As the release of Transformers: The Movie nears, the Allspark is fortunate to have had the opportunity to talk details with Daniel Suarez, Executive Producer at Activison for the Transformers games. 

The Allspark:     What memories do you have of Transformers personally?

Daniel Suarez: For this answer I thought it would be appropriate for those reading to understand that this franchise and this game really does mean a lot to those making it.  Here are some quotes taken from different members of the Activision production team and our developers on their fondest Transformer memories:

Jonathan Shaller (Artist- Console): When the Transformers the movie came out, I was invited to go see it at a friend’s birthday party. The film blew me away.  It introduced so many new characters which my brother and I and our neighbors would act out in backyards during play fights and other kid’s games.  My favorite toy was the Decepticon Scourge. Above all the transformers toys it seemed he looked and transformed in the most satisfying way to me. To this day Transformers the movie still holds a place amongst my DVD collection and many people I know.  

Andrew Rai (Lead Artist – PSP): I really wanted Sharkticon when I was like 9, but my mom never got me one.  My Sharkticon dreams later came true while in the San Francisco Chinatown on a family vacation…I was lured in by a red bootleg version that was at a price that not even my mother could say no to.  I was quickly disillusioned as this version lacked the chewing action and quickly fell apart.

Chacko Sonny (Creative Director – PSP):  I would fight with my sister for control of the TV remote so that I could watch Transformers.  I remember the first time I saw Soundwave eject his “cassettes” – Ravage, Laserbeak, and Rumble. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen. Since then, Soundwave has been one of my favorite characters, followed closely by Ultra Magnus.

AS:     Will any other platforms have bonus characters besides the PSP version?

DS: The PSP version of Transformers: The Game has the widest variety of bonus characters, but the Nintendo DS and console versions will also have special unlockable bonus characters. We can’t divulge which ones they are yet, but we’ve been very careful to pick a variety of well known characters and even some unique repaints for the console and handheld games that will appeal to all the fanboys out there.

AS:  What about the TF movie licensed games do you see attracting the casual game player who may not have seen the movie beforehand?

DS: Let me see.  Imagine playing a high speed sports car burning down the street at 80 MPH, suddenly transforming into a 20 foot Autobot and ripping up street lamps and slamming cars out of your way to unleash a barrage of projectile attacks against his Decepticon arch-nemesis (who just swooped out of the sky in the form of a jet and just transformed right before your eyes).  Now combine that concept with the expertise of Traveller’s Tales on consoles – who’ve been known for developing the Star Wars Lego games, as well as a number of other hit games over the last 15 years; Vicarious Visions on handheld, the team most notable for doing the handheld versions of Tony Hawk and Spiderman on Nintendo DS and lastly, Savage Entertainment who developed Star Wars Battlefront on PSP. I don’t know about you, but I think that would appeal to the casual gamer.