In a rather cool move to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Macross this year, Bandai Namco will be releasing some new DLC for Ace Combat Assault Horizon with some F-14D’s made up with the livery from Hikaru Ichijoe’s VF-1J and Roy Focker’s VF-1S. What’s especially lovely about this is that the F-14 was in fact the base by which Shoji Kawamori penned the original VF-1 series of variable fighters in the first Macross. So to have F-14D’s made up like this brings a nerdy tear to our eye. Naturally, these jets don’t transform but both will be available (as a set) on March 21st for either 600 yen (PS3) or 400 MSP (360).

Courtesy of our good friends at HobbyLink Japan we’ve been sent the Super Robot Chogokin Zeorymer from the anime Hades Project Zeorymer. Whilst this is somewhat of a niche super robot OVA from the late 80’s, it has garnered a rather infamous reputation due to its suitably uber presence in several Super Robot Wars games. We’ve also made sure to include some nice footage from the anime as well as its various game appearances at the bottom of the review.

Despite a few announcement hiccups, it seems that Gundam Seed Battle Destiny will finally be released on June 7th. Sony have subsequently been doing a slew of videos to assure new PS Vita customers that games are indeed on the way, with Battle Destiny being notable (shown below). Even Terada has been summoned to talk about the forthcoming PSP game Super Robot Wars Z 2 Saisei-hen, which whilst technically not a PS Vita game per se it can be run on the system (just like Hakai-hen already is). That aside, the game footage of Battle Destiny looks good and seems very much in line with the prior PSP games in the series. If you haven’t done so already, you can also pre-order the game here.

Updated: Despite elsewhere stating that an SRW is being made for the Vita, the video with Terada that we linked doesn’t actually state this. He merely says that they’re investigating how the system works at present. Whilst it’s likely an SRW game will come to the Vita, it’s a bit early to make any such assertions. Saisei-hen will definitely work on the Vita though.

Now with the Western release of Armored Core V only a few week’s away, the PR machine has kicked it up a notch. A nice new walkthrough video (shown below) takes you on a whistlestop tour of the game, showing all manner of cool stuff from the customisation to the huge bosses too. Interestingly, the Overed Weapons have been renamed to “Ultimate Weapons” now. Whilst it sorta makes sense, we did like the original term. In any case, both versions of the game will be available on March 20th in the US and March 23rd in the rest of Europe.

The new Gundam Unicorn game has been released today, along with a first set of DLC. The DLC encompasses free and paid content, with various mobile suits and missions. What we’re most happy to see is that Quattro LadyParts is present and correct when it comes to piloting the MSN-001 Delta Gundam. Unfortunately, this version doesn’t have the classic spelling of his name but we’re okay with that. The paid DLC will only cost 500 yen too, which is pretty decent. We will be reviewing this game but considering how long Armored Core V took to reach us the Rapture may have already occurred by the time our copy of Gundam Unicorn ships. If you haven’t done so already, you can also order the game here.

What with the next installment around the corner, Banpresto have released the first Super Robot Wars Z 2 Hakai-hen on PSN. This not only means you’ll be able to play it on your PSP but also on your PS Vita (pictured above). The latter means it will have some very shiny upscaling on the handheld’s new screen. Despite the 7,330 yen price tag, the game is totally worth it. We bought a Japanese Vita last year when it was released and we love it, though the lack of PSone classics in the store seems like a huge oversight. Anyway, Saisei-hen is almost here and playing Hakai-hen again seems like a really good idea. Don’t forget you can pre-order Saisei-hen here.

For those that held back on either the Armor Plus or Tamashii Spec toys of the awesome Tekkaman Blade, then you’ll now have a far more affordable (though still very shiny) Figma toy on the way. Part of Max Factory’s Figma line, this new Tekkaman Blade is admittedly a touch smaller than Bandai’s Armor Plus variant (which we admittedly adored) but it does have an excellent sculpt and will likely have utterly epic articulation too. Considering all this will only cost you 3,300 yen, makes for a pretty damn sweet bargain as far as we are concerned. As a company Max Factory have a very long and prestigious heritage when it comes to mecha toys. From producing some of the lushest Guyver figures to some lovely VOTOMS toys as well, these guys really know how to make decent mecha action figures. Admittedly there’s also the MAX Gohkin line of toys too, competing with Bandai’s similarly pricey die-cast offerings, but the Figma toys have always been excellent value for money by comparison. This new Tekkaman Blade figure will be out this June and you can pre-order yours here.

In addition to having Steel Battalion Heavy Armor’s release date listed (as June 19th for the US, June 21st for Japan and June 22nd for Europe) we’ve also been graced with some new videos. Whilst one deserves some pretty hefty defenses against excessive use of fromage, the other is some actual gameplay footage. The latter is more interesting but seems to have a lot of dumb actions thrown in for no good reason. Maybe this is the bright new future Kinect will afford us but it comes across as being pretty hokey and jarringly out of place in the video. Until we get to play the game we’re not going to know for sure but what we’re seeing doesn’t exactly excite us very much. Both videos are shown below.

G.Rev have recently announced that they’re developing a new Senko no Ronde for the PS Vita. We’ve loved the last two games, especially DUO, and having a handheld Senko no Ronde just sounds totally sweet. In terms of release, the game is still in the early planning stages so we won’t be seeing the game this year but likely next year instead. That said, G.Rev were quick to point out that this game may branch off entirely from the series and be something completely new. Either way, we’re just happy G.Rev are bringing their expertise to the Vita.

Not only is MechWarrior Online still in development, the latest teaser trailer contains a weapons-grade payload of multiple fangasms. I won’t spoil it, but if you’ve been a fan of the MechWarrior series for a while now, you’ll be instantly having flashbacks of hitting Group Fire and preemptively mashing down the Reactor Shutdown Manual Override button. It’s been a long time, but it feels like we never even left the cockpit.

The newly mecha-curious among you will be pleased to know that it’s not all Old Guard fanservice. If the actual game looks half as good as this cinematic, this is quite possibly going to be the most beautiful free-to-play game out there. And it’s not just pixel counts on textures, either–the attention to detail on the DropShip’s prepping of the ‘Mech while it undergoes its startup sequence shows that someone truly cared. That Atlas isn’t unceremoniously dumped from a polygonal hanger bay, it’s got a proper launch sequence  that can set a man’s soul aflame. The Atlas itself is redefined with the sillier elements cut out, striking an imposing figure as the Inner Sphere’s personification of death. Someone has done their homework; this could very well be a product that can compete directly with the mecha output of Japan.

The game is still slated for this summer, and if you’ve been following along at home with the amazing curiosity that is the official MechWarrior Twitter account, you might have a good idea why. Due to MechWarrior’s origins as the tabletop RPG BattleTech, the universe has an amazing amount of definition that makes even the venerable Mobile Suit Gundam saga jealous, and the Twitter account has been reporting on events in that universe in real time. This August will be the BattleTech universe’s August of 3049, a pivotal moment in BattleTech history where the shit hits the proverbial heatsink. If you’re new to the series, don’t look it up; i’s much better to experience the terror firsthand. But if you find yourself in the Free Rasalhague Republic when the game opens, run.