Universe2.0/Generations Review Thread

[138 Scourge]

Monzo also co-runs the "Obscure Transformers Page", doesn't he? That site's pretty nifty.

The last Zelda game I played was the first one....I really fail at video games.

[Dominic]

Try to get a copy of "Total Annihilation". It is amazing, and easy to learn.

Dom

[138 Scourge]

Eh, I don't have the time or patience.

Or video game system, other than my computer.

And yeah, given how much time I spend goofing around online, or just staring at the wall, I know the "time" part of that makes no sense, but still...

[Dominic]

"Total Annihilation" is a PC game.

Dom
-just letting you know.

[CrossRook]

I have my Xbox 360 to keep me occupied when necessary.

[onslaught86]

I play the occasional PC game, and have my original flavour Xbox to mess with when suitably bored. Don't usually have a lot of spare time, but hey.

[Onslaught Six]

I end up playing a lot of crap on the PC anyway just because I emulate. The only systems I have here are the N64 and GCN, and I'm 'still' emulating the former for games that I don't actually own.

Semi-recently went through Metal Gear Solid again, that was fun.

[Dominic]

Hey, look, a review of actual TF toys.


Optimus Prime v/s Megatron (re)pack:

Unless there is something I am missing, this is a re-pack of the "Classics" set, minus the packed in DVD. Reviews I have seen of that set were mixed, but generally negative. But, considering that I do not hate movie Megatron as much as everyone else seems to, and this set has some appeal, I figured it was worth a try. (Note: This far, it seems to be a KB exclusive, similar to those other "Universe" repacks of previous lines' toys.)

My general impression of this set is that both toys are ambitious designs that fall flat in the execution. Either of them, with a few more parts, some tweaking, and maybe being at a larger price-point, could have been fantastic. Instead, both are fun to fiddle with, if not completely satisfying and have elements that scream "draft", more than many "Armada" toys. (Say what will about "Armada" Hotshot, it does not feel incomplete or ready to break so much as the design just needed to be slightly refined.) both toys have some really nice touches that are rare on other toys, and those little details, while not enough to carry the set to greatness, are enough to partially balance it obvious flaws.

Optimus Prime:
The character model here is basically the G1 model, being a robot that converts to a flat-nosed cab. The robot mode looks good from the front, and wields a very Geoff Senior looking Tommy gun. There is a punching gimmick that works like a throw-back to the old "Super Powers" toys. Pressing a button on the robot's back causes the upper torso to spin and spin and spin. It takes some doing and fiddling with the switch and torso to lock it back into place. And, I have read accounts of this gimmick breaking the first time it is used.

While the transform steps are fun and unusual, the resulting truck is, if not a complete failure, lacking. If the legs were engineered to telescope in in vehicle mode and the head were concealed, rather than just folding down, this would have been a much better toy. As it is now, the truck's rear section just looks like robot legs. Of course, even the vehicle mod is not a total loss, as the gun itself transforms quite smartly into a turret mounted on the above mentioned rear section.

Grade: B/C A good bot form, and some nice touches on a generally lack-luster alternate mode.


Megatron: This toy is clearly designed to evoke the old "Generation 2" tank body. That toy was a shining example of an ambitious and ground-breaking design being realized. Much of the things I simply expect form modern TFs, that toy set the precedent for. There are things that toy did that I would like to see become more common. Sadly, such is not the case with this toy.

The robot form is, to but it bluntly, a mess. It all comes down to the right arm. It is not unusual to see TFs with weapons replacing hands. But, in this case, the arm has a really cumbersome gun mounted on its side, and no hand. The lack of a hand seems to be largely due to an unoriginal and pointless "spinning attack" gimmick. I am fine with unoriginal gimmicks, but in this case, it actually makes the toy less good. (It is ugly, and I cannot see it adding much play value for the kids.) The fact that the spinning piece does not even attach securely to the arm pretty much makes this a "do not bother" mode. It is not as bad at the robot mode of "Titaniums" Megatron, but it comes pretty close.

The transform is what one would expect, if a bit too simple for what the toy seems to be attempting. Arms become a turret, and the legs fold back to form the tank along with the front of the body. If this toy has one saving grace, it is that the tank's turret is articulated, despite splitting into the arms of the robot. Yes, the smaller variant of movie Brawl does this, and does it better, but generally speaking, up until this toy, TF tanks with rotating turrets generally wrote off the turrets as back-pack style kibble. (If I had one complaint about the "Generation 2" Megatron, it is that the turret did not move.

Grade: C/D A really flawed toy with too many flaws to be considered good, but with some nice touches all the same.

Grade for the set: C If you cannot wait for a discount, consider it a curiosity more than anything else.



Dom
-is actually the guy who started the video game digression.

[BWprowl]

Hey, has anyone yet noticed that Suntreaker's pistol can peg into either of his shoulders? There's these little holes in the hinge piece on either side of his head that are *perfectly* sized for the 'small' part of the gun's peg, and serve no other purpose as far as I can tell. Just found it interesting...

[onslaught86]

That's actually 100% intentional, it's to recrete Sideswipe's shoulder launcher look. O6 has noted that Sunstreaker's chest gets in the way of it working properly in that orientation. Then, well, Takara's stock photos of Sideswipe have the gun stuck in his shoulder just so. Snazzy little design element, that.