In the upcoming Masou Kishin III players will be given a special bonus code in the initial run of the game. This will give a different version of Valsione as seen in the Super Robot Wars OG: The Inspector anime series. This is not to be confused with Valsione R, which is a different mecha entirely. However, this redesign from the anime will have different attacks and animations from the standard Valsione (so it’s not just a simple re-skin). As always, these kind of little bonuses appeal to us and we’ll be definitely nabbing the game come its August 22nd release.

A YouTube user by the name of wipp er has uploaded an impressive fanmade anime intro for Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam. Written by Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino and drawn by Yuichi Hasegawa, the Crossbone Gundam manga series spans several series (Crossbone Gundam, Skull Heart, Steel Seven and Ghost) and is a direct sequel to Gundam F91 and pseudo prequel to Victory Gundam. The series has spawned some very iconic mobile suits, designed by Hajime Katoki, that have graced several video games such as the Super Robot Wars Alpha series on the PS2, Another Century’s Episode R for the PS3, the G Generation series on various consoles and of course Gundam Extreme Versus for the PS3 and its arcade sequel Full Boost.

It has taken the creator of this animation around two years to complete and arguably has done a fantastic job capturing both Hasegawa’s character designs and Hajime Katoki’s mechanical designs in an animated form. If this video doesn’t get your mouth watering for some animated Crossbone Gundam goodness, I don’t know what will.

Whilst this is not the first toy of Sakura Shinguji’s pink custom koubu from the Sakura Taisen series, this new Variable Action toy from Megahouse looks to be one of the best. Released at the end of September for 7,800 yen, it has a nice sculpt and what appears to be decent articulation too. Sadly, it doesn’t look like it comes with a Sakura pilot figure (though this likely helps to keep the price down). If you are one of those that enjoy pink steampunk mecha then make sure to pre-order yours here.

The second livestream for Armored Core Verdict Day will be happening on the 17th May (you’ll be able to watch it here). The main point of discussion will be about the new UNAC system, which is the new AI setup that harks back to earlier Armored Core games and allows AI wing-mates to help you out on missions (in the absence of human players).

Those wondrous people at Sentinel have previewed the upcoming Riobot Detonator Orgun toy set for release this July at 9,800 yen. This is from the anime of the same name, which was Masami Obari’s take on Tekkaman. Orgun was also featured in Super Robot Wars W on the DS. In any case, this figure looks absolutely gorgeous and is something we’ll be definitely picking up this July (you can also pre-order it here).

Bandai Namco have announced the third entry into the Masou Kishin series with a new promo for Pride of Justice (shown below). The game will be released on both PS3 and Vita and seems to be using the same engine used on OG3. What’s unknown at this point is whether winkysoft will be developing this, as they’ve done all the prior Masou Kishin games (though this would be an obvious technical step-up for them). Whilst the engine is being reused due to the Masou Kishin character list a lot of this will be new animations and art for the game. In any case, both versions of the game are released on August 22nd for 7,480 yen (PS3) and 6,480 yen (Vita).

Gundam Wing fans rejoice as Bandai has just recently announced the XXXG-01s Shenlong Gundam to the Robot Damashii line. Like other Gundam Wing units released in the line, the Shenlong Gundam looks to capture the essence of the TV designs with extra bits like extension parts for its iconic Dragon Hang. It is looking to be tentatively released in September of this year, with preorders starting on the 9th of May at a price of 4410 yen.

Someone nice has uploaded beta test footage from Armored Core Verdict Day (shown below) and it looks pretty great. The new scan initiation looks cool and the whole game runs smoother too. We’re not sure on the size of the maps but the one in the video looks pretty expansive and varied. Obviously, the music isn’t from the game (in case you were wondering). In addition, Famitsu also has some scant details on “UNAC”; a new AI customisation setup for NPCs on the field. This harks back to the likes of Ranker Mk in Master of Arena and the AI setup in Silent Line. It seems Verdict Day is shaping up quite nicely and we’re really looking forward to its September release.

We now have the first promo for Super Robot Wars Operation Extend. It shows off the 3D and 2D battle animations nicely, with much of the 2D art indeed being for the characters. That said, some of the 3D animations have some 2D flourishes for good measure and whilst this is re-purposed from the GC line of games the art and animations are all pretty fancy. We’re actually looking forward to this know quite a bit.

Bandai are deciding to grace us with a new Super Robot Chogokin figure of Shin Getter-1 this August. At 7,140 yen, it’s not exactly cheap but neither is it overly expensive either. Like the other toys in this line, expect a lot of diecast and an overall excellent sculpt and finish. As for the design itself, its gaming heritage is extensive and was originally premiered in Super Robot Wars 4. Admittedly it was work in progress for the manga and then later for an OVA but Shin Getter has been a staple of Super Robot Wars for as long as I can remember. It’s likely we’ll get the other Getter Machines too, with Shin Getter-2 being notable with its influence on the drilltastic Gurren Lagann, with the Getter Rays and subsequent Spiral Energy being also of note too. Whilst this isn’t the first Shin Getter-1 toy, with the Aoshima figures being really quite something, it will be more reasonably priced and slightly less huge.