Shockwave [V1 & V2] (Transformers: Devastation [2015])

The bad guy scientist of Transformers, gets an incredibly heroic theme, perhaps to portray his delusional thought process that what he’s doing is for the greater good, a setup that makes for awesome music! V1’s more about the heroic part with its focus on long yet effective Horns with brief and longer Strings alike, complimented by a beefy Drum rhythm that oscillates from slow to fast and vice-versa, complete with the good kind of Orchestral Horn.

V2 is more well-known, at least by those who’ve followed the action game catalog of PlatinumGames. Its emphasis on the Electric Guitar to make a fast and emotional mood can’t be understated, like some kind of struggling hero’s last stand! The other instruments are still there, just less emphasized, for the simple fact that V1 can transition into V2 anytime whenever Shockwave’s 1st phase is defeated, an aspect more games should do to make their boss music impress, I say!

I might as well say it now, but Transformers: Devastation is no longer available for purchase on digital platforms due to the expiration of Hasbro licensing, so if you want to get this as part of your action game library, you’ll have to either give in to scalpers, or sail the 7 seas, but at the very least, you can enjoy the music without choosing either option in the meantime!

(Length before loop [Both]: 1.5+ minutes)

As the loyal bot entrusted with Decepticon occupied Cybertron, it's only logical that he would be the one who heralds the halfway point of the game. It thus follows that he will fight to the bitter end against any and all intruders. A climactic boss theme for fighting against such a fearsome foe.

Transformers Devastation was one of the tie in games Platinum made for Activision (alongside a Korra game and a TMNT game). It's not as well polished as, say, Metal Gear Rising, but it's still fun. The concept of transforming into vehicle mode and back for combat is a neat idea, and the vast amount of weapons you can equip bring to mind the interchangeable 5mm-post weapons that Transformers toys often come with. In other words, it's like bashing action figures together. It's fun despite its flaws. The music also goes in hard (especially with the boss themes), and they also change dynamically depending on what phase of the boss fight you're in (no lyrics for them sadly).

Also Shockwave splits up into gray clones of himself here; a reference to the fact that his toy mold was also sold in Radio Shack through a different company (the original mold was not Hasbro's). What a Galactic Man!