Transformers Wiki

#DidYouKnow that Chase the Police-Bot has worked with a human of uncertain name? Whether this guy’s called Jack Tracker, Billy Blastoff, or just Hunter, he’s a reliable ally all the same!

tfwiki.net/wiki/Jack_Tr...

Finish him! The final part of our Beast Wars fighting game retrospective has been posted!

Supreme victory! The final part of our Beast Wars fighting game retrospective has been posted!

As always, hit that follow button if you want to see even more facts and trivia from throughout Transformers' 40+ year history! But until then…YOU'RE ALL FREE NOW! #Evo #Evo2025

And of course, there's also our Friday look back at Kettō Beast Wars for GBC, a lesser known Japan exclusive that's very much worth playing!

Thanks for reading! If you missed it yesterday, we also did a deep dive on the N64 version of Transmetals, including the interesting ways its Japanese and English releases differ!

Screen capture from Transformers: Forged to Fight. Generation 1 Sideswipe engages in battle with Dark of the Moon Bumblebee.

Screen capture from Transformers Battle Universe. Generation 1 Starscream and movie Bumblebee prepare to face off on the title screen.

Screen capture from the Transformers Animated episode "Where is Thy Sting?". Bumblebee sits on the couch playing the fighting game "Ninja Gladiator".

And that's all the Beast Wars fighting games! Sadly, Transformers has been starved for new fighters in the 25+ years since, outside of some edge cases like Forged to Fight on mobile and Battle Universe on the Net Jet. But who knows what the future holds...?

(Money match me in Ninja Gladiator.)

Screen capture from the PS1 version of Beast Wars Transmetals. In a story mode cutscene, Optimus Primal sits exhausted as he is surrounded by the Predacons.

Overall, PS1 Transmetals isn't too bad. Definitely wins out over its N64 counterpart, but it doesn't quite reach the same highs as a good round of Kettō Beast Wars. Still, it's an interesting curiosity, and worth trying out if you can. Maybe look up those cutscenes on YouTube at the very least.

Screen capture from the PS1 version of Beast Wars Transmetals. A cutscene frame of Rattrap in beast mode, with his tech specs next to him.

Screen capture from the PS1 version of Beast Wars Transmetals. A photograph from the in game gallery of the Transmetal Rhinox figure in vehicle mode.

Playing the different modes in PS1 Transmetals for long enough unlocks entries in an in-game gallery. This mostly just consists of the game's cutscenes, voice samples, and some stills from the show's third season, but it also includes a bunch of Beast Wars toy photos!

Screen capture from the PS1 version of Beast Wars Transmetals. The Vs. Mode character select screen, featuring from left to right and top to bottom: Optimus Primal, Cheetor, Tarantulas, Megatron, Rattrap, Silverbolt, Quickstrike, and Rampage. Four question mark spots appear above them to represent the four secret characters: Tigatron, Windrazor, Blackarachnia, and Ravage.

Screen capture from the PS1 version of Beast Wars Transmetals. A close-up of the secret character Windrazor.

The English version also has four secret characters, including the rarely seen Silverbolt lookalike, Windrazor! @crishtang.bsky.social, who worked on Transmetals' localization, got the idea to add him after getting his hands on Windrazor's toy at BotCon 1999. He even provided the character's voice!

Screen capture from the PS1 version of Beast Wars Transmetals. Tarantulas fires on Rattrap in the Maximal Base stage.

Screen capture from the PS1 version of Beast Wars Transmetals. Megatron unleashes his explosive super attack on Optimus Primal in the desert stage.

PS1 Transmetals plays kind of like Power Stone. Top down perspective, a focus on verticality, unique stages with hazards, the pieces are all basically there. Dealing and taking damage also fills your super meter, which gives you more frequent supers the less health you have left!

Screen capture from the PS1 version of Beast Wars Transmetals. In a story mode cutscene, Optimus Primal points to a screen displaying an image of the Golden Disc.

Screen capture from the PS1 version of Beast Wars Transmetals. In a story mode cutscene, Tarantulas gloats at a computer screen, observed by Rampage, Megatron, and Quickstrike.

Screen capture from the PS1 version of Beast Wars Transmetals. The player selects from the available fields on the story mode map, one of which has already been cleared.

PS1 Transmetals actually has a story mode with campaigns for both factions, map based progression, and even some CG cutscenes! Granted, both stories can be summed up as "One side lures the other out of their base, then chases them back to their base to finish them"...but it's still cool it's there!

Company logo for Wavedge.

PS1 Transmetals isn't actually based on the N64 game. It was developed by WAVEDGE, a short-lived studio known for making games based on other Takara IP like Microman and Beyblade, doing graphics and animation work on some Super Robot Wars games, and having one of the coolest names we've ever heard.

Cover art for the PS1 version of Beast Wars Transmetals.

It's #Evo2025 Grand Finals day, so let's cap off our Beast Wars fighting game retrospective with the PlayStation version of Beast Wars Transmetals, released in Japan in December 1999 (as "Beast Wars Metals: Gekitotsu! Gangan Battle") and North America in July 2000. 🧵
tfwiki.net/wiki/Transfo...

"Superion is five Autobots put together. Think about the last time you and your friends tried to agree on pizza toppings, then make it way more complicated."

tfwiki.net/wiki/The_Mig... #WeekendTFQuote

Let's run it back! The second part of our Beast Wars fighting game retrospective is up!

Thanks for reading! In case you missed it yesterday, don't forget to check out our retrospective look at Kettō Beast Wars for Game Boy Color! And as always, make sure to follow us for more trivia and fun facts that are more than meets the eye!

Photograph of a hand holding up a black PlayStation disc.

We've still got one last game to go, though, so come back tomorrow for the FINAL ROUND, as the Maximals and Predacons harness the power of a black disc instead of a golden one…

Screen capture from the N64 version of Beast Wars Transmetals. Cheetor hunches on the ground in defeat, with the text "You Lose".

Price charting data for the N64 version of Beast Wars Transmetals, according to pricecharting.com. As of July 2025, the game was being sold for $87.87 loose, $622.54 complete in box, and $1930.00 new.

Unfortunately, Transmetals on N64 was NOT well received. The bland environments and awkward mechanics, worsened by the English version's smaller battlefields, caused it to get trashed in reviews. These days, the thing the game is most known for is its asking price on the collector's market. YIKES!

Screen capture from the Japanese N64 version of Beast Wars Transmetals. The K.O. screen is displayed before the timer has even started, as Optimus Primal began the battle against Rattrap with zero HP.

That isn't Japanese N64 Transmetals' only Transfer Pak feature, though. Your default health and meter capacity change based on the connected Game Boy game...though some will actually set them LOWER than normal, and a few might even start you with NO health, making you instantly lose!

Photograph of the Nintendo 64 Transfer Pak.

Screen capture from the N64 version of Beast Wars Transmetals. An excerpt from Megatron X's ending. Text reads "...possessed by the power of the original Megatron, the Predacon Commander launched a last decisive strike against the Maximals. Optimus Primal was destroyed, and...

One feature stayed Japanese-exclusive, though: Transfer Pak support. Popping Kettō Beast Wars into the accessory unlocks Transmetals' secret boss, Megatron X, as a playable character. But you can access him in the English version too using a cheat device; he even has his own arcade ending!

Screen capture from the N64 version of Beast Wars Transmetals. Tigatron and Waspinator run from explosions in the "Escape Race 100" minigame.

Screen capture from the N64 version of Beast Wars Transmetals. Starscream and Rattrap draw their weapons in the "Sunset Showdown" minigame.

Screen capture from the N64 version of Beast Wars Transmetals. Rattrap and Blackarachnia run to retrieve discs in the "Disc Hunter" minigame.

Screen capture from the Japanese N64 version of Beast Wars Transmetals. Terrorsaur flees from Tarantulas, able to move much further away than in the English release.

Some pretty huge changes were made when Transmetals was brought stateside. The English version adds 4 secret fighters, endings for arcade mode, and unlocks all bonus content from the start, but shrinks the arena's size significantly. (A last-minute change made without telling the localization team!)

Screen capture from the N64 version of Beast Wars Transmetals. Ravage in vehicle mode evades fire from Blackarachnia in robot mode.

N64 Transmetals is a one-on-one arena fighter, and lets you change between robot, vehicle, or beast mode. Each mode has pros and cons: for example, robot mode is the strongest, but Energon radiation will eventually force you to switch to beast mode for a while, just like in the show's first season.

Screen capture from the N64 version of Beast Wars Transmetals. The character select screen, featuring from left to right, Optimus Primal, Rattrap, Cheetor, Airrazor, Megatron, Tarantulas, Waspinator, and Terrorsaur.

Transmetals' story actually starts during the Beast Wars series finale! While being taken back to Cybertron, Megatron sends a message to his past self, warning him of his own defeat. This alters history, including Airazor, Waspinator, and a now-surviving Terrorsaur getting new Transmetal upgrades!

Company logo for Locomotive.

Cover art for Transformers: Mystery of Convoy.

Transmetals was developed by Locomotive, the company behind games like Aero Gauge, Penny Racers, and the StarTropics series. Fun fact, the studio was founded by Hiroshi Okamoto, who worked on the infamous Famicom game Transformers: Mystery of Convoy!

Cover art for the N64 version of Beast Wars Transmetals.

Round 2, FIGHT! #Evo2025 continues, as does our Beast Wars fighting game retrospective with Beast Wars Transmetals for Nintendo 64, released in Japan in October 1999 (as "Beast Wars Metals 64") and North America in July 2000, exclusively as a Blockbuster rental. 🧵
tfwiki.net/wiki/Transfo...

Photograph of a hand holding a Nintendo 64 cartridge.

But this is only Round 1! Join us tomorrow as the Beast Warriors' battles enter the third dimension to rewrite history...

Thanks as always for reading! Make sure you follow us for more facts, trivia, and all sorts of other fun looks at the history of Transformers!

Screen capture from Kettō Beast Wars. The match victory screen for Optimus Primal, with Optimus Primal posing and saying (in Japanese) "I won't lose". His match victory quote roughly translates to "I'll destroy those Predacon thugs!"

All told, Kettō Beast Wars is actually a bit of a hidden gem. Maybe not as refined as the arcade classics that inspired it, but next to its Game Boy contemporaries, it stands out as a surprisingly solid effort. If you enjoy fighting games, seek this one out sometime.

Screen capture from Kettō Beast Wars. The title screen, surrounded by a Super Game Boy exclusive border of Lio Convoy and Galvatron.

Screen capture from Kettō Beast Wars. Starscream shoots down alien bacteria in the "Fight! Beast" minigame.

Screen capture from Kettō Beast Wars. A printable manga panel with empty word bubbles, depicting Optimus Primal speaking with a surprised Cheetor.

Screen capture from Kettō Beast Wars. Three Optimus Primals perform the "Gorilla's Butt Pura" dance.

Playing Kettō Beast Wars on the Super Game Boy enables enhanced sound effects and lets you and a buddy play multiplayer on the TV! The game also has plenty of unlockables, including multiple minigames, Game Boy Printer stickers, and... a secret screen of Optimus Primal shaking his groove thang?

Screen capture from Kettō Beast Wars. Optimus Primal activates his Super Special Move against Megastorm.

Kettō Beast Wars clearly uses the previous Nettō games as a base and features similar mechanics, including super special moves usable only at low health like in Fatal Fury, and the ability to have three character team battles like KOF. Every character has different moves in beast and robot mode.