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Scale

2011-01-31T20:32:17Z

208.102.39.218: /* Planets and planetbots */

[[Image:OptimusSnakeEyes.jpg|right|300px|thumb|And the truck's how big...?]]
'''Scale''' in ''Transformers'' is, not to put too fine a point on it, screwed.

Virtually no era, franchise, fiction, [[Toy|toyline]] or other incarnation of ''Transformers'' has presented scale in a logical or believable fashion. (There are, of course, a few [[#The rare exceptions|rare exceptions]], detailed below.) Most fans agree that one must either ignore it or accept it, lest they be tempted to explain these problems and in the process [[fanon|fanwank]] themselves into oblivion.

However, the scale problems of ''Transformers'' still merit description.

{{bigquote|Clearly, the pitiful humans at Hasbro are so overwhelmed by the awesomeness of Cybertronian life forms that they can't get the scale right.|[[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]|[[Transformers Comic issue 23|Star Scream's #23]]}}

==Scale within toylines==

===Toys out of scale with others in the same line===
[[Image:DiacloneScale.jpg|right|350px|thumb|That little guy — who comes from the same toyline as all those vehicles — is supposed to be a normal-sized human. Yeeeah.]]
The early [[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1 toyline]], especially the pre-[[The Transformers: The Movie|movie]] lines, were repackaged and [[Redeco|redecoed]] toys from several different Japanese toylines. The crucial point is that the toylines were initially unrelated. The characters ''should'' be in scale to each other as they all have real-world altmodes that (should) pass for real vehicles. However, since ''[[Diaclone]]'' toys were not part of the same line as ''[[Microman]]'' toys, scale issues arose. ''Diaclone'' figures such as [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Optimus Prime]], [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] are more-or-less in correct scale to each other (though problems already arise with [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] and [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]], whose [[alternate mode]]s are based on ''the same car'' yet are not quite the same size), but many of the [[Mini Vehicle]]s from the ''New Microman'' line are clearly far too small by comparison. Even aside from their deformed penny-racer proportions, a [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys|Volkswagen Beetle]] Microman toy is disproportionately tiny when compared to a [[Jazz (G1)/toys|Porsche 935]] Diaclone toy. The disparity becomes even more obvious with [[Mini Vehicle|Minibots]] such as [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] (a tank) and [[Seaspray (G1)|Seaspray]] (a hovercraft), who should be many times their actual size.

Another glaring scale problem comes in the form of the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]], who turn into F-15 Eagles which, in real life, are 19.4 m (63.8 feet) long. Correctly scaled, this would make their robot modes ''colossal'' compared to most Autobots. Similarly, the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], despite also coming from the ''Diaclone'' line, are too small. Far worse is the other ''Diaclone'' combiner team, the [[Trainbot]]s, who have train engine altmodes, yet their toys are among the ''smallest'' of the ''Diaclone'' releases.

Transformers are currently formalised to a variety of [[size class|size classes]], which dictate the approximate cost and dimensions of a figure. Consequently, if the powers that be release toys of two characters in the same line in the same size class, they're going to come out in the same size. Even if one character's a [[Starscream (Movie)|twenty-metre fighter jet]] and the other's a [[Ironhide (Movie)|five-metre pickup truck]]. So don't expect this one to go away any time soon.

===Toys out of scale within teams===
Even toys specifically [[combiner|designed to interact with each other]] suffer from this problem. The [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]] are wildly out of scale to each other—[[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off]]'s [[Popular Earth vehicle alternate modes#Space Shuttle Orbiter|Space Shuttle]] mode should dwarf [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]], with the others somewhere in between. Instead, they're about the same size. Among the Constructicons, [[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] is designed to look like a gigantic [[Wikipedia:Image:Liebherr t282 1.jpg|"earth-mover" mining truck]]. He should be able to carry all his teammates in his bed, with some crowding. Similarly, [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] (a [[Popular Earth vehicle alternate modes#Concorde|Concorde jet]]) is dramatically undersized compared to his fighter-jet [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbot]] teammates. These scale problems are necessary to avoid misproportioned gestalt forms.

Don't even ask about the [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]] with their [[Groove (G1)|motorcycle]] and [[Blades (G1)|helicopter]] limbs...

===Same alternate mode, different sizes===
Other scale problems come from characters who transform into the same (or similar) [[alternate mode]]s, but whose toys are different sizes. For example, [[Air Raid (G1)#Toys|the original Air Raid]] transforms into an [[Popular Earth vehicle alternate modes#F-15 Eagle|F-15 Eagle]], but his toy is half the size of [[Starscream (G1)/toys|the original Starscream]]'s. The same can be said for the [[Popular Earth vehicle alternate modes#Lamborghini Countach|Lamborghini Countach]] [[Breakdown (G1)#Toys|Breakdown]], who should be the same size as [[Sunstreaker (G1)#Toys|Sunstreaker]] and [[Sideswipe (G1)#Toys|Sideswipe]], not significantly smaller. These discrepancies are also seen in the other "[[Scramble City]]" combiners with Earth altmodes, whose toys are all smaller than similar earlier toys.

===Multiple scales of same character===
[[Image:AnimatedPrimes.png|right|270px|thumb|Oh great. And I thought ''Bulkhead'' was confused...]]

Starting with ''[[Beast Machines (toyline)|Beast Machines]]'', many franchises have released multiple versions of the same character in different [[size class]]es, most often the leader characters. Originally, the intent was apparently to make the popular [[Optimus (disambiguation)|Optimus]] and [[Megatron (disambiguation)|Megatron]] characters available at lower price points than just the large and expensive "Leader" class, so that children with less money would not miss out, and perhaps persuading [[completist]]-minded [[User:ItsWalky|collectors]] to buy multiple versions of one character.

While this introduces a nice range of options for the discerning collector, it can also lead to some problems. ''Beast Machines'', for example, featured three different [[Cheetor (BW)/toys|Cheetor toys]]. The [[Cheetor (BW)/toys#BMSupreme|Supreme size toy]] was so large it could not interact with most of the other toys from the line (based on [[Beast Machines (cartoon)|the cartoon]], he's maaaaybe in scale with [[Nightscream (BM)#Toys|Nightscream]] and [[Optimus Primal/toys#Robots in Disguise|Air Attack Optimus Primal]], the later of whom wasn't released until three years later). The [[Cheetor (BW)/toys#BMNSC|Deluxe Cheetor]], on the other hand, was too ''small'' to match scales with most of the other toys (again, using the cartoon as a yardstick). Anyone looking ''within'' the toyline for notions of a "correct" scale between the characters would be stymied by the multiple size classes and the lack of real-world scale references.

Other instances of multiple-size characters are more clear cut; the [[Spy Changer]] incarnations of various ''[[Robots in Disguise (toyline)|Robots in Disguise]]'' characters, for instance, are simply scaled-down representations of the same characters in the same bodies, not meant to interact with the much larger "main" toys, as are the later "Legends of Cybertron" toys in ''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]''. Other multiple-toy scale differences include intentionally simplified forms, such as the [[Fast Action Battlers]], which simply make all the characters the same size, with no attempt at matching scales.

Multiple-scale characters usually aren't meant to cross-interact. A rare exception is [[Movie (franchise)|live-action]] [[Blackout (Movie)#Voyager Class toys|Blackout]], who came with a [[Scorponok (Movie)#Voyager Class Blackout companions|tiny (and correctly scaled) version of Scorponok]]. A much larger [[Scorponok (Movie)#Deluxe Class toys|Deluxe version of Scorponok]] is ''also'' meant to interact with the same Blackout toy, despite the ridiculous scale disparity (and the fact that this means Blackout can have ''two'' Scorponoks of radically different size clipped to him simultaneously.)

Multiple toy sizes are generally irrelevant to the fiction, though the [[Cybertron (cartoon)|''Cybertron'' cartoon]] featured [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] inflating to planetary size, presumably in response to the [[Starscream (Armada)#Supreme|super-large "King Starscream" toy]] available at the time.

===Toys out of scale with themselves===
[[Image:G1 Broadside toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Kill me. Just... kill me now.]]

[[Triple Changer]]s create a whole new set of problems. The original [[Astrotrain (G1)#Toys|Astrotrain]] transforms from a 21-meter (70-foot) locomotive to a 56-meter (184-foot) [[Popular Earth vehicle alternate modes#Space Shuttle Orbiter|Space Shuttle]]. [[Octane#Toys|Octane]]'s original body transforms from a 20-meter (60-foot) tanker truck into a 65-meter (200-foot) jumbo jet. [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] transforms from an Earth fighter jet of indeterminate model (let's pretend for the sake of argument that he's supposed to be an [[Popular Earth vehicle alternate modes#F-14 Tomcat|F-14]] and say he's 18 meters (61 feet) long) into an entire ''aircraft carrier'', approximately 333 meters (1,092 feet) long.

The newer versions of Astrotrain and Octane (aka "Tankor"), while changing the specifics of their alternate modes, really don't improve on the general size disparity all that much.

Even a two-mode toy can have this problem. [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#20th Anniversary/Masterpiece|Twentieth Anniversary Optimus Prime]] has wheels which are pretty tiny for a Freightliner truck, while his rear hitch section is too thick. These out-of-proportion vehicle parts were necessary to give his robot mode [[Show-accuracy|show-accurate]] proportions.

===Toys with roleplay altmodes===
The characters with roleplay altmodes such as Generation 1 [[Megatron (G1)/toys|Megatron]], [[Soundwave (G1)/toys|Soundwave]], [[Perceptor (G1)#Toys|Perceptor]], or [[Laserbeak (Armada)#Toys|''Armada'' Laserbeak]] are scaled to be real-world [[human]]-scale (well, kid-scale). Since the [[size changing]] seen in the fiction is not possible for real toys (at least, that's what [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] ''wants'' us to think), this human-scaling makes in some cases for inordinately large robot modes. E.g., [[Blaster (G1)#Toys|Blaster]]'s toy, in robot mode, is taller than most other Transformers.

The opposite problem is seen with [[Megatron (G1)/toys#MasterpieceMegs|Masterpiece Megatron]], whose robot mode is in scale with [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#20th Anniversary/Masterpiece|Masterpiece Optimus Prime]]. The result is that, while he may transform into a very accurately-proportioned handgun, it's unmistakably much larger than the real thing. (Not that this has stopped him being widely banned as a "realistic firearm replica"....)

===Fanciful altmodes===
Characters with alternate modes that are not meant to be replicas of real-world things (or at least, close enough to while being legally-distinct from said things) are difficult to accurately scale, as they generally transform into futuristic or Cybertronian vehicles whose size we don't really know... or, indeed, they don't transform into vehicles at all. The scale of characters such as the [[Dinobot (G1)|original Dinobots]], [[Hot Rod (G1)/toys|Hot Rod]] or [[Overhaul (Cybertron)#Voyager|Leobreaker]] is fairly arbitrary and can only be estimated by their relative size to other characters within the fiction, although most fiction is highly inconsistent in this regard (see below). Nevertheless, if one assumes that most vehicle altmodes are intended for [[human]]-sized passengers, comparing toys such as [[Chromedome (G1)#Toys|Chromedome]] with [[Lightspeed (G1 Technobot)#Toys|Lightspeed]] suggests the combiner scale problem continues.

===Big toys===
It goes without saying that the [[city-bot]] and planetbot toys (such as [[Fortress Maximus (G1)#Toys|Fortress Maximus]] and [[Unicron/toys|Unicron]]) are not remotely to scale with normal Transformer toys. While they are indeed ''large'' toys, they're only two to five times bigger than typical Transformer toys, and thus transform into "cities" and "planets" about the (relative) size of a bungalow. The scale problems extend to the details. Some of the citybot toys have visible windows, which are too large for a city, suggesting instead a medium-sized building.

However, it's hard to begrudge [[Hasbro]] not offering us a [[Primus]] toy the size of an asteroid. Where would we keep it?

===Action Masters===
[[Image:Neutro-fusiontank.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Imagine [[:Image:ActionMaster Devastor.gif|Devastator]] in the passenger seat.]]

The [[:Category:Action Master vehicles|Action Master vehicles]] were designed to take advantage of the fact that the [[Action Master]] figures were all the same size. They can each pilot each other's vehicles or ride as a passenger. With the vehicles as a frame of reference, it seems we should take it as fact that all of the Action Masters are literally the same size, even characters such as Bumblebee and Devastator. Did Devastator shrink?

{{--}}

===The rare exceptions===
There have been precious few exceptions to all of this scale weirdness in the toys. However, the ''[[Alternators]]'' toyline, where every toy is a 1:24-scale representation of a real car, and thus in perfect scale with each other, was the first to buck the trend. Unfortunately, for practical reasons this limits the choice of altmodes. A [[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off]] (Space Shuttle) toy in scale with the ''Alternator''s toys would be 1.6 meters (5.1 feet) long, while a [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] (aircraft carrier) toy at that scale would be over 12 meters (40 feet)! Hasbro actually displayed [[Prototype|mock-ups]] for an unproduced line of "military" Transformers in scale with ''Alternators'' during the [[BotCon 2007]] Hasbro Tour; two of them recycled parts of ''[[Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' [[Unicron/toys#Armada|Unicron]], and were thus [[Size class|Supreme-sized]], which made said potential toyline not particularly commercially viable for Hasbro.

The direct —and indirect— successors to ''Alternators'' would also maintain a mostly consistent internal scale. ''[[Alternators#Binaltech Asterisk|Binaltech Asterisk]]'' and ''[[Kiss Players (toyline)|Kiss Players]]'' would make use of the same molds, only with added [[human]] female driver figures... which were woefully small compared to the cars they came with. This would repeat itself with the "[[Human Alliance]]" toys for ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]''; the cars/robots are all roughly the right size compared to each other ([[Skids (ROTF)#Human Alliance|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)#Human Alliance|Mudflap]] are even smaller, squatter toys and come with sub-[[size class|Basic]]-sized [[Arcee (Movie)#Human Alliance|motorcycle]] and [[Chromia (ROTF)#HumanAlliance|robots]] to make up for it), but their human drivers are all too small. (Amusingly, [[Frenzy (Movie)#Human Alliance|Frenzy]] seems to be about right.)

''[[Alternity (franchise)|Alternity]]'' would follow in ''Alternators''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s footsteps with a series of smaller 1:32-scale licensed cars... as well as stuffing [[Starscream (G1)/toys#Alternity|characters who traditionally don't have automobile alternate modes]] into modern-day civilian vehicles. That these toys represent hyper-evolved beings most of the time make it all the more head-scratch-inducing.

== Scale within fictions ==
Scale issues abound within the fiction, especially the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]]. Some can be attributed to [[animation error]]s, such as layering problems,[[:Image:Tinybluestreak.jpg|1]][[:Image:Huge Ironhide and Small Ratchet.jpg|2]][[:Image:CarnageMiniBlaster.jpg|3]] but some "errors" were deliberate choices, for a variety of reasons.

===Fictional scale vs. toy scale===
[[Image:TeenyCliff.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Frighteningly toy-accurate.]]
[[Image:Powerglide Astoria Marygoaround.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Actually, disturbing ''fiction'' is probably more of a concern than scale issues.]]

The original ''Transformers'' fictions often depict characters to the same relative scale as the toys, which duplicates the intra-toyline problems described above. The cartoon, for example, shows [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus]], [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] as about the same height, [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]s and Autobot cars as slightly shorter (though not as much as the toys are), and [[Mini Vehicle|Minibots]] as smaller yet. This scale was carried over to their vehicle forms, resulting in differently-sized cars that, based on real world measurements, should be virtually the same size.

For another example, the [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] comics portrayed the [[Pretender]]s as literal interpretations of their toys: 60-foot humans with full-scale Transformers inside. The "disguise" aspect of this was later explained by having [[Landmine (G1)|Landmine]] and [[Cloudburst]] encounter [[Femax|giant, transformer-sized humanoids on an alien planet]] which made them appear to be of a "normal" scale.

[[Image:Omegasupreme astrotrain.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I know he's meant to be big, but holy ''crap'', dude!]]

Transformers fiction commonly shrinks or inflates characters, relative to their toy sizes. "Giant" characters such as [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] are, even aside from any [[size changing]] for transport purposes, clearly not in the same scale in toy form as they are depicted on screen. [[Mini-Cassette|Cassette characters]] such as [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]]'s toys are roughly the same height as most Minibots, while in the show they are usually portrayed as human-sized.

[[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] are usually shown to be of a fairly similar height (although Magnus is much bulkier), whereas there is a considerable difference between the size of their toys. By the same token, Rodimus is always depicted as being an equal stature to his opposing leader [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], whereas the [[Galvatron (G1)/toys|toy Galvatron]] is instead the same size as Magnus. Optimus Prime is also usually shown as only a head or so shorter than Magnus (if that), which gets very strange when you realize that a [[redeco]] of Prime's toy forms but a small part of Magnus' robot mode.

[[Image:Beastwarsmaxgroup.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Airazor picks the Ultra-class figure.]]

The cast of ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' were size-tweaked quite a bit, relative to the toyline. The most noticeable problem is [[Optimus Primal]], who has an Ultra toy (the "level four" size, almost twice the size of the "level three" Mega next-largest Maximal toys), but is shorter than both [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (both of whom are "level two" Deluxe sized toys). Further, [[Cheetor (BW)/toys#Beast Wars|Cheetor]] and [[Tigatron#Toys|Tigatron]]'s toys use the same (Deluxe) mold, but Tigatron is a head taller in the show (both because tigers are larger than cheetahs, and because Cheetor is "a kid"). New and altered characters in later seasons were generally more consistent in size (and appearance) with the toys. This problem was magnified when the Generation 1 characters cameoed in the series. [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] is a Tyrannosaurus rex but is shown in The Agenda Part 3, as being much smaller than Optimus Prime.
[[Image:Agenda3 MegatronOptimusPrime.jpg|right|250px|thumb|An example of how small Beast Wars Megatron is compared to Optimus Prime.]]

The ''[[Beast Machines (toyline)|Beast Machines]]''' toyline was ''far'' worse in size discrepancies with the cartoon. Of the [[Maximal]]s featured in the show, the tallest character, [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]], is [[Silverbolt (BW)#Beast Machines|the ''shortest'' toy]], while the diminutive [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] is a [[Nightscream (BM)#Toys|massive Ultra-class toy]]. And, sadly, the most show-accurate toy, [[Optimus Primal/toys#Robots in Disguise|Air Attack Optimus Primal]], is a ''ginormous'' Supreme figure, towering over the other toys. (Weirdly, the [[King Kong]]-like size of this toy became [[canon]] in one specific [[micro-continuity]]. {{storylink|Prime Spark}})
{{-}}

[[Image:ShrinkingHeavy.jpg|left|200px|thumb|I lost thirty tons, thanks to the Jump-Cut! Thank you, Jump-Cut!]]
In the otherwise fairly toy-scale-savvy [[Unicron Trilogy]], [[Metroplex (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Metroplex]] and the other citizens of [[Gigantion]] are depicted as gargantuan in animation, whereas the toys are merely among the normal boxed size-classes. Within the animation, this causes problems with their [[Mini-Con]] partners, who are depicted as human-sized in robot mode by themselves, but when shown directly interacting with their larger partners, are scaled up right along with their partner... resulting in some temporarily gigantic Mini-Cons!

The Japanese ''[[Cybertron (franchise)#Galaxy Force|Galaxy Force]]'' release of [[Metroplex (Cybertron)#Toys|Metroplex]], dubbed "Megalo Convoy", included an exclusive [[redeco]] of the [[Legends Class|Legends of Cybertron]] [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/toys#MegaloConvoy|Optimus Prime toy]] to indicate the "correct" scale.

The ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]'' franchise has its share of scale problems when comparing its toyline to the cartoon (not helped by multiple releases of some characters in different sizes—see above), with several characters seeming roughly one [[size class]] too small, such as the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]] being a mix of one Voyager size and two Deluxes, [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)#Toys|Sentinel Prime]] looking rather diminutive as a Deluxe, and, most egregiously, [[Lugnut (Animated)#Toys|Lugnut]] as a ''very'' squat Voyager who's shorter than even some Deluxes. (As with [[Bulkhead (Animated)#Toys|Voyager-class Bulkhead]], more of his mass went into his width, plus his weapon takes away some from his robot mode.) Conversely, the traditionally stunted [[Bumblebee (Animated)#Toys|Bumblebee]] is marginally too tall and bulky to be in correct scale to his otherwise fairly accurate core teammates, assuming one includes [[Optimus Prime (Animated)#Voyager|Voyager Optimus]] and [[Bulkhead (Animated)#Leader|Leader Bulkhead]] in their lineup. In fact, ''Animated'' is one of those toylines where you're not quite sure who you're supposed to base correct scale on.

===Inconsistent portrayal===
[[Image:OmegaSupremeintro.jpg|left|175px|thumb|No! Don't wash him in hot water! He'll...]]
[[Image:Omegasupreme-blasterandgrimlock.jpg|right|200px|thumb|...too late.]]
Even if a size was decided on, it often didn't remain consistent. The height of the cartoon's [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]], just to name one, frequently varied between episodes.

The [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Generation 1 Marvel comic]] is notorious for changing the relative sizes of various characters. A single Transformer's size is rarely consistent between artists. For example, [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] vary in height relative to [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]. A panel in the "[[Time Wars]]" shows [[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]], [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], [[Scattershot]], and [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] all the same height. [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]], titanic in his original appearance, {{storylink|Command Performances!}} shrunk steadily in subsequent issues until he was not much taller than the average Transformer. [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] suffered a similar problem, shrinking in size even though he was explicitly rebuilt to be twice as tall as the average Transformer.

[[Image:Beastwarriors scale.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Beast Megatron's size vs. Optimus Prime's in America... and Japan. Looks like the Blasty Zone adds on a few tons to Beast Era characters.]]
Between the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]] and the [[Beast Era]], the majority of the Cybertronian race considerably downgraded in size at the [[Great Upgrade]]. When entering the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], the Beast Warriors are quite small compared to the dormant Generation 1 characters, especially [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]—but just ''how'' much bigger varies quite a bit from scene to scene and episode to episode. When interacting with the Autobot technology of the Ark and the [[Autobot shuttle]], the [[Maximal]]s are often dealing with equipment grossly oversized for them (standing on the chairs to reach the controls, turning knobs the size of their heads); yet the Ark also seems to feature some human-sized computer control panels. {{storylink|Master Blaster|Master Blaster}} Without any height booster, [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] can interface well with these controls.

On the other hand, ''[[Robot Masters (franchise)|Robot Masters]]'' depicted Generation 1 and ''Beast Wars'' characters like [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Optimus Primal]] as being exactly the same size. Lovely. It's possible that passage through the [[Blasty Zone]] may somehow [[Wikipedia:Boom tube#Later Additions to the Concept|account for this discrepancy]].

===Explicit size changes===
{{main|size changing}}

Numerous characters are explicitly shown to shrink or expand at various times.

====Human-scaled alternate modes====
[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] becomes a human-size radio; [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] shrinks into a handgun scaled for either Transformer or human hands, depending on the situation. The cartoons and comics typically show this without explanation, leaving the reader to attribute it to advanced alien technology.

====Pretenders====
Some versions of the [[Pretender]]s are shown to explicitly shrink when hiding in their human-sized outer shells. In the U.S. toy commercials, [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]], [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], and [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] in their new Pretender forms were small enough to fit in [[Powermaster]] [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]'s hand. So, at least in that [[micro-continuity]], they were human-sized. ''[[Super-God Masterforce (cartoon)|Super-God Masterforce]]'' featured Pretenders who did not have outer shells but rather an ill-defined holistic transformation which explicitly involved size changing. A vaguely similar explanation appeared in [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s ''[[More Than Meets The Eye (G1)|More Than Meets The Eye]]'' encyclopedia.

===Implicit size changes===
Characters often change size in a less explicit fashion when transforming. These changes in scale are usually attributed to size-changing by that portion of the fan base who like to find explanations for things. The other explanation is that the artists hoped the audience wouldn't notice. It can also be supposed that they are hiding their mass somewhere (car style Transformers storing mass in their passenger compartments when in humanoid form, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] folding his wings flat, the buildings in a city-bot collapsing to eliminate the spaces normally occupied by humans, boat-bots filling up or getting rid of the vast empty areas used to provide buoyancy) or puffing up with empty space, but at a certain point, things just get silly. Some Transformers are smaller than solid blocks of the mass contained in their alt modes: [[Unicron]] would have to be about as thick as the [[Earth]]'s crust while in planetary form, and [[Optimus Prime (disambiguation)|Optimus Prime]] would probably be blown away by a stiff breeze in his larger incarnations.

====Transport characters====
[[Image:MakeHoistHuffer.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Definitely ''not'' toy-accurate.]]
[[Image:Ironhide carried into Ratchet.jpg|thumb|right|180px|...And not to [[Ironhide (G1)|mention]] [[Ratchet (G1)|this]].]]

In the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original cartoon]], Transformers that act as transport for other Transformers, such as [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]], and [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]], will often dramatically change size relative to their compatriots between one shot and the next. For example, Cosmos is ''much'' shorter than [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] in robot form; yet Blaster easily fits within his spacecraft mode. Likewise, a whole squad of Decepticons can fit into Astrotrain's shuttle mode easily (including the combined-form [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]!), yet he's an ordinary-sized trooper in his robot form.

Sometimes the cartoon would show ordinarily-scaled characters such as [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] or [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] carrying another Transformer in their cockpit, implying either a tiny passenger or a huge vehicle. Even [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]], who is supposed to be huge, would have to have a greatly expanded scale for his rocket ship component to accommodate passengers as shown on the cartoon.

The Marvel comics commonly sidestepped this issue by not using Transformers as transport characters, or else requiring the passengers to transform into their explicitly smaller forms to be carried. Yet they were not immune to this problem. In one story, the Pretender [[Cloudburst]] exited his shell, transformed into jet mode, and then his shell (and [[Landmine (G1)|Landmine]]) boarded him as a passenger. The fact that his ''outer'' shell was now much smaller than the ''inner'' robot was quietly ignored. {{storylink|Guess Who the Mecannibals Are Having for Dinner?}}

[[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave's]] ''[[More Than Meets The Eye (G1)|More Than Meets The Eye]]'' series of [[bio]] comics tried to explain this for characters such as Astrotrain and [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] by saying they're able to expand themselves to increase cargo space in vehicle mode, though their armor becomes thinner as it is spread out more. Conversely, the series notes, in robot mode, all that armor and structure being compressed into a smaller form makes that mode stronger and more durable for combat.

This concept is lampshaded in the credits of [[Transformers:_War_for_Cybertron|WFC]], where [[Bumblebee_(Prime)|Bumblebee]] pulls up, and the entire Autobot cast of the game step out of his passenger door, clown car style.

====Combiner characters====
[[Image:DreamwaveCover6.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Since when is a sedan nine stories tall?]]
[[Combiner]] characters are often depicted as far larger than the sum of their parts. Characters such as [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] and [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] are frequently shown as [[Godzilla]]-sized. Given that their limbs are mere cars and construction vehicles, this is patently absurd. ([[Superion (G1)|Superion]], by contrast, ''would'' be building-sized, given that his torso is a 100-seat jetliner.)

Combiners are also often out-of-scale with other Transformers; a combiner with cars for legs and another car for its torso should be only twice as tall as a one-car Transformer, but they are routinely drawn as five to dozens of times taller than their comrades.

Sometimes, they are even out of scale in their own team; [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]]'s torso is an [[Onslaught (G1)|anti-aircraft truck]], while one of his limbs is a [[Blast Off (G1)|Space Shuttle]] and another is a [[Swindle (G1)|two-person offroad vehicle]]. For this to work, either Blast Off has to shrink, or Swindle needs to grow.

====Scale problems and size-changing====
Some fans interpret the many otherwise-unexplained scale issues above to all be the result of [[size changing]], but this is debatable. If virtually all characters use mass-shifting (or whatever) to gain or drop a few feet of height for no logical reason, the technology would be pointlessly mundane. There's also no known reason for (e.g.) the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]s to choose to get ''shorter'' when going into battle. A to-scale Starscream in robot mode could kick Bumblebee around like a soccer ball. There's simply no positive evidence that size-changing is so widespread.

===Undersized alternate modes===
Many Transformers are portrayed in fiction as having alternate modes that are smaller than the real-life objects they are imitating. Sometimes this is deliberate, allowing them to match their toy scale and/or be of a similar size to other characters; in other cases, it is essentially an artistic error.

Toys at the lowest price points usually include "mini" or "micro" in their name. [[Mini Vehicle]]s [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]], [[Seaspray (G1)|Seaspray]], and [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] are usually depicted as smaller than other Transformers in fiction, even though their alternate modes should have them towering over other characters. This often results in minuscule vehicle forms; Seaspray is a tiny hovercraft, despite being covered with doors and windows. (Conversely, if a new toy based on such a [[character]] is designed to be more in scale with other toys, such as [[Universe (2008 toyline)|2008 ''Universe'']] Ultra Class Powerglide or [[Transformers (2010 toyline)|2010 ''Transformers'']] Voyager Class [[Sea Spray]], some [[fandom|fans]] complain ''because they expect those new toys to reflect the original toys' sizes'' and, by extension, the [[show-accuracy|depiction in fiction]].)

[[Image:Hotrodpatrolcommercial.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Do you have change for four hot rods?]]
The [[Micromaster]]s are explicitly downsized Transformers, roughly the size of a human in the comics, meaning that they ''should'' have explicitly tiny vehicle modes... which wouldn't make for very convincing disguises. The Micromasters are about the same height in robot mode, but they transform into equally tiny cars, trucks, planes, tanks, and other vehicles that should be vastly different sizes.

Despite this, the Marvel comic featured [[Roadhandler (G1)|Roadhandler]] carrying a human passenger in his vehicle form, as though he were a full-sized car. The Dreamwave miniseries ''[[Micromasters]]'' suggested that the Micromasters were scaled down to interact more easily with "smaller beings". Whether that meant creatures of human scale or even smaller stature is never clarified, but the Micromasters' passenger compartments are presumably too small to accommodate human passengers.

The [[Mini-Con]]s of the [[Unicron Trilogy]] are another race of small robots who stand approximately the same height as humans and, like the Micromasters before them, are clearly modeled to carry passengers. Really teeny passengers. (Notable exceptions are [[Grindor (Armada)|Grindor]] (in his original body), [[Sureshock (Armada)|Sureshock]], and [[High Wire (Armada)|High Wire]], who become small one-man conveyances.) This results from the Mini-Cons scanning normal vehicles and then resizing them to fit, retaining now-useless passenger compartments. In the [[Cybertron (cartoon)|''Cybertron'' cartoon]], the [[Recon Mini-Con Team]] have slightly-larger-than-human robot modes, but their alternate modes are large enough for a single human passenger, implying either a little size-changing or that their cockpits are kinda cramped. Though the Recon Team all originate from Gigantion, and seeing how partnered Mini-Cons seem to change size to fit their larger companions, a little size shift to accomodate a passenger doesn't seem too far-fetched compared to other scale issues.

Likewise, the [[Beast Era]] Maximals and Predacons possess roughly human-size bodies; yet when portrayed as vehicles on Cybertron ("[[Dawn of Future's Past]]", the [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]] in ''[[Beast Machines (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]''), they feature seats and cockpits that, at their size, should be basically useless.

====Citybots====
[[Image:EarlyGalvatronTVMagazine1.jpg|left|200px|thumb|If you were ever this big in the cartoon, then we might call you a city.]]
[[Image:HeadmastersScale.jpg|right|200px|thumb|See above. Way, way, way above.]]
[[City-bot|A few characters]] have "city" alternate modes. As actual real-life cities can sprawl for many miles, a [[city-bot]] that can notionally house a population of humans, ''let alone'' Transformers, should have a robot-mode that'd make Godzilla look like a gecko. Suffice to say, almost no fiction even ''begins'' to approximate the logical size of a true "city-bot". In the American and Japanese cartoons, all four were shown as massive robots capable of housing many normal-sized Transformers. Even so, it would take something along the lines of the grossly undersized depictions of [[Unicron]] (see below) even to begin to represent reasonably the colossal size of a transformed city; so in the context of Transformers, "city" is perhaps better read as "building" or "fortress".

These city-bots often have "small" robots forming vital components. Scorponok has a "human-sized" being forming his head. [[Full-Tilt]], [[Six-Gun]], and [[Slammer]] must logically be building-sized in robot-mode to be in-scale with Trypticon and Metroplex, but, again, are not drawn as such.

The Marvel Generation 1 comic sidestepped this issue by depicting Trypticon, Fortress Maximus and Scorponok as merely "large-standard" characters. However, Metroplex, during his one, brief appearance, was depicted as being immensely larger, crushing Quintesson attack cruisers under foot without batting an eyelid. He was still considerably smaller than a city, however, but this was justified by him merely serving as the 'transformation core' for Autobot City: Earth, not the actual city itself.
{{-}}

====Planets and planetbots====
[[Image:Cybertronplanet.jpg|left|250px|thumb|If we're generous and assume Cybertron is only the size of Earth's moon, then the larger visible buildings are roughly the size of Massachusetts stood on end, and you could wedge France into that gash. (Which would probably improve both Cybertron and France.)]]
Scale when it comes to planets is so fraught it's painful. The problems of describing citybots as "cities" is a thousand times worse if [[Unicron]] is supposed to have a planet alternate mode, and [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] is in turn supposed to be of similar size. Though different stories have compared Cybertron/Primus and Unicron to drastically different real planets, the fact remains that they are ''planets'', and yet are shown in such insane scale to characters as to suggest they are the size of a ''very'' small moon (or [[Darth Vader|space station]]).

To start with, Cybertron was shown throughout ''Generation 1'' with buildings visible from space. Although this was intended to show that the planet was technological in nature, it makes little sense, as the structures would have to be the size of small ''nations'' to be visible. If the buildings were in fact supposed to be skyscrapers (or even ''2000 A.D.''-style arcologies) sized for 10 m (30') robots, Cybertron would still be less than 150km (100 miles) across. The rather [http://www.starwars.com/databank/location/coruscant/index.html Coruscant]-like shots of Cybertron in ''[[Beast Machines (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'' may be less distinctive or "Cybertronian", but are ''far'' more believable. (Some people reason that the Transformers' advanced technology, along with their large size and their not needing to breathe, means that buildings actually CAN be that big.) Notably, Cybertron in WfC looks more realistic in terms of scale.

Unicron is a more extreme problem. Assuming no [[size changing]] occurs during his transformation (and really, what possible reason would he have to become ''smaller''?), in robot mode he would be so massive that any shot featuring a recognizable ''part'' of his body, let alone the whole thing, would be on a scale such that no normal Transformer would even be visible. [[Image:UnicronEatsGalvyMmmm.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Either Galvy is humungo, or Lithone is tiiinyyy!!!]]Scenes in the [[The Transformers: The Movie|1986 movie]] in which he directly interacts with normal Cybertronians are blatantly absurd (though totally phat-looking). Shots such as the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] fleeing his grasping hand, a starship penetrating his eye, impaling [[Brainstorm]] on his fingernail, {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}} or ''especially'' him picking up Galvatron between his fingers before swallowing him, break any concept of "planetary" scale. Not to mention that he's described as a "''ginormous'' weird-lookin' planet," which would lead one to assume that he is ''significantly'' larger than your average-sized weird-lookin' planet. Thank you, [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]]. Thank you so much.

If Cybertron is the size of Earth's moon (and that's generous), and Unicron is about the size of Cybertron, his hands would be about the size of Europe and Galvatron (to the right) would be about the size of Denmark.

There is no explanation for any of this. Just go with it.

The depiction of Unicron's scale in ''[[Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'' was (debatably) a slight improvement, in that physical interaction with normal beings was not attempted. He preferred instead to communicate with normal Transformers by possessing one of them. {{storylink|Sideways (RID)|Sideways}} Nevertheless, shots featuring [[Thrust (Armada)|Thrust]] and [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] standing on his neck are still ''farcically'' out of scale.

As a side note, Unicron has been established in some continuities as having already devoured approximately 22.56% of known universes which is truly hilarious if one takes actual planetary/galactic scale into consideration. Assuming that Unicron is ''generously'' close to the size of our moon or the planet Mercury, when compared to other stellar bodies he begins to show up as an all but invisible speck. Imagine him trying to devour a star the size of [http://www.kiroastro.com/writings/perspective Betelgeuse]!

===Oversized alternate modes===
[[Image:RattrapLOVEScheetor.jpg|right|180px|thumb|I'm tellin' ya, all da rats in Brooklyn are dis big!]]
Much less common are instances of a Transformer turning into an overscaled real-world object. Most such instances occur in the ''Beast Wars'' era.

Although the Beast Warriors are consistent day-to-day in their relative size to each other, their scale in relation to their real-world animal equivalents is more complex. While the bug characters such as [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] and [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] are obviously scaled-up, other characters are more subtly not quite the right size.

[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] and [[Tigatron]] are shown standing next to real members of their species, and they are both the same size as the animals in question. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}} {{storylink|Law of the Jungle}} This makes them (and Cheetor in particular, since he's around more) the measuring sticks for the other characters. Therefore, [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] is a rather small rhinoceros, and [[Optimus Primal]] is a roughly normal (or female) gorilla. However [[Rattrap]] is a monstrously huge rat, the size of a Labrador dog (indeed, the writers stated that Season 1 Rattrap was 5' (1.5 m) tall<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/8227a6ca84c0238d Bob Forward gives Rattrap's height from the show bible]</ref>). Likewise [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] is considerably larger than a real velociraptor. [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], however, is a pitifully tiny specimen of a T. Rex. In their interactions with adult [[protohuman]]s, the Transformer characters seem between twice and three times their height. Considering our ancestors really were smaller than modern humans, this is not extremely wrong, but it deserves noting.

However, thanks to the scaling up of the arthropod characters, it is relatively safe to assume that the Transformers scanned only animal ''forms'' and then rescaled them to fit their own size, which is actually slightly more believable than all other series, in which the Transformers use mass shifting to make their alt modes the ''right'' size.

===Artistic license===
====Variation for characterization====
[[Image:Prime has a huge head.jpg|left|150px|thumb|With 20th Anniversary Prime and Smallest Transformers Bumblebee, you can actually recreate this scene.]]
Some scale problems are for the sake of characterization. For example, Optimus Prime is routinely shown as thoroughly gargantuan, several stories in height, and capable of cradling humans in his palm. If he's the size of a real truck, Prime in robot mode should be 8–10 m (25'–30') tall, at best. He's drawn large because he's a leader character.

Conversely, [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] is sometimes shown only a few feet taller than an average human, while in reality he would be 3–5 m (10'–15') tall (the Marvel comic actually states he's 15' tall {{storylink|Plight of the Bumblebee!}}). He's drawn small because he's a human-friendly character, and a junior member of the Autobots.

With fighter jet alternate modes, the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] should be among the largest everyday Transformers and would ''tower'' over their Autobot adversaries; instead, the animation depicts characters such as [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] and [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] as about the same height. Though jets are much larger than cars, they're drawn the same height so the battles appear fair. (And also to make it easier to animate; blocking a shot where characters differ radically in height is difficult.)

In a related vein, sometimes Transformers are able to enter human buildings, fitting through their doors and running up their staircases without crashing through. {{storylink|B.O.T. (episode)|B.O.T.}} A cast that couldn't enter buildings would be grossly inconvenient for telling some stories, so the animators fudge things.

{{-}}

====Intentionally strange scale====
[[Image:MarvelUS-01.jpg|right|200px|thumb|One side makes you larger, one side makes you small. (Op's been noshing on the first side too much.)]]
Sometimes artists draw a character at a different size [[Authorial intent|intentionally]]. For example, on the cover of the [[The Transformers (issue)|first issue]] of [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|the original ''Transformers'' comics series]], Optimus Prime is extremely huge compared to the highway, bridge, and normal cars. ([[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] is bigger than usual, too.) This is purely for dramatic effect.

Another notable example is the splash screen for the "[http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/TF/bible/index.html World of the TRANSFORMERS]" website, which depicts [[Optimus Primal]] (in his original gorilla body) as the same size as [[Optimus Prime (G1)|G1 Optimus Prime]] and [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Movie Optimus Prime]], directly contradicting the size difference seen in "[[Optimal Situation]]" and elsewhere (except for ''[[Robot Masters (franchise)|Robot Masters]]'').

Artwork for the [[:Image:VaderVsPrime.jpg|''Star Wars'']] subline features [[:Image:Megatronvsluke.jpg|humans from another galaxy]] standing at the same height as Transformers, although this is simply because most of the figures in [[Attacktix|the tabletop game advertised by this artwork]] are the same size.

[[Image:World of the Transformers ent.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Meet the Supreme class <s>[[Trukk not munky|Munky]]</s> Optimus Primal.]]
{{-}}

===The 2007 ''Transformers'' movie===
[[Image:Moviescale1.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Scale is absolutely not an issue in the movie. Riiight.]]
The creators of the [[Transformers (2007)|live-action movie]] took great pains to avoid out-of-scale issues. (Well, greater than previous franchises.) This is sometimes reflected in the choice of vehicle or the design of their robot mode. E.g., [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] is an extended-hood cab in order to have more mass with which to make a taller robot mode. [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s robot mode is nearly as wide as it is tall, with shorter, digitigrade legs, so the massive jet-former won't end up twice as tall as Optimus. In the case of [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]], his huge alternate mode simply results in a hulking, towering robot mode.

There are still minor scale issues to be found, though. For example, Optimus Prime can hold both [[Sam Witwicky|Sam]] and [[Mikaela Banes|Mikaela]] in one hand. Comparing this shot with when he picks up [[Archibald Witwicky]]'s glasses a few minutes later, it seems the glasses have lenses a foot (30cm) in diameter. This is a visual cheat so the glasses are visible to the audience. There's also debate about whether [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]]'s head could compact itself into a slim mobile phone. The [[Movie (toyline)|movie-franchise toys]], meanwhile, are only intermittently consistent (particularly since some of the secondary ones are redecos of toys from previous lines), with the largest contrast among the "primary" toys being between Deluxe Class [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]], a motorcycle, and Voyager Class Decepticons with helicopters as their [[Alternate mode|alternate modes]], such as [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] and [[Incinerator (Movie)|Incinerator]]. However, many of the wheeled vehicles are close to 1:35 scale, although Deluxe Class [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]] and Classic Camaro [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys|Bumblebee]] are ''obviously'' not the same scale. Even more oddly, the vehicle modes of Classic Camaro Bumblebee and Concept Camaro Bumblebee are not the same scale, yet their robot heads are the same size (albeit different sculpts).

[[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]] is another point of topic here. Whilst in the [[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|film]], they worked on keeping his size relative to those of his components, in the [[Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)|game]] he was far larger.

{{-}}

==Official scale guides ==
[[Image:Tfcartoonscaleguideic1.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Official Scale Guides of ''The Transformers'']]
[[Image:Beastwarsscalepreliminary.jpg|right|250px|thumb|''Beast Wars'' Season 1 scale guide]]
Animators and comic book artists received official scale guides showing relative and (in some cases) absolute heights. Some of these were published in the character model guides ''[[The Ark: A Complete Compendium of Character Designs|The Ark]]'' and ''[[The Ark II — A Compendium of Japanese Character Designs|The Ark II]].'' Though they were sometimes ignored, they still give insight into the official scale of characters in Generation 1. However, even here, there are problems. Devastator in the Season One scale guide was approximately 2.5 times the height of Optimus Prime, but by Season Two he was somewhat less than twice Prime's height.

''Beast Wars'' likewise had an official scale guide, which appeared as a bonus on the DVD set of Season 2. Despite this guide, the series writers have indicated some measure of disregard for relative scale, when it suited the needs of dramatic tension.<ref>[http://builtstlouis.net/tf/manic/m-botcon.html BotCon 98 report - see "ON THE SIZES OF CHARACTERS"]</ref> Thus, Optimal Optimus is ''ungodly'' tall in his first appearance, later reduced to perhaps two times the height of the rest of the cast.

[[Image:ROTF Autobot scale guide 1.jpg|thumb|right|''ROTF'' scale guide]]

''[[Revenge of the Fallen (franchise)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' had scale guides featured in the ''25 years of Transformers'' feature for the [[Revenge of the Fallen (film)/home video|DVD release]] which showed official heights for both the Autobots and the Decepticons. Meaning [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] gains an extra twelve feet when he wears [[Jetfire (ROTF)|a corpse]].

{{-}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/6db411e03e75a342?dmode=source Estimated "real-life" heights for several Transformers, derived from the size of their alt-modes, archived from alt.toys.transformers on groups.google.com]

[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Fandom]]
[[Category:Planets]]
[[Category:Technology]]
[[Category:Toys]]
[[Category:Things that don't exist]]

Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)

2011-01-23T05:50:15Z

208.102.39.218: /* Reception */

{{nav-wfc-game}}
{{videogame
|title=''Transformers: War for Cybertron''
|image=War_for_Cybertron_Next_Gen_Version_Cover_Art.jpg‎
|caption=It's like Gears of War, but you ''turn into'' the Centaur.
|developer=[[High Moon Studios]]
|publisher=[[Activision Blizzard|Activision]]
|date=[[June 22]], [[2010]]
|platform=PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 PC
|ratings=ESRB: T PEGI: 12
}}

'''''Transformers: War for Cybertron''''' is a video game developed by [[High Moon Studios]] and published by [[Activision Blizzard|Activision]], set before the Transformers take their war to [[Earth]]. [[Hasbro]] intends it to act as a foundation for ''[[Transformers brand|Transformers]]'' franchise storylines for years to come, and so they've been giving a lot of input and stressing character development.<ref name="tfw2005">[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/video-games-17/tfw2005-war-for-cybertron-interview-with-aaron-archer-and-matt-tieger-168910/ War for Cybertron interview with Aaron Archer and Matt Tieger @ TFW2005.com]</ref> The book ''[[Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron]]'' serves as a storyline lead-in to the events of the game, which itself in turn sets the stage for the upcoming [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|''Transformers: Prime'' cartoon series]].{{fact}}

The game itself is an over-the-shoulder third-person shooter in which the player can choose his character from a small roster of either Autobots or Decepticons. The game was released [[June 22]], [[2010]], for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC; however, the console versions were released at Sears stores on June 17th.

{{quote|One shall stand.|Optimus}}
:{{quote|One shall fall.|Megatron}}

==Synopsis==
[[Image:WarforCybertron-OptimusPrime.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Prime auditions for Unreal Tournament. There were no survivors.]]
Unlike previous ''Transformers'' video games which feature distinctly separate campaigns for the Autobots and the Decepticons (traditionally depicting the playable faction utterly defeating the other), ''War for Cybertron'' features a single, linear storyline; the Decepticon campaign occurs chronologically before the Autobot campaign, but [[Fandom|fans]] can play through them in whichever order they prefer.<ref>[http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/seibertron-qa-with-activision-makers-of-war-for-cybertron/17548/ Seibertron Q&A with Activision]</ref>

{{note|[[Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron]] was, naturally, promoted as being in the same continuity as the game. In practice, however, the two stories differ substantially on many details. The first fifteen chapters of Exodus chronicle the backstory of the war, with an interlude by Alpha Trion placed between them and the remaining of the thirty-nine chapters. Events akin to the War for Cybertron campaigns do take place in the second half of the novel, but the settings, details, and involved parties change in each case. Below, in italics, are brief descriptions of the parallel events that take place in Exodus.}}

===Decepticon Campaign===
'''Chapter I: Dark Energon'''
*Characters available: [[Brawl (Prime)|Brawl]], [[Barricade (Prime)|Barricade]], [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]

It is the waning days of the [[Great War (Prime)|Great War]] on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] before the Transformers come to Earth. [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]], genuinely believing a caste system will bring Cybertron back to its [[Golden Age]], is researching a dangerous power source known as [[Dark Energon]] to fuel his conquest of the planet. Megatron discovers that the factory that produces Dark Energon is guarded by a neutral army led by [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]], and he leads an attack on the station. After his ship crashes into the hull of the station, Megatron, [[Brawl (Prime)|Brawl]] and [[Barricade (Prime)|Barricade]] defeat Starscream's army and harness the power of the Dark Energon. Cornered, Starscream tells Megatron that he's the only one who knows how to make more of the energon and that he will help the Decepticon leader if Megatron takes him into his army. Megatron reluctantly agrees to this.

''In Exodus Chapters 18-19, Megatron laid claim to Trypticon Station and the Dark Energon contained within. By this point in the war, however, Starscream was already a full member of the Decepticon army. The Dark Energon was his trump card in case he ever chose to betray Megatron to the Autobots. The taking of Trypticon Station happened largely behind the scenes in the novel, without Starscream actively defending it -- Megatron took advantage of a rare absence of Starscream from the station to make it his own. He returned from an errand to find his loyal pack of Decepticons brutalized by Megatron's gladiators, and his power base usurped. ''

'''Chapter II: Fuel of War'''
*Characters available: Starscream, [[Thundercracker (Prime)|Thundercracker]], [[Skywarp (Prime)|Skywarp]]
*Boss: [[Cybertron's Sentinel]]
Megatron sends the [[seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] to reactivate the ancient [[Energon Bridge]] that will produce new Dark Energon. After fighting legions of Autobot defenders, they succeed.

''In Exodus Chapter 22, Starscream and his Seekers reactivate the Geosynchronous Energon Bridge to help Megatron conduct Energon from Cybertron's core to Trypticon Station. The events are basically the same as the game.''

'''Chapter III: [[Iacon (city-state)|Iacon]] Destroyed'''
*Characters available: Megatron, [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]], [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]]
*Boss: [[Sentinel Zeta Prime‎|Zeta Prime]]
With his new powers, Megatron takes the fight straight to the Autobot's capital city. While Starscream and Brawl lead the main attack on the city, Megatron takes Soundwave and Breakdown on a flanking attack to recover the Omega Key, which will allow him to access the core of the planet. Arriving at the key's holding place, the Decepticons learn that the Autobot leader Zeta Prime has taken it to keep it safe. The team regroup with Brawl and Starscream, and use Dark Energon bombers to eliminate the remaining Autobots before storming the building in which Zeta Prime is waiting. Megatron defeats the Autobot leader, stealing the Omega Key and punching a hole in his chest. Zeta reveals that the key Megatron has just stolen only activates the ''real'' Omega Key, and that soon '''it''' will find '''him'''. Suddenly [[Omega Supreme (Prime)|a huge ship awakens and takes off.]]

''In Exodus Chapters 24-27, Megatron led a group of Decepticons to capture the Code Key of Justice while Starscream acquired the Code Key of Power. Together, the two could access the Plasma Energy Chamber. He was confronted with Sentinel Prime at the end, but only because the Prime had been Starscream's prisoner up until that point, and the Seeker commander had released Sentinel to delay Megatron. After defeating Sentinel Prime in personal combat (no holographic death rooms), Megatron found the Key inside Sentinel's body. At that moment, Teletraan-1 reactivated Omega Supreme to protect the Plasma Energy Chamber from Megatron, at Starscream's secret behest.''

'''Chapter IV: Death of Hope'''
*Characters available: Megatron, Soundwave, Breakdown
*Boss: Omega Supreme (Vehicle mode)
An unknown amount of time later, Megatron is commanding his ship in search of the "Omega Key". The ship is suddenly attacked by Omega Supreme, who shoots them out of the sky, causing them to crash-land in Iacon. Megatron, Soundwave and Breakdown began a desperate retreat from Omega Supreme's attack and take cover in a large tower. Once inside, the group hear Starscream announce that Megatron is dead and that he is taking command of the Decepticons (surprise!). Enraged but unable to make any outside contact, Megatron leads his forces through the city, dodging attacks from Omega Supreme while searching for a way to fight him. Soundwave discovers that they can use some of the Autobot's anti-air and anti-infantry turrets on a tower roof against the massive Autobot. Along the way, the group makes contact with Starscream and corrects his mistake, using him to distract Omega Supreme. Once they reached the turrets, the group manages to shoot down Omega Supreme, causing him to crash to the ground below.

''In Exodus Chapters 27-28, Omega did nothing to pursue Megatron. Instead, he attempted to depart Cybertron altogether to keep the Plasma Energy Chamber inside him away from the Decepticons. Starscream and the Seekers shot down Omega in a brief aerial skirmish.''

'''Chapter V: The Final Guardian'''
*Characters available: Megatron, Soundwave, Breakdown
*Boss: Omega Supreme (Robot mode)
The Decepticons descend into the impact crater to loot Omega's remains, but he transforms into robot mode, unleashing his full barrage on the squad. Megatron manages to corrupt Omega with Dark Energon, using him to reach and corrupt the core of Cybertron with Dark Energon.

''In Exodus Chapter 29, Omega did not fight alone -- Optimus Prime and his top aides were present fighting alongside Omega Supreme at his crash site, until Megatron brought the Guardian low and ripped the Plasma Energy Chamber from within him. Because that was all he needed from Omega, the Guardian was not captured in Exodus, but left badly wounded for the Autobots to retrieve and repair.''

===Autobot Campaign===

'''Chapter VI: Defend Iacon'''
*Characters available: [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus]], [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]], [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]]
*Boss: Starscream
In a decimated Iacon, the young Autobot messenger Bumblebee is sent to tell the soldier Optimus that Zeta Prime is dead. Optimus decides to take temporary control of the Autobots, adopting Bumblebee into his team. The two of them and Ratchet kick off a counterattack to push out Decepticon forces. They manage to reactivate the planetary guns, clearing the skies over Iacon, and proceed to aid [[Ironhide (Prime)|Ironhide]] in reclaiming the Decagon, tangling with Starscream along the way. Entering the Decagon, Optimus receives a message from Zeta Prime, revealing that he is not yet dead but is being held in a prison in [[Kaon]].

''A direct conflict with Starscream like this did not take place at this point in the novel. Iacon was the last bastion of Autobot resistance for most of the novel, and did not need to be reclaimed. Furthermore, Sentinel Prime had been captured since the beginning of the war, so Optimus Prime had already accepted his role as leader.''

'''Chapter VII: Kaon Prison Break'''
*Characters available: Optimus, [[Sideswipe (Prime)|Sideswipe]], Bumblebee
*Boss: Soundwave
Optimus allows his team to be captured by the Decepticons and enter the prison. The three are just barely saved from a firing squad by [[Air Raid (Prime)|Air Raid]], but as they escape into the tunnels below, Air Raid is captured. The three Autobots sneak through the prison, rescuing Air Raid and releasing all the Autobot prisoners (including [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] and [[Jazz (Prime)|Jazz]]). Using the chaos as a distraction, the trio sneak to the high security bunker Zeta Prime is being held. When the Autobots try to save them, Soundwave attacks, sending out [[Frenzy (Prime)|Frenzy]], [[Rumble (Prime)|Rumble]], and [[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]]. The Autobots defeat them, but Soundwave manages to retreat. When Optimus tries to rescue Zeta, the Prime tells him that he is already dead and collapses. Optimus returns the body to the [[Autobot High Council]], who tell Optimus that he must accept that he is a Prime and take up his role as leader. Thus, he becomes Optimus Prime.

''In Exodus Chapter 32, Optimus Prime, Jazz and Prowl stormed Kaon to recover a dying Sentinel Prime. It did not involve being deliberately captured or a battle with Soundwave.''

'''Chapter VIII: To the Core'''
*Characters available: Optimus, [[Ironhide (Prime)|Ironhide]], [[Warpath (Prime)|Warpath]]
*Boss: Corrupted Space Slug
Optimus' first task as Prime is to cure the currently infected core. Heading to the entrance, where Omega Supreme is being held by the Decepticons, the three Autobots manage to free Omega, then call in Ratchet to repair him enough to open the Omega Gate. Thanks to the help of some [[space slug]]s, Prime, Warpath, and Ironhide defeat a corrupted space slug and reach the [[Primus|core]]. However, the core tells Optimus that, in order to repair itself, it will have to shut down for millions of years, forcing Optimus and the Autobots to evacuate Cybertron. Before the core shuts down, it gives Optimus the [[Matrix of Leadership]].

''In Exodus Chapter 33-34, Optimus Prime, Jetfire and Bumblebee traveled down to the Core, disconnected the corrupted Plasma Energy Chamber, and Optimus received the Matrix of Leadership. It was a largely unevented trek, as Megatron staged no troops around the Core and trusted the sheer intensity of the Dark Energon in that region to ward off any Autobots. Also, no space slugs.''

'''Chapter IX: Aerial Assault'''
*Characters available: [[Silverbolt (Prime)|Silverbolt]], [[Air Raid (Prime)|Air Raid]], [[Jetfire (Prime)|Jetfire]]
*Boss: [[Trypticon (Prime)|Trypticon]]
Returning to Iacon, Optimus Prime orders the launching of a full-scale evacuation of Cybertron's surface. However, as the transports leave the atmosphere, Megatron begins shooting them down with his <s>giant purple griffin</s> massive orbital space station. Optimus relizes the need to shut down the station, and sends a group of fliers to shut it down from the inside out. The team manages to blow up the power core, but Megatron taunts them as he activates a back-up generator. Then the station itself begins to mock them. Realizing the station is a Cybertronian, the team flies to find its conversion cog to force it into its robot mode before it can finish leveling Iacon, and Optimus with it. Succeeding, the Autobots race out of the quickly transforming space station as it reveals itself to be Trypticon. The Autobots shoot out the massive Decepticon's jetpack, causing it to hurtle towards the surface of the planet.

''In Exodus Chapter 36-37, Trypticon Station began firing on the Autobot fleet as it fled Cybertron. Optimus Prime and a crew aboard the ''Eight Track'' commandoed their way into Trypticon and blasted apart the station from within. The novel made a point of (mostly) treating Jetfire as the only Autobot Seeker, and so there were no Air Raid and Silverbolt to act as his wingmen for a flying assault. Also, Trypticon did not transform in freefall.''

'''Chapter X: One Shall Stand...'''
*Characters available: Optimus, Bumblebee, Ironhide
*Boss: Trypticon
All seems quiet as Optimus and others search the wreckage, but soon a very much alive and enraged Trypticon emerges to wage a long and difficult battle with the Autobots. After targeting key weaknesses, Optimus uses his axe to knock Trypticon off-balance, sending it plummeting into the liquid below. As the other transports escape the planet's dying surface Optimus shows his team their new ship - an [[Ark (Prime)|Ark]] that will allow them to take a piece of Cybertron with them, [[Earth|wherever their adventures may take them...]]

''In Exodus Chapter 38, Trypticon Station transformed after making planetfall. Optimus Prime and the core Autobots left Earth aboard the Ark, avoiding conflict with it. Instead, the Wreckers led by Ultra Magnus remained behind to confront the creature and cover the other Autobots' escape. Soul-crushingly, the battle between the Wreckers and Trypticon was not depicted and, instead of being destroyed, Trypticon transformed into the Nemesis to pursue the Ark through space.''

==Characters==
At the start of each level, the player can choose from one of three characters.

==Featured Characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Autobot]]s|c1=
*[[Optimus_Prime_(Prime)#War_for_Cybertron|Optimus Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]]) ([http://www.transformersgame.com/game#/game/characters/autobots/optimus Official Website profile]) ([http://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/12/11/transformers-war-for-cybertron-character-profile-optimus-prime.aspx GameInformer profile])
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] ([[Johnny Yong Bosch]]) <ref>[http://twitter.com/johnnyyongbosch/status/11686292590 Twitter post by Johnny Yong Bosch confirming his role as Bumblebee.]</ref> ([http://www.transformersgame.com/game#/game/characters/autobots/bumblebee Official Website profile])
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] ([[Fred Tatasciore]]) ([http://www.transformersgame.com/game#/game/characters/autobots/ratchet Official Website profile])
*[[Ironhide (Prime)|Ironhide]] ([[Keith Szarabajka]]) ([http://www.transformersgame.com/game#/game/characters/autobots/ironhide Official Website profile])
*[[Sideswipe (Prime)|Sideswipe]] ([[Travis Willingham]]) ([http://www.transformersgame.com/game#/game/characters/autobots/sideswipe Official Website profile])
*[[Jetfire (Prime)|Jetfire]] ([[Troy Baker]]) ([http://www.transformersgame.com/game#/game/characters/autobots/jetfire Official Website profile])
*[[Silverbolt (Prime)|Silverbolt]] ([[Patrick Seitz]]) ([http://www.transformersgame.com/game#/game/characters/autobots/silverbolt Official Website profile])
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] ([[Kari Wahlgren]])
*[[Air Raid (Prime)|Air Raid]] ([[Liam O'Brien]]) ([http://www.transformersgame.com/game#/game/characters/autobots/airraid Official Website profile])
*[[Warpath (Prime)|Warpath]] ([[Jamieson Price]]) ([http://www.transformersgame.com/game#/game/characters/autobots/warpath Official Website profile])
*[[Jazz (Prime)|Jazz]] (Best Buy preorder Multiplayer exclusive <ref>[http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp;?id=pcat17071&type=page&st=Transformers+War+for+Cybertron&sc=Global&nrp=15&usc=All+Categories Bestbuy.com preorder page featuring a special Jazz trailer]</ref>, Amazon.com preorder exclusive in UK, also available at Gamestation in UK (Playstation 3 only.) Downloadable content character)
*[[Scattershot (Prime)|Scattershot]] (Downloadable content character)
*[[Sentinel Zeta Prime‎|Zeta Prime]] ([[Troy Baker]]) (Downloadable content character)
|h2=[[Decepticon]]s|c2=
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (Fred Tatasciore) ([http://www.transformersgame.com/game#/game/characters/decepticons/megatron Official Website profile]) ([http://gameinformer.com/games/transformers_war_for_cybertron/b/xbox360/archive/2009/12/18/transformers-war-for-cybertron-character-profile-megatron.aspx GameInformer profile])
*[[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] ([[Sam Riegel]]) ([http://www.transformersgame.com/game#/game/characters/decepticons/starscream Official Website profile]) ([http://gameinformer.com/games/transformers_war_for_cybertron/b/xbox360/archive/2009/12/23/transformers-war-for-cybertron-character-profile-starscream.aspx GameInformer profile])
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] ([[Isaac C. Singleton Jr.]]) ([http://www.transformersgame.com/game#/game/characters/decepticons/soundwave Official Website profile])
*[[Thundercracker (Prime)|Thundercracker]] ([[Graham McTavish]]) ([http://www.transformersgame.com/game#/game/characters/decepticons/thundercracker Official Website profile])
*[[Skywarp (Prime)|Skywarp]] ([[Richard Epcar]]) ([http://www.transformersgame.com/game#/game/characters/decepticons/skywarp Official Website profile])
*[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] ([[Crispin Freeman]]) ([http://www.transformersgame.com/game#/game/characters/decepticons/breakdown Official Website profile])
*[[Brawl (Prime)|Brawl]] ([[Nolan North]]) ([http://www.transformersgame.com/game#/game/characters/decepticons/brawl Official Website profile])
*[[Barricade (Prime)|Barricade]] ([[Steve Blum]]) ([http://www.transformersgame.com/game#/game/characters/decepticons/barricade Official Website profile])
*[[Slipstream (Prime)|Slipstream]] ([[Jessica Straus]])
*[[Shockwave (Prime)|Shockwave]] (Gamestop preorder Multiplayer exclusive, Downloadable content character)
*[[Demolishor (Prime)|Demolishor]] (Amazon.com preorder Multiplayer exclusive <ref>[http://www.amazon.com/Transformers-War-Cybertron-Playstation-3/dp/B0030HM2WO Amazon.com preorder page featuring a special Demolishor trailer]</ref>, Play.com exclusive in UK, Downloadable content character)
*[[Onslaught (Prime)|Onslaught]] (Downloadable content character)
*[[Dead End (Prime)|Dead End]] (Downloadable content character)
|h3=Non-Player|c3=
'''Autobots'''
*[[Omega Supreme (Prime)|Omega Supreme]] (Fred Tatasciore)
'''Decepticons'''
*[[Trypticon (Prime)|Trypticon]] (Fred Tatasciore)
*[[Rumble (Prime)|Rumble]] ([[Keith Silverstein]])
*[[Frenzy (Prime)|Frenzy]] (Keith Silverstein)
*[[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]]
'''Other'''
*[[Scout (WFC)|Scouts]]
*[[Scientist (WFC)|Scientists]]
*[[Leader (WFC)|Leaders]]
*[[Soldier (WFC)|Soldiers]]
*[[Flier (WFC)|Fliers]]
*[[Sniper (WFC)|Snipers]]
*[[Cloaker (WFC)|Cloakers]]
*[[Brute (WFC)|Brutes]]
*[[Heavy Soldier]]s
*[[Destroyer (WFC)|Destroyers]]
*[[Spider]]s
|nonumbering=true
}}

==Multiplayer==

The multiplayer options make up a large portion of War for Cybertron's content. Hope you have a Gold account!

===Campaign===
The single-player campaigns can be played online, with players taking control of the other two allies that are usually just dumb A.I. If other players are participating, a tally of each participant's kills is kept. You know, for bragging rights.

===Escalation===
This cooperative mode puts several friends together against an unending horde of enemies. With each horde vanquished,tougher ones come in. The players can get points from killing enemies, and these points can be used to get new weapons, ammo, health, and to access new areas. Characters in Escalation mode are the same as those selected in Campaign (as well as bonus and DLC characters); custom multiplayer 'bots are not available here.

===Multiplayer===
This broad option is where you will be spending most of your hours after you beat Trypticon. Here, players can create their own Cybertronian combatant and pit them against the multitude of online [[Fandom|transfans]] and [[Coby|12-year-olds]] that will more than likely slaughter you. Custom characters can be leveled up by killing dudes in matches, with specific bonuses being given for specific actions. As they level up, more abilities become available.

;Characters
Characters are created from four different bases, each of which feature different weapons, abilities and alternate forms. They are:
*[[Scout (WFC)|Scout]] - Cars. Fast, usually cloakers.
*[[Scientist (WFC)|Scientist]] - Jets. Also fast, usually medics and buffers.
*[[Leader (WFC)|Leader]] - Trucks. Balanced, with emphasis on defense and ally-aid.
*[[Soldier (WFC)|Soldier]] - Tanks. Slow and powerful, with offensive abilities.

Initially, players are only able to create one of each class, but as they level up, more slots open for a maximum of three of each class. Names can be chosen for each, but don't get too excited about making the [[Fanon|Transformer you always dreamed of]]: bodies are limited to about three options per faction and look exactly like characters from single-player (for example, the Autobot Scout category lets you choose from Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Jazz or Arcee). And while you can pick your color scheme, the palettes are rather limited, especially for Decepticons. Downloading or unlocking additional characters will also make their chassis available for customizing.

;Playlists
Choosing a playlist will automatically send you into a lobby, where the service will do its best to form balanced teams (I.E., you hopefully won't see a team of level 25 leaders fighting one level zero Scout). The service will also select a random [[Map (WFC)|stage]], which players can veto. Finally, when the game begins, combatants select their character. If your scientist gets butchered too many times, you can pick a different character at any time during the match, and you will switch to it upon dying. Players also cannot pick a faction; the game does it automatically. Weapons can only be picked up from defeated enemies; ammo caches, overshields and energon are scattered throughout the stages.

Playlists include:
*'''Team deathmatch''': Kill 40 opponents to win. Games can range from four to sixteen players.
*'''Deathmatch''': Kill 20 opponents to win. It's a free-for-all.
*'''Conquest''': Capture and defend several "power nodes" until your team gets 400 points.
*'''Code of power''': Capture the flag. Team with highest score after two rounds wins.
*'''Countdown to extinction''': Plant the bomb in the enemy's base three times to win.
*'''Power struggle''': Control the active power node until you get 400 points.

Players can also set up private matches, where the game options and maps can be adjusted as you see fit, but they are invite-only. Hopefully, you've got a lot of online friends!

==Production==

As an early marketing campaign, the game's website included the feature "Operation Transmission Recovery": using transmission and coordinate dials, you could pick up "transmissions" from Cybertron (or "video clips" to you and me).

The art and design team did intense research (i.e. watched the original cartoon, looked at comics, and watched "typical sci-fi cool stuff" like ''Blade Runner'') to work out the aesthetic of Cybertron; lead artist [[Ivan Power]] remarked that the original cartoon was the main inspiration, and that Cybertron wasn't shown there so they had to rewatch the same few clips "over and over". While many of the city designs are elaborate and shiny, Decepticon [[Kaon]] was deliberately designed to be sharp-edged, rusting, and slapped together to show the Decepticons weren't interested in building a functioning society. <ref>[http://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/12/21/transformers-art-video.aspx Game Informer: Behind the Art of War for Cybertron]</ref>

[[Tyler Bates]] composed the score.

==Trophy/Achievement list==
When completing various goals and tasks during the campaigns and in online multi-player, the player can earn Trophies on PlayStation 3 and Achievements on the Xbox 360. There are 4 kinds of Trophies: Platinum is the highest, and is only unlocked after earning all the other trophies. It is followed by Gold, which include harder tasks and worth more experience. Then Silver, with less experience than Gold, and finally Bronze which represent easier tasks and worth the least experience. On the Xbox, each achievement has a Gamerscore (G) that adds to the player's total gamerscore, which is essentially the Xbox Live version of "Street Cred".

{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=5
| '''Achievement/Trophy name'''
| '''Achievement/Trophy description'''
| '''Gamerscore'''
| '''PS Trophy'''
|-
| [[A Prime Problem]]
| Complete "Defend Iacon" on any difficulty
| 10G
| Bronze
|-
| The Last Prime
| Complete "Kaon Prison Break" on any difficulty
| 10G
| Bronze
|-
| [[The Touch|You Got the Touch]]
| Complete "To the Core" on any difficulty
| 10G
| Bronze
|-
| [[The War Within]]
| Complete "Aerial Assault" on any difficulty
| 10G
| Bronze
|-
| The Harder They Fall
| Complete "One Shall Stand" on any difficulty
| 10G
| Bronze
|-
| [[Dark Awakening]]
| Complete "Dark Energon" on any difficulty
| 10G
| Bronze
|-
| Paging Ratchet
| Revive 5 Autobot soldiers in "Defend Iacon"
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| Beak Breaker
| Shoot the 3 hidden Laserbeaks in throughout "Kaon Prion Break"
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| [[Slugfest (G1)|Slugfest]]
| Save the slug before it is executed in "To the Core"
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] Performer
| Fly through the coolant tunnels in under 23 seconds in "Aerial Assault"
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| [[The Transformers: The Movie|First We Crack the Shell...]]
| Get smashed by Trypticon's hand as he falls into energon goo in "One Shall Stand"
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| Autobot Recruit
| Autobot Campaign Complete (Easy)
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| Autobot Commander
| Autobot Campaign Complete (Medium)
| 30G
| Silver
|-
| Autobot Prime
| Autobot Campaign Complete (Hard)
| 45G
| Silver
|-
| [[Starscream's Brigade]]
| Complete "Fuel of War" on any difficulty
| 10G
| Bronze
|-
| The Fall of Iacon
| Complete "Iacon Destroyed" on any difficulty
| 10G
| Bronze
|-
| [[The Secret of Omega Supreme]]
| Complete "Death of Hope" on any difficulty
| 10G
| Bronze
|-
| [[Mars (episode)#Quotes|Victory is]] [[Home Is Where the Spark Is|Mine]]
| Complete "The Final Guardian" on any difficulty
| 10G
| Bronze
|-
| Your Lucky Day
| Kill all but 1 of the neutral prisoners in "Dark Energon"
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| [[Thief in the Night]]
| Find and disable all of the security trip-wire switches in "Fuel of War"
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| [[Unicron|Chaos Bringer]]
| Destroy the planets in the Stellar Galleries in "Iacon Destroyed"
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]]!
| Race across the Chasm Bridge in under 33 seconds in "Death of Hope"
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]
| Destroy all cover in the arena in "The Final Guardian"
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| Decepticon Grunt
| Complete the Decepticon Campaign (Easy)
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| Decepticon Seeker
| Complete the Decepticon Campaign (Medium)
| 30G
| Silver
|-
| Decepticon Warlord
| Complete the Decepticon Campaign (Hard)
| 45G
| Silver
|-
| [['Til all are one|Till All Are One]]
| Complete both Campaigns (Any Difficulty)
| 30G
| Silver
|-
| [[Bruticus (G1)|Brute-a-kiss]]!
| Ignite a Brute's back 5 times in Campaign or Escalation
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| Footloose and Fancy Free
| Destroy a Jet Soldier's foot thrusters 5 time in Campaign or Escalation
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| That's No [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]]
| Headshot a Cloaker when it is invisible in Campaign or Escalation
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| [[Targetmaster]]!
| Kill two snipers in 5 seconds
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| There Are Parts Everywhere
| Multi-Kill 3 car soldiers at once using an explosive weapon in Campaign or Escalation
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blast-arachnia]]!
| Destroy 100 spider in Campaign or Escalation
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| [[Fire in the Sky]]
| Melee kill a Jet Vehicle in Campaign or Escalation
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| Friends to the End
| Complete a level in Co-Op
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| Unlikely Allies
| Complete a level in Competitive Co-Op
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| [[More than Meets the Eye (disambiguation)|More Than Meets the Eye]]
| Earn a 1st Place MVP award in any Multiplayer mode
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| You Got [[Spark]], Kid
| Reach level 5 in any single class in Multiplayer
| 5G
| Bronze
|-
| [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike's]] BFF
| Reach a combined class of level of 25 in Multiplayer
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| The [[Kup (G1)|Kup's]] Half Full
| Reach a combined class level of 50 in Multiplayer
| 25G
| Silver
|-
| Only the Strong Survive
| Reach a combined class level of 75 in Multiplayer
| 50G
| Silver
|-
| Top of the Scrap Heap
| Reach a combined class level of 100 in Multiplayer
| 75G
| Silver
|-
| [[Prime Directive]]
| Unlock Prime Mode
| 30G
| Silver
|-
| [[Powermaster]]!
| Spend 25,000 power in Escalation
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| [[Heavy Metal War]]
| Complete the 15th wave in Escalation
| 50G
| Gold
|-
| [[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] Would Be Proud
| Destroy all hidden Autobot symbols in the Decepticon Campaign
| 25G
| Silver
|-
| [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]], Smash!
| Destroy all hidden Decepticon symbols in the Autobot Campaign
| 25G
| Silver
|-
| [[Action Master]]
| Get 10 kills with a single detached turret in any mode
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| [[The Transformers: The Movie|Wait! I Still Function!]]
| Get 3 kills while downed in a Co-Op campaign or Escalation
| 30G
| Silver
|-
| [[Ramhorn (G1)|Ramhorn]]
| Ram-kill an enemy who is stunned by an EMP Grenade in Campaign or Multiplayer
| 15G
| Bronze
|-
| [[Vector Sigma]] Victory
| Unlock All Trophies
|
| Platinum
|-
|}

==Demo==
On [[June 10]], 2010, a demo for the game was released on Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo is multiplayer only, and only two of the four classes, Soldier and Scout, are playable. Only one "Create a Character" slot is open for each class, but customization for chassis is not available. Players can only level up to Level 3 in each class. The only map available is "Molten", and the two gametypes available are Team Deathmatch and Conquest.

==Reception==
The game has received many positive reviews from critics and fans alike. IGN has given the score 9/10 because of its "Great Presentation", "Fun Multiplayer", "Classy Fan Service", but subtracted from its score due to the "Repetitive Visuals".<ref>[http://ps3.ign.com/articles/110/1101052p1.html IGN's review of ''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' on the PS3, page 1]</ref><ref>[http://ps3.ign.com/articles/110/1101052p2.html IGN's review of ''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' on the PS3, page 2]</ref> GameRankings sums up the average score of numerous reviews with 79 points<ref>[http://www.gamerankings.com/ps3/981364-transformers-war-for-cybertron/index.html GameRankings' archive of reviews for PS3 version of ''War for Cybertron'']</ref>, Metacritic averages 77 points<ref>[http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/transformerswarforcybertron Reviews for the PS3 version of ''War for Cybertron'' at Metacritic]</ref>, and other scores include 85 from GameInformer <ref>[http://gameinformer.com/games/transformers_war_for_cybertron/b/ps3/archive/2010/06/22/review.aspx High Moon has the touch, from GameInformer]</ref>, B+ from 1UP.com<ref>[http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3180025&p=37&sec=REVIEWS 1up.com's review of ''War for Cybertron'' on PS3]</ref>, and 4 out of 5 stars from GamePro<ref>[http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/215618/transformers-war-for-cybertron/ Gamepro's review of ''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' on PS3]</ref>. The lowest, however, is 6.5 from Gamespot, citing the weaknesses: "Lack of visual and gameplay variety in the campaign, Paucity of ammunition, Boss fights are incredibly tedious, Friendly and enemy AI is poor, Transformations are integrated poorly with the core action".(however, it must be noted the debate over whether or not Gamespot actually plays the games they review)<ref>[http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/transformerswarforcybertron/review.html Gamespot's review of ''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' on the PS3]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.transformersgame.com/ Official site]

{{DEFAULTSORT:War for Cybertron}}
[[Category:Video games]]