A while back, a bunch of fans of the Space Hulk board game, set in the Warhammer 40k universe, set out to make a freeware single player video game version. Unfortunately, despite what initially looked like some official support for the remake, the team ran afoul of the obvious legal hassles involved and had to take the download down. Well, the remake is back up, now with a new name, ‘Alien Assault’, and all Warhammer 40k terms changed to more generic science fiction space marine vocabulary.

The forthcoming PSP port of Gundam vs Gundam Next released at the beginning of December, has had more units confirmed exclusively for it. These are all mobile suits not present in the arcade iteration and are also all “bad guy” mobile suits. Specifically, the new units in question are; The O from Zeta Gundam, the Zeong from the original Gundam, the Rafflesia from Gundam F-91, the WaDom from Turn A Gundam and finally the Reborns Gundam from Gundam 00.

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.

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.

Over at the official Gundam vs Gundam Next Plus site, some new videos have surfaced. One being a TV commercial and the other an extended promo video. The latter is similar to the original video we linked not that long ago except that it shows a lot more gameplay footage and it covers pretty much every Gundam series featured in the game. What’s especially interesting to see is how the Trans-Am abilities for the Gundam 00 mecha are handled, notably that of the 00 Raiser. The game is still scheduled for Japanese release at the beginning of December.

On top of the addition of the Victoria AC, more unique Ranker opponents are on the way for Silent Line Portable. This means that new parts will also follow suit, specifically the MHD-72-50 head, which is an original design that was featured in the pages of Hobby Japan. The AC that adorns this new head is called “Focus” and is separate from the Brave New World narrative arc. In addition the Japanese PlayStation Store has a few Silent Line Portable wallpaper images available (for free) to help promote the upcoming release.

The official site for the Xbox 360 port of Oratan 5.66 has recently been given an update regarding the HORI TwinSticks. It seems all is on track and that feedback was positive at this year’s TGS, where the sticks were first displayed to the public. In addition, there is apparently an interview with the team in the December Xbox 360 specific Famitsu. The November release of the sticks is still on schedule as well apparently.

The Escapist is currently running a feature called I, Robot, that covers mecha and its affect on gaming. My personal favourite piece is the Pilgrimage to Mecha as it’s rare to see Gundam covered in a truly culturally sympathetic sense within the Western press. I’ve also contributed a piece as well, entitled Mecha Magnates it covers the most influential games that have shaped the genre over the years.

As we predicted the Victoria AC from the Brave New World sidestory is appearing in the upcoming Silent Line Portable. In addition, From Software are holding an event on November 7th at their offices in Shibuya for gamers to have a go on the new port. Considering that Armored Core 3 Portable received a recent release abroad there’s a good chance Silent Line will follow suit.