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May 07 2012
Kits: LED Mirage V3 Release Details
One of our most anticipated kits is that of Volks’ upcoming IMS LED Mirage V3 from the wondrous Five Star Stories. Now we know that not only will it be released early next year but the price tag comes in at 23,100 yen. There was also a recent pre-order bonus, that finished yesterday, where you not only got a small price reduction (at 19,950 yen) but also a nice die-cast metal speid included too. Unlike the other Volks garage kits, this is part of the injection plastic range and is consequently a lot cheaper than if it were made of resin. The final kit is also pretty damn large as it clocks in at around 30cm in height. In any case, this kit looks to have a truly exquisite sculpt and we can’t wait to get one of our own when it’s finally released.
May 02 2012
Videos: Gundam Extreme Versus Full Boost Second Promo
A nice new promo for Gundam Extreme Versus Full Boost has been uploaded by those nice people at Namco Bandai. At over 6 minutes it features a variety of new mobile suits as well as many familiar ones. The latter are also pretty interesting as it seems that many of them have had some new moves added, which is a nice touch. We also got pretty excited to see the MS-08TX(EXAM) Efreet Custom shown in a cool intro movie (something that each series got in the previous game) but our hopes were dashed against sharp pointy rocks when it wasn’t shown in game. Hopefully we’ll get to see it in action sometime soon. In any case, the full promo is shown below.
News: Mobile Suit Gundam Online Second Alpha Test Report
The recent alpha test for Mobile Suit Gundam Online has been given a full on report, coupled with a pretty interesting in-game video. In short, the game plays like a standard TPS, with WASD and mouse control (something you can pretty much deduce from the video below). Whilst it does look a bit dated what the game is doing technically is no mean feat; as it handles over a hundred online players per match. Our only real concern is the strange and rather excessive use of motion blur, hopefully that will get toned down at some point. Still no news on a release date for this but it’s expected sometime this year.
May 01 2012
News: Zone of the Enders Event
A new event has been announced for the forthcoming Zone of the Enders HD Collection. Called “Zone of the Enders HD Night Fastest in the Universe Reboot Preview” it will be held on May 25th at the Shijuku Wald 9 theatre. Most of the key staff will be there too. Tickets for the event will cost 3,000 yen and will be purchasable through Konami Style starting May 2nd at 10am. Following on from this, more places have started to show off the upcoming Jehuty HD Edition kit from Kotobukiya. As always, the sculpt looks utterly spot on. Considering that over ten years have passed since the original game was released and the only models available were hideously expensive garage kits, it’s nice to think that we’ll actually have a choice now. You can pre-order the HD edition kit here.
April 30 2012
News: Super Robot Wars Z 2 Saisei-hen Tops Japanese Charts For Third Week Running
For a third week running, the suitably awesome Super Robot Wars Z 2 Saisei-hen is in the top of the Japanese charts yet again. This isn’t wholly surprising but it is testament to the fact that the game is genuinely very good indeed. It also illustrates another fine point; that no hardware is truly dead and software is all important in a platform’s success. Listening to all the hardware naysayers over the years, it’s now very clear that much of their outlook is desperately parochial.
That aside, we’ve subsequently done numerous repeated playthroughs on the game since our review and it gets better with each sitting. Our favourite unit, by quite a large margin, is also the suitably godlike YF-29 Durandal. Admittedly it’s only available towards the end of the game and then only via a secret unlock, but even so it’s just so damn awesome. The animations are also pretty amazing too. We cannot stress enough how much this game needs to be in your life right now, so buy it already.
News: Armored Core V Emblem Contest and Bosses
In a cool community based move, From Software are running an emblem design contest for Armored Core V. The winners will receive a “special award” as well as have the emblems included in a free DLC emblem pack. Unfortunately, the means by which you submit the emblems requires you to use the ACV Link feature. This is something that’s only available in the Japanese release of the game and links the game to your profile over at the Armored Core Official Partnership site. The contest will finish on the 10th May at 3pm.
Before people get all pissy at this, first blame Namco Bandai for removing the feature and second shout at them (not From Software) to include it. Since the game’s release abroad, From Software have been blamed for a bizarre amount of the community issues with the game. When in reality that’s Namco Bandai’s responsibility, something they massively dropped the ball on no less.
That said, Namco Bandai did manage to sort out a preview of all five of the bosses this weekend. Normally bosses only trigger due to territorial disputes but considering the fact that we’re still waiting for the patch, they unlocked them a little early to help appease the now pretty pissed fanbase. The bosses are a partial nod to the Arms Forts in Armored Core For Answer but more a reference to the old massive MT’s players used to face in the original games. Whilst it’s recommended to play against them with four players, you can actually take them out on your own (normally with some judicious usage of Overed Weapons).
April 26 2012
News: Macross PlayStation shooter included with BluRay Hybrid Boxset
For those that buy the first release of the forthcoming Macross Do You Remember Love BluRay Hybrid Boxset, they’ll also get a nice PSN download code for the original PSone shooter. Originally released on the Saturn and then ported to the PSone, it was actually a pretty damn good shoot-em-up and we very much enjoyed blasting our way through it back in good old 1999. It even came with demos for Macross VF-X2 and Patlabor: Game Edition. What was very notable about the game however was its use of some lovely reanimated cutscenes (as produced by Gonzo).
There’s also a pretty cool exhibition going on in Shibuya, Tokyo regarding Macross. Starting today and running until May 13th, tickets cost 500 yen each (400 yen if you’re a student and free if you’re a kid at elementary school) and it covers pretty much the whole gamut of the saga. If you’re in the area, then check out the Parco Museum page about the event for more details.
In addition to this news is the fact a lovely 5 minute HD promo for the BluRay was released yesterday (shown below). Voiced by non-other than Mika Doi (of Misa Hayase fame), the promo also has footage of the game in action too (around the 3:25 mark). Don’t forget you can still pre-order the pretty damn awesome boxset here.
News: Mamoru Oshii to direct Steel Battalion Heavy Armor trailer
In a move that’s quite inspired, Capcom have seemingly hired veteran anime and live action film director Mamoru Oshii (pictured above) to helm a trailer for the forthcoming Steel Battalion Heavy Armor. In a teaser trailer (shown below) it shows some snippets of behind the scenes action. Considering that Oshii is a huge gun nut and has directed some pretty brutal films on occasion, we’re expecting some pretty epic hardware to be displayed. How they’ll handle the VT’s remains to be seen though.
April 23 2012
Reviews: Super Robot Wars Z 2 Saisei Hen (9/10)
Following on from the first part, we’ve been waiting for Saisei Hen with baited breath for quite a while. Unlike previous Super Robot Wars releases, the sequel to the first Z was planned in two parts. This was moderately cunning on the part of Banpresto; as not only would it allow more modern mecha series (often with two story arcs) to be portrayed in more detail but it also meant we could be charged twice for effectively the same game.
However, this isn’t quite the case. Whilst Saisei Hen is very much the second of two gaming parts it still has a huge amount of new content on offer. It’s also noticeably easier throughout too, though your mileage may obviously vary on that point. Either way, we’ve been thoroughly enjoying ourselves with Saisei Hen and it was very much worth the wait.
Like the previous installment, Saisei Hen eschews the use of squads as per the console versions in favour of single units. Pilots are also again broken down to a main, who can be upgraded with a variety of skills, and sub-pilots that are basically along for the ride (though they thankfully bring their seishin with them). In addition, the mecha are similarly upgradeable and can be equipped with all manner of parts to boost certain stats or offer new abilities.
Whilst this may sound familiar to fans of Super Robot Wars, it is striking that this entry can be utterly rinsed without much forethought. Admittedly the knowledge and experience of how to successfully equip the right parts for certain units, as well as understand what the pilot skills do, isn’t something that most gamers will have. However for the Super Robot Wars throng, this game is much more forgiving than previous entries.
We’ve also always had a habit of playing the games by not upgrading units until very late in the game. That way you can appreciate their tactical nuances as well as focus more on the strategy rather than simple brute force. For the most part Saisei Hen was as tricky as the previous game in this regard, however upon upgrading our units it was very clear how big a difference it made. It’s definitely very satisfying to max out Chirico Cuvie’s Rabidly Dog and equip all manner of parts to make the unit literally “untouchable” but much of the tactical risk of using the mecha is somewhat absent, as it’s almost never going to buy the farm. This isn’t one unit either but pretty much anything you upgrade, something that’s more noticeable on account of the fact that we were able to max out the stats of an abnormally large number of units this time around.
(Please open the article to see the flash file or player.)
Now all this may sound pretty damning but in reality nurturing an army of mecha from the last half century into an unstoppable force is very enjoyable. In addition, if you want to challenge yourself, then attaining the SR Points in each level should keep most people busy as the conditions to attain them are pretty tricky for the most part. Not to mention that many missions have very specific criteria for completion. Some of these are quite memorable too, as the re-enactment of the attack on the Memento Mori from Gundam 00. As it requires you to fly head on through a large force of enemies. All within 5 turns no less, so the pacing is nicely tight and just like in the show. Setups like that are quite common and feel like the development team really know their stuff when it comes to the disparate mecha series involved.
The other very important fact to remember is that this is also very much a portable game, much like the first entry way back in 1991 in fact. It’s not really intended to be played in long bouts. In that sense the difficulty is probably gauged about right, as the game is still very compelling nonetheless and lacks any real difficulty spikes.
What the game still does incredibly well though are the battle animations. Whilst many of the mecha have already been used in the previous game there are still a lot more units and upgraded attacks. In some places the animations are a little rushed but overall they look pretty damn superb throughout. The pacing and attention to detail is also again very impressive and for any fan of the series featured in the game, you’re very much in for a treat.
Overall then Saisei Hen is as good as the previous game and whilst it is still very engaging the amount of strategical complexity has definitely been replaced with a more brute force approach. In some ways the game echoes the more modern mecha series it contains; where the second story arc features far more potent mecha that obliterate all that stand in their way. In that sense Saisei Hen was always destined to be somewhat excessive and in that regard it succeeds pretty much flawlessly.
Tamashii: 9/10
April 19 2012
News: Banshee added to Gundam Extreme Versus Full Boost
On April 26th the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam “Banshee” will be added to the playable roster of mobile suits in Gundam Extreme Versus Full Boost. The version in the game is also that of the OVA rendition that was teased at the end of the last episode, rather than the one from the novel. The screenshots do show similar (green) psycho-frame resonance as per the Unicorn too, which is a nice touch. This version will also be piloted by Marida Cruz, who initially pilots the Banshee before Riddhe Marcenas gets his hands on it. Whilst the design does look boss, black Gundams generally do to be fair, we had hoped to see more of the Blue Destiny units teased in the new intro.
News: Super Robot Wars Z 2 Saisei-hen Tops Japanese Charts…Again!
For the second week running Super Robot Wars Z 2 Saisei-hen has topped the Japanese charts again, with 39,403 sales (for a total of 299,842 sales). This popularity is thoroughly well deserved though and we’re still relishing the game in all its brilliance. With any luck, our review will go up sometime next week and we hope you don’t mind the wait. In the meantime, you can buy the game (if you haven’t already done so) here.
News: Mobile Suit Gundam Online Second Alpha Test Underway
The second alpha test for Mobile Suit Gundam Online is now underway. With 5,000 or so testers the game now has a few more interesting features to boot. From the use of strategic weapons, such as nukes (that knowingly breach the Antarctic Treaty), to reinforcements in the form of battelships. They’ve also confirmed that if the number of players falls below the maximum amount that bots will make up the difference. What’s still the most compelling thing about all this though is that the game can have over a hundred players squaring off in one battlefield and sagely they’ve not opted for a photo realistic art-style either, so most people can run this on a semi-decent PC. It will be interesting to see how this does once it’s finally released to the public and it goes without saying that a Steam version would be totally sweet (as well as wholly unlikely).
April 16 2012
Videos: Steel Battalion Heavy Armor Trailers
What with the release of Steel Battalion Heavy Armor looming, some more trailers (shown below) have been released. Despite being adult rated, we’re beginning to get more of a Chrome Hounds vibe from this. There’s also another camouflage pack outlined too, that of the Carbon Assassin Pack. What’s more interesting though, in a nostalgic sense at least, is that the bundle pack for the game (which includes a Kinect set) will retail in Japan at 19,800 yen. That’s the exact same price tag that the original Xbox version had, though this time we won’t be having to bike over Japanese mountains in the pouring rain to pick our copy up.
News: Super Robot Wars Z 2 Saisei-hen Tops Japanese Charts
The recently released Super Robot Wars Z 2 Saisei-hen has managed to top the Japanese charts quite nicely, to the tune of 265,439 sales. If you’re wondering why we didn’t report this sooner and why the site has been a bit quiet as of late, that’s purely down to the fact that we’ve been playing the game pretty solidly since we got it last week. Thus far it’s sublimely brilliant and we will be doing a review once we’ve completed at least one playthrough.
April 10 2012
Videos: Lost Planet 3 Trailer Leaked
It seems another Lost Planet game is on the way next year, as a CGI trailer for it has been leaked (shown below). If you’re wondering why the styling is a bit Gears of War-tastic and the mecha looks like something from BattleTech, that’s because it’s being developed by a Western studio this time. Specifically that of Spark Unlimited, who also developed Legendary and Turning Point: Fall of Liberty. If we’re honest, we’re not sure about the styling (as it’s a bit also-ran and there are plenty of similar themed shooters out there). This is not to say that we don’t think a Western developer can do it justice, as Red Faction: Guerrilla was hugely enjoyable and nailed the mecha aspect beautifully. It’s just that Lost Planet has always been a really interesting and different type of game and this comes across as something we’ve all seen before. After all, we loved the last game and we’re just hoping that this holds true to that in some way.
April 09 2012
Toys: Revoltech Jehuty With Vector Cannon Revealed
In typical Hideo Kojima fashion, yet another Revoltech Jehuty has been revealed but this time sporting an all new colour scheme and a very beefy Vector Cannon (pictured above). The latter is probably one of the most powerful weapons the player had access to in Anubis and was an actual necessity on some enemies (as shown in the video below). However, in contrast to the emphasis on mobility that the game was focused around the Vector Cannon required the player to be grounded and stationary in order to fire (it even had a rather long charge time too). Considering that this will be the third Jehuty Revoltech we are starting to feel that Kojima et al are milking it a bit now. Like with all Revoltechs though, this toy likely won’t break the bank thankfully. It will also be on sale mid-June with any luck too. Unfortunately, there’s still no word on when the HD collection will be out nor whatever happened to the mysterious 3DS game but in the meantime they seem fine to placate us with more toys.
April 08 2012
News: Gundam Seed Battle Destiny Customisation Update
There have been two updates about the forthcoming Gundam Seed Battle Destiny’s customisation system over at Famitsu as well as 4Gamer. What’s especially interesting is that the upgrading of mobile suits will be undertaken via GP and TP points. TP is awarded at the end of mission and is linked to the mecha you just used, like the classic Gundam Battle games. Whereas GP is similarly awarded at the end of each mission but can be used on any mobile suit of your choosing. However, it also sounds that GP can be reassigned at a later date (unlike TP which is permanently spent once used). Like in the Macross games, you can also purge parts and this in turn affects the performance of your mobile suit. In any case, the GP and TP setup is a shrewd one; as it affords a more fluid upgrade system and one that probably won’t descend into a motherless grind-fest. It genuinely seems that Artdink are actually trying to move the series on after the really quite shockingly poor Gundam Assault Survive. For that we applaud them. As always, you can pre-order the game here.
April 05 2012
News: Steel Battalion Heavy Armor Pre-order Bonus
It seems that if you buy Steel Battalion Heavy Armor’s on its release, you’ll also be graced with a Chrome Blitzer Pack download code that will allow you to customise your VT with new types of camouflage (pictured above). In addition to this, a new video has also been going the rounds. The more we see of the game in action the more we think that this will be pretty disappointing. Parochial narrative jingoism aside, the whole functional setup looks to be horridly unwieldy. Whilst the original games were by no means intuitive, they were far more precise in terms of input (probably to the extent of being too precise). This looks frustratingly vague by comparison. Considering the game’s nascent production problems, we’re not holding out hope for this to be any good.
News: Eureka Seven AO Hybrid Game Details
A fair while back it was revealed that a game would be released alongside the forthcoming anime series Eureka Seven AO. We now know that this will in fact by a game packaged on the Blu-Ray release of the anime itself, basically yet another hybrid game/anime setup. Considering this will be a long running series, rather than a one shot movie, it will be interesting to see whether the game will become similarly episodic. In any case, still no details as to what type of game this will be but due to the format we do now know that it will be a PS3 exclusive.
News: Online Petition To Merge Armored Core V’s Servers
Frustrated with Armored Core V’s regional server structure, one person has taken it upon himself to create an open petition to Bandai Namco; to merge the North American, European and Australian servers into one large server. You can find the petition here.
It’s no secret that Armored Core has never exactly been big outside of Japan. Sure, we few mecha gaming fans have played and loved them for years but the general population has, for the most part, skimmed over the franchise. So to start off with the player base is small but to then make it smaller yet, by braking the online players up from region to region, is a bit of a kick in the side. They meant well though. They just wanted to decrease server lag for us, which is a nice thought.
If the servers were to merge, we would have a great many more opportunities for territory matches, the online would feel more alive and I think all around more robust (albeit perhaps slightly laggier). While I’m not sure if Bandai Namco will listen to the pleas made by this petition, I do believe that at the very least, Bamco will take notice, and think about what the players want. Besides the petition’s stated goal, many people hope that it will bring with it the patches required to bring the game inline with its Japanese counterpart, which would be a very welcome thing indeed.
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