The sequel to the first freemium Gundam game by Bandai Namco is now finally out in the wild. Compared to the beta version Gundam Battle Operation Next is definitely an improvement, in regards to general movement and controls, but it’s still pretty underwhelming. Bear in mind we’re in Japan so server issues and lag aren’t really a problem but even then the game is not exactly great. While it may look similar to the Gundam Breaker games, the core team behind that didn’t work on this (which likely explains why the gameplay element feels so disappointing). In any case, the game is now out on both PS3 and PS4 so you can see for yourselves what it’s like.

 

A couple months ago, we reported that Bandai Namco had registered the trademark for Gundam Extreme VS Force. This is presumably the fourth version of the series, which I doubt coincidentally is why it is given the moniker “Force.” With TGS 2015 coming soon, it appears the game has been leaked to be shown at the Japanese games convention for the very first time. With their recent pledge to bring future games to both the PS4 and Vita, it would be very interesting to see if Bandai Namco does have a console version of the game in store. But according to history, this will more than likely be an arcade title with Maxi Boost coming to consoles sometime late this year or next. Either way, it’s good to hear some new information regarding the series’ future. Until then, let us know what new units and mechanics should be added in Force!

Following the reveal we now have some initial combat footage for the Platinum Games developed Transformers Devastation. We’re loving the cel shading and the combat looks decent enough too but the whole aerial ramming in vehicle mode looks a bit odd. It will be interesting to see how it will play once it is released in October this year. We’re definitely excited for it though, which is a novel feeling to have for a Transformers games.

Amongst the rather amazing selection of games announced at Sony’s PlayStation Briefing at this year’s E3, was the game Rigs. Developed by Guerrilla Cambridge, Rigs is basically an e-sports type first person shooter with mecha. The twist is that it uses the Morpheus VR headset for the PS4. Now I am not sure whether this will be any good but it looks promising at least and the Morpheus setup could result in something interesting. The trailer for the game (shown below) is quite interesting but seems more interested in showing the various facial reactions of the players rather than the game itself. No word on when this will be out but we’ll be keeping our yes on this.

According to Esuteru, Bandai Namco have registered the trademark to “Gundam Extreme VS – Force” in Japan. As it has been awhile since we’ve heard any news regarding a new version of the Gundam Versus franchise, this appears to solidify the next sequel will still be carrying the Extreme moniker. Whether or not this will imply no paradigm shift in the gameplay mechanics is still up in the air, but it is great to know that they are working on a new version. Does this mean we’ll be hearing about a Maxi Boost console version soon as well? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

So a commercial listing for the upcoming Transformers Devastation was recently leaked. This is a cel-shaded brawler developed by Platinum Games, set for release on pretty much everything (as in PS4, Xbox One, PS3 and Xbox 360). The game will also feature all the classic 80’s English voice cast too. After the High Moon games we are a bit wary of someone else handling Transformers, that said this is Platinum we are talking about and they do make well crafted games on the whole. The cel-shading also looks good too but until we see it in motion we’ll reserve judgement, as this kind of thing is notoriously difficult to get right. Set for an October release this year our fingers are crossed for this one!

As of this Friday, the belated Assault Suit Leynos port on PS4 will be getting a trial version for all and sundry to check out. Naturally this will only be available on the Japanese PSN store but it is a free demo at least and easy enough to set up a Japanese account. That said, from the screenshots and various gameplay movies already released this new port doesn’t look all that great. After Gunhound, Dracue can clearly make a good game in a functional sense but it seems their technical expertise is a bit lacking when it comes to more advanced hardware like the PS4. Anyway, we will all be able to see how they’ve been getting on with this new trial version. The full game is expected to be released in December of this year.

In a rather bizarre way, Bandai Namco have announced Gundam Battle Operation Next for PS4 and PS3. This is indeed the follow up sequel to the previous Gundam Battle Operation game on PS3, that was the first foray into freemium for the series. This is also the much touted PS4 Gundam game that was previewed a good while back, so the fact it turned out to be this is a tad…disappointing. The good news is that this new game seems to follow the Gundam Breaker and Gundam Extreme Versus approach in terms of the high-speed team based action. The game has currently started its beta on the Japanese PSN as of today and will continue running until this Sunday. So jump in while you can and check it out, hopefully it won’t be utterly terrible!

The upcoming port of the classic MegaDrive shoot-em-up Assault Suit Leynos has had its release delayed until December this year, with a demo apparently available sometime in June. We’ve also been given some new game footage and this time in HD. To be honest, the game doesn’t look all that great but this is Dracue and they did the decent Gunhound games. We’re cautiously hopeful that this game will be good and hopefully the extended development time will help facilitate that.

In welcome news, it seems we are to get AirMech Arena released on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One sometime this spring courtesy of Ubisoft. This is an update to the already released game on Xbox 360, with the PC original still going strong. A fair few months back, the developers hooked us up with a VIP account on the PC version and we’ve been playing it solidly since. It’s a modern day take on Herzog Zwei and that’s nothing but a good thing. Even the freemium setup doesn’t really get in the way that much and that’s a rarity. The 360’s controls also worked great on a pad too, which was a surprise, so these new versions should be equally competent in that department too. In any case, it’s nice to see solid indie mecha game that harks back to classic gaming and does it with real flair and skill.