Hardcore Mecha Mechatalk Part 2: Steel Dawn Catalogue

Moving on to Part 2 of my Hardcore Mecha Mechatalk series, this entry focuses on Steel Dawn, the game’s primary antagonist faction. As usual, the Mechatalk is organized according to the main mecha development branches and surprisingly, Steel Dawn’s lineup is quite diverse for what is essentially a rebel force.

Steel Dawn is a heavily armed rogue terrorist organization seeking to force Mars’ secession from the Earth Government. The group is led by the ambitious mercenary Xerxes Nomad, a man willing to employ any means necessary to achieve his vision even at the cost of innocent lives.

Given its status as a non-state actor without the same level of funding as the Earth Government army, Steel Dawn’s forces are predominantly ground-based and rely heavily on conventional projectile weaponry. Their designs reflect practicality and battlefield efficiency rather than technological extravagance.

That said, the faction is far from underpowered. Steel Dawn allocates significant resources toward heavily customized units for its ace pilots and even fields high-mobility aerial machines such as the Halberd series. At the top of the hierarchy, its leaders command their own Mobile Armor class units  effectively one-man armies that rival government superweapons.

Hopefully it won’t take too long for me to wrap up the Mechatalk article for Thunderbolt, along with the main Hardcore Mecha overview.

Hardcore Mecha Mechatalk Part 1: UNF Mecha Catalogue

Having completed my journey with Hardcore Mecha and feeling overall satisfied with the experience, I’d like to reciprocate RocketPunch Studio’s passion and labor with a series of articles in Realm of Darkness. Before moving on to the main Hardcore Mecha feature article which will take some time to be completed in its proper form, I will begin with a Mecha Talk series focusing on the mecha units featured in the game.
 
This Mecha Talk series will be divided into three parts, with the United Nations Federation (UNF) faction be represented in part 1. The series will provide an overview of faction units available in Simulation Mode, as well as unit faction profiles from Multiplayer Mode. For easier navigation, the mecha roster will be organized into the main-lines.

As a mecha fan, I have to say that the sprite assets in Hardcore Mecha are truly top-notch. It would be a shame for such high-quality sprites to remain underutilized after the first game, especially since the game itself struggled somewhat with trying to do too many things at once.

Realm of Darkness - Super Mecha Champions Ultimate Archive

 
 Should have done this when I finished my last SMC Mechatalk series but I proudly present this post as dedicated portal for Super Mecha Champions! Netease treatment to SMC is abhorrent to the extent they change their name on some game they publish likely to hide in shame. Even so Super Mecha Champion is still a good game that deserved respectful treatment.

 This post will serve as the portal for SMC Mechatalk and SMC related Sluban Brick model reviews for easier access of readers who wish to navigate SMC related content in Realm of Darkness. This might be the last post for SMC at least until there are noteworthy development related to this series.

Super Mecha Champions Mechatalk: Part 5

 
 At long last after almost 5 months,  I am able to put a wrap for this Mechatalk series that was supposed to conclude within 2 months. At first I only planned to cover the mecha parts only for SMC series, but given how badly this series treated by its own creator, I decide to make a full fledged SMC Mechatalk series that included the pilot as the part of this mini project's scope. After I have covered several SMC Pilots in the 4th SMC Mechatalk, I will be posting the remaining SMC Pilots in this 5th and Final part of SMC Mechatalk.

 While the Pilots with most costumes has been covered in the previous Mechatalk, this one will make up with the quantiy. Overall there are 18 Pilots to be covered in this Super Mecha Champions Mechatalk as well as the WIP Pilots that never made it even if the Mecha was already available. Netease does not have manpower issues to sustain SMC but they are just simply unwilling to allocate the proper resources for their game to have it thrive after a single moment they see their game going Downhill

Despite not being properly cared enough by its parent company, at least there are fans who cared enough for Super Mecha Champions and willing to contribute their effort to preserve the memory that this series had. While this will be the last of SMC Mechatalk, there will be a little bit more SMC contents before Realm of Darkness properly concluded with this series.

Without further ado, I proudly present the 5th and Final SMC Mechatalk!

Super Mecha Champions Mechatalk: Part 4

 
 Took me about a month to resume this activity due to being preoccupied with real life matters. But as a part of homage to this once great Mecha series, I present you the continuation of Super Mecha Champions Mechatalk! With the SMC Mechas has been properly covered in the first 3 SMC Mechatalks. SMC Mechatalk Part 4 and 5 will feature the SMC Pilots along with their notable available skins. Part 4 will cover the Pilot characters that I managed to obtain during the game lifetime which there are about 10 of them with Jaka being my personal favorite and Silver Deacon being my last obtained character. But I got to say Iori had the best overall skins from this list as expected from the SMC mascot character.

While the first part of SMC Pilots mechatalk won't have as much pilots compared to the next one, Most of the notable skins will be found in here considering Netease is very generous towards the Starter pilots in the skin department.

Mechatalk - Warhammer 40k Glory in Death: Space Marine Faction Unit Review

 Warhammer 40k Glory in Death is quite an underrated gem of 40k series which had its fate doomed to obscurity being the last game of Nokia N-gage. Therefore in order to raise some awareness for this game, I will be doing Unit review for Factions available in this game starting with Space Marine factions based on my Campaign experience, keep in mind the review will be subjective based on my experience with these units during the Space Marine Campaign. 

In Warhammer 40k Glory in Death you got 4 Sub-Factions for each Chaos, Eldar, Ork and Space Marine. For Space Marine you get Space Wolves starring the Campaign Story and Blood Angels, Dark Angels and Ultramarines for Skirmish and Multiplayer. While not exactly 100% accurate compared to the Tabletop version, these units are pretty good indicator of what their physical counterpart represent.

Overall in Glory in Death, Space Marine faction is well rounded faction that boast decent survivability and had advantage in ranged combat. While they can hold their ground in melee, they will be outclassed by the dedicated Melee units from other factions, therefore it is preferable to pepper your enemies in ranged Combat with their powerful bolters and deny Melee engagements by creating attritions damage from Ranged Support.

I used Mechatalk to feature this article since Warhammer 40k Glory in Death do qualify for one due to having significant amount of Mechanical units and it is easier for navigating purposes by future visitor of this blog.

Super Mecha Champions Mechatalk: Part 3

 Super Mecha Champions have officially closed down but I haven't forgotten my Promise! I have gathered the necessary assets for SMC Part 3 before the game closed down, but due to unforeseen circumstances, I don't have access with the files until now. SMC Part 3 will feature the Mechas in the game that I was unable to obtain when the game closed down and in terms of roster number, this one will be easily the biggest one which consist of 19 Mechas. Back then I was only able to secure 18 Mecha which is only half of the playable rosters as I only have less than One year worth of time to farm for in-game currencies. While this part will conclude the Mecha side of SMC Mechatalk, I will also commit for the Pilot side as well since I want to do a proper send off for this underrated series that had misfortune being owned by a Soulless Corporation that only cares about profit.

Mechatalk: B-Daman Bakugaiden III Bomber Fighter Armor Model Kit List

 
 With Takara Tomy re-releasing their Bakugaiden IV Mecha products starting with White Bros, I got myself motivated and dig further their past B-Daman Toy lineup once again. What captivated me the most from B-Daman lineup was the Bomber Mecha like Saint Blaster which made me a big sucker for Mecha Toys with Pilot Gimmick. But back then I did have a particular B-Daman Model Kit that had slightly different aesthetics with the former and features a B-Daman Mecha Design with Semi-transparent Head cockpit that comes with Mini B-Daman as Icing on top. 

 Upon further digging, my search lead to B-Daman Bakugaiden III which is the previous B-Daman Generations that came before Bakugaiden IV which Saint Blaster belongs to. Released around 1997-1998, those B-Daman Mechas with Semi Transparent Cockpit is called Bomber Fighter Armor. As expected, these are some Pretty good stuffs which lead to products that lead me being a fan of Cockpit gimmick for Mecha toys. While my search doesn't lead me to the exact Model that I had which was probably bootleg version of Type-90 Bomber Fighter, this particular endeavor lead me to quite a Vintage treasure trove! And I would to use an opportunity in my blog to make people have easier time to reconnect with their Childhood nostalgia involving B-Daman.

This article will serve as a repository list for Bomber Fighter Armor products that I come across. Due to the archive nature of this Article, it will be relegated to Mechatalk category. On average these Bomber Armor Model fetched around 500-1300 Yen Price tag back in 97-98 save for the extra large one which costed 4000 Yen. Nevertheless those very cheap B-Daman Mecha toys that still comes with good quality. Perhaps Takara could consider re-release some of the Bakugaiden III Products should the Toysrise Saint Blaster being well received. You can check this Japanese Website for the Cross reference used for this article.

Super Mecha Champions Mechatalk: Part 2

 10 More days before Super Mecha Champions officially closes down. Apologies that it took more than a month for the SMC Mechatalk to continue but I will assure that the Mecha part for SMC Mechatalk will be completed before the Server closedown. After covering the Starter mechs in SMC Mechatalk part 1, this time I will cover the Non-Starter Mechs that I managed to unlock before the server closedown. In my opinion, this is probably the best on for the Mecha Parts of SMC Mechatalk series since I unlocked some of the Mechas that struck my Fancy and some of them are given generous amount of skins by Netease. Without further ado, here is the Part 2 of SMC Mechatalk!

Super Mecha Champions Mechatalk: Part 1

 
 As we still got about less than 2 months before Super Mecha Champions shut down due to Netease's neglect, As promised I will be making SMC Mechatalk articles within the limited timeframe to preserve anything noteworthy that ever created in this series. I would expect the Super Mecha Champion Mechatalk will span over 4-5 articles as I will make some for the Mechas and the Pilot as well.

In this first part of SMC Mechatalk, I will be covering the Six Mechs of the Starter characters which are Arthur, Firefox, Caramel, Andromeda, Hot Steel and Skylark which I will include the noteworthy skins and any concept Art that I got. Considering these mechas have been around since the inception of SMC series, they tend to be the receiving end of generous amount of skins by the dev and there are plenty of Good SS Skins belong to this group. In my personal opinion, the Top 3 Mech with best skin in this batch are Arthur, Skylark and Hot Steel in this particular order and slightly regretted that I didn't spend more for the Fancy skins when I had the chance.

Kannazuki no Miko Mechatalk: Part Three – Ame no Murakumo & Orochi

Took almost a month after Take no Yamikazuchi’s mechatalk due to real life commitments which is rather hectic lately. But I proudly present the Third and Final Kannazuki no Miko mechatalk! This one will be dedicated to the true main respresentation of the force of Good against Evil in the series, Ame no Murakumo and Orochi. After laying some groundworks with other characters that played a role in Kannazuki, I would believe that these 2 eternal adversaries serve as the fitting final destination of this Mechatalk series. While it won’t be as extensive as Take no Yamikazuchi, I will still do some proper job for this one.

Kannazuki no Miko Mechatalk: Part Two – Take no Yamikazuchi

The second of the Three-Part Kannazuki no Miko mechatalk is here! Kannazuki no Miko might be a poor excuse of a Mecha anime as the series prefer to focus on Yuri relationships of the Main heroine instead of making proper Mecha series. However, it doesn’t mean that the Mecha department of this series does not have any merit, as the effort by the team that handled this particular part are actually quite apparent despite it is a thankless errand.

Therefore, to reciprocate the earnest labor given for the Mecha that Kannazuki no Miko had, I proudly present the Mechatalk article dedicated for Take no Yamikazuchi! This article will be more extensive compared to your typical Mechatalk articles which is a rarity for this blog these days just to show the respect I have for this Kannazuki no Miko protagonist mecha. Take no Yamikazuchi is the literal MVP Mecha of Kannazuki and the major reason why the Mechatalk for its series exist in the first place. Because despite the poor overall execution of the storyline, Take no Yamikazuchi and his pilot are actually one of those among the many that make it as an exemplary paragon which represents the pure essence of Mecha. 

Kannazuki no Miko Mechatalk: Part 1 - Orochi Seven

 
 About two months has passed already since I finished Kannazuki no Miko. Abit late due to work life commitment,but as promised here comes the mechatalk for this controversial Mecha series of early 2000s! A Yuri series it might be, but the effort and passion of Kannazuki no Miko's anime production team for the mecha still worth a merit and I feel obligated to reciprocate in return. 

 Split into 3 Parts, The first of the Kannazuki no Miko mechatalk articler will start with covering  the supporting characters from antagonist side which represented each heads of Yamata no Orochi and known as Orochi Seven. This Mechatalk series will focus to serve as the Visual guide to help any mecha fans who consider watching Kannazuki no Miko worth their time or not.

Sakura Wars Mechatalk: Sakura Taisen 2 - Shinguji Sakura

 At long last we are finally at the last destination of Sakura Taisen 2 Mechatalk! This side project which started from early June last month now concluded at the Final stop with the titular main heroine of Sakura Taisen series, Shinguji Sakura! While Sakura has always been the titular main Heroine since the first game, Sakura Taisen 2 decide to step up the game and really puts her in the spotlight! Throughout ST2 main story, you will get to see why this Yamato Nadeshiko is the main star of this classic series of the Sega's Crown jewels.

Sakura Wars Mechatalk: Sakura Taisen 2 - Reni Milchstrasse

 7th Sakura Taisen 2 Mechatalk is here and we are almost at the end of this great journey! I tend to reserve the best things for the last and so does for this particular Mechatalk series. The 7th Mechatalk will feature no other than the second and the last Teikoku Kagekidan member, Reni Milstrasse the Wunderkind aka Wonderchild from Germany that graced upon Sakura Taisen series. Being one of the newer Heroine, Reni do get special treatment just like Orihime but her route quite stands out because you get to Ogami in his coolest moments during her route.

Sakura Wars Mechatalk: Sakura Taisen 2 - Iris Chateaubriand

6th Sakura Taisen 2 Mechatalk is here! Without being realized we are almost done with this particular series which started from last month. To prepare what is coming up next for this Mechatalk series, the 6th Sakura Taisen Mechatalk will feature the youngest member of Teikoku Kagekidan, Iris Chateaubriand! Do not be fooled by her tender age though as this French Lass is full fledged member of the Floral assault squad through and through!

Sakura Wars Mechatalk: Sakura Taisen 2 - Soletta Orihime

 5th Heroine Sakura Taisen 2 Mechatalk is here and we are finally getting to the New Heroines starting with Half Italian-Japanese Ojou-sama, Soletta Orihime. Given her new heroine status in ST2, Orihime is given quite a preferential treatment in the game to elevate her already Top tier character design. On top of that I have to say Orihime Character theme is easily the best in Sakura Taisen 2 as well as in whole Sakura Wars series. Overall Orihime's route can be prickly like a Rose at first but the payoff for the player's patience with this particular tsundere heroine will be just as good, as Sakura Taisen prepares a fairy-tale like experience for Orihime route which this article going to try to provide a glimpse.

Mechatalk Sakura Wars: Sakura Taisen 2 - Li Kohran

 We are now truly Halfway through the Sakura Taisen 2 Mechatalk series! This time the Heroine who gets the turn is yet another one of more underrated heroine just like Kanna and actually one of the most invaluable member of Teikoku Kagekidan when it comes to support, Li Kohran! In Sakura Taisen 2, Kohran is actually one of the original Teikoku Kagekidan member that is given more opportunity to be fleshed out and unexpectedly have one of the better ending. So let's use the opportunity of this Mechatalk article to see what Sakura Taisen 2 had in store for this Genius scientist of Teikoku Kagekidan.

Sakura Wars Mechatalk: Sakura Taisen 2 - Maria Tachibana

 3rd time is the charm and we are almost halfway through the Sakura Taisen 2 Heroines mechatalk! This time the series will feature the Vice Captain of Teikoku Kagekidan herself, Maria Tachibana! While her story arc has pretty much wrapped up in Sakura Taisen 1, Maria still serve as the ever reliable member of Teikoku Kagekidan providing reliable assistance for Captain Ogami  throughout the Span of Sakura Taisen 2.

Sakura Wars Mechatalk: Sakura Taisen 2: Kanna Kirishima Route

 2nd Sakura Taisen 2 Heroine Mechatalk is here as I am trying my best to consistently wrap up my business before moving onto Sakura Taisen 4. After Sumire, I will be doing Kanna Kirishima! While Kanna might be one of the least popular Heroine from Ogami Kagekidan, she still deserve to belong to this legendary group. But arguably among whole Sakura Taisen casts, Kanna VA is still overall the most successful one as she is one of the Legendary VA who managed to attain mainstream success.