The second episode for Super Robot Wars Operation Extend is now out. If you’ve already bought the combined pack that you can download it for free, otherwise you’ll pay 200 yen. More units will be added to the roster, featuring that of Gurren Lagann. We’ve been enjoying the game thus far but without the freemium booster (which we bought) the game would be a motherless grind and in places probably quite unfair. Once all the episodes have been released we’ll likely review the game but thus far it’s pretty good.

Now with Wonder Festival 2013 Summer behind us, we have all manner of interesting reveals to ponder. From a fantastic Giant Gorg toy to the announcement of a new and brilliant looking Getter Robo series (with the toys shown above), it’s all been quite eventful. Especially as Arcadia showed their new 1/60 YF-19 toy and it’s clear that this is indeed using much of the new engineering seen in Yamato’s Fire Valkyrie. This alone is fantastic news. As always, AmiAmi has a nice selection of coverage here, here, here and here. Even more coverage is nicely collated here as well.

There’s an interesting little game that allows you to play with with a VF-11 Thunderbolt via Oculus Rift. Admittedly you just shoot down drones but it looks pretty nifty. The first person view from the head of the battroid does look a bit strange though. In any case, there’s also a similar little browser game available here too (via Unity). The video below shows the Oculus Rift version in action and starts around the 11 minute mark

There’s an online Virtual On tournament happening this weekend. Featuring the 360 ports of the original Virtual On, Oratan and Force. The entry deadline has already passed but you can watch the tournament via Godsgarden Twitch.tv channel. The tournament for Virtual On and Force happen tomorrow (27th) and Oratan will be the day after that (28th). The standard of the players online for these games is very high, so expect some truly spectacular matches. Thanks to Zaarock for the heads up.

On July 23, the XM-X3 Crossbone Gundam X-3 will join the Gundam Versus Extreme Full Boost roster after winning the mobile event against the Gerbera Tetra just recently. The final Crossbone Gundam unit in the original Crossbone trio, the Crossbone Gundam X-3 is a 2500 cost suit and is very melee oriented as expected. Equipped with its Muramasa Blaster, as seen with the Crossbone Full Cloth, the X-3 has very quick striking melee that can be powered up with its safety release. Other attacks include a nice little whirlwind throw with the EMS-VSX1 Quarvarze, burning tree logs, and the lovely nuke found with the Crossbone Gundam X-1 Kai. To make up for not being equipped with the iconic ABC mantle, the X-3 also has a very quick approach move with the I-Field, blocking all beam like projectiles for a certain period of time. My only gripe with the suit so far is the fact that while it can throw burning logs, it does not have the infamous monkey controlled mobile suit as an assist. Regardless, it’s still very exciting to see it added to the roster! Cecily Fairchild will also be added as an operator as well. Check out the little gameplay teaser for the X-3 below!

The first ever download only game in the series, Super Robot Wars Operation Extend, is released today. We’ve bought the combined pack, as the game will be released episodically, but currently only the first episode is available. What’s also slightly interesting is that there are a bunch of freemium like parts you can buy too. We’re not sure about this, as Gundam Breaker has something similar (of which a review of that will be forthcoming). Whilst this isn’t so much pay to win it does seem to be pay to make things easier. In any case, buying all the episodes at once gives you a Gundam unit piloted by Sergeant Frog as a nice little bonus. The next episode will be released on August 1st.

With Pacific Rim ramping up to release on July 12th in the west, Hideo Kojima recently tweeted a collaboration with Guillermo Del Toro and famed artist Yoji Shinkawa on the Japanese Pacific Rim movie poster. The titular mecha Gipsy Danger is given the Shinkawa makeover, with slick lines and a slim profile with its blades protracted over what looks like a defeated Knifehead kaiju. Hopefully this will be a collaboration that will spark more mecha-themed games from Kojima such as the long awaited Zone of the Enders 3 as he has been giving Pacific Rim nothing but high praises. Until then, check out the latest Pacific Rim trailer below!

Over at 4Gamer there’s a new piece about the world in Armored Core Verdict Day. Despite doing the obvious staple corporate round-up, we now also have Reapers (picture above and that sound a lot like the Zodiac ACs you faced in the previous game) and on top of all that, it seems that the AI controlled UNACs are also part of the story too. That in itself is actually a nice little touch, especially with all the Nineball stuff we’ve had in the past (an army of Nineballs you say?). However, the biggest thing (literally) that’s been highlighted is that of the giant and equally mysterious tower we’ve seen in all the media for the game. For those that are familiar with VOTOMS, this tower should look narratively familiar and considering Armored Core’s narrative history with AI overlords we expect something similar again (something the UNACs are likely part of too). Obviously I could talk more here about all this but some people go apeshit over spoilers, so alas I shall abstain. Anyway, it seems that Verdict Day’s narrative is more grounded than the previous game and September can’t come soon enough.

The third livestream for Armored Core Verdict Day will be happening on the 12th July (you’ll be able to watch it here). The previous livestream is also online here if you want to watch it. This livestream appears to be more focused on the singleplayer story side of things, which is meant to be far more substantial over the previous game. It will also be nice to hear those lovely people at From Software talking about a mecha game without having an identity crisis.

In a recent interview with Game Informer, Respawn’s Joel Emslie said something disappointing and worrying in equal measure regarding the mecha in Titanfall. The main quote being “Mech is kind of a dirty word with us, we don’t like it. These aren’t mechs” (screenshot above). Despite the very obvious and widely acknowledged aspects that define the game’s Titans as mecha, it seems that this is another attempt by a game studio to re-brand mecha as something else and new (though with Hawken, Adhesive to their credit did change their tune). This is likely intended as a means to distance the game from any form of Japanese inspiration. Doing the typical American thing of making out that this was some kind of immaculate creative conception, which in itself is still worthy of copious eye rolling. Whilst this is a pretty shitty thing to do, what’s more worrying is how the mecha are being described as a “second skin” for the pilots. In that we may likely see the game with more human controlling mecha, which is basically the same route Front Mission Evolved went down. In short, that didn’t work out too well. Anyway we’re now somewhat skeptical about Titanfall, especially as the lead artist is saying stuff like this. Thanks to Bonk for the heads up.