At a recent Atari Press event held aboard the U.S.S. Hornet aircraft carrier, we had the opportunity to get our hands on the upcoming Transformers action/exploration game, Transformers Armada: Prelude to Energon.

I don't know how many of you are still watching cartoons these days (I sure am), but this game is based on the new generation of Transformers seen in Transformers Armada on the Cartoon Network. The war between the Decepticons and the Autobots rages on. Thanks to the creation of a new army created by Megatron, the Decepticlones, the Autobots are not doing so hot.

Enter the long-lost Mini-cons, a third race of Transformers. They are miniature robots that enhance the power of the Autobots and Decepticons. Long-lost, that is, until a signal is picked up on Earth from a century-old ship from Cybertron.

If the Decepticons find the abandoned Mini-trons on Earth first, the balance of the war would shift to Megatron's favor, ending the Autobots' chance to win the war. Your mission? Find the Mini-trons before the Decepticons and, of course, kill a lot of really big bosses.

The cast of characters includes something old and something new. You play as one the noble Autobots; Red Alert who transforms into a rescue vehicle, Hot Shot who is the speedy sports car, or (my favorite man on four wheels) Optimus Prime, who transforms into a tractor trailer. As you can guess, the faster the vehicle, the lower the fighting power of the Transformer, so choose wisely.

Atari really scores big with the enormous bosses. Megatron returns to rule the roost, but this time he transforms into a tank. You also encounter other larger-than-life bosses such as Tidal Wave and Unicron. After watching a few experts in battle with these enormous beasts, it seems the best method of attack is to hang back, learn their patterns, and aim for the head, which is where they lose the most strength.

Atari has put together a solid action game with graphics that were quite impressive. The adventure starts off in the Amazon where the signal is picked up, but you will travel to seven other locations on Earth and Cybertron. The developers make transforming from robot to vehicle a simple press of the button, allowing you to travel faster in the exploration areas of the game, as well as use both modes in battle quickly (you are going to need it). The Mini-cons add to your abilities in the game as well. Some are rocket launchers, sniper weapons, energy shields, or flying machines.

The most impressive part of this game is the speed of which the game was put together. In only twelve months, with a team of over sixty people, Transformers went from concept to completion. Look for this title on the Playstation 2 this May, and check back soon for a full preview.