What with the indie mecha game Hawken getting its film rights optioned, it seems that the multiplayer only game will also have something in the way of a story. The trailer below sets up the premise that the full on mecha combat is the result of an over industrialised colony world pushed to the brink of environmental collapse. All we do know is that it’s still preposterously pretty and that we are very curious to see how it actually plays. Eye candy is one thing but there’s a suspicious lack of hands on previews, considering that the game was announced a while ago now. We’re still cautiously optimistic though and at the very least it will look gorgeous.

In the latest edition of Famitsu, it’s been announced that Gundam Extreme Versus will finally receive a port to the PlayStation 3. This is something that has been expected for a while, as the arcade game uses the System 357 board (basically a PS3 in a box). Shown at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, the arcade versions will also be present as they plan to host a tournament too. The PS3 version will contain all the units in the current arcade game and feature the latest version released towards the end of this year. The game will also have full online multiplayer and the team at Capcom are working to ensure that the final version will be as near to “lag free” as humanly possible. The port will also have new features over the arcade version too, with what sounds like custom soundtracks as well as original game modes. The latter will most likely be a form of mission setup as per the other Gundam Versus games. The PS3 port is currently at 70% completion and set for release in Japan on December 1st for 8,380 yen. As this will be a PS3 game, it’s also worth re-iterating that it will be region free, so there’s no need to hang around come the game’s release.

In an update for Gundam Extreme Versus, scheduled for today no less, a classic Zeta Gundam mobile armor will be added to the ranks of the game. Specifically, the PMX-000 Messala piloted by the wonderfully evil Paptimus Scirocco. Whilst being one of our favourite Kazumi Fujita designs, next to the Tyrant Sword, what’s most misleading about this mobile armor is that at first glance it appears to be a mobile suit. It’s only when you see the scale of it (close to 30 metres) that you realise that this puppy is rather large. In addition, you can also call for assistance in the game which manifests itself in the form of a few RX-110 Gabthley units. For more pictures, 4Gamer has a nice breakdown on the new unit and we’ve included a brief video of the mobile armor in action from the anime below.

A bunch of places have covered the material released at this year’s GamesCom for Armored Core V. With 4Gamer being one of the better ones. Showing off three areas; a buried city (above), a mountain base and an abandoned city. The big thing that seems to be hammered on about is all about the base defenses. Some places have rather snarkily interpreted this setup as being akin to glorified tower defense, which is entirely accurate if the tower defense genre has been broadened to include online combat with massively customisable mecha. Well done there, no really. That asinine nonsense aside, the update also talks about the involvement of two voice actors. Namely Chiaki Takahashi and Keiji Fujiwara, of which the latter was recently Ali Al-Saachez in Gundam 00 (though we’ll always remember him as Holland from Eureka Seven). What’s really clear about all this is how important the operator will be, as the status of your territory will be very much reliant on the team’s “eye in the sky”. Getting a good tactician on your team will clearly be as crucial as skilled gaming ninjas for the mecha piloting aspect, something that’s pleasantly reminiscent of Chrome Hounds.

The full size Gundam has gone back to Odaiba, where it was based originally, but has done so in parts. Whilst we visited it in Shizuoka, this new exhibit allows you to see all the parts up close (rather than 18 metres above you). In addition, a nice chap managed to do a new time lapse video of the new setup and we’ve linked it below.

What with Gamescom under way, Armored Core V has received a new trailer to show off its online setup. Whilst the voice over is a bit stiff, it conveys the premise of the game well. As always, it’s looking very nice indeed. In addition to the video, a selection of new screenshots are also up on the official Facebook page. Here are some additional videos from inside the Gamescom booth.

The upcoming pseudo-sequel on Kinect to Capcom’s much loved Steel Battalion games received a new trailer today. Despite not looking like actual gameplay, though with Kinect it is sometimes hard to tell, the game engine at least looks pretty decent. That aside, we’re not really feeling it with this new game. As without Junji Okubo’s designs and that huge controller it just doesn’t seem right.

In a recent tweet by Hideo Kojima, he says “Found this at Omori-kun’s desk. What’s this?” and then links to the above picture. Despite the Revoltech Jehuty in the foreground, the text in the background does intimate that a 3DS Zone of the Enders game could be on the cards. As for who Omori-kun is, it’s more likely to be the developer that worked on a large number of Kojima’s games, rather than the animator who shares the same name. Either way, this is interesting news and makes more sense from a development cost point of view considering the limited popularity of the series. In that securing the large investment to fund a full blown 360 or PS3 game without the ability to guarantee a decent return, based on the prior sales of the games in the series, means that a 3DS port could be more viable in terms of the initial funding required.

The latest live stream for Armored Core V, shown yesterday and embedded below, is quite an eventful one. It shows all manner of gameplay elements in far greater detail than we’d seen previously. Whilst the Overweapons are noticeably absent, the rest of the live stream is suitably illuminating. In many ways the delayed released is clearly a shrewd and sensible move, this is clearly a complex game with some very advanced multiplayer elements at work. Taking the time to get it right is something we wholeheartedly endorse.

Courtesy of our good friends at HobbyLink Japan, we’ve been sent the 1/60 Destroid Tomahawk (Weathered Version) toy from Super Dimension Fortress Macross that’s on sale. This particular design is a unique one though as it has had some quite massive ramifications on mecha gaming over the years.