you are so underated, this is super good video!

I’m a longtime Transformers fan but I was out of the loop around the Armada era. LOVED hearing your thoughts, this was fantastic!

Absolutely loved this game as a kid. Seeing the yellow glow in the distance was always so exciting, and the disappointment was so palpable when it turned out to be just a data disc.

I feel so privileged to say that it was the very first game I 100% as a kid. The first time you get to tidal wave especially for that time truly is the best.

I’m honestly still shocked on how good it’s aesthetic holds up today. I don’t even think ‘it looks dated’. It just looks fun with its animations and designs carrying the toy feel over.

From the gravity gun to fighting Tidal Wave to racing around in Hotshots car. This game was sooo good for its time period

I’ve never been a big Transformers guy, but I’ll be damned if your enthusiasm isn’t infectious as hell in this video. I could listen to you talk about Transformers for an endless amount of videos.

Didn’t know what to expect but I really appreciate your “toyetic” perspective on how you’ve experienced the game. It’s a great way of describing how I’ve felt about its unique movement for a long time. I’ve been actively speedrunning the game for almost 5 years, as way back in childhood I felt the magic of the movement and wanted to recapture that and see how far I could take it. “Toy like” is actually a great way to describe how the game feels, and I think most would agree, no matter how in tune with the physics you are. Since then I’ve never looked back and it’s my favourite game of all time. Thank you for this review :)

Did anyone play with Transformers toys back in the day? I loved the Armada toys, especially the chonky trucks and the strange Beast Wars repaints!

This is exactly the Transformers era I was into as a kid, from here to the first couple films. Didn't have a PS2 back then, so I'll definitely have to pick up a copy and give it a go now. Great video!

I poured an insane amount of time into this game back in the day! Would love to hear your thoughts about other Transformers games like WfC and Devastation,

oh my god... thank you!!! I cannot tell you how much it means to me knowing that my favorite game is getting the recognition it rightfully disserves! I'm a huge Transformers fan myself, and watching this really made my day... thank you for making this video! Transformers Armada: the Game, is and will always be my favorite game! ^v^

I remember after I gained sentience, this was the game that my brother, Dad and I would all gather around the tv to play. Looking at it now is nostalgic, yet I can’t even say I view this game through rose colored glasses. It was simply good.

Great video! Armada was my first Transformers and this game absolutely blew my mind as a kid. Also worth noting that the soundtrack absolutely slaps.

Nothing gives me more "rumamging through the toybox" vibes than playing a game which actively encourages you to change out your Autobot, switch up your Minicon loadout and use your skills to track down more guys for your toy collection.

I saw this game being featured in a magazine when I was a kid. I was a huge Armada fan and I was stoked to see that there was a video game where you could play as Optimus and the crew. I read that article so many times I still vividly remember how it looked and what it said. My folks were really strict when it came to us playing video games so a PS2 was impossible to get. I lamented on not being able to play my favorite shows game so all I had was that one magazine and my imagination wondering how it would play. Thanks for unlocking a core memory dude, gonna find this game and finally fulfill a childhood dream.

Still one of my favorite games of all time. I’ve beaten this game countless times throughout my childhood although it’s difficulty gave me an early life crisis at times, and always find time to revisit it when I can. One can appreciate the time you took reanalyzing the often delayed and frustratedly uncooperative movement system as more than just the clunky and demanding system that it is, but rather spinning it brilliantly as a sensational feeling because of that nostalgic sense that it illustrates from it having an authentic toylike aesthetic and functionality. Being present and going back to re-examine the game, the intricacies developed in the each playable character’s movements were unique to their design and represent every Transformers fan’s collective joy and satisfaction they earned from learning how to play with Transformers as a kid. This game was a fantasy and this video was so well made. Keep making content! 🫶🏻❤️

I remember playing this game. It was amazing. Sad you could only play as Hotshot, Red-Alert, and Optimus Prime. Although it's pretty easy to see how these guys clearly influenced the movie versions of Bumblebee, Ratchet, and Optimus Prime. Interestingly, the main villains, Starscream, Cyclonus, and Megatron, clearly influenced the movie versions of Starscream, Blackout, and Megatron. Anyway. I wish I could have this game back.

I think that fun, unique level design is something that really helps a transformers game. When you’re a transformer, you’ve got way more mobility, so you want to explore more. War for Cybertron’s levels left a lot to be desired with how dark and samey looking they were

This brings back so many great memories. I absolutely love this game even tried to recreate it in Unreal Engine, but it was a pretty big project so I put it on hold. Great videos btw

This was one of my favorite games when I was a kid. I only saw one brief commercial for it. But when I got it, I got many many many hours of playtime out of it. It was a REALLY fun game.

gooooooood this unlocked some very hidden memories of playing this as a kid

It's still my favorite transomformers game. I just can't shake that nostalgia. Me and my dad absolutely loved transformers, and this game was both our favorites.

To me that early 2000s was the first introduction to a lot of these properties. Especially TMNT 2003 holds a deep and beloved place in my heart. It is also actually a really good series up until fastforward.

I'm so happy I just saw this in my recommended, the moment I saw the thumbnail it was like a crack formed in a wall I made to forget this game, and the more I watched the more I just couldn't help but tear up. I had forgotten this game I had forgotten my first game after Diablo 2, and I forgot the game that probably gave me insomnia that I still suffer from to this day, this game I would play nonstop it was so fun and the reason why I put up that wall to forget it was cause I knew the moment I remembered it I would be right back in my childhood wanting to play it nonstop again. I always unintentionally lied about my first console game, or my favorite game I've ever played, and it's cause of that wall, this has always been my first and favorite console game. The only Transformers Games that held a candle to my joy playing this were the Cybertron games, but they never fully gave me the long term joy I had playing this game and everytime I saw that Atari load up logo I knew I was about to have fun and I eventually associated it with Transformers purely based on this game. I know this is a long comment and it might sound cringe or a little gushy, but I can't stress enough how happy I was to remember this game, and how that thumbnail made me NEED to click this cause I already knew what game it was. This is an amazing game and the best Transformers games, I genuinely think more games should look at how this game felt to play.

Like I've been saying for years, this game should be regarded as the golden standard of a good transformers game. I grew up on Armada and I remember seeing this game on a shelf a couple years after armada was over and was SUPER STOKED for it.

I’ve spent countless hours as a kid playing this game, this was an amazing transformers game

Day 1 TF fan here… While I wasn’t an Armada fan, this game was a *real* surprise… AWESOME. So much so, I never sold my copy; I have it to this day. Cheers! \m/, 😊 ,\m/

Yes. I have this and it's good. I had played the demo way back then. But I never had the chance to play it properly until recently, when I seriously started collecting for the PS2.

Just got the Legacy Evolution Armada Optimus, and for some reason, I felt nostalgic for the PS2 game, thus, I came across your video, great stuff bud!

Daaaaamn, I forgot about this game completely! I got this for my 10th birthday in 2004. I remember the starscream boss battle being so difficult and the first levels in the jungle was soo long but overall enjoyed it really well

It’s insane that some of the scenery in this PS2 game looks legitimately better than a lot of current games

This game was my favorite Transformers game growing up. The more 'realistic' ones were cool too, but this one just captured the awesome feeling of being a kid, playing giant robots that transformed!

Glad to see this classic gem get the treatment it deserves online

The soundtrack as well is so so good. BTW, so jealous of that armada collection..!

I remember this game and being really excited for it, one of the few that went past my expectations given it was a franchise tie in. I remember feeling weirded out with the control scheme initially, more so with the fire buttons being on the R buttons and yet that became the accepted scheme for all modern shooters now! I'm sure I have a copy of the game somewhere but if I were to play it now, I reckon the controls alone would be the thing that's aged like wine!

I actually have this game and a PS2. This video makes me want to play this again.

I remember seeing the Cardboard Cutout advertising the game at EBGames. I asked mom if I could have it. She said no. The game was rated T for Teen (I was ten) and the realistic render of Optimus Prime and his "ION Blaster" didn't help. I did get the 2007 Movie game. The missions were alright. Much like how you described in your video, the most fun I had was using the world as a sandbox and playing as various transformers in Sam's Suburbs or City levels, exploring to find the collectables like the 100 energon cubes. Sometimes I'd be friendly and blend in with the humans, driving around on the roads and highways. What if your cover is blown? Do you engage or do you run away and hide? And sometimes I destroyed the buildings. It's just a shame you can't choose which transformer you want to play as after beating each mission in a level.

Transformers was one of the most gorgeous games on PS2. And could be quite challenging too. The minicons giving you different abilities really gave you flexibility to find formidable loadouts. I still have a copy of this game.. I might have to break out the old PS2 and give it another whirl.

ahhh. i was15 back then. doing my gcses then and this game got me through. great times. awesome video mate.

It is a real good game. Played through it a bunch when it came out. Gave it a go little while back and got decimated on the first level. Might need to practice before I do a video on this. It's been on the list for ages.

I remember renting this from the video store. I had a great time!

Honestly, I love this game so much. Granted, for a long time, it was one of only 2 games I had on the PS2 but I spent so much time going through it. The environments are genuinely beautiful to see and the sound design is amazing, especially the snow crunching during the Antarctica level. I never watched the show until nearly ten years later (largely because when it aired, the only channel that we had that was airing it was Sky 1 who aired it at midnight) but you never feel put of the loop even not knowing the show. I genuinely feel that this game is one that could truly do well with a remaster, maybe clean up some of the more polygonal models, update some of the textures, add some options for lighting and effects and that's about it. The controls generally work well despite being unconventional at first so I wouldn't say they even need changing. I really hope that this game could be at least reissued on PlayStation plus and maybe even Gamepass. It would have been nice given that it's the anniversary of Armada this year

5:00 I love that you prove your enthusiasm for the Transformers franchise by showcasing your ridiculously rare Turbomasters. Very impressive.

MAN I REALLY WANT THIS GAME PLAYABLE 😭😭

This vid popped up on my recommended and I’m sold. Subscribed! I’ve been a Transformers fan all my life and this was a great watch. I’ve been trying to rewatch The Unicron Trilogy for a while now! This series is a soft spot for me too.

I was so upset i couldnt get this game as a kid, Armada was everything to me when i was young, and still holds a dear place there.

As a kid back then this game us to jumpscare me all the time, it felt really like your comandoing behind enemy lines. You think your alone then you hear mortar fire coming your way, an emp blast from the darkness of the jungle and those camo gorilla bots just bum rush you and fling you into a canyon

I played and finished this around spring break, and now I want to play it again.

Wow bringing back memories of a different time in my life. I remember loving this game and I’m pretty sure I still have it might have to dig it out and play it again after all this time.

0:20 "a level of consideration nobody would expect to what's basically a toy comercial" is a phrase that could be used to a lot of Transformers media tbh. WFC and FOC are other shining examples too.

yeah that game was really awesome. I loved gliding minicon cause it was extremely fun to revisit old stages and fly everywhere

When the G1 cartoon came out in 1984, I was 5, I was of the target audience for Transformers. When Armada came out, I bought into the Toyline and got this game as well. This game being a Tie-In game I wasn't expecting much, but turned out to be Awesome. I Would Absolutely Love to see this game Remastered!

One of my all time favorite games ever

I dunno how or why KZfaq recommended me this video, but I do thank you. I remember playing this on a PS2 demo disk way back in the day and I thought it was a fun time. Glad I got to see this in action after so long!

I loved this game as a kid… I always used the telekinetic weapon, picked up enemies and would throw them as far as I could… it was so much fun

I loved this game. I tried to play it again a few years ago and I got utterly destroyed. I have no idea how I managed to complete it back in my teen days.

man, I am so glad I have this game. I should replay it.

What a gem of a game, i still have my copy and a functioning fat PS2 (somehow). Armada was my introduction to Transformers so It holds a special place for me. Starscream was a hero, change my mind.

I loved growing up in the 90s-00s. We got TMNT, power rangers, transformers, even the star wars prequels!

This game was absolutely awesome. I was 25 when it came out and I played it with my jaw hanging open because of how fun it was. I remember one of my personal achievements was flying my character into the open bay door on one of the flying drop ships. The bay door closed with me inside and the drop ship flew around the level with me inside until it vanished and dropped me out. It was something you weren't supposed to be able to do, but I did it and felt like I had done something illegal lol. Silly I know, but a ton of fun.

can’t believe this only has 15k views, this is high quality content

This was my favorite game as a kid and it’s probably still there. I would spend hours playing with the ragdoll physics or exploring the levels. I thought games would never get better than this-in a way, I was right

Love the video, thank you for making it. I still have this game to this day and I feel like it doesn't get the love it deserves from the TF fandom.

Man I loved Transformers Armada and this game was an awesome bday gift from my bro in law, but damn does this game get hard!

This game is in desperate need of a remaster or at least a re-release Half my childhood is basically playing this game over and over with my brother

Bless you man, it’s so nice to see someone finally praise this game. I remembered when I first played it, I was legitimately surprised how fun and how faithful it was. I didn’t hollow Armada myself as Cybertron was my jam but you can tell who ever made this really loved that series. This to me kind of reminds me of a game like Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, a love letter to fans more than anything else. Between this and Devastation Tranformers genuinely has some great gems. Legit didn’t know this game was based on Armada, in the UK it was just called Transformers and there’s a nice directors cut version with some extras too.

This game was an underrated masterpiece. Armada is my favorite Transformers show.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron was the "playing with toys" for me. It was just so darn good as a video game by itself, and definitely the best Transformers game ever.

Wish I played this when I was younger dude. Entertaining video you’re mad underrated for the quality you’re putting out.

I'm an original 80s G1 nerd and didn't much care for Armada/Unicron Trilogy; however, this game rocked. It was so much fun and had a lot of replay value.

Armada is such an underrated aspect of transformers, it’s nice to see it’s been getting popular again.

Armada and Beast Wars are the series I watched as a kid, and this game is one of my all time favorites. Funny thing is, I got it by accident. I played one of the movie games at my cousin's house and I wanted that game. My dad got this one for me instead. It was so, so much better. I love the gameplay with the minicons, the level design and bosses, finding all the minicons and extras. I replay it from time to time.

Thank you for the info sir, I grew up a g1 fan in the 80s and never got into the armada series. You have peaked my interest now and will give it a try.

Awesome video review :) This game is a favorite of mine, if it wasn't obvious from the profile photo. Quite happy that a dedicated Discord community interested in this game sprung up over a decade after its release. Small correction, the game was released worldwide as Transformers, the Prelude to Energon subtitle was dropped prior to release for all regions.

Im glad I found this video. Thank you!

Now I understand why I never got really far in the game as kid. Good thing I still have the game and a PS2, that hopefully still works. I remember having so much fun with the game, so much I just bought the new Legacy Armada Optimus figure because of the nostalgia. I really have to play the game again with my "aduld gamer skills". Now I probably will finish more than the third level.

As a kid I remember using the ramps to launch myself into the dropships around the maps, I was so pleasantly surprised that the game let's me do that and actually used them to fly through levels.

I have so much nostalgia for this game. It was the subject of one of the first let's plays I had ever seen on KZfaq and it introduced me to Armada itself. Plus, it made me wanna go out and try the game myself! It might have even been my first exposure to ragdoll physics in games. Tragically I never had a PS2, but I did get to play War for Cybertron not too long afterwards. Would really love a remaster of all these some day...

When this game came out. Real ones knew how great it was. Good vid.

Honestly this game deserves a remaster

i remember loving the armada tv series as a kid, along with some of the toys

The one thing I clearly remember about this game is the insane difficulty spike when you got to Tidal Wave. And no one other than Optimus was viable. Even then, it took multiple attempts and was VERY frustrating.

I'm playing through this game again at the minute it's still awesome

This is one of the best games ever made. The one day I went out looking for a copy in a store in Toronto, and I found it, it was sitting behind the counter at the store. I asked the guy there if he had a copy and he was like "No we don't" without even thinking about it. I was like "isn't that it behind the counter there?" it was so weird It's SUCH a good game.

I was a huge fan of Transformers, and disappointed we never got a decent Transformers video game. I wasn't as much into Transformers Armada as I had been into G1/G2 and Beast Wars. I still decided to give the game a shot, and it blew my mind. It's so good, so much fun, and it still plays really well in 2023. As much as I liked War for Cybertron/Fall of Cybertron on Xbox 360/PS3, and Devastation on Xbone and PS4, none of them are as fun as this one. The best thing about it is the sense of freedom you have, even though it's a stage based game. The other games generally are very linear and give you these set piece battles that don't give you the freedom to roam around the rest of the stage. This game doesn't do that, and I think it actually makes the vehicle modes so much more fun and more useful. I love racing around the first stage. Exploring the stages is just so much fun. And when an enemy gets in the way and I'm not in the mood for a fight, I just drive away. Even though it's not a Generation 1 game, I think if you ignore the Armada character designs and the fact that the mini-con was a very Armada-specific gimmick, it actually captures the spirit of the G1 cartoon better than just about any other Transformers game. I'd love another Transformers game in this style. As a G1 fan mainly, I'd love a game that's a spiritual sequel to this game in terms of gameplay, but using G1 lore and character designs. Give it cooperarive multi-player, and you've basically got the game I dreamed of playing as a kid. But even if it got an Armada/Unicorn trilogy based sequel, I'd still be all-in. It's one of my top 5 PS2 games. A solid 8.5/10. So, SO much fun!

The Atmosphere are pretty insane for a Transformers game

These videos are so professionally made. You deserve so much more views

I remember developers used to make games just to be fun and enjoyment

This is why I bought it on ps2 again. I also bought the naval commander remake of the Optimus toy. I’m happy I got it. Now with the armada toys being re released again I’m getting those as well.

I played the 2007 game based on the Michael bay film, and totally slept on this game. Now i need to find a copy

The anime era of transformers was honestly peak

I really enjoyed this game, the last island mission was so memorable and level exploration at that time was refreshing. I remember swapping between This and metal arms: glitch in the system, a remaster for both these games would've been incredible.

Great video, this is still 1 of my fave games on the PS2, so much so own the standard edition & the UK exclusive Directors Cut

This was My first and only transformers game i played , it is so damn good , this video fills me with nostalgia

I loved this game so much. I always played it at my grandmas house because she bought a PS2 just for me to play there. She passed away and now this game means even more to me now than it did when I was a kid with my Optimus Prime toy next to me while mashing buttons in the guest room of me grandmas house.

I had the Unicron toy when I was a kid and it was super cool but also it was the most complex when it came to transforming him compared to my other Armada toys. He mainly stayed in robot form. Also figured out how to do the extra stuff without Minicons because losing them was super easy for 6 year old me.

Tidal Wave is one of the coolest boss concepts in any game.

Tidal Wave’s silhouette looming over you while walking towards you will never not be menacing. If only he were as huge in the rest of the Armada cartoon instead of being marginally taller than Megatron.

Omg this game was my favorites game from ps2. I'd love to play it as a adult.