It’s been a long while since I did an update for the site. With various professional changes on my end, I wanted to follow up with how I feel the site will continue and to hear your feedback on the subject.

Read more after the jump…

Over at 4Gamer, they have a new interview with one of the developers behind the upcoming arcade mecha game Starwing Paradox. Released later this year in the Japanese arcades, it utilizes the talents of Yoshiyuki Sadamoto for the character designs and Ippei Gyoubu for the mecha. Up until now, the game has been looking great but we now finally have some gameplay footage of the game in action (shown below) and now I am not so sure about it.

Put simply, Starwing Paradox looks a lot like a multiplayer version of Another Century’s Episode R on the PS3 and that’s not good really. Admittedly, Starwing Paradox has a different control setup and a bespoke motion activated cabinet but even then, this kind of aerial ranged combat approach with analog boosting, as per the flawed Zone of the Enders games, doesn’t fill me with much hope.

However, the only thing here that gives me hope is that Byking is behind Starwing Paradox. They are a solid developer that made the initial Gundam Extreme Versus games, as well as crazily awesome games like Gunslinger Stratos. Admittedly, Byking also made Magician’s Dead and that was mostly terrible but I am still hoping that Starwing Paradox will turn out okay, despite this somewhat worrying gameplay footage.

Since the end of the Z series, the Super Robot Wars games have tried to change up the setup somewhat, such as including series without mecha in Super Robot Wars V. Well, the latest Super Robot Wars X follows on from that and but a fresh isekai angle to the mix.

From the start, Super Robot Wars X wears its isekai, or alternate world, intentions on its sleeve. With the inclusion of such series as Aura Battler Dunbine and Machine Hero Wataru, the whole premise feels very fantasy themed. Something that is only emphasized further with the main OG mecha being a magic-oriented unit.

Back in 2009, you may remember that we reviewed the awesome Border Break. Well, it finally seems that after nearly a decade the game will be getting a console port on the PS4. Not only will the game support mouse input, along with DualShock 4, it will also have an all-new story mode. The console version of Border Break will also come in two major flavors; an online free-to-play version and a boxed release with most of the content included. The free-to-play setup is actually not that far from how the game currently works in the arcades, so it will be interesting to see how it does. While there is no news yet on when this PS4 version of Border break will be released, there are plans for an open-beta sometime in February. It is also worth pointing out that the game is currently only slated for a Japanese release but considering the fact that the PS4 is region free means you will still be able to easily import and play the game.

After four years or so, Heavy Gear Assault has finally made its way to Steam. This is an Unreal Engine 4 reboot of sorts and is multiplayer only. The game itself has had a troubled history, as its crowdfunding campaign imploded and it sounds like the financial situation since has been sketchy at best. The bad news in all this is that this is not a proper final release of the game but instead an early access beta. I can understand why they have done this from a cashflow sense but these kinds of early releases tend to backfire pretty badly. In any case, we have a new Heavy Gear game to sort of play, so there’s that at least. If you want to play Heavy Gear Assault you will need to first register an account and then purchase one of the starter packs.

Update: Turns out the game is stuck in limbo until Valve get around to approving it.

For those that have been playing MechWarrior Online, it seems that the same studio Piranha Games has also been working on a new mainline game in the series. Titled MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries it’s now made the shift over to Unreal Engine 4, from MechWarrior Online’s CryEngine. In the latest reveal trailer (shown below), we get to see an old Shadow Hawk taken through its paces (shown above). This particular unit is also one not without controversy, as like many of the early BattleTech designs the Shadow Hawk was actually a straight up copy of the Dougram.

Now, when I interviewed Kunio Okawara, the designer behind Dougram, and Rysosuke Takahashi, the writer and director for the series, fairly recently neither seemed that fussed about this kind borrowing of material. However, Takahashi did make a point to say that it was really Sunrise’s call on whether anything should be done about the situation. That said, when I also interviewed Shoji Kawamori about his designs being used in BattleTech he wasn’t best pleased.

In short, even after all these years the BattleTech and subsequent MechWarrior games are still not free of this Unseen controversy. The fact that MechWarrior 5 went with the Shadow Hawk as part of its reveal seems a strangely unnecessary move, when they can clearly design something fresh and new instead (though this version of the Shadow Hawk has already been reworked quite a bit). This is also something of an ongoing issue with the MechWarrior series, as I covered some licensing issues back in 2009.

Personally, I am glad to see a new mainline MechWarrior game but after all the ineptitude surrounding MechWarrior Online I am not holding out any hope that this will be any good. Currently, there is no news of a release date or platform but I am guessing it will make its way to PC at some point.

The free update and paid DLC for the excellent Macross Delta Scramble is finally out and it is really rather great. To commemorate the release, Bandai Namco unveiled a series of new videos about the new content (shown below). Considering that the initial release was somewhat light on content, even after Macross 30, this update is both welcome and necessary. While the free update adds more Macross Delta story missions, the paid DLC covers the Extra missions that are focused on other Macross series. In order to purchase the latter you will need a Japanese PSN account. In any case, if you have a Vita and haven’t bought Macross Delta Scramble already then you should really correct that oversight.

The excellent Macross Delta Scramble on PS Vita will be getting some DLC on November 30th. Not only will this include a free update with additional Macross Delta missions but also separate paid DLC that will include Extra missions from other Macross series. The later DLC will be priced at 1000 yen and will encompass all manner of new mecha, pilots and missions. Naturally, you will need a Japanese PSN account to access the paid DLC. Considering the reduced content was somewhat of an issue in the original release, I am glad Bandai Namco are funding Artdink to rectify matters. If you haven’t done so already, you can import the game here.

The last major portable Macross game was Macross Triangle Frontier back in 2011, since then we’ve had Macross 30 on the PS3. That was a slower game dubbed as a “flight action RPG”. In the time since, Artdink has been working on a variety of other Vita games, from Gundam Seed Battle Destiny to all sorts of Sword Art Online titles. The result of all this studious work is that Artdink has probably made one of the best Macross games in recent memory.

Macross Delta Scramble is finally released on the Vita in Japan today. This is a continuation of Studio Artdink’s solid Macross games on PSP, as well as their PS3 game Macross 30. From what I’ve played of the game thus far, it is more inline with their older PSP games and is much faster paced as well as more functionally immediate compared to Macross 30. It also looks surprisingly good for a Vita game and runs very smoothly. I can only hope this will be the start of a new series of Vita based Macross games by the studio. With any luck, I’ll get around to reviewing Macross Delta Scramble in the next few weeks. You can import the game here.