A lesser known Hong Kong toy manufacturer by the name of threeA are releasing a Metal Gear Rex toy as penned by the suitably under appreciated Yoji Shinkawa. Rex was the climactic Metal Gear in Metal Gear Solid, though it also made a functional cameo in the recent Metal Gear Solid 4. threeA don’t normally handle licensed mecha designs, instead creating their own, so this choice on the part of Konami and Hideo Kojima is an interesting one. Early photos have leaked online and the detailing does look mightily impressive but this looks more like a collector’s statuette than toy. In any case, no word on price or release date has been announced as yet.

Before the inevitable functional paradigm shift that would occur to take into account an increase in hardware potency, From Software released the last of the traditional Armored Core games on the PlayStation 2. It was a swan song for the series as players knew it, as the newer versions would be functionally very different from this point onwards. Entitled Last Raven, it featured a complex branching narrative occurring over a 24 hour period where the entire world was going to hell in a hand basket. The point of the game was for the player to survive the 24 hours to literally become the last Raven left alive.

Now, I’ve played these games since 1997. Some have been good, others bad and a few completely brilliant. However, it’s safe to say that I know how to play these games as you’d think I’d have had enough practice by now? Wrong. Like every Armored Core game before it the skill set required to just survive changes both subtly and profoundly between each game. Last Raven is no exception as even after thrashing the entirety of Ninebreaker, with all of its 150 Gold medals acquired for each of its training programs, the final entry to the PlayStation 2 Armored Core pantheon promptly blew me into oblivion on the first mission. That’s right, the first mission in the game. Even with all my parts and, what I’d thought to be, a suitably uber AC configuration I still got obliterated. This is why Last Raven is no ordinary Armored Core game.

On November 12th Gundam Senki 0081 will receive more DLC in the form of new mobile suits. Specifically, the RX-78GP01-Fb from Gundam 0083 and the RX-178 Gundam Mk.II from Zeta Gundam. In addition, the RX-81 Light Armor will receive an assault cannon variant. These downloads will cost between 500 to 300 yen each. The game still has no word of a Western release and these DLC packs are currently only available via the Japanese PlayStation Store.

There are two pieces of coverage over at 4gamer regarding a new PC online multiplayer third person mecha game called “Tekki“. Now, this is not to be confused with Steel Battalion, as both titles share a similar name (in Japanese at least), as this is by no means an attempt at simulation. Despite the somewhat dated game engine and functional approach, what is interesting is that the game uses designs by Mika Akitaka – a renowned mecha designer. The beta test will be happening in Japan at the end of this month, so after that it will be interesting to see if a Western release will follow suit.

Over at GA Graphic there’s a nice preview of the upcoming 1/72 scale Unsung kit from Armored Core For Answer. Whilst based on the same frame as the Aaliyah the design is different in several respects, notably that of the legs and weapon load out. The observant will note that the Aaliyah kit is actually representative of the Supplice design from Armored Core 4 and was used extensively to promote the game in Japan (so much so that it’s emblazoned on the box art). The Unsung kit will be available in December for 5,200 yen, you can get it here.

As part of the already solid customisable AI setup in Silent Line, From Software are extending this functionality on the PSP port to allow players to exchange AI data online. As part of their AI Battle Arena, players will be able to upload their AI data to the web to share. This is a very similar service to the one that was also offered for Armored Core Formula Front, in the guise of their Formula World site. The upside of this is that lots of remote AI tournaments were held with Formula Front, so expect something similar to happen with Silent Line Portable.

Hobbystock has some lovely coverage of the recent Bandai Collector’s Division Meeting, where lots of toys and kits were showcased. Such as the above 1/100 scale VF Hi-Metal Fire Valkyrie from Macross 7, which was recently featured in Macross Ultimate Frontier. The Hi-Metal range was very popular during the 80′s for the original Macross series and movie. Since the franchise’s recent resurgence, Bandai have decided to reboot the toyline (though at a smaller scale). Naturally, there are lots of other lovely toys on display as well. So feel free to have a good gander.

Over at the Rookie Borders blog on Famitsu’s site, there are a fair few interesting videos of Border Break’s network games in action. For those curious as to how the game plays and who already read the hands-on impressions we posted not that long ago, then these videos are well worth a look. In addition, a Ver. 1.0.5 update was released a few days ago. This patch improves some of the matchmaking and addresses a few minor balancing issues.

Watch Video »

The Super HCM Pro line of toys has had a new addition, in the form of the Hajime Katoki designed RX-0 Unicorn Gundam. The Super prefix denotes that the toy is of a larger scale than the normal line, as they’re normally 1/200 scale rather than 1/144 in the case of the Supers. The detailing and articulation is also considerably more advanced than the smaller HCM Pro toys but that comes at a considerable price increase. In the case of the Unicorn, both Unicorn and Destroy modes are catered for (with some parts removal) but the technical nature of the transformation has meant the price is even higher due to the increased engineering costs. Considering that the Gundam Unicorn anime is around the corner and Gundam vs Gundam Next Plus is released at the beginning of December, you may want to wait for the larger GFFN toy. As the new Gundam Fix toys use more diecast in the joints for stability. In any case, you can buy Super HCM Pro Unicorn Gundam here.

Watch Video »

GA Graphic has a really nice bit of coverage on the upcoming Cougar kit from Border Break. Like with all other Kotobukiya kits, the sculpt is really impressive and the articulation looks suitably comprehensive too. The kit is scheduled for a Japanese release in January next year for 3,675 yen. You can pre-order it here if you’re curious.