The upcoming kit of the MBV-04-10 10/80SP that was hinted at on the Kotobukiya blog has been unveiled at the 49th All Japan Plamodel Hobby Show. This design was originally used in the Virtual On sidestory One Man Rescue and later featured in-game in the MSBS 5.66 update for Virtual On Oratorio Tangram. No word on pricing or release date as yet though. Separately, a few new Border Break kits were also displayed at the Kotobukiya booth.

An update to the recently released Senko no Ronde DUO in the form of a Ver 2.00 pack hits Japanese arcades today. Despite minor balancing issues, there are some new characters available. Considering that the original Senko no Ronde received an Xbox 360 port, it’s likely that DUO will follow the same route soon enough. Despite looking more like a traditional shooter, Senko no Ronde actually has more functional linkages to games like Virtual On.

In this week’s issue of Famitsu, Banpresto announced the upcoming sequel to Endless Frontier that was released on the DS last year. Unlike other Super Robot Wars games, Endless Frontier wasn’t focused around turn based strategy and you could control the human protagonists directly. Naturally, as being part of the Original Generation (or OG) line-up none of the mecha featured are from anime series but instead created in-house by Banpresto themselves. In Exceed apparently the world is the one formed by several worlds altogether, from the ending of the first game. There’s also a good chance that this will be released abroad, as the rights surrounding the OG mecha are considerably easier to negotiate.

Another tournament meeting for the Armored Core 3 Portable occurred over the weekend. This is part of the Tournament Season 1 setup and if you want to have a look at some of the matches, these can be streamed as videos from the official site. As always, the series’ producer Toshifumi Nabeshima was on hand but more interestingly was the display of the above model kit that’s part of the ongoing Armored Core Brave New World sidestory. The main body of parts in the design were present in Armored Core 3 Silent Line but the head is bespoke. There’s a good chance that this design will make it into the upcoming Silent Line PSP port, as the previous game received this beastie from the same sidestory as an extra Arena opponent.

The official site for Gundam vs Gundam Next Plus has been somewhat busy as of late, with updates as to its updated mobile suit roster. Notably the RX-77 Guncannon has returned, as it was a PSP exclusive in the last port. In addition, there is now a Titans coloured RX-178 Gundam Mk.II. Apart from that there is the distinction between the 00 Raiser weapon load out variants, from the GN Sword II to the more potent and final GN Sword III. Naturally, for Gundam Wing fans the addition of the Endless Waltz suits in the form of the Nataku and Zero Custom will garner more appreciation maybe.

Back in the mid-80′s Hibiki Godai helmed a new type of game for the NEC PC-8801, it featured a transforming robot that could fire lasers. The game was called Thexder. Considering the technical limitations of the hardware compared to today’s gaming devices, games like Thexder espouse the benefits of focused simplicity when it comes to crafting games. The whole point of the game was to get Thexder from one side of the level to the other, whilst navigating tricky maze-like corridors as well as preserving its energy in order for the player to proceed. Very simple but deeply compelling.

Thexder received numerous ports over the years, released in all manner of countries and a few sequels to boot as well. Yet, despite its global success, not many seem to remember the game even existed at all. To correct such an injustice, Square Enix recently funded the publishing of a Thexder update called Thexder Neo to be released on the PSP. This was done via Game Arts, the original developer of the first game, and Zereo. The game is fundamentally a very well wrought remake though and is for the money is an incredible bargain for any gamer.

The newly released arcade mecha game, Border Break seems to be on the right track. The same Mecha Damashii reader that gave us a lowdown on the upcoming Front Mission Evolved also ventured down to the arcades to check out SEGA’s new mecha gaming effort for himself. From the extensive amount of videos that have been posted online, via SEGA no less, Border Break looks to be superb in almost every way. Thankfully, the following impressions back that up and then some.

Whilst we already posted a piece on someone else’s hands on impressions, a Mecha Damashii reader felt compelled to send us theirs from the Tokyo Game Show floor regarding the PlayStation 3 version. From the gameplay videos that have been going the rounds, the following report sounds pretty consistent. Considering the submission deadlines with console releases such as these, it’s doubtful that we’ll see many changes between now and the projected release date. So read on to hear the damage first hand (staunch Front Mission fans may need a stiff drink ready).

The remake to the classic Thexder, in the form of the PSP update Thexder Neo, has been finally released on the US PSN store for $9.99. We will be posting a review of this in the very near future but in the meantime feel free to watch the trailer that Square Enix were nice enough to upload to their YouTube channel.

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There’s a nice photo report over at Akiba Hobby about the current Tamashii Nation show. These are mini-toy shows exclusively for Bandai products. The “tamashii” element stems from one of their flagship collectors toylines, the Soul of Chogokin range. Despite a lot of these being anime specific, many have made their way into games with the upcoming Armor Plus version of Tekkaman Blade being a good example as the character will be playable in the new Tatstunoko vs Capcom update (though there was already a Tamashii Spec set that also included Pegas). Separately, the Spearhead from Eureka Seven was last seen in both Super Robot Wars Z (which we reviewed) and Another Century’s Episode 3. Personally, I’m most excited about the above design; the V2 Assault Buster Gundam from V Gundam, as it’s one of my favourite Hajime Katoki designs and it’s featured heavily in Gundam vs Gundam to boot. There are lots of other mecha toys on display too, so the report is worth a look anyway.