Over at Game Watch there’s a nice update for G.rev’s upcoming 360 port of Senko no Ronde DUO. In addition to the screenshots there’s a lovely limited edition illustration also displayed, that looks suitably “art nouveau” in terms of aesthetic inspiration. It also seems that the limited edition release, at 9,240 yen, will also feature another drama CD (boasting of a cast of up to 60 characters). In any case, the game still seems set for it’s late April release. So don’t wait to pre-order your normal and limited editions!

The much anticipated RTS sequel, Supreme Commander 2 has hit the shelves. Many improvements over the last two games have been implemented (SC2 runs much smoother than the original and Forged Alliance). The most notable changes maybe those of the economic model, tier system, and the large focus on the economy. The economic model has been simplified, so rather than the complex system of mass and energy gain/drain, the whole drained portion was chopped.

Instead of distributing the resources earned each second amongst all working engineers, they have replaced it with a credit system. If you want to build something, you must pay the full price for the item up front, then send one engineer off to build it. You can no longer have 50 engineers rush build something in a couple seconds. The whole tier system was removed. Instead of upgrading your factories to build more powerful units, you instead earn “research points.” Your ACU will slowly accumulate RP over time. You can build research facilities, or kill enemy units to get RP faster. You can then use your RP to improve your units, or unlock new ones. This all boils down to a larger focus on commanding your army. Chris Taylor promised us all of this and did not fail to keep his word. You can grab Supreme Commander 2 on both PC and the 360.

Over at Moeyo (link somewhat NSFW) there’s a suitably cute preview of Kotobukiya’s upcoming D-Style White Glint from Armored Core For Answer. It turns out that, like it’s bigger Variable Infinity cousins, the D-Style variant will also be customisable (once other designs make the transition obviously). The eye detailing will also be accurate as per the original seen in the game as well. This little chap is currently being displayed in the Kotobukiya Direct store in Akihabara.

A new trailer for the upcoming Transformers: War for Cybertron has been released today, apparently it’s a “gameplay” trailer too. Whilst it’s clear that the footage is in-game it’s obvious that much of it is of the cutscenes rather than actual gameplay. Admittedly, the team have dispelled the rumour that the game is similar to Gears of War, the new trailer still doesn’t actually show much of what the final game will play like – which is a little worrying considering the game is out in May. Graphically it looks suitably lush but visuals aren’t normally the stumbling block for the various Transformers games (as Melbourne House’s effort was very pretty, if you stood still at least). Whether War for Cybertron will play decently very much remains to be seen, as the Transformers saga as whole has a very poor record in the gaming department.

Capcom have announced that the upcoming May release for Lost Planet 2 will also have DLC for both platforms. Entitled “Battle Stage Pack 1” the multiplayer DLC will feature two levels called “Return Island” and “Spiral Corridor”. The latter is especially interesting as it appears to be set underwater. The PlayStation 3 will also be receiving a demo on the 1st March, that allows up to to four human players to get involved. Whether this is the same as the 360 demo from a while back remains to be seen, but it is likely.

The somewhat under-appreciated Wave have finally previewed their upcoming 1/72 scale MBR-04-MkVI Tomahawk destroid kit from the original Macross. Despite Yamato already releasing a toy of this design, kit connoisseurs rightfully revere the workmanship of Wave. After all, they’ve been making Five Star Stories kits for years and those mecha designs are some of the most intricate and complex ever conceived.

However, the Tomahawk’s past is a chequered one in the annals of mecha gaming. Specifically, it was re-purposed in BattleTech to form the obviously derivative Warhammer (even the official BattleTech artwork inadvertently retained the UN Spacy logo). It wasn’t long until FASA were sued, as the Tomahawk was but one of a plethora of designs lifted from various notable anime series of the time. That said, the recent MechWarrior reboot also fell foul of this plagiarism as it re-used the Warhammer in its teaser trailer, kicking off a whole new legal mess in the proceedings.

The sad aspect about all this is that the legal steps being taken aren’t meant to recompense the original Japanese team who penned the designs, but instead the Western company that distributed them. In any case, this kit is released in June for 6,800 yen and you can pre-order it here.

The insatiably iconic White Glint from Armored Core For Answer is getting yet another kit from Kotobukiya. In the form of a new “D-style” super deformed version to be exact. This also marks the first time any Armored Core designs have been rendered in kit form like this. The kit will be available in June for 2100 yen and it stands at a proud 10.5 cm in height. What this kit does potentially suggest, due to its new proportions, is that having AC’s featured in Super Robot Wars isn’t beyond the realms of possibility.

Over at GA Graphic there is a lovely preview of the upcoming 1/72 scale TYPE-LAHIRE Stasis kit. Despite the somewhat erroneous header that states that this is a Ray Leonard frame, it’s actually made by Omer in the games (though it was meant to combat the high speed nature of Ray Leonard’s Aaliyah frame). The Stasis was exclusively featured in the recent Armored Core For Answer and was quite a nimble opponent. The design was also one of the few that wasn’t penned by a guest illustrator, but instead created in-house. This kit ships in April for 5,200 yen and you can pre-order it here.

I honestly cannot think of another big robot franchise that has been as maligned, from top to bottom, as the Transformers. Despite how enormously popular and influential the toys and the cartoons were, primarily in the America, it’s legacy is practically non-existent for a number for reason, though the constant reboots, which has gotten progressively worse as the years have gone by, is near the top of that list. To the point that many old school Transformers fans resemble old school Star Wars fans; most have been forced to walk away, due to the disappointments and frustrations. BTW, if anyone feels different, please speak up! Anyhow, it’s at least comforting to know that some folks out there still crave the original designs, with the latest example stemming from last weekend’s Wonfes. What you see above is a quite excellent looking Metroplex garage kit that made a very low-key appearance over at Tomopop.

The upcoming Front Mission Evolved is powering up for a PR overdrive, as its release is imminent. To the extent that Double Helix’s studio head, Patrick Gilmore, has been interviewed over at Gamasutra. Gilmore is the head of the studio and not at the coal face so to speak but the corollary that he asserts regarding the supposed organic development of cinematic approaches in games is a tad spurious. As one of the main elements of his view is that the development tools themselves facilitate a natural cinematic evolution in terms of a game’s creation.

Spurious in the sense that it makes a lot of assumptions as to how games are made and that this progression is somehow insidiously natural, when really it’s an enormous amount of hard work on account of the people that have to make the game. After all, an improved toolset and pipeline often only help make the already existing set of tasks easier. They don’t necessarily make them miraculously cinematic.

Thankfully, the development team have produced a foil to this rather detached viewpoint in the form of a very interesting set of development diaries. Especially fascinating in their citing of the studio, Imaginary Friends, in relation to the game’s mecha design. Admittedly, we’re still somewhat cautious about Front Mission Evolved (as the gameplay videos were pretty underwhelming not to mention our hands on report being rather scathing) but there may be hope yet. As for a release date, Square Enix are still being cagey about that one but it’s supposedly scheduled for “Q2” this year, so we’ll know more soon with any luck.