As we await the upcoming Western release of Gundam Versus on September 29 on top of unreleased units such as Pale Rider and Gundam Guison Rebake, Phantom Gundam has been announced as a future DLC unit from Gundam Ace magazine. This will be the first time it makes a video game appearance.

The Phantom Gundam comes from the manga Crossbone Gundam Ghost, a sequel to the Crossbone Gundam: Steel Seven manga and set around the events of the V Gundam anime near the Jupiter Sphere. The Phantom Gundam is a prototype unit from the Jupiter Foundation using Minovsky Drive technology stolen from the SNRI, the institute that created the F91 and F97 Crossbone series Gundams. Essentially, the Phantom Gundam can generate wings of light similar to the V2 Gundam, but due to imperfect reverse engineering, it cannot match it performance wise. With similar cooling tech used in the F91 to prevent overheating, the Phantom’s emissions create a ghost like effect, thus the name.

In terms of arsenal, it uses Butterfly Busters which double as a beam handgun and short range beam knife and a Phantom Light beam sword. Expect a lot of I-Field shenanigans as well, as the Phantom’s combination of Minovsky Drive and I-Field generators allows it to supercharge a lot of its beam arsenal and defensive capabilities. Expect to see the Muramasa blaster in some form or fashion as well either as a melee attack or as part of a Striker Assist with the Crossbone X-0. It also has a mobile armor mode called Mirage Oiseau, that will no doubt provide more mobility and attack options for the unit.

There isn’t much more information about the unit in terms of cost as well, but I’m guessing it will be a 400 cost as there is a more powerful version of the Phantom in the manga, the Ghost Gundam. Hopefully we’ll see some enemy Crossbone units as well. Until then, we’ll keep you updated as more info hits!

From the 2017 San Diego Comic Con Gundam Fighting Games Panel, Bandai Namco announced North American players (and probably Europe) will get to try out the Gundam Versus Open Beta on top of announcing pre-order bonuses prior to the September 29th release date. While there isn’t that much info on what the Open Beta entails and when it will start, it might follow the JP Trial version in terms of providing players with certain waves of playable units. As for the pre-order bonuses, all Western players who pre-order the game receive what Premium G Sound Edition players received when they pre-ordered that specific version. As always, we’ll let you know more information about the Open Beta when it arrives.

As we get closer to the Japanese release of Gundam Versus on July 6, Bandai Namco have announced they’ll be sponsoring an official Gundam Versus side tournament with AnimEVO at EVO 2017. As you may know, Gundam Versus is set to launch in North American and European territories later this fall. What better way to expand into the community than at the biggest fighting game tournament! There have been EXVS Full Boost side tournaments the last couple of years thanks to Brett Young and the rest of the AnimEVO crew. But now with his help in partnering with Bandai Namco for Gundam Versus, there will hopefully be more of a spotlight on some of the great western players in a brand new game. EVO2017 runs from July 14 – 16, so stay tuned for some high level play!

As we get closer to the July 6th Japanese/SEA release of Gundam Versus, the latest Famitsu issue reveals 11 new units to the roster! Headlining the update includes the Hi-Nu Gundam from Char’s Counterattack: Beltorchika’s Children and the RX-79[G] Slave Wraith and Gelgoog HM from the PS3 title Gundam Side Stories. Both Side Stories units are brand new to the Gundam VS series and it’s interesting to see the roster start to branch out into the game spinoffs. This means we’ll most definitely see the Pale Rider and possibly it’s updated variant, the Todesritter, in the roster sometime down the line as well. Of course, with Hi-Nu joining the cast, the Nightingale is not too far behind.

While not listed in the article preview, we’ll also be seeing the addition of more 200 cost units. They include the Guntank, Rick Dias, Methuss, Dom, Hi-Zack, GM Custom, Re-ZEL, and Vigna Ghina. With this updated list including the ones listed on the official site so far, we’re now at 83 playable units confirmed. As in previous VS games, we do know a lot more are incoming especially as we haven’t seen the likes of 00 Raiser, Destiny, and God Gundam. As to whether or not they’re unlockable or part of a DLC plan is still up in the air. Let us know what you think of the latest roster additions below and what you’d like to see added!

If you’re wondering how to get into the upcoming Gundam Versus closed beta, now is the time to check the Japanese PlayStation Network Store! Recently announced on the gundam.info page, the closed beta will be held in three phases on the following days (all times in JST):

• Phase 1: around March 19, 2017 (Friday) from 19:00 to 22:00
• Phase 2: Saturday 18th March 2017 (Saturday) from 19:00 to 22:00
• Phase 3: Sunday, March 19, 2017 (Sunday) from 19:00 to 22:00

The entry period will run from February 16th to the 28th. Purchase the free ticket from the link provided with your JP PSN account and be enrolled in a lottery. If you are chosen, you will receive an email on March 9 from Bandai Namco with the product code to download the closed beta.

Each phase will allow you to play with 20 units out of a total 38 throughout the entire period. Aside from network load tests, they will be testing the following gameplay modes:

• Player Match
• Ultimate Battle
• Trial Battle
• Free Battle

Good luck to everyone that enters and hopefully see you on the battlefield!

The full report on the Gundam Versus Alpha test has finally been published over at 4gamer, giving us a better picture on what to expect from the latest game in the VS series. We initially talked about early impressions in a previous article, so it’s nice to see confirmation on how the game will be played. There’s definitely an air of familiarity when looking at the main battle screen if you’ve played previous VS games, but there are some nice quality of life changes already apparent. The HUD does not seem as cluttered as before with team health bar taking up a smaller footprint and partner health being more visible than before (an addition made in Maxi Boost ON). Of course, this doesn’t take into account the custom HUDs that can be sometimes pretty garish, but it’s nice to see a cleaner approach. Striker units are also added below the boost gauge.

Like the previous EXVS series, the step and boost dash cancels are back. What’s new is the inclusion of the Boost Dive mechanic that allows players to immediately drop towards the floor to improve mobility and defensive maneuverability. It still hasn’t been mentioned how you activate the Boost Dive, but it does work just like step and boost dashes in terms of canceling moves as well.

The Striker system is new take on the assists seen in previous games as you are allowed two selectable units in the alpha version. Striker units are also classified as either “shooting” or “fighting” as well, so you have an idea of what kind of assist they’ll provide. As this is only the alpha version, expect more balancing and possibly even more types like a defensive version.

In terms of Awakening types, the two that could be chosen were the Blaze Gear and Lightning Gear. The Blaze Gear provided a more short term performance increase whereas the Lightning Gear gave a longer lasting buff with an increased lock-on distance. Both types replenished the boost gauge when activated, but the Lightning Gear also recovered ammo as well. Like previous VS games, the type of Gear used will depend on what unit you select. And as always, activating your Gear will give you access to use your super attack, now known as the Awakening Technique.

According to the 4gamer report, the new additions have definitely helped deepen the core gameplay versus earlier versions. Even if you weren’t able to grasp the new Boost Dive and Striker mechanics yet, the you’d still be able to enjoy it due to the familiarity. They were also impressed with the improved graphics and presentation in its early access form. We’re definitely looking forward to hearing how the Gundam Versus team does plan on specializing this particular version for the home market as the alpha test focused primarily on the 2v2 core gameplay the VS series has become well known for.

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.

After waiting for what felt like ages, Famitsu has featured new gameplay mechanics and an updated roster from the recent Gundam Versus closed alpha test. In terms of gameplay, here are some of the following key additions from the article: Boost Dive, Striker System, and Awakening System.

The Boost Dive allows you to fall to the ground very quickly and is activated by cancelling all of your actions.In the previous EXVS series, some units could fast fall via certain cancel routes known in the community as “amekyans.” Considering the verticality of the VS series and how useful amekyans were in terms of mobility and safety for many units, adding a universal fast fall adds a nice new dynamic to the Gundam VS metagame.

The Striker System allows you to choose units like Balls and GMs to be called upon during matches as assists. In order to use a Striker, you will activate a Striker gauge that fills during the match. It will be interesting to see if the Striker units may perhaps go beyond the fodder type or will use different amounts of Striker gauges depending on the assist.

The Awakening System appears to be another evolution of a staple VS mechanic where players could select either the “Blaze” or “Lightning” Gear. The Blaze Gear is an instantaneous-type awakening that improves your melee tracking. The Lightning Gear is a continuous-type awakening that increases your lock-on ability. What’s interesting are the types of awakenings “instantaneous” and “continuous.” First, it sounds like there will be more Gears within these groupings. Second, the naming peaks curiosity into how the boosts will be granted when they’re activated. Are instantaneous Gears short-lived buffs with higher potency whereas continuous Gears provide more measured increases over a longer period of time?

In terms of new units, the following have entered the fray: Tallgeese, Kyrios, Gouf, Guncannon, and Sinanju. This brings the current total roster to 12 joining RX-78-02, Unicorn, Full Armor Gundam (Thunderbolt), Barbatos, Wing Zero, and Nu Gundam. As the article will go on sale on December 15, we hope to learn a lot more about the game’s mechanics on top of how they plan to cater the game more towards a global audience.

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.