Of course I’m going to add to the Bumblebee Shelf. Bot Shots is a new Transformers line that is more a game than a regular toy. I don’t know how many of you have heard of Heroclix, but it’s similar to that. This is probably the only one I’ll pick up, because it’s at least in part classic Bumblebee.  Let’s look more into it.

Bumblebee's beside himself with excitement. (click for larger view)

Since Bot Shots Bumblebee is packaged in robot mode we’ll start there. You’re pretty much seeing it all here. The head is the original Bumblebee but the body appears to more closely resemble the movie or Transformers Prime version of Bumblebee. The figure has zero articulation, but I expected that. It’s less of a display piece and just technically a toy. It’s more of a game piece.

In the images you three different chest images. This is part of the game. It works on a “rock-paper-scissors” formula. According to the instruction sheet, Blaster beats Fist, Fist beats Sword, and Sword beats Blaster. Not sure how that works in an actual fight, but what can you do? Additionally each symbol has a number attached to it. This way, if two players have the same symbol the higher attack points determines who wins.

Vehicle mode also resembles movie/Prime Bumblebee.

To play, both players put their Bot Shots into vehicle mode and then send them crashing into each other. The front bumper (or nosecone if you’re using the Starscream Bot Shot, who turns into a plane) activates the transformation into robot mode. If only one Bot Shot transforms, that bot wins instantly. If both transform, then the above rules apply. The player chooses which symbol he wants to use (without showing his opponent) prior to sending it crashing into his opponent by pushing it and letting the car crash into the other car. It’s not a very intensive game, but it should be a nice distraction for the kids.

There is also an online component. This video explains how to play the online version of Bot Shots.

Personally I think they’re overselling it a bit. Save something for the next video game and the MMO I’ve been hearing about. According to the site there should be a paper with a code that helps with playing the game. However I couldn’t not find this code so either somebody forgot to include it or they decided to change their minds. There is a number printed on the toy itself, but I don’t know what significance, if any, it has with the game. The number isn’t set up the same as the alleged code sheet.

Bot Shots seems like a fun game, and the auto-transforming figure (you just have to hit the bumper) is kind of cool. For me, it’s an occasional fiddle toy, but otherwise a cute addition to the Bumblebee Shelf.

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