A rather interesting animated gif has appeared over on the Tamashii Web front page. Despite talking of a collaboration with Hobby Japan, the interesting aspect is that the font used for “Ready” as well as patented SEGA blue sky background (not to mention the green hatching) makes us think that a Virtual On Oratorio Tangram toyline could be on the way. Bear in mind that the Tamashii brand is squarely aimed at collectors so we could be in store for something rather wonderful. In any case, we’ll know more on the 25th June.

To commemorate the year since the XBLA port of Oratan 5.66 was released, Yamashita-san has posted a somewhat vague but interesting entry to the official blog. Now, we already know that the port did very well but it turns out that the sales figures also exceeded SEGA’s own internal expectations (though actual concrete sales figures weren’t specified unfortunately). Couple this with the various online questionnaires over future Virtual On ports as well as newer entries into the series and this starts to make more sense. The most obvious follow on from Oratan is a home port of Force, something that Marz tried rather dismally to cater for. Despite SEGA not supporting Force in terms of updates, the arcade community is still very active across Japan so a proper home version (with online multiplayer) would make a lot of sense. It would also help justify the crazy price tag of the limited edition HORI twinsticks that were released not that long ago. Considering that After Burner Climax is also doing quite well, a game that Yamashita-san’s team also worked on, there’s probably an understandable amount of chin stroking going on within SEGA when it comes to their pretty epic arcade gaming back catalogue. Apparently, there will be one more final Oratan 5.66 column quite soon and with any luck some more overt announcements might surface. We’re hoping for an all new game, as that’s what most fans actually wanted (scroll down to see the questionnaire results).

Updated: Turns out SEGA are already planning a Force port for the 360. Thanks to Excellen Browning for the heads up.

Over at AmiAmi they’ve shown the new Robot Damashii RGM-79SP GM Sniper II that’s set for a September release this year. Effectively a special forces GM, it comes very close to and exceeds many of the RX-78-2 Gundam’s abilities in the saga. This toy, like the others in the Robot Damashii range, boasts some impressive articulation yet it still retains a remarkably faithful sculpt. This is also one of Yutaka Izubuchi’s most loved mobile suit designs and one that played a vital role in the latter parts of Dreamcast game Rise From The Ashes (and the Premium Disc too). The above version is actually the colour scheme seen from the design’s original version in Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket though. The White Dingo livery, from the Dreamcast game, has yet to be given a release date (though it is planned). In any case the GM Sniper II has graced multiple Gundam games over the years and is, in part, responsible for the aesthetic direction for the Master Chief in Halo as well (something the Sniper II also shares with the RGM-79G GM Command). You can pre-order the toy here.

Play Asia currently have a fair few interesting mecha games going at a discount at the moment. First up is Treasure’s classic Bangai-O on the Dreamcast, this is also the Japanese version in case you’re wondering. Like many, we hold the Bangai-O games in very high regard and we’ve written a pretty lengthy feature on the series too (as many of the functional influences stem from from renowned anime shows). Interestingly, the Dreamcast version of the game (as there was also an N64 release before it) was one of the few games that didn’t support VGA output. The recent DS game, Bangai-O Spirits, is also still at a discount if you want to nab that too.

Next up is the classic Dreamcast port of Virtual On Oratorio Tangram. Now, what with the XBLA port of MSBS 5.66 already available why would you buy this? Despite the lovely Hajime Katoki artwork on the cover, it’s also going very cheaply and it features a very different balancing setup as the port also affords access to MSBS 5.45 and 5.2 (the latter being the first release of the game, when it was being run on Model 3 hardware). The XBLA port only has the option to play via the 5.66 setup. In addition, getting hold of Dreamcast TwinSticks is still relatively easy and inexpensive, compared to the HORI 360 effort, and more importantly the game works fine with them. The HORI sticks have a deadzone at the base of each stick, which considering the rather steep price tag is a bit unfortunate. Again, we have a rather thorough feature on the Virtual On games in case you’re at all curious about the series.

Then there’s Macross Plus Game Edition and
Real Robots Final Attack, both on the PlayStation. The Macross Plus game is an interesting attempt at dealing with the disparate modes of the various variable fighters, as it literally separates the game out via fighter and battroid focused levels. Whereas Real Robots Final Attack is a full on and quite competent Virtual On clone using a variety of classic real robot shows as a base (it’s basically the spiritual precursor to the Another Century’s Episode games in a way).

Finally, we have the Rise from the Ashes collection release on the Dreamcast; which packages both the premium disc and the original game together along with a new third person camera mode. We like this game a lot and the development team responsible for this now go by the Team White Dingo moniker that was coined by the player’s platoon in the game. In any case, there’s plenty to choose from at the moment and that’s no bad thing at all!

Over at the AmiAmi blog they’re covering the Tamashii Features event, which is basically an orgy of Robot Damashii toys all neatly arranged for the discerning mecha fan. Out of the many toys on display, the Yutaka Izubuchi designed RGM-79SP GM Sniper II caught our eye. Not only because it’s a lovely design but also due to its presence in the excellent Dreamcast game Rise from the Ashes. Thankfully, Bandai are producing both colour schemes of the mobile suit (as it originally appeared in Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket). No word on a release date as yet but the good news is that it won’t be prohibitively expensive. We’ve also included a video of the GM Sniper II in action from the Rise from the Ashes Premium Disc below…

Update: GA Graphic also have a nice report up for the Tamashii Features show.

[[Visit blog to check out this spoiler]]

Over at Play-Asia they’re doing another of their bargains, with the classic Dreamcast arcade port of Choukou Senki Kikaioh (or Tech Romancer as it was known abroad). This particular version also features the online matchmaking service, though whether that works these days is anybody’s guess. Kikaioh was, in many ways, a spiritual successor to Cyberbots (as it also featured Jin Saotome’s Blodia as an unlockable). However, what made the game quite interesting was how it hired Shoji Kawamori to pen a fictional pantheon of mecha designs, spanning both the real and super spectrum (the above picture is a sketch he did of the titular Kikaioh if you’re wondering). In any case, the game also features a lovely unlockable anime opening (shown below). Make sure you also have an arcade stick for this, as you’ll really need it.

Update: Play-Asia have sold out their copies for this – which was pretty quick!

[[Visit blog to check out this spoiler]]

For fans of augmented reality and Virtual On, this will be quite cool. The ARToolKit has been used to render a Virtual On type HUD with an ultrasound distance measurer. The video is quite innocuous to begin with, as it just shows how the device works but when a small “T” card appears that designates the 1/100 scale Kotobukiya model kit of HBV-502-H8 Raiden as just that – then it opens fire with its lasers (to which the cameraman wisely dodges). Admittedly this is just a tech demo of sorts but its nice to see this kind of technology used in a manner partially sympathetic to a game such as Oratan. What’s especially classy though and something not overly obvious to most people, is that the HUD used is actually the RNA variant (as in 2P). Why is this noteworthy? Well, the Raiden colour scheme of the kit is actually the DNA variant (or 1P) so the logical follow on from that would mean the cameraman would have to be an RNA player. The video is linked below and thanks to Saur for the heads up.

[[Visit blog to check out this spoiler]]

Over at Play Asia, there are a bunch of lovely mecha games going at a discounted price. Some of them are also quite rare. Such as the Dreamcast Gundam Rise from the Ashes Premium Disc, this was originally sold directly to fans via a coupon from the original game and then only in Japan (if you’re curious about the full game, we’ve already reviewed it). You then have the even rarer Macross Eternal Love Song, a classic NCS strategy game on the PC Engine – so very much in the spirit of Langrisser in case you’re wondering. Finally, the more recent Emblem of Gundam and Super Robot Wars K on the Nintendo DS should also keep your strategy leanings satiated.

This epiphany in Gundam gaming came in the form of Gundam Gaiden (aka “The Blue Destiny”). There were a total of three games released for the Sega Saturn that enabled the player to control a bog standard Federation “GM” mobile suit. A far cry from the uber-powerful eponymous Gundam. In short, the player was a grunt, and had to work their way through a series of particularly tough campaigns. Each “game” was merely a chapter in the overall plot as well, and also saw the player being awarded with progressively more powerful mobile suits as they progressed. The Gundam Gaiden trilogy of games is very much respected by many a mecha gamer, so you can imagine the fervour when Bandai announced a successor for this superb series of games on the (then) new Dreamcast console.

Despite the obvious graphical improvements, the biggest modification to the series was how you could directly control the actions of your wingmen. Admittedly the game’s focus was predominantly action based, but the real time tactics element added a whole new dimension to the, already very solid, gameplay.

At the beginning of the One Year War, the Archduchy of Zeon instigated “Operation British”, of which the main focus was dropping a space colony on the Federation headquarters at Jaburo, in South America. They missed. Instead, after courageous fighting on the part of the space-based Federation forces, the colony was redirected to a more neutral target. Well, when I say “neutral” I mean Sydney, Australia. In short, Australia took a beating and Sydney was cleanly wiped off the face of the Earth.

Very shortly after “Operation British”, most of the Earth’s surface was occupied by the Zeon forces. Being a spaced-based faction, they didn’t have the raw materials to continue a drawn out conflict. Australia was also very much pillaged during this period.

Cue “Operation Odessa”. The Federation forces decided to fight back and push the Zeon forces back into space. You, the player, take the helm of the White Dingo mobile suit platoon, and your objective is to destroy the Zeon presence in Australia.

Set over nine rather diverse missions, you spearhead the White Dingo team of mobile suits. This team consists of yourself, Pierce Rayer, two wingmen – Leung Lee-Fai and Maximilian Berger – and the Minovsky hover tank “Oasis”, piloted by Anita Julianne. The latter adds field reports and acts as a reconnaissance craft. More importantly you can control the actions of each team member quite comprehensively, but more of this later.

Combat is viewed via a claustrophobic cockpit view and is split into distanced and melee combat accordingly. Distanced combat revolves around your main and sub weapon. The main weapon can be changed from machine guns, to bazookas and even beam weapons (though admittedly later in the game). The sub weapons, though, are normally inbuilt features of each Mobile Suit, as in either head mounted Vulcan cannons or long range artillery guns affixed upon the Mobile Suits’ backs. Both weapon types can also be used in a “sniper scope” mode, which can be incredibly useful on some of the later missions.

Melee combat is activated once the player gets within close enough range of their opponent. Attacks can be easily blocked, but the close combat system is pretty basic and not all that useful, especially against more nimble foes.

The real meat of the game, however, is how you tactically deploy your teammates. Each of your subordinates can be precisely controlled, from which path they follow, to the manner they engage the enemy. Both “Fang 2” and “Fang 3” (you are “Fang 1”) can attack an enemy at three ranges: Short, Middle and Long. This means you can deploy your men to keep an enemy busy by having them engage in short range combat whilst you pick them off with your main weapon in sniper scope mode. Admittedly this is only a simple example scenario, but the options the system offers are particularly numerous – even to the extent that certain enemies can only be dispatched through judicious usage of your wingmen. Naturally, the hover tank can also be controlled, but its actions are very much scripted (so as to tie in with the narrative); therefore it doesn’t offer much to the tactical platter.

The narrative is also worth noting, mainly because of the impressive way it is melded with the overall One Year War timeline. To the extent that events in the game clarify proceedings that occur over four years hence (namely the African campaign in “Gundam 0083 Stardust Memory”). This attention to narrative detail is to be applauded and very much evidence that Bandai know the franchise well. It is also worth mentioning that the voice acting for the American release is surprisingly solid, and very much an unexpected bonus (especially considering the standard of American voice acting in most of the Gundam anime).

The controls for the game are more than adequate too, but some may find the intitial learning phase somewhat cumbersome. Once mastered, however, the controls serve the player well.

Whilst the game is engaging, it is rather short. The Sega Saturn’s Gundam Gaiden trilogy got away with this by having three games (rather than the Dreamcast’s one). Admittedly the Japanese release also had a “Premium Disc” shipped at a later date (the player went up against the White Base’s Gundam, Guncannon and Guntank) and was very much a welcome addition, but the game would have done well with a few more missions and a versus mode. Considering the amount of tactical depth available, the lack of such an option feels very much like a lost opportunity.

Regardless of whether you might enjoy Gundam or not, “Rise from the Ashes” is probably one of the most solid examples in the mecha gaming pantheon and yet another impressive title in the Dreamcast’s esteemed software library.

Tamashii: 7/10