Kotobukiya’s excellent kit of Nineball Seraph is finally getting a re-release this February. The ultimate evolution of Nineball, Seraph first appeared in Armored Core Master of Arena on the PSone. It also popped up again in Armored Core 2 Another Age on the PS2 and even as a secret boss in Another Century’s Episode R on the PS3, with the latter also being an unlockable as well as a fully playable unit. Designed by Shoji Kawamori, Seraph was closer to an armored MT compared to the original AC version. It could also transform, something this kit also recreates. At 7,800 yen it’s a bit pricier than other kits in the range but it is a big kit to be fair. Though if you pre-order it from our friends at HobbyLink Japan you’ll get a nice discount. In any case, it’s nice to know that Armored Core isn’t entirely dead as the kits seem to be still nicely popular.

The upcoming PS4 port for Assault Suit Leynos is released finally on December 23rd. We’ve already had two demos of the game and from what I have played neither were very impressive. While I think Dracue are great, as Gunhound was fun, I am not sure they will do a good job on something more high end like this. The new trailer (shown below) does try and sell the game as best it can but even then this looks pretty wonky. Whether it will be as bad as the PS2 port of Valken remains to be seen but I am not holding out hope that this will be any good.

One of the major villains from the brilliant Armored Core Verdict Day is finally getting the kit treatment, in the form of Kotobukiya’s CO3 Malicious R.I.P.3/M Blue Magnolia Version. Like with Kotobukiya’s other kits in this series, parts are all interchangeable. The detailing and sculpt are also superb, so Kotobukiya still haven’t lost their touch. As with most kits, the price point is pretty decent as well. Coming in at around 7,800 yen it is easily available from most good import sites, though we recommend you get it from here. I really love all the Verdict Day designs, as they all look properly mechanical and beefy. It’s a pity the game didn’t do all that well, as it really was excellent. At least we’re still getting lovely kits of the designs though.

The recent Tamashii Nations 2015 event over last weekend was one of certain significance, showing off all manner of new toys it was interesting to see a very large resurgence of classic designs. The main contender being of course Macross, with the recently announced Macross Delta getting a good amount of love. With the series’ latest variable fighters on show (the new VF-31 is shown above). The big surprises on the Macross front though were the inclusion of the VF-4 Lightning III and VF-2SS SAP as part of the new VF HI-METAL R range. Not to mention the sheer volume of classic Macross toys on the way, with a huge DX Soul of Chogokin VF-1J being very notable.

Bar the huge Macross showing, there was a lot of other surprises too. From the Robot Damashii Sirbine to the Robot Damashii Patlabor mecha, it seems Bandai are finally pulling their finger out and really going after what fans actually want. The icing on the cake being the Super Robot Chogokin Giant Robo, which has been far too long in coming.

Overall it was an amazing show and had a lot of awesome toys on show and to look forward to. If you want to see more of the event then you can do so here and here.

Following the announcement for the PS4 VR game Rigs, we now have an updated gameplay promo video to look at (shown below). Despite the somewhat pretentious slow motion cuts used in the new trailer, the game looks good. I got to briefly see it at this year’s Tokyo Game Show and it’s a competent game and should work well once it is out in the wild. Still no details on when that will be though but thus far I am hopeful that this will be actually decent.

The teaser site for a new Gundam Extreme Versus Maxi Boost game went live today and it reveals an update to the game in the form of Gundam Extreme Versus Maxi Boost On. What’s more there will be locations occurring in Japan over the weekend. Interestingly, the game also includes both the G-Self and Gundam Barbatos that will be present in the upcoming PS Vita game Gundam Extreme Versus Force. In addition, the game will also include a new Extend Burst mode to the already existing Shooting and Fighting types. No word on an arcade release but considering the timing of the location tests I am guessing it will be out before the end of the year here.

A new Kickstarter campaign plans to bring the first two Muv Luv visual novels to Steam, with a full English localization. The initial goal was $250 thousand but the campaign has already blown clear past that. The series is an interesting one, as it deals with an alien invasion and the mecha used to take the aliens on. The mecha design is also pretty damn fantastic, so in that sense I am glad a series as popular as this is finally coming Westward.

As part of Sentinel’s ongoing Riobot range, we’ll be finally getting a toy of the Metal Gear Sahelanthropus from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Like prior toys in the range, this will also have a good chunk of diecast included. The extra good news, bar the LEDs and accessories, is that T-REX are also working on the design of this. Released in April next year, the Riobot Metal Gear Sahelanthropus will cost 41,040 yen. Considering it transforms and it is pretty massive with it, that’s a fair price all things considered. The mecha itself is pretty anachronistic within the series’ timeline but it makes for a fun boss fight at least (the latter being shown below, though obvious spoiler warning attached to that). You can pre-order this new toy here.

The upcoming PS4 port of Assault Suits Leynos is getting a new demo this Friday (25th). The full game is also scheduled for December 23rd but from what I’ve played of the game thus far in the prior demo I am not holding my hopes out for this one. While it will clearly be better than the awful PS2 port of Assault Suits Valken, it’s still not a patch on the original game. I am a fan of Dracue’s work though, as the Gunhound games are good fun, but this feels like a tech demo than game. In any case, the latest trailer is out and shown below.

Vanillaware have finally announced their new game and it’s called 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim. Not only does it look suitably sumptuous, like all their games, but it also features mecha. While not much is known about the game, bar that is set for release on PS4 and PS Vita, we are very curious to see how this title will turn out. Previously Vanillaware has only really done fantasy themed action RPG’s, often with a historical bent. This looks decidedly futuristic and sci-fi with it. The music is also being Hitoshi Sakimoto and thus far has a real Origa vibe to it. The launch trailer is shown below.