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.

TimeGate Studios has released Section 8: Prejudice to the Xbox Live Marketplace today. This of course being the sequel to the not so well received Section 8, released in 2009. Listening to criticism from critics and fans alike, TimeGate has promised to fix or totally revamp much of what was wrong with the previous installment, while retaining, that which made the original…well, original.

So, while all of that is yet to be seen, one thing is for sure; power armor mayhem. Like its predecessor Prejudice will have wonderful Landmate-esque powered armor, to stomp, crush, and blow away your competition. Add to that a cacophony of vehicles, weapons, and customization options and you have yourself one hell of a game (or so we hope).

Now for those of you who actually own and have played the original Section 8, TimeGate has announced that they will be giving away “Loyalty Rewards” based on your player level in the first Section 8. The rewards are: For simply playing the original you get the Aegis Armor and Reactive Plating for your character, if you made it to level 25 then you get the Ablative Plating upgrade, and finally for those who reached level 50 you receive  the Explosives Amplifier upgrade.

A very nice gesture on TimeGate’s part if you ask me, and I’m fairly excited to play. Sadly, however, I will not receive any rewards. While Xbox owners can enjoy Section 8 today, PC and PS3 owners will have to wait a little longer. May 4th for PC users, and sometime in summer for PS3 users. You can purchase and play Section 8: Prejudice on your Xbox, right now for 1200 MSP. Additionally upon release on PC (through Steam and Games for Windows Marketplace), it will be $14.99 USD.

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.

Stardock’s Impulse game download service is currently having a sale on a game named Metal Brigade Tactics, a turn-based mecha strategy game. To be completely honest, it’s not all that impressive, but with the current sale price at $3.00, it’s probably worth looking at for curiosity’s sake. There’s also not much else available on the PC in terms of turn-based mecha strategy games, and with its low system requirements this might just be the sort of game to play on a low-spec netbook.

The mecha designs are fairly original, and while the game system was obviously inspired by both Western turn-based games as well as Super Robot Wars, there are a few unique tweaks added to the mix, such as artillery being fired off at the beginning of a turn and landing at the end of it, making them very effective area denial weapons, as foes need to decide between taking damage or wasting a turn taking the long way around. There is a demo available from the official website.

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.