Following on from our previous post about a forthcoming E-MF-LZ-00X-2 Layzner Mk2 toy, it turns out in fact that we will be likely getting it as a Soul of Chogokin Spec iteration (something we hoped and suspected). On top of that, it seems that demand is high enough for the suitably bling SPT-ZK-53U Zakarl (shown above) to get the same treatment. What’s interesting about this is that fans wanted continuity from the previous, and thoroughly excellent, Soul of Chogokin Spec Layzner. We wholly endorse this request. No word on pricing or release as yet but once we know more we’ll let you know.

The first livestream for Armored Core Verdict Day has been archived and we’ve linked it below. Whilst there’s a noticeable absence of gameplay footage the new weapon switching animations are pretty damn sexy. As for the collector’s edition figure, it does indeed seem that it isn’t a proper Super Robot Chogokin but instead some nasty ABS monstrosity. For the price tag it does seem somewhat cheeky too. Anyway, enjoy the livestream and it’s nice to be seeing some more Armored Core again.

Watch Video »

What with the beta for Gundam Breaker already out, it seems Bandai Namco have also been listening to players in regards to improving the game. So we’ll be seeing operators, voiced by seiyuu, helping you out in game as well as allied wingmen. The latter looks more like these will be non-kitbashed units too, which is interesting. The PS3 version will released on June 27th for 7,980 yen. No word on the Vita release as yet though.

There’s a nice big update for Super Robot Wars Operation Extend over at 4Gamer. Mostly showing lots of new screenshots of the 3D battle animations it also shows the game map (as seen above). This is not like the previous grid base approaches but is instead radial and more along the lines of Super Robot Wars NEO. It’s pretty clear that Operation Extend is likely a re-purposed NEO, with a much larger unit roster. We’re still not sure about the whole download only approach but bear in mind the last few PSP have also been available to download too, so this isn’t something massively new (though the episodic nature may be a bone of contention to some). Either way we’re just happy to see Patlabor finally.

Bandai is releasing an expansion pack to their previously released Robot Damashii Extreme Gundam (Type Leos) Xenon Phase. The pack allows you to transform the base Extreme Gundam (Type Leos) into the Eclipse and Agios Phases found in Gundam Extreme Versus Full Boost. And when you combine the Eclipse, Agios, and Xenon parts together, you can also create its Full Burst mode! The expansion pack is tentatively scheduled to be released in September 2013 with a price of 4410 yen.

We now have our first trailer for Armored Core Verdict Day (shown below) and it looks pretty cool. It also thankfully lacks any wubwub nonsense that we got with the last game’s trailers. In addition, we also have details on a collector’s edition release of the game. This will come with (in addition to the game itself) an artbook, soundtrack and a figure. The latter won’t be part of the Super Robot Chogokin toyline annoyingly but instead will be just made of ABS plastic, so it’s likely to be a bit pants. It will be priced at 16,800 yen. Finally, don’t forget that the first livestream for Verdict Day is today.

Watch Video »

Over at Famitsu there’s a new update on Armored Core Verdict Day, primarily covering the new solid shields (shown above) and the return of weapon arm parts, the latter will have interesting ramifications to the current hanger setup for weapon switching. They also make a big deal that there will be a greater amount of part variety over the last game, specifically catering for more energy type (KE, CE and TE) variance. In addition, we now also have details on the first live stream for the game. Hosted on the 12th April, it sounds like it will follow the same format as previous live streams. Once it’s archived online we’ll be sure to post it here.

Sentinel have updated their site for the forthcoming Riobot Blodia toy from Cyberbots. Showing all manner of new shots of the figure, which emphasises its use of diecast (see above), and a promotional video that shows of its various gimmicks. All told, it looks fucking amazing and is definitely going to be the best Blodia figure we’ve ever had. Whilst it is somewhat pricy (10,290 yen) it is a lot cheaper than many of Bandai’s high end outings, which is impressive. It will also be available in 2P colours as well (blue basically). The toy is released this July and you can pre-order yours here.

Watch Video »

In an interested move, Banpresto have announced a new PSP downloadable entry to the Super Robot Wars canon. Called Super Robot Wars Operation Extend, the game will be broken up into eight parts. The first part will cost 500 yen with the subsequent parts costing 1000 yen each. Buying all of them together will cost 6,480 yen. No word on a starting release date but all eight parts are expected over the course of this year. The actual game itself though is based upon Super Robot Wars NEO and will have similar map based commands (rather than the traditional grid system). In addition, the battle animations will be a stylised 3D with a few 2D elements thrown in. The roster will also be pretty sizable with lots of great 80′s real robot shows in the mix. In short, we’re looking forward to this but having it released like this will take a bit of getting used to.

What with the beta out for Gundam Breaker already (and one that had over 300,000 downloads in its first week online), it seems a bit odd to have a promo. In any case, it is pretty thorough and shows off the game pretty well. We’re definitely looking forward to the game’s release and will probably be picking up the PS3 version (which you can pre-order here).

Watch Video »