Transformers Cyberverse

No noses? No problem! Zombiebots? Sure, why not. A confusing new canon that allows loose and contradictory material? And now a new sequel show with an entirely different art style that takes place way in the future!
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Sparky Prime
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Transformers Cyberverse

Post by Sparky Prime »

The latest Transformers series has begun on Cartoon Network. In typical Cartoon Network fashion, they've already placed the series at the Saturday 630am slot with repeat showings at 330am, when kids that the series is aimed for are least likely see it, like they've done to previous Transformers series. Episodes are also only 11 minute long episodes rather than the usual 22 minutes.

The plot, the Allspark was sent off from Cybertron and the Decepticons have recently learned it is on Earth. Optimus sends Windblade to find it before the Decepticons, when she instead finds Bumblebee, who is suffering from memory loss and cannot talk (with his mouth at least). The two Autobots team up to battle Decepticons while Windblade attempts to use her Cityspeaker skills to help Bumblebee recover his memories.

Honestly, don't see the point of having Bumblebee unable to speak in yet another series. Especially when it doesn't hinder his ability to talk in this show, just how he talks. I also think the race to find the Allspark on Earth is a tired plot at this point, having had the movies and other cartoon series do that already. I do kinda like the idea of Bumblebee having lost his memories however, given how the series is using it so far to show how Bumblebee ended up where he is on Earth, and probably will eventually lead them to the Allspark as well. Animation wise, it's all CGI with somewhat of a G1 inspired style. It's a cartoony look but not overly so, I have to say I like it. I kinda think they could have done a better job with casting. Some of the actors just don't think have the right type of voice for their character. The episode length is somewhat of a problem, when two 11 minutes episodes really feels like they should be one 22 minute episode.
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Re: Transformers Cyberverse

Post by Sparky Prime »

Catching up on Cyberverse now that it is into its second season.

Bit of a recap on season 1... After spending several episodes going down memory lane and dodging Decepticon Seekers, Windblade and Bumblebee eventually come across Teletraan X, a mobile drone computer backup for Teletraan 1. He kinda reminds me of the Heart of Gold computer from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. And an old memory Bumblebee has helps them to find Grimlock, who talks like G1 Grimlock in beast mode, but has much more refined diction in robot mode. Together, they eventually find the Ark and wake up the crew, just in time for the main Decepticon armada to arrive at Earth in the Nemesis.

Season 2 begins with a time jump. The war between the Autobots and Decepticons has been public knowledge for some time now on Earth and Bumblebee has regained his voice and memories. Eventually the two factions discover a network of spacebridge portals that leads them to the Allspark (apparently it can make spacebridges now, as well as turns Earth vehicles into armor for Transformers). Cheetor greets Optimus and Megatron, explaining the Allspark created him to be its guardian, and has them compete in trials for the right to claim it, but it gets stolen by Starscream (that Megatron left for dead after an earlier failed betrayal) while they fight. Starscream still has the loyalty from the Seekers, that he has steal Vector Sigma from the Nemesis for him, so he can use the Allspark to create an army. He's decided Cybertronians don't deserve to survive and must become one with the Allspark, meaning the extinction of Transformers (the Seekers are surprisingly on board with this plan). He creates an army of Scraplets to carry out his goal. Eventually Starscream is defeated, and the Autobots recover the Allspark. Leaving Earth, the Autobots and Decepticons race towards the Spacebridge, only for the Decepticons to seemingly destroy it. This turns out to be a ruse, allowing the Decepticons to return to Cybertron instantly, while the Autobots take the long way home, in a few episodes that's sorta like Star Trek meets Transformers, before finally returning to Cybertron were the Decepticons have conquered the planet.

Overall, I'd have to say season 2 is an improvement over the first. The story feels like it flows better, now that they aren't interrupting episodes to focus on some memory of Bumblebee's to introduce a character or concept that doesn't really have much to do with the story of the given episode, and the story actually has a direction, even if it is based around a MacGuffin. The shorter run time still hurts the show though, as they just don't have the time to cover what they want to, and it shows with the amount of overlap there seems to be. And the time skip kinda makes the first season feel a bit pointless.
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Re: Transformers Cyberverse

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Season 3, now called Transformers Bumblebee: Cyberverse Adventures (which seems odd, since from the second season they put less of a focus on Bumblebee), is underway now, with Cartoon Network having aired the first 4 episodes. However, every episode has already aired in the UK. It has been confirmed by the series creators this will be the last season of the series but for now, I'm just going to cover the first 4 episodes...

Picking up from where season 2 left off, the Autobots have returned to Cybertron, but find the planet seemingly abandoned. This of course turns out to be an ambush with the Decepticons simply keeping themselves hidden. Bumblebee is distraught by the devastation, but Cheetor reminds him the Allspark can restore the planet (and is odd Bumblebee would forget about this, since it has been whole point of the series to restore Cybertron by recovering the Allspark, and Bumblebee has even seen first hand on the Autobot's trip home). As the Ark comes in to land, the Decepticons destroy it. But the Autobots had already abandoned the ship (and the Decepticons couldn't detect their shuttles leaving the Ark and landing elsewhere?). A massive battle between the two forces ensues, while Hot Rod, Bumblebee and Cheetor wait for the opportunity to return the Allspark to the Well of Allsparks. Which is exactly what the Decepticons are waiting for, having already restored Vector Sigma to its rightful place. Windblade and Wheeljack destroy Vector Sigma (using goo Wheeljack got from their trip through unspace) to prevent Megatron from making an army of "perfect Decepticons" while Bumblebee and Cheetor (Hot Rod is seemingly killed when Drift is revealed to be a double agent) battle Shockwave to restore the Allspark. Megatron being a sore looser declares if he can't have the Allspark, no one can, and orders Shockwave to destroy it. Using a spark extractor, Shockwave shoots his own spark into the Allspark, which begins to corrupt it. Cheetor grabs the spark extractor and sacrifices himself to prevent the Allspark's destruction, and thus restores Cybertron. Still refusing to give up, Megatron continue to attack, but Optimus knocks him through the threshold to Vector Sigma's chamber, where he is attacked by Scraplets. Optimus announces the was is over.

I haven't seen any other the other episodes of the season yet. I've been watching them on Hasbro's official Transformers youtube channel, but I gather there are a few more available on Cartoon Network's website. I do know that the next episode will have another skip ahead in time, like they did between season 1 and 2.

Edit: Following a skip ahead in time, Rodimus is inexplicably back, despite sacrificing himself to drag Drift into a pool of toxic energon he said would kill anyone who touched it. Albeit, he has a new black paint job instead of red. He and Clopper (a female version of Animated Lugnut) break into a virtual reality which is keeping the population of Cybertron prisoner. They all believe they're watching a parade, which keeps looping without them realizing. We later find out, Hot Rod has tried to break several Autobots free from the Matr... Loop, but so far Clobber is the only one he's managed to free, and neither are really sure how. After dodging robots that look somewhat like Sentinels from the Matrix, under the command of a Sharkticon, they get back to base with Perceptor, who points out to them they need to get everyone out of the Loop soon, because it is draining energy from their sparks as he points out with scans he took of Clobber after she'd been freed from the Loop, and now, after her spark has had time to recover. Hot Rod vows to end the Quintesson invasion...
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Re: Transformers Cyberverse

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After several more episodes, Hod Rod, Clobber and Perceptor still have little luck freeing anybody else. They manage to get Dead End out, accidentally (turns out he hates parades allowing him to take notice of the efforts of those trying to free them others were ignorant to) and Whirl who transforms to avoid being crushed by a metal cube falling off one of the parade floats. After their base is discovered by the Quintesson sentinels, they end up at Maccadam's bar, whom has managed to avoid detection from the Quintessons. Investigating how this is possible, they discover the bar is actually part of a Titan, Iaconus, which is buried mostly underground, and is equipped with a cloaking device, which prevents the Quintessons from detecting them. Maccadam denies them from taking the technology or waking the slumbering Titan however, explaining that as a War Titan, Iaconus would likely cause destruction to Cybertron as well, with his constant need for battle. Hot Rod sets about trying to wake Iaconus anyway, but has no luck. They try to free Windblade so she can speak to the Titan, but their time is cut short when some sentinels spot them. In their escape, they accidentally disconnect Soundwave, but not having freed him from the Loop properly, he malfunctions, causing him to randomly shut down. Hot Rod is captured and taken before a Judge Quintesson, which explains they are traveling the multiverse to judge if the universes they visit are worthy to exist, but it is not the judge for this universe... Hot Rod then manages to escape.

Learning about a Quintesson known as "The Scientist", the team goes to get answers from him, as Cybertronian citizens finally begin to succumb to their sparks being drained. Soundwave and Hot Rod find the Scientist in a chamber beneath where the population is being kept, he is thrilled to see Soundwave, having a collection of Soundwave's from every universe they've destroyed. Recognizing Soundwave's malfunction, he easily repairs the Decepticon and then Soundwave kills the Scientist so they can gain access to the Loop. Turns out the Scientist has plenty of spare bodies though, as a new one keeps descending upon them for every one they kill. Captured by the Scientist, Soundwave sends Laserbeak with the data on the Loop to Perceptor, who manages to free everyone by simulating an Airhammer (interesting Beast Wars reference) attack at the parade. Noticing a pod, Hod Rod inquires as to what it is... The Scientist explains for a universe to be properly judged, it must be done with a being born of that universe, and so the reason they've been draining the Transformers sparks is to make a new Quintesson Judge, born of this universe. Damaging the pod, the Cybertronians make their escape, but once outside the Quintesson ship. Finally having freed the entire population, they don't have much time to celebrate, the Quintessons raise a force field around their ship...

I have to say the third season is a huge improvement over the first two so far. It's a slow burn in terms of developing the story, but it helps highlight the difficulty of the situation, as well as sets the stage of things yet to come I'm sure. It's interesting to see these characters, a mix of Autobots and Decepticons, working together to save their people, and ultimately their universe. Sort of reminds me of Beast Machines in some aspects. I'm liking this take on the Quintessons as well, self proclaimed judges of the multiverse, using the energy of the Transformers sparks to make a new judge. Little disappointed that there is no explanation how Hot Rod or Megatron are still alive, despite their apparent deaths prior to the time jump. Suppose they still may yet, but I don't really expect it, given they did show Hod Rod simply climbing out of the pond of poison energon in a flashback. Drift/Deadlock apparently didn't survive the bath, unlike Hot Rod. It's also nice that they explained they had tried to simply unplug somebody after Soundwave was accidentally unplugged, which they'd tried with Hound, but it left him in a condition he apparently never recovered from, leading them to breaking bots out from within the Loop instead.
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Re: Transformers Cyberverse

Post by Shockwave »

I have my DVR set to record it and it recorded the last two episodes but not like, 15 or 20 before that I left off where they were still trying to get everyone out. I've been enjoying this series as well, probably because of the Beast Machines like feel to it and the IDW-esque showing of Autobots and Decepticons working together post war. Also, Sparky it sounds like I might be further along in the story, what I saw did show explanations for how both Hot Rod and Megatron survived as it's relevant to the later story. I can summarize or not depending on how you feel about spoilers.
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Re: Transformers Cyberverse

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Shockwave wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 8:12 amAlso, Sparky it sounds like I might be further along in the story, what I saw did show explanations for how both Hot Rod and Megatron survived as it's relevant to the later story. I can summarize or not depending on how you feel about spoilers.
I've been watching the episodes when Hasbro releases them on Youtube, so yeah, they're pretty far behind. They only just released "Judge" today, which is about halfway through season 3. I've skimmed some spoilers from the Wiki, but for the most part, I'm avoiding them.
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Re: Transformers Cyberverse

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With the Cybertronian population now freed from Quintessons, the Autobots and Decepticons decide they must team up to fight their common foe. Megatron refuses to have anything to do with it, and leaves. Their first attempt to disable the Quintesson shield does not go well, and they are forced to retreat. They then come up with a plan to distract the Quintesson forces, while a small strike team will infiltrate the ship to use their multiversal drive to send them somewhere else. Megatron surprisingly volunteers to be part of the strike team (albeit only after Dead End gives him some information). Meanwhile, Maccadam despite earlier being adamant Iaconus should never be awoken, now says the only way the plan will work is if they use him. Deactivating Iaconus' cloaking field, the Quintesson Judge panics, launching a full on assault against the Titan, and even leads their forces personally. Meanwhile, the strike team successfully breaks into the Quintesson ship, but Megatron and Dead End betray them, Megatron telling Optimus he can keep this universe, but he will conquer the rest of them as he and Dead End depart in the Quintessons ship. Back at the battle, the Cybertronians manage to take out the Quintesson Judge, which in turn destroys the Quintessons tower (apparently with Optimus, Bumblebee and Wheeljack still inside). The Cybertronian victory is short lived however, as the new Judge born of this universe emerges, having only 3 faces, a Sharkticon, a Velgrox (I had to look this one up, apparently it's from the Rescue Bots cartoon) and.... Starscream, whom quickly judges the universe as guilty.

In a flashback, it's revealed following his escape from Autobot custody, Starscream hitched a ride on the back of the Titan Croaton (which the Ark also encountered last season during their trek back to Cybertron). They were found and captured by the Quintessons, which were about to execute Starscream, but he offered to lead them to a power source. The Allspark. As a reward for this information, (which, if they've wiped out thousands of other universes in the exact same manner, judging by the Scientist having a huge collection of Soundwaves, why would this be useful information to them? Wouldn't they already know all about Cybertron and the Allspark?) they turn him into one of the heads of their new Judge.

The population is recaptured by the Quintessons, and while the Scientist urges Starscream to commence with the destruction of the universe, he refuses until he gets his revenge on Optimus and Megatron first. A breakout is attempted, but only Windblade escapes. She heads to Iaconus and awakens the Titan (following some cryptic advise from Maccadam). The Scientist is intrigued as this has never happened before. But they're prepared nevertheless, and unleash Croaton. The two Titans battle while Wheeljack, Optimus and Bumblebee return (having escaped the tower's destruction by going through a portal to another universe). Battling the numerous Scientist copies, Wheeljack manages to find the real one, and kills him. Meanwhile, Starscream kills Iaconus by destroying his head.

--
I figured Starscream would turn up again, but I'm surprised to see him become part of a Quintesson Judge. It also makes me wonder, why do we only see the two Judges? If they make a new unique Judge for every universe, shouldn't there be a Judge for every Soundwave the Scientist has in his collection? Do the Judges get destroyed with their native universe or travel to another universe following their native universe destruction?

Wheeljack, Bumblebee and Optimus' little trip to another universe seemed like a waste to me. Essentially they just spend an episode in an M. C. Escher painting, waiting for Wheeljack to wake up, and then go back through the portal back to their own universe with no problem. Maybe it's the nature of these shorter episodes they couldn't really do anything with that, but it seemed like they were set up to have a little side adventure, but instead, didn't do anything with it at all.

--
It was cool to see the two Titans battle, and it was a bit of a surprise ending. Kinda figured Iaconus would be killed given how Maccadam described him as a killing machine who will battle non-stop. He does momentarily pause when Maccadam is killed though. Speaking of which, Maccadam apparently transforms into some sort of super fighting mode, although he does it walking off camera so we don't actually get to see it unfortunately.

That really seems to sum up these several episodes for me... They do some interesting stuff in them, but there is also a lot of wasted potential.

Edit:
With Iaconus dead, the Quintesson controlled Croaton sets his sights on the rest of the Cybertronians. Windblade enters his mind. She asks him to stop, but he explains he's not in control of his actions. Seeing the Quintesson technology infesting his brain, she sets about destroying it. Outside, the Cybertronians get a surprising ally. A portal opens and Megatron (a little worst for wear) returns, along with Dead End and Astrotrain. Sporting a new power, Megatron super charges several Autobots and Decepticons. Seeing the tide of battle turn against him, Starscream opens a portal to un-space using its... mass I guess, to destroy everything. Megatron orders Astrotrain to close the portal, but Croaton stops him. Meanwhile, Windblade manages to destroy the Quintesson technology controlling Croaton, but damages Windblade (I'm guessing it fragmented her spark, as several energy bolts are shown flying out of her). Croaton leaves the battle scene to get Windblade out of there. Starscream stops Astrotrain himself, but Megatron reveals the source of his new power... a Matrix of Leadership! Together with Optimus and his own Matrix, the pair destroy Judge Starscream while Astrotrain closes the portal.

With the crisis over, Optimus tells Megatron they are in his debt and wants to know where they go from there. Megatron tells him he may some day ask to be repaid. But in the meantime, half of Cybertron will be in Autobot control, and the other half belongs to the Decepticons, and warns if any Autobots cross into their territory, there will be consequences. Optimus reluctantly agrees.

--
Interesting to see Megatron returns with a Matrix taking one from another universe. What happened to conquering all the other universes and leaving this one to Optimus though? Given the damage Megatron has when he shows up, I'd guess he decided it was better settling with half of Cybertron. Atrotrain I'm also guessing is not such a willing minion. He doesn't say much, but he says he hates Dead End. Not sure how long they were supposed to be gone for. The whole battle seemed to only be maybe a few hours in terms of the story. Little disappointed with the Quintessons defeated they alliance between Autobots and Decepticons is simply over. Some of them worked well together so I'd have to think some of them would want to continue to work together.... But then, there is still several more episodes to go...
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Re: Transformers Cyberverse

Post by Sparky Prime »

The next several episodes become a fetch quest, with Bumblebee looking for the fragments of Windblade's shattered psyche. The fragments have bonded to objects of power all around Cybertron. And there's always some sort of conflict Bumblebee has to solve before being able to claim the fragment. Little disappointed with these episodes. The fetch quest thing has been overplayed in the Transformers franchise. But, that said, they do put more of a focus on the conflict of each episode rather than the object of power/Windblade fragment itself, which is a better way of handling this type of plot if you ask me, so it does play out a little better than how other series/movies have handled it.
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Re: Transformers Cyberverse

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Didn't realize there was only a couple episodes left with my previous post... And these were very busy episodes to finish out the series.

Windblade's body is kidnapped by Hammerbyte, who has been brainwashed by the Dweller, a Titan that lays hidden within the Argon Sea on Cybertron. Dweller was awakened when Windblade's psyche splintered and wants the Cityspeaker so they that mutually restore each other. Bumblebee and Chromia save her, and Hammerbyte returns to his duty guarding Dweller. Meanwhile, Optimus is brought into a vision within the Matrix, with Maccadam revealing himself as Alchemist Prime. He informs Optimus they need to destroy Megatron's Matrix, and that the final piece of Windblade is trapped inside it.

Optimus leads an assault team into Decepticon territory, where Megatron has been busy preparing for an invasion, while he has gotten no help from the Prime's within his Matrix. Once the Autobot's reach him, Megatron refuses to allow his Matrix destroyed and instead calls in the favor Optimus owes him, asking the Autobots to help protect him. When suddenly, some unknown Decepticons (modeled after Tarn from the IDW comics) teleport surrounding them all. The combine forces of Autobots and Decepticons are no match for these new Decepticons, until Megatron and Optimus use their Matrices to give their soldiers power boosts (and for some reason, they just disappear when they get knocked down), along with Megatron's new "unspace" gun, which instantly sends them to unspace. The weapon is quickly destroyed however, when another Megatron, clad in black, teleports in.

The second Megatron explains in his universe, he killed Optimus shortly after he'd become Prime, and claimed the Matrix for himself. Then he used the Allspark to create his army of "Perfect Decepticons" (the Tarn looking guys) to win the war. And when the Quintessons arrived, he quickly destroyed them and claimed their multiversal technology for himself. Violently reclaiming the Matrix from his counterpart (and seemingly kills him in the process, uttering the "One shall stand.." line to Optimus as his last words urging him to defeat his counterpart), Bumblebee quickly steals it, before loosing it once again to Megatron black near the Autobot boarder. Optimus gets into a Matrix beam battle with Megatron, and is about to loose, when Windblade destroys all the Prime's knowledge within Megatron's Matrix, allowing Optimus the victory. Bumblebee reclaims Windblade's final fragment, while Optimus ponders what to do with this Megatron. He doesn't have to wonder long, as Astrotrain suddenly returns and informs Optimus he will keep Megatron imprisoned within him as long as he can somewhere in the multiverse, revenge for all the pain Megatron had caused him in his own universe. Back at the Autobot's capital, they celebrate the restoration of Windblade.

--
Seems like an odd note to end the series on. I mean, on the one hand, it does kinda bookend the series, with Bumblebee helping to restore Windblade after she'd helped restore his memories back in the first season. But on the other... This season being titled "Bumblebee: Cyberverse Adventures" really doesn't focus on Bumblebee at all. Half the season had Hot Rod essentially as the main character, and even with these final episodes with Bumblebee collecting the pieces of Windblade's mind, there was nothing specific to Bumblebee or any sort of development for him. They could have had any character fulfil the same role hunting down the Windblade fragments.

I wish there was more of an actual resolution for the overall plot... With their own Megatron's (apparent) death, did the division of territory between the Autobots and Decepticons dissolve? I'd have to assume it did with Soundwave and Shadow Striker part of the celebration of Windblade's return. But then, Soundwave and Shadow Striker were also on the outs with the other Decepticons, having to spy on Astrotrain and Deadend when they were developing the "unspace gun" in a previous episode. Megatron apparently hadn't included them in on his plans to defend against the impending attack from the other universe.

There's still a lot of loose threads throughout the series that never got explained, some of which they basically just skip thanks to the jumps ahead in the plot. And when they did offer some explanation, they were lazy with it. Like Hot Rod's dip in the toxic energon to kill Drift. Hot Rod eventually explained that he just... walked out, having done little more than change his paint job.

Overall, the series had a lot of ups and downs. Having most of the first season told in fragmented flashbacks was clunky, and pretty bad. But for the most part I really enjoyed the second and third seasons... Until the fetch quest portion in season 3 at least, despite being handled somewhat better than other series. It would have been interesting to see these as full episodes rather than these compressed shorter episodes, so that they could have had more time to flesh things out better.
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Re: Transformers Cyberverse

Post by Shockwave »

That was kind of my feeling too, to the point where I actually checked to make sure I hadn't missed any episodes.
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