Latest news with #MechaDamashii
Forbes
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Front Mission 3: Remake' Finally Comes To Switch This Summer
'Front Mission 3: Remake' is out this June on Switch. Followed by the already excellent remakes for Front Mission 1 and 2, the third game in the series will be getting the same treatment on Switch this June. Front Mission 3 is the last of the original PlayStation games. I had hoped we'd see a remake of Front Mission Alternative, but it's still great that the mainline releases have been remade in the first place. Personally, I've really enjoyed the remakes of the first two Front Mission games on Switch. They are very faithful to the original games, despite the graphic overhaul, and can be quite a challenge. The first two remakes have also received a lot of patches over the years, so the games are being supported in the backend, which is always reassuring. As for this game, many regard Front Mission 3 as one of the best games in the series. I somewhat agree with that, but preferred some of the later PlayStation 2 instalments. Whether we will get a remake of Front Mission 4 remains to be seen, but it would be interesting to see how it would be updated for modern hardware. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder In any case, Front Mission 3: Remake will be released for the Switch on June 26. Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
Forbes
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Gundam GQuuuuuuX' Bookends Its First Three Episodes With A Clan Battle
Machu takes on a Clan Battle in the third episode of 'Gundam GQuuuuuuX'. The last of the three episodes brings us in line with the Gundam GQuuuuuuX movie, and featured a clan battle. The latter is something that is very similar to the high-school mobile suit matches we saw in Witch from Mercury, where two sides battle out in mobile suits to determine a winner. The difference here, apart from the two-on-two setup, is that the background makes the battles more mysterious and engaging. In that, GQuuuuuuX finally explains what a MAV is, without clarifying what the acronym actually stands for. In this version of the timeline, when Minovsky Particles are at battle density, whichever mobile suit attacks first reveals their position and puts themselves at a disadvantage. This is where the wingman MAV setup comes in, because it allows either party to cover the other and level the playing field. It is a neat and tidy update to the way battle tactics operate when Minovsky Particles render your radar and other sensors useless. This is especially interesting considering that Yoshiyuki Tomino originally asked for Minovsky Particles from his planning team to force the mobile suits to fight closer together. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder This was because Tomino thought long-distance sniping battles wouldn't be very interesting to watch, but in this instance, the team behind GQuuuuuuX has actually evolved the concept, and I think that's rather great. We also get a bit of backstory that Challia Bull and Char Aznable originally created the MAV setup, which is cool. The other bit of nerdy timeline lore is that we see the appearance of Cameron Bloom. This was a minor character in the original series and Char's Counterattack, who was Mirai Yashima's rejected fiancé. In this version, it's clear that Cameron is already familiar with Challia and even respects him, almost in the same way Cameron respected Bright Noa in the original timeline. The good news in all this is that we've come to the end of the footage from the Beginning movie, and from the next episode onwards, it's all new. While the mecha designs have yet to grow on me, I am cautiously hopeful that the remaining episodes of GQuuuuuuX could end up being rather interesting. Gundam GQuuuuuuX is now streaming worldwide via Amazon Prime Video. Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
Forbes
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Upcoming Char Aznable Action Figure Came Here To Laugh At You
The upcoming Char Aznable action figure from Bandai Spirits. In a curious move, Bandai Spirits has announced a new upcoming Char Aznable action figure from Mobile Suit Gundam. The reason why this is curious is that while shows like Kamen Rider and Ultraman get loads of action figures, characters from mecha anime tend not to get the same treatment. I learned years ago from a representative at Bandai Spirits that when it came to mecha shows, people didn't tend to want figures of characters but more of the mecha themselves. The reason for this is that the mecha in these shows act as cyphers for the characters, so buying a toy of the mecha they pilot is the equivalent of also buying an action figure of the character. However, the big change now is that series like Mobile Suit Gundam have a much larger international market share compared to a decade ago. As with other releases, this figure will have a very wide range of articulation. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder My guess is that this Char Aznable figure is meant more for the international market to see if character action figures from mecha anime can have more traction abroad. Naturally, this Char Aznable action figure also ties neatly into the currently airing Gundam GQuuuuuuX anime, where he is featured as part of the backstory for the series. Char Aznable is also arguably one of the most iconic characters from the Gundam saga, so it makes sense that Bandai Spirits would start here. Admittedly, this is by no means the first mecha anime-related character action figure, but they are a rarity due to the reasons specified above, so this does stand out as a more strategic release from an international standpoint. As with other releases, the figure comes with all manner of gimmicks, from different facial expressions to the Newtype 'flash' effect. This Char Aznable action figure will be released this October and cost 9,900 yen (or around $71 at the current exchange rate). As for the whole Char meme, admittedly, that is from Zeta Gundam, when Char called himself Quattro, but it still feels appropriate considering how snarky Char can be across the Gundam franchise. Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
Forbes
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Super Robot Wars Y' Reveals Full Series Roster And August Release
In the latest and more detailed trailer for Super Robot Wars Y, we now know all the series included and that it will be released this August. As per previous Super Robot Wars games, the initial teaser trailer doesn't tend to reveal the full roster of series involved in each game. These are normally announced properly in a longer and more detailed trailer that follows the initial teaser. This new and longer trailer (shown below) is the one that reveals the full roster, and there are some interesting additions. One of the bigger surprises is the inclusion of Godzilla Singular Point and its version of the robot Jet Jaguar. This is definitely a cool addition to the series, but I do miss the crazy battleship additions from previous entries. While this game has its own OG battleship, much like Super Robot Wars 30, I had hoped we'd have seen something from an anime like Outlaw Star or something similar, but oh well, it seems that tradition was short-lived. The other big thing is the inclusion of Dunbine again (show above), and the fact that the game will also have units from the 1988 OVA. My guess is that we will see even more Aura Phantasm designs this time around, following the recent and massive increase in popularity for Dunbine as a whole. The Gundam roster of units is also pretty strong and definitely feels more catered to a Western audience, which is no bad thing. The big and welcome addition is that of Reideen, which hasn't been included in the games for a good while. Originally released back in 1975, Reideen is also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. As for the rest, we have a bunch of DLC units that will be from Super Robot Wars V, X, and T, and the addition of Cybuster. The latter being the Super Robot Wars series equivalent of 'we have Dunbine at home' and originated from the spin-off Maso Kishin games. The other nice bit of news is that one of the OG mecha for the game will also be getting a Robot Damashii toy. Super Robot Wars Y will be released on August 28 for Switch, PlayStation 5, and PC. Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
Forbes
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The ‘Gundam GQuuuuuuX' Anime Series Gets Off To A Promising Start
'Gundam GQuuuuuuX' is now streaming worldwide via Amazon Prime Video. Following the Gundam GQuuuuuuX movie, Beginning, released earlier this year in Japan, the series has now started, and thus far it is rather promising. The problem with the movie was that it went hard on the background of the series being a 'what if' switch up from the original Mobile Suit Gundam. Where Char finds the Gundam first, rather than Amuro. This made the whole thing feel like cheap fanfiction, not least because the Gihren's Greed games had already explored this scenario and created the red Casval Gundam as a result. Now that the GQuuuuuuX series is here, it sensibly starts much later and deals with current events. Yes, the Red Gundam is present, but its whole backstory is still to be laid out. Not to mention it all works better having Challia Bull on the bridge of the White Base talking about Char in the past tense, it all fits a lot better in terms of basic narrative construction. So, now that we are getting into the world of GQuuuuuuX the right way around, it feels more considered and that the pieces fit. I'm still not really digging Ikuto Yamashita's new mecha designs, as they just look messy and lack any real semblance of form-follows-function for a real robot show. Admittedly, Gundam originally sat across super robot and real robot design sensibilities, as Kunio Okawara knowingly incorporated samurai elements into the designs, but even then, the GQuuuuuuX mecha seem off, even for their own setting. I love the characters, though, and it's nice to have some solid FLCL and Diebuster vibes with those. Talking of Gunbuster, I am pretty sure that the launching 'lights' you see inside the White Base are from the first Gunbuster used when the RX-7s were launched from the Exelion. Obviously, after the first episode, we still have lots of questions that need answering, such as what's up with the Omega Psychommu and what's a 'Mav,' but thus far, I am enjoying the series a lot more than the movie. Gundam GQuuuuuuX is now streaming worldwide via Amazon Prime Video. Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
