The new Gundam Unicorn game has been released today, along with a first set of DLC. The DLC encompasses free and paid content, with various mobile suits and missions. What we’re most happy to see is that Quattro LadyParts is present and correct when it comes to piloting the MSN-001 Delta Gundam. Unfortunately, this version doesn’t have the classic spelling of his name but we’re okay with that. The paid DLC will only cost 500 yen too, which is pretty decent. We will be reviewing this game but considering how long Armored Core V took to reach us the Rapture may have already occurred by the time our copy of Gundam Unicorn ships. If you haven’t done so already, you can also order the game here.

What with the next installment around the corner, Banpresto have released the first Super Robot Wars Z 2 Hakai-hen on PSN. This not only means you’ll be able to play it on your PSP but also on your PS Vita (pictured above). The latter means it will have some very shiny upscaling on the handheld’s new screen. Despite the 7,330 yen price tag, the game is totally worth it. We bought a Japanese Vita last year when it was released and we love it, though the lack of PSone classics in the store seems like a huge oversight. Anyway, Saisei-hen is almost here and playing Hakai-hen again seems like a really good idea. Don’t forget you can pre-order Saisei-hen here.

For those that held back on either the Armor Plus or Tamashii Spec toys of the awesome Tekkaman Blade, then you’ll now have a far more affordable (though still very shiny) Figma toy on the way. Part of Max Factory’s Figma line, this new Tekkaman Blade is admittedly a touch smaller than Bandai’s Armor Plus variant (which we admittedly adored) but it does have an excellent sculpt and will likely have utterly epic articulation too. Considering all this will only cost you 3,300 yen, makes for a pretty damn sweet bargain as far as we are concerned. As a company Max Factory have a very long and prestigious heritage when it comes to mecha toys. From producing some of the lushest Guyver figures to some lovely VOTOMS toys as well, these guys really know how to make decent mecha action figures. Admittedly there’s also the MAX Gohkin line of toys too, competing with Bandai’s similarly pricey die-cast offerings, but the Figma toys have always been excellent value for money by comparison. This new Tekkaman Blade figure will be out this June and you can pre-order yours here.

In addition to having Steel Battalion Heavy Armor’s release date listed (as June 19th for the US, June 21st for Japan and June 22nd for Europe) we’ve also been graced with some new videos. Whilst one deserves some pretty hefty defenses against excessive use of fromage, the other is some actual gameplay footage. The latter is more interesting but seems to have a lot of dumb actions thrown in for no good reason. Maybe this is the bright new future Kinect will afford us but it comes across as being pretty hokey and jarringly out of place in the video. Until we get to play the game we’re not going to know for sure but what we’re seeing doesn’t exactly excite us very much. Both videos are shown below.

G.Rev have recently announced that they’re developing a new Senko no Ronde for the PS Vita. We’ve loved the last two games, especially DUO, and having a handheld Senko no Ronde just sounds totally sweet. In terms of release, the game is still in the early planning stages so we won’t be seeing the game this year but likely next year instead. That said, G.Rev were quick to point out that this game may branch off entirely from the series and be something completely new. Either way, we’re just happy G.Rev are bringing their expertise to the Vita.

No doubt gearing up for this year’s GDC, a new gameplay trailer has been released for Hawken. It’s still looking nice but there’s an awful lot of tearing going on. We also love the new HUD a lot and it seems very reminiscent of Armored Core V’s approach too (this being obviously a good thing). We’re still keen to get our hands on with this as it looks to be very gritty and visceral. Roll on the game’s December release we say!

Now that we have Super Robot Wars Z 2 Saisei-hen to look forward to, there are some more juicy bits of information about the game. First is the new Emblem items, these will be very rare/difficult to acquire but will afford some very nice bonuses. Notably, the Iron Emblem will quadruple your experience accrued once equipped. Following on from that Nekki Basara’s song powers will be able to make enemies like the Vajra, from Macross Frontier, retreat. Even the more standardised abilities, like the Zero System on the Gundam Wing Zero (pictured above), will get a reworking. As always, you can pre-order the game here.

The recent 360 port of Virtual On Force will be re-released under the Platinum Collection this April. The main benefit we’ll get out of this is that the game will only cost 2,940 yen this time around. There’s also still some chance of an actual sequel too, as the new 360 ports of Oratan and Force have rekindled the interest in the series again. What with big hits like Border Break and Gundam Extreme Versus also blitzing the arcades, we may be getting a new Virtual On some day soon.

Bandai have announced that one of the next Robot Damashii toys will be that of the original XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero. Whilst we’re not fans of the anime that much really, we do like the designs a fair bit (barring the mecha chicken variant of the Wing Zero in Endless Waltz obviously). This release has been hinted at for a fair while now as well but we’re glad it’s finally going to happen. Released this June for a very reasonable 4,410 yen, the toy even transforms.

To help promote the release of the new Fight It Out song for Gundam Extreme Versus Full Boost, Bandai Namco have released the arcade game’s new opening movie. Whilst this is, admittedly a very shiny, CG movie it does bely some interesting tidbits on potential future mobile suit unit additions to the game. From the obvious CB-0000G/C Reborns Gundam and RX-0 Unicorn Gundam “Banshee”, what we’re most excited about is the fact that the MS-08TX (EXAM) Efreet Custom (pictured above) could be on the cards too. Considering that we’re massive fans of the original Saturn Blue Destiny games, the fact we may have another mobile suit to play with from it makes us so very happy. If that wasn’t enough, Bandai will also be doing a limited edition HG kit of the new Extreme Gundam Leos type, which is basically a re-coloured version of the previous HG kit. Anyway, we’re not sure at all about this new song for Full Boost, but we’re still pretty pumped for the game nonetheless, especially if we get some more Blue Destiny mobile suits.