The live demo event for Armored Core V originally planned in March, that was obviously delayed on account of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11th, is now back on. Scheduled for the 13th May at 9pm (Japan time, obviously), Famitsu will also be hosting a live stream of the event too. In addition, the official Armored Core site is now also hosting a new questionnaire for fans of the series to fill in.

The upcoming PSP game Gundam Memories received its first trailer recently which shows some gameplay footage. It’s clear already that this game will not be akin to Artdink’s Gundam Battle series but instead far closer to Yuke’s Gundam 00 Meisters game. Specifically in the way that combat is on a relatively fixed horizontal plane and the use of somewhat odious quick time events (which are now being called “Special Triggers”). Whilst it’s technically impressive what they’re getting out of the PSP, the game itself has us less interested than it did before. Plus, there’s also the unfortunate association with the ill conceived PS2 swansong Gundam Climax UC as the game operated similarly. There’s also a new write up over on 4Gamer as well, with some new screenshots.

In a comment over on the official Facebook page for Armored Core V, From Software have confirmed that the game will indeed use dedicated servers (on account of their new partnership with Namco Bandai). Naturally, for a game to boast such a thorough online setup it makes sense for the investment of a dedicated server setup. Hopefully the servers won’t get arbitrarily shut down like they did on Chrome Hounds though. There’s also another interview up on Dengeki Online talking more about the story missions (amongst other things). With each new update, it seems that Armored Core V could shape up to be something truly special.

The recently released Super Robot Wars Z 2 has topped the Japanese charts selling over 300,000 units in its first week. From what we’ve played, the game is wholly deserving of this success and naturally a review will be forthcoming. The game is also part of the Super Robot Wars 20th Anniversary celebrations, though apparently more fun and frolics are expected in the months to come. Another game is also planned to follow the Z lineage too, though what platform that may end up on is still unknown. In any case, you can still buy the game here (or here if you’re in Europe). There’s also a handy Wiki available for the game already, so there’s no excuse not to pick this little beauty up.

Famitsu has the scoop on a big LAN party for the suitably wonderful Xbox game, Tekki Taisen (or Steel Battalion: Line of Contact) that was renowned for its online play setup. Specifically the “Project FireWorks” group has organised this awesome gathering as well as helped to show off the scratch built VT kits by a chap called “nanaC”. The event gathered over 100 fans of 5 by 5 teams, some even brought their own homemade cockpits. Many met one another for the first time too, despite having played together via an online battlefield. In any case, it’s nice to see that the fans still support games like these. Whilst there is a new Steel Battalion game on the way, we still think a properly complex controller is still what made the original games so very special. Thanks to Atsushi Kawashima for the heads up.

Game Watch has a piece on a forthcoming update to Senjou no Kizuna, featuring two more units from the classic Blue Destiny games on the Sega Saturn. Whilst the RX-79BD-1 GM Blue Destiny Unit 1 and MS-08TX Efreet Custom are already available in the game, this new update (Rev 2.52) will also add two Gundam units to the already large mobile suit roster; specifically that of the RX-79BD-2 Blue Destiny Unit 2 and RX-79BD-3 Blue Destiny Unit 3 respectively. These were present in the final instalment of the trilogy and like the prototype units before it they used the ethically questionable EXAM System. The latter will also functionally inferred when players take too damage, as the EXAM System will give Unit 2 a performance boost and increase the range of its weapon locks, whereas Unit 3 will have a melee damage boost. As with all the Blue Destiny units, since their creation they’ve been featured in numerous games over the years and have become something of a fan favourite. One day we’ll get around to reviewing the original Sega Saturn games, but in the meantime this is a pretty awesome little toy of the Blue Destiny GM and Unit 2.

GameWatch has the details that the forthcoming Treasure shooter, Bangai-O HD Missile Fury, will finally be released on May 4th for 800 MSP. The GameWatch piece also has a good number of new screenshots, all of which show the insane number of missiles the game will have. Following on from this is a new(ish) trailer that was released recently, despite the somewhat ill-fitting soundtrack the game is looking as good as when we played it at TGS last year. Don’t forgot we also have a comprehensive feature on the Bangai-O series if you’re at all curious.

In the latest edition of Famitsu, Armored Core V’s new Mercenary System has been partially outlined. In that teams lacking in members can pay other players to help build up their ranks. No word on how the pricing works as yet, but the whole soldier of fortune vibe does chime in with series’ history very nicely (as that’s effectively what Ravens were anyway). Team members can also moonlight as mercenaries too apparently.

Separately, it’s been also revealed that the story mode will be much more substantial than previous games. As many of the core game missions will be around 20 to 60 minutes in length, as well as featuring multiple dramatic cutscenes. These will be playable via online co-op too. In addition there will also be shorter “order” missions available, that sound more akin to a beefed up arena but with a mission based context. The latter total up to around 70 missions in all.

Finally, there’s also a new Dengeki Online interview with the game’s and series’ producer Toshifumi Nabeshima. We’ll try and condense the salient points over the next few days.

Update: 4Gamer has a selection of new screenshots as well. Showing more of what appears to be the new HUD as well as various laser blade concept art (some of which look decidedly chainsaw-esque).

In October of last year Konami trademarked Steel Chronicle and we now know what that was for. In short, it appears to be a multiplayer focused mecha arcade game that cashes in on the recent runaway success of Border Break (right down to the character customisation). Except the primary antagonists are giant bugs rather than mecha (basically a bit like the Akrid in the Lost Planet series of games). The game recently underwent a location test at two arcades, one in Akihabara and another in Ikebukuro. No word on whether it’s any good but the general vibe from Japanese gamers is that the blatant Border Break “homage” is a bit lazy.

Despite the recent earthquake in Japan, the wondrous full scale statue of the RX-78-2 Gundam survived intact. However, the Gundam will be leaving Shizuoka shortly for an as yet unnamed new venue and it subsequently needs to be carefully disassembled.

We were lucky enough to visit the Gundam in September of last year. So to see it leave is saddening but wherever it appears next, hopefully with a beam rifle and shield this time, will keep our burning tamashii sustained.