WFC2 - Fall of Cybertron game revealed

[Hursticon]

I don't think it's an unnecessary retcon, I think it makes perfect sense. In G1 Swoop transformed into a jet on Cybertron as part of the Autobot Elite Flying Corps (as seen in the 1987 Annual story "What's In A Name?").
Swoop's Cybertronian alt mode
Swoop's Cybertronian robot mode

So while it wasn't until Dreamwave's War Within that we saw the Cybertronian alt modes for Grimlock, Slag, Snarl and Sludge, it was already established way back in 1987 that the Dinobots did have Cybertronian modes different from their dino modes.

Do the annuals have any baring on the Cartoons or Comics of the time?
I'm curious as both of the aforementioned mediums had the Dinobots built on Earth and given personalities there and didn't make any mention, to my memory, of them ever existing prior.

And I personally think it's necessary because isn't the entire point of giving the Transformers Cybertronian alt modes part of enforcing that element in TF lore that the Transformers transformed into non-Earthen alt modes prior to their contact on Earth?? It makes no sense for them to transform into Earth modes if they're on Cybertron millions of years before even making contact with Earth.

Are we supposed to believe that by some massive coincidence Grimlock's pre-Earth Cybertronian mode just happens to be the same with what he will transform on Earth? The game designers went to extensive efforts to give every Transformer a different (yet recognisable) appearance in War For Cybertron... seems strange that they would make an exception just for Grimlock.

I agree, it makes perfect sense for the Bots to have pre-Earthen Alt modes but in the case of the Dinobots, they have that name for a reason and as I mentioned; The released artwork doesn't suggest that those scenes are on Cybertron IMO.

Which would you honestly have preferred seeing in War For Cybertron:
+ Bumblebee as a Cybertronian compact car, or as a Volkswagen Beetle
+ Optimus Prime as a Cybertronian truck, or as a Freightliner short-nose cab truck
+ Megatron as a hover tank, or as a Walther P38
+ The Seekers as Cybertronian "tetra jets" or as F-15 Eagles
+ Soundwave as a armoured vehicle or as a portable radio cassette player
+ Ironhide as an armoured vehicle or as a Nissan Cherry vanette
+ Warpath as a BLAM! Cybertronian tank, KA-POW!, or as a ZOWEE! M551A1 Sheridan ARAAV tank, KA-BLOOEY! (WFC Warpath remains my most lovable character in that game! BOOM! )
...etc.?

I agree here too, Warpath was awesome!
Re: my above statement.

Optimus Prime and Bumblebee look Cybertronian to me. <shrug>

They don't look Earthen, no, but they look different to before and I fail to see why they'd change their form whilst still on Cybertron; if it is indeed Cybertron the Artwork depicts them on.

But if this story takes place after Earth contact, then I take back any criticism I've made about Grimlock's dino mode. It's only if the story occurs prior to contact with Earth that seem illogical to me... unless they're out to prove that there WAS organic life on Cybertron before the Transformers came about! But even then... the odds of said organic life being identical to Earth? (meh why not... they did find a fossilised bat in the core of Cybertron in Beast Machines )

Don't hold Activision to their word too much dude, they're merely distributing the game and it's High Moon Studios who are developing it so who do you think would know what's going on with the game more? ; in saying that, I think there is going to be more to the story than what Activision has let on, needless to say though this Magazine is going to be demolished when it gets released, so much speculation.

I'm really curious as to how they're going to explain Grimlock's Alt mode if they are on Cybertron, perhaps the Cybertronians had come into contact with Earth much earlier than we had been led to believe?
(Sound familiar? )

[Firestorm]

WFC2?
but i havnt even finished WFC1 yet!
(yeah, i'm no good at shooting games)

kinda strange Grimlock being a T-rex, but then again Trypticon was one as well

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

But the thing is, playing as a giant mechanical T-Rex is just more awesome than yet another Cybertronian tank. There's already heaps of those.

[Quickstrike]

So... if this story still set on pre-Earth contact Cybertron, then why does Grimlock transform into his Earthen Dinobot mode???

'cos Dinosaurs are rad. Maybe he gets his Beast mode on Animatron... if that exists in this continuity I don't know.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

It's all building up to a new movie and game series based on that other toy franchise.

ROFL!!

But the thing is, playing as a giant mechanical T-Rex is just more awesome than yet another Cybertronian tank. There's already heaps of those.

I agree. Maybe he aint a t-rex, just a monster bot that just so happens to look like a t-rex...

After all, iirc, the Terrorcons were seen on cybertron in their alt modes in the Headmasters comic, so why can't some of the Autobots have monster modes as well?

I would have liked the opportunity to play as soundwave as a cassette player. Hey it worked in the Takara G1 game.

Not really But it was funny!

[LordCyrusOmega]

Spotlight: Shockwave.
The Dinobots track Shockwave to prehistoric (?) Earth and take on Dinosaur forms al a Beast Wars. So they could come back to Cybertron and become mechanised.

[kup]

Just for people who don't know (I am surprise that there are still some out there!):

- According to the Marvel comics, the Dinobots were not created on Earth, they 'acquired' their Dinosaur modes on earth after they were awoken early to stop Shockwave - IDW comics (Spotlight Shockwave) also follow a similar storyline.

- The 'Dinobots were created on Earth' is pretty much cartoon only and hasn't really been touched upon since then unlike the comic version. Possibly because it's very silly (IMO)

------

My views on the matter:

It is also clearly established that all Transformers on Cybertron in both Cartoon and comic continuities had different alt modes despite the robot kibble remaining the same in the character models (this is more budgetary than canonical). In Marvel, Grimlock and the Dinobots are established as having Cybertronian vehicle modes until they were reformatted on Earth to confront Shockwave. There are no 'pre-Earth' Dinobots in the cartoon continuity.

Trypticon was indeed in War For Cybertron but he didn't exactly look like a Dinosaur and more like a big war machine non-humanoid monster somewhat evoking the look of one. They still kept the 'Dinosaur' looks subtly ambiguous despite the resemblance to one.

Grimlock is clearly based on a Tyranosaur and that is very 'What the Frack?' as it doesn't make any sense whatsoever as WFC takes place before they ever go to Earth or know of it's existence.

I guess that one can always explain all this with a very Right-Wing 'PRIMUS DID IT!' but I hope this is handled better.


On a side not, I hope they have a PC release as all this will be 'moot' for me if there isn't one.

[kaiden]

And I wonder who the jet is in the background? Megatron? Thunderwing? Looks nice... I want one.

that red blue and white jet? probably starscream.

[Hursticon]

Just for people who don't know (I am surprise that there are some out there!):

- According to the Marvel comics, the Dinobots were not created on Earth, they 'acquired' their Dinosaur modes on earth after they were awoken early to stop Shockwave - IDW comics (Spotlight Shockwave) also follow a similar storyline.

- The 'Dinobots were created on Earth' is pretty much cartoon only and hasn't really been touched upon since then unlike the comic version. Possibly because it's very silly (IMO)

Oh really? , Looks like I'll have to go back and re-read that part in the Comics as I do remember that they were sent to intercept Shockwave before the rest of the Bots were activated on the Ark, by millions of years and getting stuck in the Tar Pool , but I thought they'd been built at the time for that purpose?...
(Just had a quick re-read and I stand corrected )

Thanks for the clarification Kup, I've been reading these comics one after the other for the 1st time so I guess things have been 'pushed out' in a sense.
Hang on though, were they known as the Dinobots prior to their activation on Earth? - That'd be a little odd.

Still, I don't want Grimlock ending up as yet another boring-ass tank; it did feel odd playing as the Dinobots on the DS version of the game so it'll be refreshing to play a game as a Beastformer.

[kup]

On Cybertron they were known as 'The Dynobots' - I know...