Shout Factory has released the 5 part miniseries in widescreen and with a fantastic transfer. The CG is detailed and looks excellent on DVD. There is hardly any noticeable compression of the encode, making this the best looking animated Transformers DVD to date.

Writers Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci wrote the first three Transformers live-action movies, as well as other movies such as Mission Impossible 3 and Star Trek, but they also helped to create the Transformers Prime: Darkness Rising series. The series takes some of the designs and elements from the movies, albeit without the humour.

There is far more emphasis on developing the characters in this particular story with the Autobots again in the position of saving the Earth from the evil Megatron, who has discovered a way of controlling life. Of course, animation may seem a pale comparison to live-action but the action sequences are far easier on the eye which perhaps make it, on the whole, that much more engaging. As far as CG goes, it is far more impressive than in Transformers: Beast Wars.

There are two featurettes, with one on character design and the other on set design. One bonus is the full 22-minute pilot.

Overall, it is a great start to this new series and has some well-crafted characters, stunning action sequences, and engaging stories.

Hardcore fans may struggle to get to grips with this series but new fans will have a great series to get into and a new legacy of transformers fans will likely be built on the back of this.