Like it or hate it,Beastwars set the bar & rules for future TF toy lines.

 

Allow me to explain,with a few numbered examples:

 

(1)before the beastwars toy line. Their were no size levels in the assortment boxes.before the beastwars toys, their was no such thing as putting all deluxes on the same sized blister card & putting them all in a deluxe sized assortment box. the beastwars toy line gave TF,The very first size assortments sizes like basics,deluxes,mega & ultra.

 

(2)Before beastwars,their was no such thing as another Transformer media/toy character,being called by another transformers toy character. their was no one re-using names nor relatives passing down names.

 

(3)Beastwars set thec bar very high with the CGI animated series.

 

(4)Beastwars was the first CGI animated series,to feature a all canadian voice cast recored in canada.

 

(5)FWIW,Beastwars was the very first toy line & CGI cartoon series. TO FEATURE SMART/COMPETENT ANIMALS that transformed into robots. before that most transformers that transformers in animals had low intelligence,anger management issues,some didn't talk. some got ordered around by the vechicle/bots. before beastwars most animal/bots weren't that competent & needed to have vechicle/bots watching over them like baby sitters/guardians/care takers.

 

(6)other than Generation one's cartoon series. beastwars was the 2nd & only to this date to go into syndication. this is a mile stone. considering this hasn't happened for any other TF cartoon series after beastwars.

 

(7)Beastwars was the very first transformers cartoon to feature well deveopled written,dialogue & long story arcs/plots.

 

(8)Beastwars was the very first cartoon series to end each season with a cliffhanger.

 

(9)The beastwars toy line was a pioneer,as it was the first TF toy line to include additional sub names/titles/secondary brand names on the TF toys like Transmetal,transmetals 2,fuzors,Fox kids,etc...

 

(10)Beastwars was the very first transformers toy line & cartoon series to do a "SPIN OFF" into another cartoon/toy line,which was called Beastrmachines.

 

(11)Like it or hate it,the facts are,beastwars saved the transformers francise. Generation 2 didn't do that great & got cancelled. beastwars was kenner's idea who had just merged with hasbro a few short years ago.

 

(12)Beastwars is one of the only USA based toy lines to first feature the kenner logo on the toy packages then years later feature the hasbro logo on the toy packages. i'm not sure if later G-2 toy packages had the kenner logo on the toy packages.

 

(13)Beastwars was the very first TF toy line to use the transformers brand logo to help sell another transforming toy product hasbro owned called animorphs.

 

(14)Beastwars was the first & maybe only TF toy line owned by hasbro. to feature cancelled toys from another hasbro owned toy line called animorphs. as most are aware/mayb not. some of the cancelled animorphs toys got a bit of retooling & were released later on in the beastwars toy line by the name "beast mutants" that were sold as 4 deluxe toys.

 

(15)The beastwars cartoon,was the first TF cartoon media to explore relationships between males & females. showing kissing,hand holding,suggesting they dated & slept in the same room. exploring the possibilites of reproduction was possible & transformers weren't just made in factories by machines or built. transformers characters for the first time had relatives like moms,dads,aunts,uncles,sisters,bothers & so forth. before beastwars,everything before sugggested all the transformers were built in factories & might have been mildly related because they were either created at the same time,same day,using the same master molds parts,built by the same guy or whatever.

Beast wars is still one of my favorite Transformers Series, possibly because it was like nothing that came before it, or just different from the usual. This is especially true now with all the different lines and shows that have come since. The beast wars show had a more adult feel to the writing and treatment of the characters.

 

My ranking of the shows from favorite to least favorite.

#1 Beast Wars

#2 G1

#3 Animated

#4 RID

#5 Prime

#6 Energon

#7 Cybertron

#8 Armada

#9 Beast Machines

 

Beast machines is only at the bottom because it was a huge let down, at the time, in comparison to Beast Wars, especially since Transtech had so much potential.

I don't think anyone doubts that. The designs featured new modern toy making features that weren't around for g1 and didn't really start to surface until Machine Wars came around. Though they were still making big bricks for MW.

 

Beast Wars showed off the full range of possibilities with ball joints for the first time over an entire line. Gave people a new set of standards for articulation and more challenging transformations.

 

Not to mention over time, we really began to see for the first time a really good accuracy between characters screen appearance and the figures.

 

I think story wise it set a whole new standard for what people wanted to see in a TV show as well.

 

 

Nobody can argue about what Beast Wars did for Transformers. It's what made Hasbro (and the fans) take notice again in a property they were ready to write off. The impact doesn't get any bigger than that.

Beast wars is still one of my favorite Transformers Series, possibly because it was like nothing that came before it, or just different from the usual. This is especially true now with all the different lines and shows that have come since. The beast wars show had a more adult feel to the writing and treatment of the characters.

 

My ranking of the shows from favorite to least favorite.

#1 Beast Wars

#2 G1

#3 Animated

#4 RID

#5 Prime

#6 Energon

#7 Cybertron

#8 Armada

#9 Beast Machines

 

Beast machines is only at the bottom because it was a huge let down, at the time, in comparison to Beast Wars, especially since Transtech had so much potential.

 

Agreed with you top top and last choice. i haven't had a chance to watch the entire series of most of the shows on the list. i just know i didn't like BM at all!

I don't put g1 in comparisons with other shows. Simply because I don't see how they could be. G1 started the trend, it's place in TF history can hardly be challenged in any way, whether another show is seen as being superior or not it just doesn't matter. If you were a kid during g1 then you weren't a kid for any of the rest of these shows so you can't compare a biased adult perspective with that of a kids and expect a fair comparison.

 

 

My list looks like this...

 

Cybertron

Beast Wars

Prime (plenty of time to rise on the list)

Animated (show only, figures they rank near bottom)

Energon

Armada

Beast Machines

RID (some good bits, but overall felt like it was written by 5 year olds)

1. All previous lines did this, they just didn't assign names of the sizes.

 

2. If you are referring to Animorphs (must be), this is true in the US. In Japan, Battle Beasts was part of Headmasters. And plenty of name-reuses were in G2 as well.

 

3. Beast Wars season 2 and 3 perhaps. The first season wasn't that great, and while it was above Reboot, it was on par with Starship Troopers. Beast Machines was fine, but no other 3D shows have looked as good as Season 3.

 

4. To say it was an all Canadian voice cast is incorrect! Scott McNeil is from Australia for example.

 

For many of these points, all these "firsts" that Beast Wars did in the TF timeline (if you don't count Japan)... you have to remember that Beast Wars was only the second TF "cartoon" ever made.

 

9. Subnames were used in G1 as well. Did you forget the Headmasters?

 

10. Beast Wars itself is a spin off of G1...

I mostly agree with what Shadowpanther has said -- especially about BW setting a new bar/standards for TFs and saving the TF franchise. Totally agree there. But some things I don't completely agree with...

 

(2)Before beastwars,their was no such thing as another Transformer media/toy character,being called by another transformers toy character. their was no one re-using names nor relatives passing down names.

There are two different G1 Transformers named Barrage and two different G1 Transformers named Lightspeed - just off the top of my head.

 

(5)FWIW,Beastwars was the very first toy line & CGI cartoon series. TO FEATURE SMART/COMPETENT ANIMALS that transformed into robots. before that most transformers that transformers in animals had low intelligence,anger management issues,some didn't talk. some got ordered around by the vechicle/bots. before beastwars most animal/bots weren't that competent & needed to have vechicle/bots watching over them like baby sitters/guardians/care takers.

Not really - a lot of the animalformers were fairly intelligent and competent in G1, including Ratbat who was once Decepticon commander! Carnivac was no fool either. Sky Lynx was also quite capable (and made damn sure that everyone knew about it). The G1 Predacons were VERY competent fighters, as were the Dinobots. And the Dinobots weren't as stupid in the comics as they were in the cartoon - like the classic moment where Grimlock counter-lectured Prowl and told him to STFU! :D Also in G2 it was Grimlock who saved Optimus Prime by disobeying his orders.

 

(9)The beastwars toy line was a pioneer,as it was the first TF toy line to include additional sub names/titles/secondary brand names on the TF toys like Transmetal,transmetals 2,fuzors,Fox kids,etc...

As Tripedacus said, we had this in G1 -- especially in Japan.

 

(10)Beastwars was the very first transformers toy line & cartoon series to do a "SPIN OFF" into another cartoon/toy line,which was called Beastrmachines.

G1 had a spin off called Generation 2.

 

(13)Beastwars was the very first TF toy line to use the transformers brand logo to help sell another transforming toy product hasbro owned called animorphs.

TF Animorphs was never part of the BW franchise - it was an entirely separate Transformers line. They were called "Transformers Animorphs," not "Transformers Beast Wars Animorphs." Thank Primus... Animorphs were HORRIBLE toys

 

(14)Beastwars was the first & maybe only TF toy line owned by hasbro. to feature cancelled toys from another hasbro owned toy line called animorphs. as most are aware/mayb not. some of the cancelled animorphs toys got a bit of retooling & were released later on in the beastwars toy line by the name "beast mutants" that were sold as 4 deluxe toys.

...which were suckful toys. In essence it's not much different from G1 which featured toy designs originally intended for Diaclone (e.g. Metroplex, Menasor, Defensor etc.)

 

(15)The beastwars cartoon,was the first TF cartoon media to explore relationships between males & females. showing kissing,hand holding,suggesting they dated & slept in the same room. exploring the possibilites of reproduction was possible & transformers weren't just made in factories by machines or built. transformers characters for the first time had relatives like moms,dads,aunts,uncles,sisters,bothers & so forth. before beastwars,everything before sugggested all the transformers were built in factories & might have been mildly related because they were either created at the same time,same day,using the same master molds parts,built by the same guy or whatever.

This was shown in G1 too (*points at Transformers Masterforce and Transformers Victory*), although Beast Wars did handle it at a higher level for sure. The bond between Minerva and Cancer in Masterforce, while strong, was platonic love - not really romantic. And the Decepticons' wives and kids in Victory was just... stupid. :P

 

1. All previous lines did this, they just didn't assign names of the sizes.

I gotta side with Shadowpanther on this one - pre-BW TF lines didn't have set standardised and consistent price points/size classes. This really did start with Beast Wars.

http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Size_class

 

I agree with everything else you said though. :)