Latest news with #mecha
Forbes
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Gundam Seed Battle Destiny Remastered' Switch Review: A Clear Upgrade
This remaster is a definite step up over the Vita original. Way back in 2012, Gundam Seed Battle Destiny was released on the PlayStation Vita. It was a solid little game, and this Remastered version stays true to its heritage. The Gundam Battle games were originally developed for the PlayStation Portable by Artdink, starting with Gundam Battle Tactics in 2005. It was a good little mecha action game too, where you took down enemy mobile suits with a tethered orbit lock-on setup and various long and close-range weapons. In the following years, Artdink improved on this setup with a multitude of follow-up games until they had to make the jump to the Vita. Unlike the previous PlayStation Portable releases, a new Vita game meant all the visual assets needed to be rebuilt from the ground up. With this additional expense, Artdink also took the time to re-evaluate the controls and took advantage of the Vita's dual analogue setup. The result was a decent entry in the Gundam Battle series, and I game I enjoyed playing through back when I reviewed it in 2012. 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 Even on Switch, the game looks and runs great. So, how does this new Remastered version stack up? Well, first off, it has more comprehensive controller options. I normally play with inverted vertical controls, and in the original Vita version, there was no way to change that. However, in this new Remastered version, there is. The frame rate, at least on the Switch version, is also more stable, and being able to play with a proper pad does make the whole experience more comfortable. On the Vita version, I'd end up with the patented claw rictus in one hand, or both, after an extended session. Here, I've had no issues at all. As for the game itself, like almost all Gundam Battle games, you always start off with an underpowered grunt unit. Playing multiple missions earns you tuning points to make the mobile suit perform more fluidly. This is a staple of these games, and it does mean you have to play a fair bit before the game gets into its groove. This used to be more of an issue because each mobile suit would accrue its own upgrade points through playing the game. These points also weren't often transferable, either, and it resulted in you replaying previous missions to gain enough points to actually make your mobile suit decent. As the Gundam Battle games evolved, you got GP points. These were earned alongside the mobile suits' own tuning points and could be spent on whatever mobile suit you wanted. The back-end tuning setup is key for your progression through the game. This was very handy because it meant that once you unlocked a nice beefy mobile suit later on in any given game, you already had some currency that could be used to upgrade your ride of choice from the moment you got it. To feed into this, in addition to the Story missions, you also had EX Missions in this game. These were redone versions of the Story missions, but you got big GP rewards after each one. So, apart from the visual upgrade, there is an improvement over the controls and general upgrade progression compared to the Vita version. Personally, I also think the Gundam Battle games play far better than the Gundam Breaker games, but in this instance, if you're not a fan of Gundam Seed, then your enjoyment of the game will likely be diminished. Cuteness aside, the variety of series and mobile suits available in SD Gundam Battle Alliance made for a more complete and accessible game, in my opinion, which is also part of the Gundam Battle pantheon. However, for a classic take on the original Gundam Battle setup, Gundam Seed Battle Destiny Remastered is arguably one of the best entries thus far and a marked improvement over the Vita original. Overall, Gundam Seed Battle Destiny Remastered is not only a solid visual upgrade to the Vita original but also has some much-needed functional improvements, both in terms of the controls and the backend progression flow. The only real downside is if you're not a fan of Gundam Seed, as otherwise, this is a very nicely made mecha action game. Now, if only Bandai Namco would remaster Gundam Battle Universe. Gundam Seed Battle Destiny Remastered Platform: Nintendo Switch (Reviewed), PC Developer: B.B. STUDIO CO., LTD. Publisher: Bandai Namco Released: 22nd May 2025 Price: $39.99 Score: 8/10 Disclosure: I purchased this game with my own money. 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
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Gundam GQuuuuuuX' Gets A Fun Little Exhibition In Tokyo
A new 'Gundam GQuuuuuuX' exhibition opens today in Tokyo. What with Gundam GQuuuuuuX well under way, the anime has now been given a nice little exhibition in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Housed within the Anime Tokyo Station, the exhibition is fairly small but also quite comprehensive. Covering the initial movie Beginning, as well as the subsequent TV series (as the movie is built from those elements), the exhibition breaks down its focus across the characters and mecha quite nicely. There are also multi-lingual notes placed around the exhibition as well. You also have mockup spaces of certain events from the anime, as well as the 'kira kira' effect for what the Newtypes now see. There's also a small AR area, which is also a nice touch. As always, I love the rendering of the characters from anime done at full scale. You always have the respective heights of each of the characters worked out, so it's nice to see that followed through with full-size cutouts (shown below). Nyann (left), Machu (center) and Shuji (right) rendered at full scale. The mecha side of things was fairly brief, and while I am still not really enjoying these new mecha designs, they do need to be included in an exhibition like this. I still feel that they are over-designed, especially the main Gundams, but I'm hoping I will eventually come around to at least tolerating them once the series is done. In addition to all this, there was a nice video of a discussion between the members of the anime's production. Again, I always think these are helpful in showing that making anime is very much a group effort. The final highlight was all the merchandise at the end, with lots of plushies and badges. Although this time I managed to abstain, I came very close to picking a few up. Gundam GQuuuuuuX Special Exhibition opens today at Anime Tokyo Station in Ikebukuro and closes on August 11. Entry is free. Gundam GQuuuuuuX Exhibition Gundam GQuuuuuuX Special Exhibition Gallery Location: Anime Tokyo Station Duration: May 24 - August 11 Entrance: Free 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
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Gundam GQuuuuuuX' Believes In The Sign Of Zeta And Gets Interesting
The updated Psycho Gundam Mk II. It took a while, but the confluence of events over the past few episodes of Gundam GQuuuuuuX has finally borne fruit, and the story is getting interesting. In the prior build-up episode, which wasn't all that interesting, we were introduced to this timeline's version of Bask Om. Who, in this instance, is trying to kill Kycilia Zabi on her upcoming visit to the colony. Naturally, the Federation under new corporate guises smuggles in a new mobile armor and mobile suit. This is where the fun begins in our latest episode. The final Clan Battle turns out to be a battle with said Federation mobile armor and mobile suit as a front to kill Kycilia. The mobile armor is an updated version of the Psycho Gundam Mk II, and the mobile suit is a funky version of the Hamrabi. These are both mecha from Zeta Gundam, which is set during the same time period as GQuuuuuuX (it's also why Bask Om fits in here). When the Psycho Gundam does its whole transformation from flying brick of doom to giant mobile suit, we even get an insert of Zeta Gundam music, which was actually pretty neat. Naturally, the GQuuuuuuX and Red Gundam get floored by these two opponents, and it's only Challia Bull in his Kikeroga that saves the day. The latter is an updated version of the Braw Bro mobile armor, albeit smaller and with a mobile suit mode, the latter looking a bit goofy. 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 The Kikeroga is also a deep cut reference to a prototype mobile suit that was never animated in the original Mobile Suit Gundam, which is cool, but really cements this series as nerdy fanfiction. We also get to see a fancy new Gyan that saves Kycilia and later Nyaan, so there's at least some interesting mecha action in this episode. My only issue here is that in Zeta Gundam, the technological shift from the One Year War era was massive, and older mobile suits and mobile armors didn't stand a chance against the newer models. So it's weird to see that reversed here, and also emphasises that the Federation really lacks its necessary Amuro-level Newtype to reach combat parity. The corollary of all these events is that Nyaan ends up with Kycilia, by way of Olivier, and Machu with Challia. The latter also reveals his true plan to end the conflict between Zeon and the Federation by killing the remaining Zabi family members, which is what Char did in the original Mobile Suit Gundam, for all the good that did. Shuji and the Red Gundam also disappear again in another Zek Nova, which now seems to be a point of contention between Nyaan and Machu, as they both have clear feelings for him. In any case, the mostly dumb Clan Battle setup seems to be thankfully behind us, and we now have some actual story development to look forward to. It's clear that both Machu and Nyaan will end up as rivals in some kind of Zeon civil war, but how that will resolve remains to be seen. This series does still feel like revisionist Zeon fanboy fanfiction at times, but it's actually getting interesting even if the delivery is rather hamfisted. However, after this latest episode, it feels like something decent is potentially on the way. 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
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Noblesse Oblige From ‘Armored Core 4' Will Be Getting An Epic Toy
Noblesse Oblige as shown in the 2005 'Project Force' trailer. Following the release of the Decoction Models Supplice toy a while back, Kotobukiya is planning on making a similar toy for Noblesse Oblige. Yes, I know it's called a 'Decoction Models' but these are in fact very high-end toys, with a great deal of die-cast used in their construction. I picked up the Supplice toy and it is an astonishing piece, with an impeccable sculpt and very fine detailing. Not to mention a wide array of articulation and light gimmicks. While Supplice was literally used on the cover art for Armored Core 4, the origins of Noblesse Oblige go back even further. In fact, before Armored Core 4 was even announced, the mecha appeared in a trailer for a game called Project Force (shown below). 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 eventually became known as Armored Core 4, but Noblesse Oblige was the iconic mecha used in those trailers, along with its wing-like EC-O307AB laser cannons. In the original Armored Core 4, Noblesse Oblige was piloted by Leonhardt, but in Armored Core For Answer, the mecha was piloted by Gerald Gendlin. The latter version from Armored Core For Answer (shown below) handled and played a bit differently over its Armored Core 4 counterpart, not least because the laser cannons fired orange beams rather than white ones. In any case, the fact that Kotobukiya has picked another major design from both Armored Core 4 and Armored Core For Answer is great news, but the price point will likely be pretty high. 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
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Starwing Paradox' Gets New Anime Movie, Despite 2021 Game Shutdown
The anime movie 'As One' is released theatrically in Japan this August. Square Enix, Sunrise The admittedly excellent arcade mecha game Starwing Paradox is getting its own anime prequel movie this Summer, despite the game's servers shutting down in 2021. Starwing Paradox was a fascinating arcade game. Developed by Byking, who also birthed the Gundam Extreme Versus games, it also featured character designs by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto and mecha designs by Ippei Gyoubu. The game itself had an amazing cabinet that moved around, and you also had quite comprehensive controls for your mecha. Naturally, I wrote a bunch of pieces about the game back when it was launched in the Japanese arcades in 2018. However, it didn't really find its audience and the online servers for the game were shutdown in 2021. That makes this movie rather strange, as it acts as a prequel to the events in the game, but the game is no longer around for anyone to play. My guess is that Square Enix planned a big media mix for Starwing Paradox, with the anime movie acting as a big part of its promotion. However, the movie got stuck in production hell, and it's only getting released now. Like the game, it still features characters by Sadamoto and mecha by Gyoubu, but the fact that the game is long gone means the whole context for this movie, called As One , no longer exists. The new trailer (shown below) looks promising, although the background art looks a tad basic, but the fact that the game is gone really begs the question of who this new anime movie is really for. In any case, As One will be released in Japanese theaters on August 22 and will probably get a Western streaming release not long after that. Follow me on X , Facebook and YouTube . I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
