-person shooter. You move with the left analog stick and aim with the right. The controls are spot on and the gameplay is tight. You transform by pressing down on the left stick. Each character has their strengths and weaknesses. There are a bunch of different weapons in the game. You can only have 2 at a time, and the character you use will determine which ones you can equip. There are also special ability that each character can perform, for example Sideswipe has a spinning melee attack and Breakdown has a knock-down push attack.

Story wise, WFC takes place on Cybertron, long before the TFs arrived on Earth. Character designs and overall look and feel are most certainly G1 inspired, but many elements from War Within are here as well.

Graphically, WFC is a beauty to behold. This, along with FFXIII, are the best looking games I have seen on my PS3. The game only runs at 720p max which is disappointing as far as stats go, but I can’t seriously imagine any noticeable improvements even if they managed to get this to 1080p.

And the voice acting, they need to be mentioned. Those of us that are familiar with anime voice actors will be thrilled to know that this game feature some of the best talent in this industry. Long time anime voice veterans such as Crispin Freeman, Kari Wahlgren, and Steven Blum are here to lend their talents. And of course the great Peter Cullen is back as Optimus. Oh, Johnny Yong Bosch does the best Bumblebee I have heard since G1. They should permanently cast him as Bumblebee for every TF series from this point forward. Even the narrator, I don’t know who was cast in WFC, but he deserves big time props. He totally sounds like the G1 narrator that went “It is the year 2005” in the G1 Movie.

To sum up, I’m very impressed thus far. I might do a full review later. All TransFans go to your console of choice now! War For Cybertron has begun!

One Shall Stand. One Shall Fall.
War For Cybertron will make TransFans of all.
The game is out, so spread the news.
Failure to play, there is no excuse.
Choose your character and prepare for battle.
Get your game on, like Frenzy and Rumble.
Play it solo, dare to make your stand.
Or go for multiplayer, find a helping hand.
Play the game now, all day and all night.
Autobot or Decepticon, it is time to fight.
WFC kicks ass, there is no doubt.
Until All Are One… Transform and Roll Out!

2010 is looking to be a banner year for FansProject. Their next offering are two figures called Explorer and Munitioner. Hardcore G1 purists should instantly recognize them as Blastoff and Swindle, respectively.

Late in 2009, Hasbro released a Target exclusive Bruticus Maximus set under the ROTF line. This is a set of 5 Combaticon figures that will combine and form Bruticus Maximus. The toys are essentially a repaint of Energon Bruticus Maximus. Target retailed the set at $29.99. Some stores even sold them at clearance prices over the Holidays, I’ve seen with my own eyes the price dropped to either $24.99 or $19.99. Apparently they weren’t flying off the shelves if Target felt clearance was necessary. I did think about buying the set during that stretch, considering that the Combaticons are my favorite combiner group, something that I’ve mentioned repeated on this blog. However, being the G1 purist that I am, I decided against buying it because I felt the figure did not at all resemble the G1 Combaticons. And to make matters worse, not all molds in the set are distinct. Onslaught, the leader figure that forms the body, is a unique mold. However, Brawl and Blastoff are both tanks with identical molds, and Vortex and Swindle are of the same helicopter mold. This was a complete turnoff. There is also a similar set released under the Universe line (in slightly different colors). I’m not sure when it was released and if it was a store exclusive.

I should have known by now that whenever I complain about a certain aspect in TF figures, the people behind FansProject would have the same complaint. So right after Target sold out of the Bruticus Maximus set, FansProject announced the figures “Explorer” and “Munitioner”. Explorer is a space shuttle while Munitioner is a jeep. FansProject is not affiliated with Hasbro so it’s not like they can outright advertise what these figures are meant to be. But G1-ers immediately recognized them as Blastoff and Swindle, and the fact that only these 2 are produced is to properly give the ROTF Combaticons the right molds for these 2 characters. But yeah, right as I learned of this new development, I started to kick myself for not buying the ROTF Bruticus Maximus set.

FansProject have recently released more finalized pics of Explorer and Munitioner. The figures themselves look great and are obviously G1 inspired. But it also looks like the figures will come with accessories that will make Bruticus look more G1 as well. Words can’t even start to describe how kick-ass this set looks with the FansProject add-on. I’m posting a few select pics below. For all the pics check out this blog entry on the FansProject site.

You can bet your boron compressor that I will be buying Munitioner and Explorer when they are released. I would’ve done that anyway, but after I saw these pics, I knew I had to go track down the ROTF Bruticus Maximus set. Of course all dealers from every website I can think of would mark these up. Getting it at the clearance prices, or even at MSRP, was now extremely unlikely. And so last month I bit the bullet and bought the set from an ebay seller for about $50. This price was actually quite reasonable. I see many dealers ask for much more. I picked up the set at my local PO last weekend and below are some pics.

I won’t be opening this set until Explorer and Muntioner are released. Then I will give them all the proper review it deserves.

And since we’re on the subject of Combaticons, I want to take this opportunity to show off my G1 Combaticons. I still have them all to this day. Onslaught is getting loose in some of his joints, and there are obvious sticker wear to all 5 figures. But other than that they are all complete and in pretty good shape.

Sharp G1 observers will have noticed that Onslaught appears without his blue chest shield. I have the piece, I just forgot to put it on him when I took the pic.

I also have some repainted Combaticons from Robots in Disguise. Technically they’re not called Combaticons in RiD. They are called Commandos, and the names of all the characters have been changed. This is the Urban Camo set (I believe there is also a Desert Camo and a Snow Camo set). The combat trailer is Mega-Octane, the tank is Armorhide, the space shuttle is Movor, the jeep is Rollbar, the helicopter is Ro-Tor, and the combined form is Ruination. Pics appear below.

Let’s face it, all the combiners post G1 have been lame. Hasbro just doesn’t want to properly do one for some strange reason. So once again it’s FansProject to the rescue. I can’t wait for Explorer and Munitioner.

Combaticons… Transform and Roll Out!

Long-time readers of this blog know that I am a fan of all things FansProject. The add-ons and figures that they produce are of the highest caliber. TF qualities valued by the hardcore TransFan, such as show accuracy, attention to detail, transformation mechanism, character appearance, robust construction, and room for all accessories in every mode (no lame concept of hammerspace here), are clearly evident in every piece they design and produce. I have posted news and reviews of offerings from FansProject in previous posts, such as the TFX-03 City Commander Add-On Set and news of Warbot Defender. Oh, BTW, I have received Defender some weeks back. I give Defender the highest recommendation possible, so if you are on the fence about buying one, hesitate no more and order one now. Yes I know the price is a turn off, but once you have the figure in your hands, you will realize the money was well spent. Anyway, I have every intention of doing a full review on Defender (aka Springer), so look for it soon.

Today’s post is about the upcoming “Protector” add-on set for Classics Rodimus, aka Hot Rod. Much like the City Commander add-on set, this package will enhance the appearance of Hot Rod so he appears more like Rodimus Prime. FansProject have released new images of this set. In alt mode it is attached to Hot Rod as his trailer, and in robot mode it puzzle-forms into his “armor” so his appearance more resembles the not-so-famous Autobot Leader.

Sharp TF fans have probably noticed by now that FansProject is using the functions of these characters as their names. FansProject is not tied to Hasbro in any way, shape, or form, and to get around licensing issues they have creatively came up with these identifiers. In G1, Rodimus Prime’s function was Protector, Springer was Aerial Defense, and Ultra Magnus was City Commander. See the pattern? I’m also guessing Warbot corresponds to Autobot.

Anyway, feast your eyes on these new images of Protector. I know I will be buying one.

I’m very excited about this add-on! Transform and Roll Out!

I must have missed the official press announcement for this, but apparently we have an release date for Transformers: War For Cybertron. Amazon has this game listed for release on June 22, 2010. I will be counting down the days!

For those that missed it, the most recent trailer appears in a previous post. For pics of the upcoming toy figures, click here.

 
More WFC news means even more Dr. Seuss:

One Shall Stand. One Shall Fall.
War For Cybertron will make TransFans of all.
Hasbro and Activision, a dream team they make.
All sales records, this masterpiece will break.
June 22nd 2010, that is the day.
Transformers will rock, unlike Michael Bay.
Friends and family, you will not miss.
This shall be a package of pure gaming bliss.
Choose your platform and players be ready,
to kick ass on PC, PS3, or Xbox 360.
The war begins and this battlecry we shout,
“Until All Are One… Transform and Roll Out!”

It is that time of year when the Razzie Awards recognize Hollywood for extreme suckage of epic proportions. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen gets the proud distinction of having nominations in 7 different categories of the prestigious award. They are:

• Worst Picture
• Worst Actress (Megan Fox)
• Worst Screen Couple (Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox or Shia LeBeouf and any TF)
• Worst Supporting Actress (Julie White as Mom)
• Worst Remake, Ripoff, or Sequel
• Worst Director (Michael Bay)
• Worst Screenplay

TF2: ROTF does face some steep competition for the honor of Worst Picture, including All About Steve, G.I.Joe: Rise of Cobra, Land of the Lost, and Old Dogs.

Regardless of the outcome, 7 nominations is more than ample proof that Revenge of the Fallen belongs in the abyss of suck.

Go Michael Bay! I am behind you 100% to win! Transform and Roll Out!

TransFans rejoice! War For Cybertron has a new trailer! This one is more than 2 min long and contains narration by none other than the great Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime! Thanks to my buddy Gemini for bringing this to my attention.

I am absolutely lovin’ the designs of the WFC universe. This is without a doubt G1 inspired, with hints of War Within, Classics, and perhaps some Animated (minus all the cartooniness). Quality of Activision’s games have been kinda hit and miss recently, so I’m praying for TF:WFC to do well, which would maybe lead to a full line of TF figures and a CG major motion picture.

This reminds me, last summer at a party I met a girl that worked for Activision. She was a project manager for one of the Guitar Hero games. Damn I should’ve got her number. Not only was she single and cute, she could provide me with details of this game. Without going into details, she’s 3 degrees of separation from me, so I hoping to see her again…

But I’m getting off topic. The atmosphere of War For Cybertron is very much like that of War Within. The story is geared towards the mature TransFan. “The Autobots will never sacrifice freedom.” This line is giving me goose bumps. Go Optimus! Everything looks so good, I might even pre-order! If memory serves, I have not pre-ordered a game for over 10 years. That’s saying something.

One Shall Stand. One Shall Fall.
War For Cybertron will make TransFans of all.
Michael Bay knows not what TFs are about.
Until All Are One… Transform and Roll Out!

Happy New Year to everyone out there! Let this mark the end of 2009 as we look forward to a new age of peace and prosperity. Until All Are One!

Maybe 2009 was a great year for you and you are tearful to say goodbye, or maybe 2009 sucked and you can’t wait for 2010. Whatever the case, for today’s special New Year post, I’m going to give you reasons why 2010 will be a great year for TransFans.

The above image kicks ass and was done by Dream-Echo. Please check out his page on deviantart. It is very fitting for today’s special post.

Transformers: War for Cybertron
There ain’t that many Transformers video games out there, and what little there is usually sucks. However, looks like there will be a great one for all TransFans in 2010. Transformers: War for Cybertron by Activision is shaping up very nicely. Believe me when I say I have not been this excited about a game in a long time. I have 2 geek loves in this world: Tranformers and video games. If I was to compile a list of my video games, it is probably even longer than my TF List. To see these two genres combined like a Gestalt into one quality package of pure gaming bliss, I don’t even have the words. Tentative release date is April 2010. Check out the vid for yourself!

More ROTF Figures
You might think that we have seen all the ROTF figures by now, and you would be wrong. Hasbro really knows how to milk us loyal fans, but fortunately they saved some of the best in this line for 2010. Take a look at scans from this latest TF catalog that I got with ROTF Dirge.

Some of these figures are already released, but many are slated for 2010. I got Dirge and Bludgeon, and in 2010 I’m looking forward to Mindwipe, Lockdown, and Brawn. Hasbro should be paying me for this announcement.

Last of the TFA Figures
In 2009 we said farewell to TF Animated, but some figures are still due in 2010. Among these I’m looking forward to Rodimus Minor and Arcee.

I am lovin’ the Rodimus mold. His alt mode and his colors are so G1. The Arcee figure is also a must have. This is probably the most accurate Arcee figure ever produced in the history of TF. In it’s about damn time Arcee got a Cybertronian car for an alt mode as opposed to a motorcycle. Come to think of it, I’ve always wondered why the fembots transform into motorcycles all the time. Are their TransScanning technology more limited than the males? Or maybe they think the sleek and sexy lines of a bike more accurately reflect themselves?

New Figures from FansProject
FansProject looks to have a big year in 2010. I’ve already touched on TFX Warbot Defender (AKA Springer) in this previous post. And it looks like they have a Gestalt add-on for the Combaticons that will embarrass Hasbro for not making it in the first place. Check the FansProject website for pics an details.

Return of Classic/Universe figures
I don’t have anything solid on this, but word is Hasbro will bring back the Classic/Universe line in 2010. I’ve mentioned repeatedly that this is currently my favorite line of TFs, so to see these make a comback in 2010, I cannot be more thrilled. I’m hoping they complete the G1 cars of Season 1. This means Jazz, Wheeljack, and Trailbreaker. Rumor has it that Wheeljack is in the works, but that is purely speculative. Has it occurred to anyone else that, not counting repaints, the Classic/Universe line does not have any Leader Class figures? I think Omega Supreme would be a good choice to be the first Leader Class in this line. But whatever they decide to do, I’m glad 2010 will mark the return of this line.

Botcon 2010
I attended Botcon 2009, and had a blast! Botcon 2010 is set to be in Florida. I would love to go again, but l live on the West Coast so I’m gonna have to think it over. But TransFans in the area should definitely go. Heck, every TransFan should go, even if you live in, say, Mongolia. (No offense to any TransFan in Mongolia. From my blog stats I have not seen any one from Mongolia, so it seems like a safe place to pick on 🙂 )

No Michael Bay in 2010
That in itself is good news. I can sleep soundly at night knowing that, in 2010, Michael Bay will not be making another atrocity that will further disrespect my beloved TFs. He might in 2011, but that’s for another post at least a year away.

So what do you think? Will 2010 be another banner year for TransFans? I have no doubts. Let us look forward to the future in 2010 as we continue to strengthen ourselves and our commitment to the TF movement. We as TransFans stand for justice and stability, but we do not fear change. We strive for peace and friendship that will unite us across all galaxies. We will rise above hatred, deceit, and evil in 2010, and this is the year we will once again defeat Megatron and his evil minions!

I am Hsunami Prime, and I send this message to all TransFans taking refuge among the stars… Transform and Roll Out!

Springer was one of the more recognizable characters from the G1 movie and most of Season 3. He is famous for being the first Autobot Triple Changer introduced in G1, for his decent combat and leadership skills, and for hanging around Arcee all the time (much to the displeasure of Hot Rod). He had a decent figure in G1, but since then this character has not had any toy updates to my knowledge (not counting repaints of other molds). Springer received significant screen time in the G1 movie so you think Hasbro would love to cash in on this character, but the leader of the Wreckers is always overlooked by the toy manufacturer for some strange reason.

Fear not, TransFans! FansProject loves you and they are releasing their own version of the famous Autobot Triple Changer. Of course, FansProject is not tied to Hasbro in any way and does not have licensing rights to any of the Hasbro properties, and so they are releasing this as TFX Defender. This will be their first attempt at a stand-alone transforming figure and it’s shaping up to be very promising. Check out the pics below.

These are prototype pics and it’s too bad we don’t see him in his official colors, but already he’s looking promising. Not sure why he’s called Warbot in some of these pics. FansProject website does not mention Warbot at all, but whatever. BBTS just started taking pres for him. At $78.99, this figure is a tad expensive considering he is only about 6″ tall (about Deluxe size). But word is he will have diecast parts and this will be a limited run. I am thinking long and hard about buying this. Actually, I’ve pretty much made up my mind that I will be buying this. This is simply too cool to pass up.

Go Springer! Transform and Roll Out!

The next figures to come out in the Alternity line are the yellow and red Bumblebees, at least officially that’s what they are. Bumblebee in this line is a Suzuki Swift.

Any TransFan worth his energon will tell you that the red figure here is really Cliffjumper. So why is he labeled as Bumblebee? My theory is that they can sell more figures using the more recognizable name. However they did not forget us true fans. Cliffjumper does have his own unique head mold that looks very much like his G1 counterpart in the cartoon.

So am I gonna get these? I’m not sure. I do have both red and silver Optimus Primes in this line (as the Nissan GTR). I haven’t opened mine, but I’ve played with them so I know they’re nice. These should be no exception. However, at around $50 a piece, I’m just not sure. Alternities are much smaller than Binaltechs. They are really only the size of a deluxe figure. Yeah I know they’re diecast and all, but $50 is still kinda hard to justify. This reminds me I still have to get a Alternity Megatron.

I have a feeling I will eventually decide to buy these. They’re just too good to pass up, and seeing how they actually gave CJ some love this time around (instead of just cloning Bee exactly like they always do), I have to do my part and honor a purchase.

Until next time… Transform and Roll Out!