How a slightly wonky Transformers show gave us a proper videogame classic

Hello! Just to say: yes, Graeme wrote a lovely retrospective of this game almost a decade ago and it's a terrific read. But with the game on people's minds again it felt like a welcome opportunity to revisit a real PS2 legend.

Did you know that Transformers will be 40 years old next year? Yep, the long running franchise that started life as a (blindingly successful) attempt to sell Japanese robot toys to American kids is almost as old as me. Being a fan of something for that long, especially when it's never really taken a break, can be a bit weird, as one day you'll suddenly realise that the bits that you remember being new-fangled upstarts are now old enough to vote and have kids and stuff. Y'know, if they were people and not cartoons and toys and whatnot.

Transformers Armada is one of those things. Released in 2002, the cartoon and accompanying toyline kicked off what has become known as the Unicron Trilogy, and is a bit of a mixed bag. The show was absolute bobbins, even before taking into account a lot of jank caused by production problems. Although there were some great toys, many were hampered by assorted gimmicks, resulting in limited articulation and transformation in order to allow for wee-woo noises, flashing lights and spring-loaded flaps.

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