We’re happy to know that the excellent Gunhound EX will be receiving a Western PC release on Steam and Playism. This looks like a PC version of the PSP game, fully localised into English. As the original Gunhound and EX already had PC releases, this is welcome news. Apparently the Playism release will also be DRM free and also come with a corresponding Steam key, which is nice of them. For those unaware, the Gunhoud games are very inspired by the Assault Suits games from the 90s and they also have kickass music. In any case, what with the recent news of a Steam release for Gigantic Army having another great little mecha shooter added to that is rather brilliant really.

In a slightly bizarre move, Bandai Namco in the US have decided to release Shin Gundam Musou as Dynasty Warriors Gundam Reborn this July. The bizarre part is that unlike the Japanese release last year, this will be a digital only release and then only for the PS3 (with the Vita version being ignored entirely). Compared to the previous Gundam Musou enties, the latest entry is somewhat of a disappointment and likely explains why the new US release is being slipped under the radar. In any case, the announcement trailer is shown below.

Considering that the Super Robot Wars games started out on the GameBoy, their most natural state is generally on similar portable consoles. This has been proven time and time again with all manner of handheld releases, with the recent PSP games being thoroughly excellent.

However, whilst the more recent PSP games have been great the earlier GBA and DS games had issues. This is not to say they were bad games, as they were decent fun overall. It’s just that battle animation technology and assets were very basic. To make matters worse these same resources were re-used multiple times, rather than investing in new R&D. As this entry is on the 3DS it’s been a worry whether Bandai Namco would not fund the release as per the PSP games. Well they have funded it and it looks so much better for it.

Courtesy of our good friends at HobbyLink Japan, we’ve been sent a toy from Change!! Shin Getter Robo to review. Specifically, the Getter 1 by Sentinel that’s on sale. In addition, to give the toy some context, we’ve also linked some anime and gameplay footage of it in action at the end of the review.

As today is the day when stupid gags run amok Bandai haven’t missed trick and done a new promo for Super Robot Wars Z 3, this time including the soon to be released Hello Kitty chogokin. Obviously, our furry friend won’t be joining the playable roster but we actually wouldn’t mind at all if she did. In any case, the game is still on track for its April 10th release and you can pre-order it accordingly here (PS3) and here (Vita).

Following on from the Rise from the Ashes promo, we now have one for the Zeonic Front remake. Unlike the previous entries, Zeonic Front is functionally very different and is far more about strategy. Without this planning element that was integral to the original game, we’re not sure how the remake will operate without it (as narratively it was pretty weak). That aside it’s clear that the RX-78-6 Mudrock Gundam will be present, which is nice at least. The game is still on course for its May 29th release and you can pre-order the standard edition here.

Following on from the regular Robot Damashii ZZ Gundam, we’ll be now getting a new toy of the mighty FA-010S Full Armor ZZ Gundam this August. Priced at 7,560 yen it’s a bit pricier than the regular version but it comes with more gimmicks and is a fair bit bigger. It’s not quite as sleek as the version in the anime but it’s still most welcome nonetheless, as the last toy we had of this was the godawful Gundam FIX Figuration version and then in the Sentinel colours. This new Robot Damashii figure looks just the ticket and as with the rest of the line, it will likely have great articulation too.

Update: This is a web shop exclusive.

What with the release of Super Robot Wars Z 3 only a few weeks away, we’re very glad to see the likes of the mighty ATM-09-DD Burglary Dog from Shining Heresy being finally shown. The other aspects to this update are that we have another confirmation for the final universe spanning forms of Gurren Lagann being playable and that the Sazabi looks pretty damn boss. We’re still put out about the lack of Final Dancouga but this still looks to be a great game and one we’re very much looking forward to. The game is still on track for its April 10th release and you can pre-order it accordingly here (PS3) and here (Vita).

Following on from the Blue Destiny promo, we now have one for the Rise from the Ashes remake. Again this is using the new game engine and is not a functional remake of the original game. In addition the RGM-79SP GM Sniper II (shown above) is equipped with the wrong beam rifle (as the one in the original game was the P.B.R-0079/A12 S-000011 beam rifle, rather than the long range rifle shown above, though this has been a staple load-out in other games). The game is still on course for its May 29th release and you can pre-order the standard edition here.

Occasionally you get to see something wonderful in terms of gaming history. In this instance it’s an interview from the early 90’s with the team behind Assault Suits Valken that has been recently translated (made all the more brilliant by lovely scans of Satoshi Urushihara’s artwork for the game). Originally in a guidebook for the game, it covers all sorts of fascinating aspects about this classic game. If you have never played Valken, then avoid the dire PS2 port and instead avail yourself of the Virtual Console release. Thanks to GSK for the heads up.