Transformers: Devastation review

[CMcK]

Woohoo! Now this is a bit of fan service. Take Bayonetta, mix with Gen 1 Transformers, the original animated series voice cast, a hair metal soundtrack and you'll know what this game is all about.

This really does feel like a Platinum game with a style very much like Bayonetta. Combos, a witch time like focus and a mixture of melee and ranged weapons. The transform into your vehicle mode and skelp the opponent attacks are very satisfying. At this stage I can't really say much more than that. Will this offer long term playability I'm not sure. There are five characters and various skins to unlock. If you liked Bayonetta and have nostalgia for that era of Transformers you'll be fine.

Presentation is 80s Transformers with the added weight of the original voices and a nice clean graphic style. Looks like full 1080p on Xbox One but seems to be a bit light with the anti aliasing. There is a nice option for the audio with stereo, surround or headphones surround.

[Leon Retro]

I saw some footage of this and thought it looked really cool. There are some really nice touches to the design. I agree that having nostalgia for the '80s cartoon series will boost the appeal even further. A game I'll be buying when I buy a current gen machine.

[QualityChimp]

Been playing this tonight on 360 and loving it.

I can't be the only one who transformed each robot several times as you got to play them before carrying on?!

*CHI-CHU-CHUR-CHEH*
*CHEH-CHUR-CHU-CHI*

*CHI-CHU-CHUR-CHEH*
*CHEH-CHUR-CHU-CHI*

*CHI-CHU-CHUR-CHEH*
*CHEH-CHUR-CHU-CHI*

*CHI-CHU-CHUR-CHEH*
*CHEH-CHUR-CHU-CHI*

[CMcK]

That's the sound of pure nostalgia!

[k0pp0]

I am going to play that mofo tonight.. Going to play it goooooood

[Yakumo]

Gave it an 8 due to the areas being too samey.

[QualityChimp]

This game definitely deeper than first impressions. I need to start synthesising some weapons and buying things from the shop like the "parry" option.

Weapons Guide:

http://www.usgamer.net/articles/guide-to-making-the-best-weapons-in-transformers-devastation

Transformers Devastation has a large number of weapons. Some are even duplicates that have different stats due to them being of a different rank or level. All weapons are unique, but sometimes it can be hard to tell which weapons are better than others based solely on their stats. And when you add in the additional complexity of weapon synthesis, then things can become even more challenging to figure out.


So how do you make the best weapons in the game?
Basically, you can use the synthesis ability to take a good weapon and boost its stats to make it even better. This article will show you how ? and will help you avoid wasting weapons and credits on items that aren't worth upgrading.


Obtaining Weapons
Weapons are acquired by playing through story missions, and you'll obtain even more if you play in Challenge mode. The more you play in Challenge mode, and the better your performance, the more weapons you'll earn. Once you have two weapons that aren't being used by any of your Autobots, that's when you can start using weapon synthesis.


Credits
Credits are required to perform weapon synthesis. These are earned by doing pretty much everything in the game. Whether it's beating enemies, smashing up cars, or locating weapons and item caches, earning credits in the game is fairly easy. Just make sure you destroy every vehicle you find in the game, because they can all drop credits ? and you'll need everything you can get your hands on, because weapon synthesis can be quite expensive.


Base Weapon
The first weapon you select when executing weapon synthesis is the base weapon. This is the weapon you want to upgrade ? and the higher the level of this weapon, the more expensive the synthesis will be. That's why you need all the credits you can get, because as you progress, synthesis will eventually start costing you a lot.


Parts Weapon
This is the weapon that's going to be used up once the synthesis has been done. Choosing the right weapon can be tricky ? essentially, you want to use a weapon that will provide the biggest upgrade, while also being a weapon you don't mind losing, because the process of synthesis will destroy it.


Skills and Slots
Pay attention to these two aspects of the weapon that you're synthesizing. Indeed, they're very likely the most important facets of weapons synthesis. The base weapon needs to have open skill slots for them to transfer from the parts weapon. If it doesn't have any open skill slots, then no skills will transfer over.

If you don't see any skills listed on a weapon, that doesn't necessarily mean there are no available skill slots. Look for a block with a horizontal line in the middle of it. If the weapon has one, then no skills will transfer over.

You can use two weapons with the same level skill, and that skill will increase when the synthesis is complete. By selecting both weapons, you can see what the final stats will be before you do the synthesis. It's a good idea to check this every time you perform a weapon synthesis to ensure that you're making the right decision. If you don't see the desired final stats you're hoping for, don't complete the synthesis, and work out what the problem is.


Weapon Level and Rank
Other important factors in weapon synthesis are the level and rank of a weapon. The higher the rank and level of the base weapon, the more it'll cost. Something you should check for is making sure that you're getting a good bang for your buck out of synthesis. Some weapons might only increase in level, but the individual stats won't change. If that's the case, it's probably not worth doing a weapon synthesis on it. What you want is for stats like Energy, Shot Speed, Recoil, and Range to improve too. It's easy enough to check to see if that's going to be the case ? any category that's highlighted in yellow will tell you that there's going to be an increase in that particular stat. If it's not yellow, then an increase isn't going to happen.


Character Availability
The final thing you need to check ? and this is very important ? is to see which characters can actually equip and use the weapon. Not every character can equip every weapon ? so make sure that you're upgrading the weapon so that the designated character can use it. Or conversely, that you might have a weapon that can only be used by a certain character that you no longer need, and that might make an ideal parts weapon for synthesis.

Useful Tips:

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2015/10/08/6-ways-to-win-the-war-in-transformers-devastation-on-ps4-ps3/

For Tighter Turns, Hold Circle While Driving
Transformers: Devastation moves at a breakneck pace, so you?ll need all the control that you can get. In vehicle mode, holding circle will give your tires the grip needed to take those corners at supersonic speed. Why slow down when you have sticky tires?


Hold R1 to Spin Your Tires After a Vehicle Slam
After putting an enemy on his back with a vehicle slam (simply jump straight up, then hold R1), you can continue dealing damage by holding R1. You?ll spin your tires on the downed enemy, draining his precious hit points.


Headshots with Ranged Weapons Trigger Opportunities for Vehicle Attacks
In Transformers: Devastation, honing those sharpshooting skills will open up new avenues for attack. In fact, scoring a headshot with one of the game?s ranged weapons will throw your enemies off balance and trigger a vehicle attack opportunity, even at long range.


Learn the Delay Combos
PlatinumGames is famous for creating deep, intricate combo systems, and this game is no different. All of the characters in Transformers: Devastation have a set of combos that require a bit of patience. You?ll press a sequence of buttons, pause for a bit, and then continue. Controlling the timing of those thumbs is essential. All of these combos can be found in the game?s move list.


Hold Square at Max Vehicle Speed to do a Flying Uppercut
When your vehicle starts shooting flames from the exhaust, you?re at max speed. From here, holding square will trigger a rush attack, resulting in a spectacular uppercut that will launch you and your enemy into the air. Once airborne, immediately hit the enemy using the Triangle button to trigger a vehicle attack opportunity. This will result in some crazy air combos. To perform this you?ll need to purchase Rush Combo in the Lab.


Parry is Super Useful
The timing on this defensive move is difficult, but it?s incredibly powerful if used correctly. You can even parry Devastator?s drill projectiles in mid-air and throw them back at him. Parry is available for purchase in the Lab.erform this you?ll need to purchase Rush Combo in the Lab.

[gambit6613]

Been playing this over the weekend and i am thoroughly enjoying it. Without doubt this for me is THE best Transformers game i have yet played, it is just about the perfect rendition of G1 i have encountered everything about it is just so right. Having the proper voices for one things just brings back so many happy memories from the 80's and it looks really good, in places it the detail is nicer than i remember from the cartoon.

I thought i would spend most of my time choosing to play as Optimus Prime but so far have found i have been using Wheeljack and Sideswipe pretty much all the time, though i imagine this will change when i unlock Gridlock, who is by far my favourite Transformer. Though its kind of funny that as a child he used to really scare me lol.

Overall i think its just a really ace game, great fun to play with loads of details packed in such as collectables which i love. One thing else that I'm pleased about is that although some people complain that the game is not very long, for me this is a really good thing. I simply don't have enough time for all these 20-30 hour epic long games as it is. Sometimes i much prefer and enjoy a game that is short and sweet but is highly fun whilst it lasts.

Besides i have must spent about 45 minutes+ just transforming, the sound is just sooooo right and satisfying, its perfect. I love whizzing along and perfecting my jump from car to robot form, pretending its the cartoon.

[Arashikage]

Started this today and finished it today, and it was sublime throughout. Really enjoyable for the short time it lasted, it pressed all the right buttons. A special mention must go to music which I thought was incredible, really epic stuff that gets you ready for the intense short ride.

[BaronSqwelch]

Looks like great, sounds great...plays like Max Anarchy so I really don't like it.
Bought, played and traded in 24hrs

[dataDave]

It plays more like Bayonetta, surely?

[QualityChimp]

I'm not sure if I can recommend this to you, [MENTION=1482]dataDave[/MENTION].
I'm not saying I can't - I'm not sure.

You're very good at Platinum games and get a lot of enjoyment from the punishingly exact fighting mechanics.
I really want you to like this game because I know you'd totally maximise the combo structures and when you love a game, you LOVE a game!

Bayonetta, TW101 and MGS: Revengeance have had praise heaped upon them by you and I'd love Devastation to get the same treatment.

Sadly, with the lack of love for the Transformers franchise and a loathing of simplified combos, I'm scared you'd pour on the loathing that Bayonetta 2 received!

I've not played any Platinum games (despite owning a few, curse you, backlog), so, as I said, I can't be sure if this is for you, but I'm thinking it probably isn't.

[BaronSqwelch]

It plays more like Bayonetta, surely?

Didn't seem like it to me, it felt like Max Anarchy with added witchtime, rather than Bayonetta + transforming.

[dataDave]

I'll grab it in the Steam sales. At $60 it's a bit too much to ask.

I sated my appetite by firing up Bayonetta last week. I tried selling a weapon setup to someone (Durga) around the almighty PPPKKK. I desperately need to get back to the game and work on some drills, it's been too long.

[danholo]

I played about 30-60 min of this last night and so far it's been fun. The fighting is a bit repetitive but certainly fun and somewhat challenging so it's been a great game. The areas are standard fare. I don't expect much detail in Japanese games when it comes to this. It just takes too long to develop such things. Music is great and the transforming is the real deal G1 stuff. A really solid action game but it's too early to give any final score.