When calculating robot body count, do combiners count as one or five? Either way, a ton of sentient machinery is decommissioned in the first episode of Machinima and Hasbro’s Transformers: Combiner Wars.
Death is not a spoiler in the adult-aimed series, having pretty much been part of the push from the beginning. The first episode begins with a battle between Charlie “DashieGames” Guzman’s Menasor (Stunticons) and Ricky Heyberg’s Comutron (Technobots). Soon combiner hunters Windblade (Abby Trott) and Chromia (Amy Johnson) show up, and things get messy.
Before we discuss particulars, watch the episode below. It’s only a little over five minutes long. We’ll wait for spoilers after the buffer image.
So far I’m not sure I like this. Treating combiner teams, groups of five or more robots that combine to form a colossal gestalt, as one single being just rubs me the wrong way. If Chromia and Windblade saw one of Menasor’s limbs at the corner store drinking a smoothie, would they kill him for being a part of a combiner? So many questions.
Then again, I suppose the point is moot now.
The voice acting is a bit over-dramatic, which happens when you get together several folks who haven’t really done this sort of thing and mixed them with people who have. The animation is fine, but that opening battle, with the two giant robots spinning and trading blows? That just made me dizzy.
What do you think so far?
Comments
7 responses to “Many Robots Die In The First Episode Of Transformers: Combiner Wars ”
i grew up on Generation 1, so everything that comes out now, i compare to the Transformers Gen 1 movie.
is it realistic as a measuring tool? no, but its what i like.
thought the combiner fight was a bit messy and rushed.
the plasma sword was cool, the voice acting was hit and miss like you said.
dont know if i will even bother watching this.
cool concept though.
I would like to know this too ^
Computron, not Comutron…
Nooo, Menasor!
Well my fave just died in the first episode, no point in watching now.
Wtf did I just watch….? Combiners dont become a single entity like that. Also dont get me started on the whole LOOK its a strong female character. Look how strong she is. We proved it by her effortlessly killing one of the original and more powerful combiners. Also Menasor was apparently a teenager…….????
Nice try but no thanks. Even the glorious symphony of sound that is Peter Cullen cant convince me this will be worth watching.
^ this one.
Combiners as a single entity just doesn’t make sense. Male/Female, it doesn’t matter. One single robot shouldn’t even be capable of taking down a fully formed combiner like that, yet alone Menasor. I’m definitely not on the same wavelength as all this new age stuff or how this younger generation perceives what the G1 line should be like in this “rebooted” day and age. All i know is. They are far off on what i would call cool. If this is meant to be all “adult” and serious, i still think the G1 movie in the 80’s holds the mantle for serious deaths(im looking at you prowl).
NOTE: Since i only know my transformers up to the headmasters/target/power masters generations I have no idea what a combiner hunter is. So maybe… just maybe it is plausible that these type can kill combiners. My old ageing self still thinks it is a stupid concept if this were the case. Does that mean these robots can just kill Predaking, Abominus and Devastator with just one swipe???? Pffft.. my head hurts.
I suppose given the internet right now I could have worded that one part better. I’d be quite happy to have a female transformer take the lead. So long as its for a legitimate or compelling reason which is story based rather than shoehorned in like so many spirit catchers going around.
I know you weren’t upset by this comment in your post but you never know whos lurking in the dark nowadays 😉
Also on serious deaths all I have to say is “Such heroic nonsense”.
I’m not sure i’m able to make much of your assessment. I don’t really get dizzy whilst watching things and i’m not sure why a combined robot acting as one thing would cause dissonance in a cartoon based on toys. I love toys. Will watch.
That 5 minutes is all I will watch.
Seeing arms fall off just looks weird, not to mention how 1 blow from a normal size transformer can cut off Menasor’s arm then 1 more to take him down. Combiners are supposed to be the most powerful among the transformers (excluding Metroplex, Trypticon etc.) but that clip pretty much trivialised the whole idea of the combiners. Agree with all the comments about them being a single entity now instead of 5 separate bots.
I didn’t know that breaking a Decepticon’s logo = instant death?
Sound FX are awesome, two combiners hitting each other should sound like a wrecking ball against a oil tanker.
However the voice of a large robot made from smaller robots needs more ‘boom’. Over time the synthesizer effect of transformers voices from G1 has been removed and if anything combiners need it.
Camera work isn’t horrible, however the framing of the important poses (keyframes) isn’t showing off the size difference of the combiner vs regular transformer.
Animation needs some work, for the most part it is too quick and the actions are over before they begin, the shot of Menasor breaking through a building to chase one of the jets was too fast.
If your going to kill a large hulking unstoppable robot and don’t need to worry about ratings (as its isn’t gore). Tear the thing apart, the beginning battle had limbs flying off everywhere. Menasor should have been ripped to shreds before loosing power, I want to see oil and cables flailing as each limb is killed off to make sure the individual robot is destroyed.
Overall, it is better than what I’ve seen recently on the TF TV series the story line is good and not shying away from killing off characters is fantastic. However the camera work and animations make it look ‘cheap’ like most CG toons these days. Rebels, rabbids, Madagascar, and that slug show all suffer from this.