Transformers: Call of the Future was a Transformers video game developed by WinkySoft and released on the PlayStation 2 exclusively in Japan by Takara in 2003. The game follows the continuity of the Generation 1 cartoon.
The game starts with the player choosing between playing as Autobots or Decepticons and deals with a story where the Decepticon Shockwave becomes all-powerful and ends up destroying Cybertron after obtaining the Zel Quartz, resulting in Rodimus Prime, Kup and Arcee going back in time to help the Autobots find the Zel Quartz before Shockwave does as well as Galvatron, Cyclonus and Scourge doing the same for the Decepticons.
For the video game tie-in to Transformers: Armada, see Transformers (2004).
Tropes:
- Adaptational Wimp: The combiners are hit with this, but the biggest victim is Trypticon. At actual size, Trypticon would be so gigantic the player characters wouldn't even reach the top of his feet; here he's roughly the size of the combiners (and closer to his size in the Marvel Comics).
- And I Must Scream: After taking the Zel Quartz for himself in the game's ending, Starscream ends up drifting in space forever because he runs out of fuel and the Zel Quartz loses its power when leaving its planet's surface.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Some boss fights are against combiners (specifically Raiden, Predaking and Computron), while an under-sized Trypticon also appears as a boss. For reference, Trypticon is typically depicted as being so huge a combiner barely reaches his calves.
- Big "NO!": Starscream shouts one in the final scene of the game, when he is left drifting through space without power after the Zel Quart loses its power.
- Call-Forward: Cyclonus gets annoyed by Starscream at one point, but let's it slide because he's well aware of Starscream's destiny: to be atomised by Galvatron and winding up as, as he puts it, "a pathetic ghost".
- Canon Discontinuity: Despite the large amount of fanwank, when Takara released a comprehensive Generation 1 timeline the events of this game were not included. Part of the reason for this might be explained by Continuity Snarl below.
- Canon Foreigner: This game introduces an evil clone of Hot Rod named Dark Hot Rod who is unlocked in the second playthrough...but doesn't really have information about where he came from.
- Continuity Nod: The single biggest good thing about this game is the sheer amount of fanwank. There are numerous callbacks to the Generation 1 cartoon, such as Megatron recalling several of Wheeljack's dangerous weapons or Jazz mentioning the time he (and some of the other Autobots) surfed a tidal wave.
- Cyclonus mentions a few events from the third season of the cartoon, mainly the time he tried to get Galvatron some psychiatric help and the fate of Starscream.
- Continuity Snarl: Several characters from Transformers: ★Headmasters appear in the game (Chromedome, Hardhead, Highbrow, Brainstorm, Skullcruncher, Weirdwolf, Mindwipe, Sixshot and Raiden, to be exact), but they're treated as being members of the "present" Autobot and Decepticon forces. It was a plot point in The Headmasters that the Decepticon Headmasters joined Galvatron just before the series began, and the Autobot Headmasters arrived to aid the Autobots in the first episode.
- Dual Boss: There are some boss fights where you're fighting two opponents at once, most notably the final boss fight, which will consist of either Optimus Prime and Rodimus Prime or Megatron and Galvatron depending on whether you're playing as Decepticons or Autobots.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Cyclonus, Skullcruncher, Apeface and Sixshot have deep, snarling voices.
- Final Boss: The final boss fight is a Dual Boss, consisting of Optimus Prime and Rodimus Prime in Decepticon mode and Megatron and Galvatron in Autobot mode.
- Invisible Wall: Lampshaded in the first stage where the Autobots or Decepticons run into one of these while making their way to the Autobots' rocket. Optimus/Megatron pounds on it a few times and wonders if the opposite side set it up. Cue Dirge/Ironhide appearing with the former in the Autobots' campaign confirming the Decepticons did. Once the boss is beaten, Optimus/Megatron realizes that the walls disappear each time they beat some enemies.
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Licensed Game: This is a video game tie-in to the 1980's The Transformers cartoon. - Meaningless Villain Victory: The Decepticons' version of the story has the Decepticons defeat every Autobot in their way, but their victory in securing the Zel Quartz is ruined by Galvatron, Scourge and Cyclonus disappearing due to preventing their future from transpiring and the Zel Quartz being rendered powerless by Starscream taking it out into space without putting it inside his body first.
- Me's a Crowd: The boss fight with Sixshot involves him creating duplicates of himself (an ability of his from The Headmasters).
- My Future Self and Me:
- Both storylines involve Megatron working with Galvatron, his future self upgraded by Unicron in The Transformers: The Movie.
- One of the final boss fights in Autobot mode consists of fighting Full-Tilt, Soundwave and Soundwave's upgraded self Soundblaster from Transformers: ★Headmasters all at once.
- Averted with Hot Rod, who while playable doesn't interact with the future Autobots at all.
- New Game Plus: The game can be replayed after clearing a save file for either side. This allows the player to get the rest of the characters and also replaces the Valley 2 boss with four Optimus Clones or four Megatron Clones unleashed on the team by Megatron or Wheeljack. The future Autobots and Decepticons are also treated as part of their respective teams when they show up and their message is now replaced by a message capsule from the Quintessions talking about a rare jewel called the Zel Quartz on the planet.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain:
- In one cutscene for the Decepticons, Megatron and Galvatron argue over which one of them is to blame for failing to find the Zel Quartz and nearly start a fight that will kill each other. While the other Decepticons panic, Starscream tries to egg both of them on so he can take leadership for himself, only to accidentally remind them both that they are technically the same person, and no matter who wins they would both be doomed. While all the other Decepticons think this was Starscream's true intention and praise him for his quick thinking, he silently curses to himself in anger.
- In both campaigns, Starscream steals the Zel Quartz for himself and takes it off the planet to install it in himself where he can't be interrupted. However, he doesn't know taking it off the planet renders it powerless, which means it is useless to everyone and fixes the Bad Future the future Transformers come from.
- Ninja: Sixshot.
- The Starscream: Considering the Trope Namer is part of the cast...
- The future Decepticons and Autobots reveal Shockwave becomes this due to Galvatron's abusive leadership, causing the calamity that forced the factions to go back in time in a desperate attempt to stop him.
- The Stinger: After the end credits of either playthrough, we're shown what happened to Starscream after he made off with the Zel Quartz.
- Warm-Up Boss: Dirge/Ironhide and their Mooks, mostly to show the player how to fight.
- We ARE Struggling Together: Both Autobots and Decepticons have a bit of friction with their future counterparts. While Optimus and Rodimus get along well (thanks to Rodimus being grateful to actually get advice from his predecessor), Megatron and Galvatron butt heads over who is in charge more than once.
- Likewise, Cyclonus at one point threatens Soundwave into accepting blame if a lead for the Zel Quartz doesn't pan out. Soundwave agrees, but takes his revenge during the debriefing by playing back the conversation... including when Cyclonus insults Megatron. A furious Megatron proceeds to beat the living daylights out of Cyclonus while Galvatron laughs heartily.
- What the Hell, Hero?: At one point of the Autobot story, they enter a gem mine to recover a gigantic gem they suspect might be the Zel Quartz. Rodimus gets hit with this trope by Arcee when he tries to present her with a gem he picked up during the mission. She angrily points out he just stole something from the rightful owners. A more understanding Optimus just gets him to return it, since the Autobots also have to return the gigantic gem anyway.
