Okay, looks like our mecha trigger fingers will have to wait a little further, as Front Mission Evolved's release date has been pushed back to September 28, a full 2 weeks from the original September 14 release date. However, all is not lost as FME's devs are preparing two pre-order bonuses for those who wish to purchase the game prior to its release date. These bonuses are only available when you pre-order the game at Amazon, Gamestop, and Best Buy in North America only.

The two bonuses are the Calm and Rexson series of wanzers, both of which have existed since the first game and have been given updated visuals for FME. Like in previous games, the Calm is a multi-role wanzer while the Reckson is more sniper-oriented in design. Hit the jump to see what these classic Wanzers look like now:

Rexson:

Calm:

On a personal note, the Rexson looks a bit bulkier than any of its previous incarnations.

[via: FME devblog]

Famitsu magazine released details that Bandai Namco have announced Macross Trial Frontier for the Playstation 3. The PS3 game is set to be a sequel to Macross Ultimate Frontier released a year ago for the PSP. The game itself is bundled with the first Macross Frontier movie in one blu-ray disc packaged as "Macross Frontier: Itsuwari no Utahime ~ Hybrid Pack" an unusual method of distributing a game similar to the blu-ray release of District 9 included an early demo of God of War 3 for the PS3 as well. Hit the jump for the magazine scan:

The game features full transformation capabilities for the player's VF, and likely a variety of other units will be available for the player to choose. Gameplay appears to be similar to the PSP titles, though added buttons on the PS3's controller might mean extra functions impossible to do on the PSP.

Macross Frontier: Itsuwari no Utahime ~ Hybrid Pack hits Japanese game shelves on October 7, 2010.

[via: Scrawl]

Let's sidetrack a little from our usual Armored Core coverage and focus on a recent game released under the name Busou Shinki: Battle Masters.

For those who are not familiar with the name, Busou Shinki (Armament God Princess) is a toy franchise accompanied by an online game that features girls clad in armor and weapons. Each series release is called a "Wave" where in each Wave, a specific artist designs weapons and armor sets, giving a unique feel or theme for each Wave release. Continue reading after the jump:

The figures, armor, and weapon sets come with a unique passcode that allows collectors and owners to participate in an online arena, where each owner's custom Shinki duels against another person's Shinki over the internet. Combat in this online arena is completely handled by the AI, and the aftermath of each battle, as well as user feedback on the Shinkis, will determine the Shinki's future behavior and personality the next time it enters the arena.

Now the obvious appeal of this series are the moe characters, along with the wide variety of customization parts available to slap on your cute little killing machine of death. There is a unique charm surrounding girls with big guns, at least before they pirouette and blast you with enough warheads to stop Godzilla, that makes this hobby appealing for Mecha-Musume fans and for standard mecha fans to some degree. Here are a few samples of what Busou Shinki figures look like:

As you can see with the last picture above, the CR-WR69M from the Variable Infinity Armored Core series fit perfectly with the standard Busou Shinki releases, which brings us to the next part of this post; the recently released Busou Shinki: Battle Masters for the PSP. A short video is in order to quickly describe what this game is all about (Customization demo starts at 1:25, combat demo at 3:25):

Gameplay is a radical departure from the traditional Busou Shinki online play. The PSP version, for the first time, allows a Shinki to be controlled by a human player, where controls can be described as arcade style similar to the Gundam vs. series released by Capcom, or a simplified Another Century's Episode control scheme.

The customization aspect the series is known for is faithfully recreated in-game, and Armored Core players will find the customization interface to be intuitive and familiar to some degree. In a way similar to Armored Core, each part has a different characteristics that affect performance of your Shinki, delivering variable stats at an in-game Cost (A weight limit of sorts for you Armored Core fans). Parts include armor sets for the head, torso, arms, legs, as well as boots, backpacks and orbiting objects. Weapons carry a wider selection, ranging from swords, cannons, handguns, rifles, automatic weapons, to energy weapons, missiles, indirect weapons, to the downright silly ones such as squeaky hammers.

The simple gameplay mechanics, coupled with a robust customization system make this an attractive game not only for Busou Shinki collectors, but also gearheads looking for a mecha fix. Having a cute girl ride a machine of death is such a sweet treat that mecha-musume fans just cannot pass up.

Thanks to Immaterial for some info on the series.

The Last Raven incarnation of Oracle seems to be a confirmed kit, and a fully painted sample exists as seen above which might make its debut sometime this year.

Another upcoming Armored Core collectible series simply called "Fugitto Mechanicals" is expected to get a 2011 release, whether this compliments the current Variable Infinity series of model kits or a totally new line of models we don't know as of the moment. You can view some promotional materials after the jump:

Bonus: The Cloudbreaker mech featured in From Software's Murakumo for the Xbox, as well as a cameo appearance in Another Century's Episode is getting a model kit rendition as well. In addition, a new Leynos figure of some sort from the Assault Suits Leynos/Valken series, also known as Target Earth and Cybernator outside of Japan.

Thanks J.E. for yet another breaking update.

In the form of decals. That's right, that MGS/FME crossover we mentioned some time ago turns out to be Foxhound and MGS logos attachable to your customized Wanzer as reveled in the promo video seen after the jump:

Well, we were expecting more than just a few extra logos, but the short bonus game play trailer kind of makes up for the disappointment.

[via: Kotaku]

A double dose of I kill you!

Up until a certain point of Armored Core, sniper rifles were something of the neglected child the rifle family. While they dished out absurd amounts of damage and had incredible range, their small lock boxes and slow firing rate made them nearly useless at medium to close range, which was also where most AC fights happen.

So there they sat in the shops, unwanted, unloved, until From Software hit upon two changes that suddenly made it a very, very bad idea to bumrush anybody packing them. The first were left-arm mounts, which allowed users to expand the SR’s miniscule lockbox by synergizing it with the much larger lockbox of handguns in the left hand.

The second innovation was introducing fast-firing rifles, such as the Wyrm. Let me reiterate that – you were given a gun that outpaced standard rifles in stopping power, range and accuracy, and could still a dozen slugs into your target in the time it takes you to read this sentence. Continue reading after the jump:

Combine those factors with the Sniper Rifle’s inherently light weight, and you’ve got a weapon that’s difficult to beat in terms of pound for pound stopping power. There is nothing more annoying than fighting an AC that dances right outside your effective range, refuses to get into head-on slugging match, and instead opts to pelt you to death with an endless stream of stinging jabs.

Not quite as gay as this, but it’s close

While we’re on the topic of deadly weapons, it may surprise you that of all the real-life analogs out there, the one gun that may effectively encapsulate the Wyrm is an offspring of the humble AR-15.

Armalite’s rifle model AR-15 was built as a smaller caliber variant of the company’s other rifle, the AR-10, which fired 7.62x51 mm bullets. Firing .223 Remington ammo, and built mostly of aluminum and plastic parts, the AR-15 was an extremely lightweight and handy rifle that was intended to be a replacement for the M1 Carbine, as a weapon for rear-echelon troops (vehicle crews, doctors, etc.) who could not afford to carry a heavier, full-powered battle rifle such as the M14.

The U.S. Army saw the AR-15 more than just as a backup gun however, and with the advent of the Vietnam War, they began field testing large batches of the gun for jungle warfare. By 1965, the US dubbed their AR-15 variant as the M16, which would eventually become the iconic weapon of every Vietnam War film, Modern Warfare game, and the likes of Pinoy action stars like Fernando Poe Jr., Bong Revilla, and Lito Lapid.

While the M16 enjoyed relative success as a military weapon (barring some serious reliability issue due to an early lack of cleaning kits), the AR-15 was even more popular in the civilian market due to its light weight, low recoil, and inherent accuracy.

And it is here where our story continues, at the quiet workshop of Iowa-based gunmaker Les Baer, who’s lent his namesake to an interesting piece that will give even the Wyrm a run for its money: The Les Baer NRA Match semi-auto rifle. Or as I’d like to call it, the Baer rifle.

Admit it – you were thinking of the same thing

Derived from the classic AR-15’s frame, Les Baer took the rifle and added several innovations including a 30-inch stainless steel barrel, a free-floating aluminum hand-guard, a newly machined bolt assembly, and a highly polished trigger assembly. All this is then painstakingly assembled by hand in what I can only describe as a work of love.

Love being an appropriate choice of words to describe the gun as well, given that its accuracy is nothing short of orgasmic (as far as gun pr0n is concerned). Out of the box, the Baer Rifle is capable of shot groupings of ½ (.50) MOA. That is, at 100 yards, the gun will consistently put 5 bullets into a hole barely half an inch wide.

In capable hands, and with the right ammo, that figure is even smaller. with accuracy reaching the .250-.300 MOA range. That’s pretty damn impressive since we’re talking about shot groupings that just a couple of millimeters bigger than the bullets being fired.

While the Baer rifle is heavier than a standard AR-15 thanks to the new parts, it’s still relatively light compared to similarly accurate guns out there. It’s also a semi-auto, meaning you can rapid-fire it if you absolutely have to.

Face it – your AC’s sniper rifle will develop a man-crush on the Les Baer the minute it sees it. And that’s perfectly okay – there is nothing wrong with falling in love with something that is godlike at what it does. It’s not gay, at least not as gay as that dude I mentioned at the start of this article.

That Kotobukiya tweet we covered the last time might lead to this. The Last Raven version of Oracle, the featured AC back in Armored Core Nexus with a few tweaks, namely a change in legs, core, and a different back mount. Could this be the upcoming AC kit that will soon grace our shelves in the coming months? Stay tuned to find out.

If your memory needs a bit of refreshing on what he's supposed to look like, click the jump for a short video of the AC in action:

Thanks for the update J.E.

Dioramas for mecha plastic models are pretty common especially with Gundam and other major giant robot franchises, so we were surprised to see an actual existing diorama for Armored Core. As far as we know, this is the first time someone actually made one for our favorite mech shooter, and actually did a good job at it.

The title of this piece is "L' Agguato 2.0" (The Ambush 2.0) and shows the modeler's skills in painting miniaturesand some nicely done weathering effects on the set pieces, as well as on the Hogire AC centerpiece all in its 1/72 scale glory. Click on the jump for more pics:

Do those little guys stand a chance?

We'll just put in some of the more prominent pictures, you can see more images from the original source which includes how the modeler finely painted some of the smaller pieces in the diorama.

[via: Ultramini Custom]

Thanks J.E. for sharing this piece of news.

You see that? That's a skull on top of a Wanzer! The Magic Box recently unloaded a whole set of new screens for Front Mission Evolved, including what appears to be the ability to put a skull paint scheme on your Wanzer's head. Talk about intimidating your opponents. Though the feature seems to exist for NPC units in the story, we have reason to believe the option will be unlockable for players for their personal enjoyment. View more FME new screens after the jump:

Front Mission Evolved is due to be released on September 14, 2010.

[via: The Magic Box]

A short cryptic tweet from Kotobukiya may hint of a new upcoming Armored Core model kit that might make its debut on September, possibly during Wonder Festival. The message above has a few keywords that might make it easier for AC fans to decipher, these include "2, and Blue" your speculation is as good as ours, but our guess is a Variable Infinity edition of Armored Core 2's cover AC Ethermaster as seen after the jump:

A Variable Infinity version of this lovely toy would be awesome. In any case, what do you guys Kotobukiya's next release be?

Thanks J.E. for the heads up.