Graham

Some of the game play screen shot show missile counters on the top part of the screen. One of them read something like 50 while the other reads something like 1000. I think the second one is for the gun pod while the other is for missiles... but I could be wrong. The counters at the top are for the AMM-1 triple missile clusters and the UMM-7 micro-missile pods. You can see that most screen shots show the Valk with AAM-1s mounted on the outer wing pylons and UMM-7s mounted on the inner wing pylons. So while missiles are not unlimited, the quantity is unrealistic, but to be honest, did you really think that they stick with realsitic quantities? If they followed the weapon loadout shown being carried, then you would only have 6 x AAM-1 and 30 x micro-missiles in the UMM-7s. I strongly suspect that gunpod ammo and head laser charge is unlimited as there does not seem to be a round counter for these. Graham

Yes, it is being released in Japan only. However, a modified PS2 will allow you to play the game. The release date in Japan is October 23. Graham

Nope, I don't speak or read Japanese, but as it's 'Macross', I like to own the original. Anyway, I've been watching raw Japanese anime since the mid-1980's, before there was such a thing as fan-subs, digi-subs or bootleg DVDs! Graham

or (even though i'm not holding my breath on it) the only way this game will see North American soil.... It will never get through the way it is now. It seems to be a reallt bad mix of DYRL and SDF styles.... with SDF predominating. I just hope they at least keep DYRL as the song for the final battle.... the one they play in SDF Macross was terrible. Personally, I like it that they are mixing elements from DYRL and the TV series, to hopefully give us the definitive version of Space War 1. I love DYRL for it's visuals, but to be honest it is lacking in character development, plus there is only a limited amount of action (and thus game missions) that you can base on a two hour movie. I also love the SDF TV series for it's story, but to be honest a lot of the visuals, battle scenes and some of the design elements are pretty sucky and dated. By following the events in the TV series, this allows for more game missions than if the game had been based purely on DYRL. And by adding some of the design elements and visual cues from DYRL we get a much nicer looking game than if it had stcuck purely to the look of the TV series. I can't wait for this game. Graham

I've also heard from reliable sources that a second series is in the works, but I also don't know if it will be an OVA or TV series. Graham

Check out the new pics from TGS here. Graham

I've got a bad feeling about this! As it is this movie is probably going to suck big time. The generic characters, having it set in Antartica and in the present day just doesn't make any sense at all. I can just imagine a group of corporate suits who have no knowledge of the Alien & Predator mythos sitting round a boardroom table dreaming up this crock of sh*t. This movie should really be set in the future, on a hot colony planet, where a Predator or Predators on a hunt accidently release an Alien or several Aliens from a research facility and then the Colonial Marines get called in to clean up the mess. And yes, I also agree that Alien 3 & 4 should be disowned and a new 5th Alien movie should bring back Hicks, Newt and Ripley and be set on Earth sometime after the events in Aliens, and somehow Aliens have got back to Earth started breading en masse and mankind is in now in an all out war for survival. Actually, wasn't there a really old black and white Dark Horse graphic novel about 15 years or so ago with Hicks and Ripley, where the Aliens are on Earth? Anyway, Hollywood is definitely running out of both original ideas and good ideas. I'm sure it won't be too long before we see a Robocop vs Terminator or Highlander vs Blade movie or something like that....groan. Graham

I loved Getter Robo Armageddon, it's one of my favorite OVAs. Great, action, cool mecha designs and the Invaders were really well designed and creepy with a real sense of menace about them. I also liked the Mazinkaiser OVA, but thought Shin Getter Vs. Neo Getter sucked big time, I also disliked the original Getter TV series from the 70's. Graham

I told you they were going to re-release it, but nobody believed me....sniff Graham

Just a note to everybody, please limit your picture size to a maximum width of 600 pixels for ease of viewing. Any oversize pictures will get deleted. Graham

Macross Zero vol.3 is just available for preorder from CDjapan. See here. Just preordered my copy. Graham

Just received an email from CD Japan that the whole series of Dorvack is going to be released for the first time ever as a DVD box set in Japan. "Dorvack (Tokusou Kihei Dorvack)" DVD Box Catalog Number: PIBA-1458 Price: Yen- 28000, US$(247.46) Release Date: 21-Dec-2003 DVD boxed containing all 36 episodes of the sci-fi action anime that premiered on Japanese television in 1983. http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=PIBA-1458 MWer DestroidsRage will be really happy about this as I know it's something he really wants to see. As I doubt the Japanese box set will have any English subs, I wonder How long it will be until we see a subbed HK boot? Graham

Hmm. yep TGS has started. Just checked the Japanese zdnet site for updates, but no new articles on the Macross game yet. Hopefully, they will get to it in tomorrow's updates. Graham

IIRC, doesn't the Tokyo Game Show open today? Didn't Min say he was going? If any MWers are going, hope they get a chance to view or even play the game and report back here ASAP. Graham

Not yet. I'm still waiting for somebody (anybody?) to design some artwork. Graham

Yamato is based in Tokyo. And as you should all be aware by now, the toys are only designed in Japan but actually manufactured in southern China. Graham

I have all the reissues and will eventualy get round to doing reviews of them. However my free time that I can devote to Macrossworld is quite limited at the moment due to commitments in other areas (work, family, education etc). Graham

It's an Anti-UN plane. For more info see the Macross Compendium. Graham

Minmay Guard VF-1S, but only if it was the first version shown here, not the second version, which Hasegawa is releasing, see: here. Graham

The PC game 'Macross Since 1983' released in 1998 was a turn based game using a grid map. Read my review here. Graham

No pictures yet guys. I wasn't able to start unpacking the toys until 10.15pm last night and by the time I had removed all the damn twist ties from two of the toys and assembled them, it was already a quarter after midnight and I was too tired to take any pics. Just to clarify on my comments about the poor paint job yesterday. Actually it's only the 4 Hummingbird boosters that have a sloppy paint job, the rest of the toy's paint is quite good. I've got the blue one set up as C1 WR and the red as A1 MS at the moment and happy to report that in both modes they lock together very well. Graham

As it's very quiet at the office this afternoon, I thought I'd remove the blue Z-Plus GFF from it's box and see how easy (or difficult) transformation is. I gotta say it's pretty difficult. If you are familiar with the Z-Plus MG kits it may help a bit, but not too much as there are quite a lot of differences as the GFF has far more locking tabs and is much smaller. Also, the black and white instructions are a bit unclear in places and don't help much. Probably easier if I could read Japanese! Anyway, I just removed the basic figure from the box. I'm leaving all the acccessories (wings, tail, shields, guns, boosters, etc....) in the box until I get home tonight. I managed to get from MS to partial WR mode with only a few wrong turns. I gotta say now I have the toy out of the box and in my hand it looks much nicer. One warning, I don't think this toy should be transformed much. The small hinges and joints and PVC construction (w/a few ABS parts) all mean that this is a pretty fragile toy which will probably wear or break if handled roughly or transformed too much. Personally, once transformed to the mode I want, the toys are staying that way! Beautiful looking and a dream come true for this Sentinel / Z-Plus fan, but more of a display piece than a toy, but that's OK, as that's exactly what I expected anyway. Graham

I may be wrong here, but I think it's only in DYRL that we see the armored VF-1J with a grey painted visor. IIRC in the TV series Hikaru's VF-1J has a white visor. Graham

I have a feeling the Anti-UN forces do have Destoids and we will see them later. I have no proof, just a gut feeling. Graham

Can't see your pic. Graham