The upcoming Gundam Assault Survive received a new promo recently and it shows more about how the mission and area layout structure differs from the Gundam Battle games. The game engine also has received more work as has the art, as for the latter many of the explosions look more beefy compared to the Gundam Battle variants. The game is still scheduled for a March release and you can pre-order it here.

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!

We’ve mentioned the upcoming and reportedly final entry into the VOTOMS saga “Gen-ei Hen” before but the official site has released some new promo videos. These show that much of the same production values seen in Pailsen Files are still reassuringly present in Gen-ei Hen, and that the AT arena also makes a welcome comeback (though it’s saddening but admittedly interesting to see Chirico and Ru face off, as they were allies previously).

As for any gaming tie-ins, not much is known at present. There are rumours of a possible PSP game on the horizon, as Pailsen Files recently received a UMD video release in Japan and the excellent PlayStation 2 game could have its tech ported quite easily. As for whether Yuke’s will take the reigns of this is anyone’s guess. Considering that this series is officially the final send off for the VOTOMS saga it will be interesting to see what Sunrise and Bandai will release alongside it, games or otherwise. We’ll know come the end of March most probably, when Gen-ei Hen is finally released.

The upcoming Gundam Unicorn anime received a new PV today and its theme song was also announced; “Ryuusei no Namida” sung by Chiaki Kuriyama, which will be her vocal debut (as you’ll most probably know her as an actress appearing in films like Kill Bill and Battle Royale). The literal translation of the song title means “Meteor’s Tears”.

We’ve covered Gundam Unicorn before and what makes this anime interesting is that, like Xam’d, it’s being distributed online via the PlayStation Network in a few weeks. Not to mention that the titular Unicorn Gundam has been gracing arcades and PSPs in Gundam vs Gundam Next and that the series main mecha design is being handled by Hajime Katoki (a video game veteran when it comes to mecha). In any case, we’ve linked the video of the new theme song below and we actually like it, quite a bit in fact.

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.

The PlayStation blog has a list of PlayStation Network games up that are currently on sale, the most mecha-noteworthy being the excellent Thexder Neo on the PSP for $4.99 until January 27th. There’s a few other downloadable titles available for both the PS3 and PSP, so it’s definitely worth a look.

Cheapass Gamer also lists a PSN download code for Steambot Chronicles: Battle Tournament as being $14.99 at Amazon.com, although the PSP game is a mere shade of the PS2 original Industrial Revolution-themed mecha game and not really recommended.

This is one of those interesting finds that doesn’t happen that often in the anime industry. A veritable gold mine of Artmic’s production drawings from Mospeada and Southern Cross have been unearthed (which were the last two thirds of Robotech basically). They were originally for use at the model kit company Imai. These drawings include a lot of fascinating sketches for early designs from the respective shows, much of which was penned by Shinji Aramaki (who recently directed “The Package” for Halo Legends). It’s also very timely considering that Capcom had also tried to include the mecha from Mospeada in the latest Tatsunoko vs Capcom. The discoverer of this treasure trove, Roger Harkavy, has very kindly archived his findings in a comprehensive PDF (you can get it here).

via Gears Online and Matt Alt

The sequel G.rev’s arcade versus shooter has finally had its 360 port dated for release. Senko no Ronde DUO will be released in Japan in both normal and limited edition versions on April 28th exclusively for the 360. No word on the differences between the two packs as yet but the game will feature online multiplayer again via Xbox LIVE. Though they’ll hopefully sort out the lag issues between players playing each other across the globe this time.

New details pertaining to the next installment of the Metal Gear Solid saga have recently been revealed. Peace Walker will introduce several firsts, not just to the series, but gaming as a whole; in addition to overseeing a home base, which involves recruiting and managing support staff, the player will face off against various AI controlled weapons that will try to dominate the player both on the ground and above it. The key distinguishing characteristic here is how they will address the player, and even sing to him or her, via Vocaloid technology (similar to what drives Miku Hatsune and related characters). Though what should matter the most to Mecha Damashii readers is how two of these weapons are clearly inspired by or connected to the Shagohod, the primary mecha that Naked Snake/Big Boss had to deal with in Snake Eater. Of the two designs, the one in the link below is the closest to the original…

The official Gundam Assault Survive was recently updated with more mobile suits and was featured on Famitsu as well. The game is looking polished and the unit line-up is pretty thorough too. The site also links to the Gunpla 30th Anniversary site, which hints that an interesting model kit tie-in could be on the cards.