Latest news with #ShojiKawamori
Forbes
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion' Shows Off Its Customization Setup
'Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion' is released this September. Following the reveal of Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion coming to Switch 2 this September, we have a breakdown on the game's customization setup. Now, back in April, when I covered the Switch 2 news, a bunch of videos were released alongside explaining how the game worked. These videos were in Japanese, but it was pretty clear how the game operated. What's a little bit odd is that Marvelous USA is just re-releasing these videos every few weeks in English, with the latest customization one shown below. We already had something similar for the combat basics a few weeks back, so I'm not really sure what kind of promotion strategy this is, but it's nice to know that Marvelous is at least aware that the game exists within their sizable software library. Anyway, as for this customization breakdown, you can really see the Armored Core lineage at work here, as much of this team came from those games. I'm still digging the newer, more compact power armor approach, and the mecha design work by Shoji Kawamori is as great as it always is. 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 the videos, they also show a lot of ground movement and interactions that are very human-scaled, the latter being a corollary of the power armor setup. The reason I am a tad wary of this is that the first Daemon X Machina was more airborne and closer to the functionality seen in Armored Core 4 and Armored Core For Answer. Whether they are downplaying this aspect or the game is genuinely like this is hard to tell for sure at present, but if this is another promotion strategy, it does feel a tad odd. Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is released for Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on September 5. 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
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Macross Zero' Blu-Ray Review: Absolutely Worth The Wait
Back when the Macross rights were mostly resolved, I was looking forward to all the classic Macross anime coming Westward. Well, here we are, and it feels great. While we already had the excellent Blu-ray release for Macross Plus a while back, that was already released in the West back in the 90s, so much so that Bryan Cranston voiced one of the main characters. However, there have been a slew of classic Macross anime that were previously landlocked to Japan until very recently, and Macross Zero is one of those series. Originally released in 2002, Macross Zero acts as a prequel to the events in the original Macross TV series. Dealing with the Unification Wars that had only ever been mentioned in passing, Macross Zero was meant to show how these wars were fought and, more importantly, what for. This is because when the Macross spaceship crash landed in the Pacific, it brought with it huge technological advances. How these advances were used and, crucially, who benefitted from them were, in part, the reason behind the Unification Wars. However, the Macross was by no means the only Protoculture relic left on Earth, and a mysterious Bird Human becomes the source of a new conflict at the end of the Unification Wars. Compared to previous modern Macross anime, such as Macross Plus, Macross Zero took a new approach to how it dealt with the mecha. While the characters were still drawn in 2D, the mecha were rendered as textured 3D models. At the time, Gonzo were the masters of this approach, and their Yukikaze anime, also released in 2002, had set an incredibly high benchmark for this 'hybrid' animation approach. So, when Macross Zero rocked up, it had its work cut out for it. Put simply, Macross Zero was and is a watershed moment in modern animation. It took the complicated transforming mecha of variable fighters and made them fit into a modern anime setting. 'Macross Zero' is now finally available on Blu-ray outside of Japan. I actually remember seeing the first episode of Macross Zero at a cinematic screening in Shibuya, Tokyo, literally just as the first episode's master had been finished. Shoji Kawamori ran up on stage, waving the master tape with a fair degree of jubilation. Like then, seeing Macross Zero again on Blu-ray is wondrous. The visual and audio quality is amazing, especially as Kuniaki Haishima's score was not typical for Macross at the time, and really stands out as a result. Seeing how the warring variable fighters square off against one another was and is amazing. The only minor quibble was that Macross Zero is meant as a prequel, and yet some of the variable fighters feel strangely overpowered, but I think the 'rule of cool' takes care of that one. As for this box set, there's not much on the disc, but that's made up for by a very thorough 128-page booklet containing all manner of interviews and background on the series. I honestly never thought we'd see Macross Zero ever get a proper Western release in my lifetime. After watching it that night in Shibuya, I knew that the then-current rights situation with Macross internationally was a mess. The fact that this box set even exists feels oddly fantastical, but it absolutely delivers on what I think is one of the finest entries in the Macross saga. Yes, Macross Plus has the bombastic plot and pacing, but Macross Zero had the nuanced spiritual take that underpinned almost every other entry of the Macross saga. In many ways, it ratified this cultural foundation. In short, Macross Zero holds up very well, and the fact it even exists officially outside of Japan is a cause for celebration. The Macross Zero Limited Edition Blu-ray box set is available from Crunchyroll's online store for $89.99. Disclosure: Crunchyroll sent me this Blu-ray set for the purposes of this review. 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
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Daemon X Machina Titanic Scion' On Switch 2 Embraces Power Armor
'Daemon X Machina Titanic Scion' will be released this September. It's been a while since we heard anything about Titanic Scion, but we now know it's not only a Switch 2 game but it is also based around power armor. The original Daemon X Machina, which was a decent mecha game, had you pilot mecha called Arsenals. They were still pretty small, but they were definitely bigger than most power armor. This time around, the Arsenals have gotten smaller, are more form-fitted to the pilot, and are effectively power armor. Functionally, this will make targeting more straightforward, as the relative speed issue will be less overt. In that the larger and faster the vehicle you pilot, the greater the relative speed between targets. As the original Daemon X Machina used a more manual approach to targeting, the shift in size down to power armor should make targeting enemies easier for newcomers. The mecha design is still clearly penned by Shoji Kawamori and looks great, something that is refreshingly confirmed on the official Japanese site for the game. Apart from the new trailer (shown below) on the Japanese side of things, we also have three other videos covering the game's action, weapon types and customization. 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 Most of it looks similar to the first game, but the different weapon types will impact certain enemies differently. This is a similar setup, albeit simplified, to the one used in Armored Core V and Verdict Day. The other big thing here is that Titanic Scion won't just be a Switch 2 game, as it's planned to also be released on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. However, it is handy seeing the game run on the Switch 2, as that gives us a good indication of how the new console will handle Unreal Engine games. All that aside, I am just glad that Titanic Scion is still actually happening. The first Daemon X Machina was a solid mecha game, and it's nice that the genre is getting more attention finally. Daemon X Machina Titanic Scion will be released for Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC on September 5. Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
