By Nick Eskey
Hasbro Entertainment, responsible for many of our favorite childhood toys, treated us press folk to a delicious breakfast accompanied by, of course, toys! Held at Café Sevilla in San Diego’s Gaslamp, the toy breakfast had not only a nice selection of food (yes, be jealous), but some great looking merchandise.
Across the bar, there is a collection of some of Hasbro’s most sought after Comic–Con exclusives: a neon green “Transformers Generations Devastator” Combiner Wars set; the quick switch “Jem” doll; the “Pinkie Pie – My Little Pony” complete with chicken costume and “bucket of chicken” packaging; “G.I. Joe anniversary box set” with dvds, characters “A.V.A.C., Alley Viper Officer, Ralph, and Grunt,” as well as Cobra Scythe and G.I. Joe Chimera machines; “Cybertron High” Transformers box set; “Magic the Gathering Origins Planeswalker Anthology” players box set; “Marvel’s Ant-Man” action figure boxed set with miniature Ant-Man figurines; and a “Storm Trooper – First Order” boxed set with figure and book. All of these toys are limited editions to the convention and are on many a con-goer’s want list (I know someone that would stab for the Jem doll).
Set at one station, Hasbro has trays of what look like hacked up dinosaur pieces. They are actually from Hasbro’s popular “Mashems” toy line, where kids and adults can pick and choose their parts and create uniquely fun characters and creatures. For their third line of the series they have “Jurassic,” going with the DNA splicing theme from the books and movies. If you have any of their previous Transformers or “Marvel” Mashems, then it’s possible to create a robot/hero/villain/dinosaur hybrid. Oh the humanity! More additions will be coming this fall for their Marvel line of Mashems.
Transformers Generations “Combiner Wars” series is a big hit for fans of the original toy from the 80’s. Combiners are Transformers robots that join together to form an even bigger, badass machine. The big appeal with these toys is that each one of the robot pieces still turn into their robot AND vehicle forms, as well as becoming joining pieces for the even bigger combiner. This “Superion” will be a must have.
And finally in ways of video games, Hasbro and “PlatinumGames” will be coming out with “Transformers Devastation.” The game is a 3rd person perspective, 3D fighter that allows players to control one of some of the franchise’s favorite robots. The art style is almost a deeper form of cell shading, with the fighting taking place in a linear platform with waves of enemies that need to be defeated. Fighting in combos is the main objective, with frequent action-time button cues that lets the character transform into their alternate form for other attacks or strategies. There will various missions to complete such as collecting, timed levels, and protect. Transformers Devastation will be out this Fall for PS3, PS4, XBOX 360, XBOX One, and PC.
Keep your eyes open for all of these wonderful Hasbro toys and exclusives, either out now or coming soon.
