The internet is currently abuzz over all the details that were disclosed at yesterday’s Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker event, like the appearance of creatures from the Monster Hunter series, or the wacky in-game product tie-ins, including Doritos, Pepsi, and AXE body spray. For those interested in learning more, Google will service those needs quite nicely, but let’s focus on the latest trailer, which highlights the new cast, and also features the three heavy machinery that the action will revolve around. I’m talking about the AI units, two of which we’ve already covered due to their apparent connection to the mecha in Snake Eater.

But near the very end, we also get a quick glimpse of something that can only be described as a real deal Metal Gear, since it fulfills one of the core criteria, that being a bipedal tank. Up till this point, the first unit to actually stand on two legs was from the very first title, the TX-55. And the Metal Gear before that, from the game that immediately precedes Peace Walker (timeline-wise), Portable Ops, is the RAXA, which had four legs. Hence why this latest mecha might be, in fact, the first true Metal Gear. Then again, it could be revealed that it has zero nuclear capabilities, another important criteria. In that case, it can only be viewed as a Metal Gear successor, which is still significant nonetheless.

As for what it’s called, apparently it’s the Basilisk. At least according to the documentation that accompanies the shot of the Square Enix Play Arts toy, which was also revealed at the same event, from above. Try and see if you can spot the mystery machine:

What do you get when you combine Halo’s number one star and a Zaku II? You get the custom job you see above, built upon a Master Grade Gundam Zaku II Ver. 1.0 kit. Via Figure.fm.

Whereas the iPhone has become the premier mobile platform to develop games for, Apple’s primary rival in that space, Google’s Android, has yet to catch on among developers despite promises of greater power and versatility. Mostly due to the fact that, upon the Android Native Development Kit’s release, the associated handsets were not up to snuff, though the current crop are more than up to the task at last. Yet the game dev scene seems relatively barren, though HyperDevbox might wake some folks up via their latest incarnation of Ex Zeus. The game was a mediocre at best on-rails shooter for the arcade and home systems (which went by a different name on the Wii, as Counter Force), but was a fairly impressive showcase of the iPhone’s graphical abilities, at least during it’s somewhat early days. This latest iteration supposedly makes full use of the NDK, can be launched from a micoSD card, and utilizes a custom sound driver.

What do you get when you combine Sega’s Virtual On and generic anime babes? Why, you get Val Force of course, a doujin game from Yumesoft (it appears to be their one and only release thus far). I tried all morning in vain to get the demo to work on my end; after a lengthy download session… it always takes me forever to nab anything from Japan… the game simply wouldn’t run, and I’m not sure why, since I don’t understand Japanese. But I think it has something to do with me not having the latest DirectX installed, though being on a Mac via Bootcamp might be the real culprit. Anyhow, going by the video alone, it appears to be a thoroughly competent VO clone, provided if you don’t mind the extra dose of X chromosomes.

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.

Okay, not really. But sounds exciting, doesn’t it? The above image was found on one of the many random Tumblrs that I subscribe to (be sure to click the image for the full size version). Now, there has to be an actual game with a similar set-up, right? Where you’re some lowly grunt in the middle of some massive war, alongside giant mecha, both your side’s and the enemy’s; the primary focus is whatever your mission might be, but also not getting accidentally crushed is equally important. If so, what are they so I can give them a shot?

Like so many others, I’ve been looking forward to the next update from Danny Choo, who always provide excellent coverage of events like Wonder Festival 2010. Yet, perhaps because he’s been so busy with the show (due in part to his responsibilities with Good Smile Company I’m assuming), his blog has been a bit on the quiet side as of late. So due to boredom, I decided to check the archive, and stumbled across a great round-up of some truly incredible examples of papercraft. Click on to see more…

Everyone remembers that larger than large (though not quite full scale) Gundam that was in Tokyo last year, right? Well, even though it hasn’t grabbed nowhere near the same amount of attention, the equally as impressive (and 1:1 scaled) Tetsujin 28-go has nonetheless managed to attract a million visitors since it first went up in Kobe. Quite the incredible feat since it’s only been up for three months. But most importantly, all those visitors have been a tremendous asset to the city’s economy, which has been suffering ever since the Great Hanshin earthquake in ’95. One can find positively anything and everything related to the big blue robot: shirts, vending machines, street lamps, curry dishes, even local taxi cabs (which are filled with plenty of Tetsujin 28 manga to enjoy during a ride)!

New details pertaining to the next installment of the Metal Gear Solid saga have recently been revealed. Peace Walker will introduce several firsts, not just to the series, but gaming as a whole; in addition to overseeing a home base, which involves recruiting and managing support staff, the player will face off against various AI controlled weapons that will try to dominate the player both on the ground and above it. The key distinguishing characteristic here is how they will address the player, and even sing to him or her, via Vocaloid technology (similar to what drives Miku Hatsune and related characters). Though what should matter the most to Mecha Damashii readers is how two of these weapons are clearly inspired by or connected to the Shagohod, the primary mecha that Naked Snake/Big Boss had to deal with in Snake Eater. Of the two designs, the one in the link below is the closest to the original…

The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas used to be where video game movers and shakers in North America made all their grand announcements, until a dedicated game show, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, came along. But now that E3’s stock has significantly decreased for a variety of reasons, a few publishers have come back, though mostly American based ones. Like Microsoft, with the only real news being their avatar arcade initiative, hence why this year’s CES was a bit of a snoozer. So it was easy to miss Capcom’s presence, who passed along a few new images from Lost Planet 2. Click on to read more…