Ollie Barder

Tokyo

Founder and Editor in Chief at Mecha Damashii

Writer at Freelance

Contributor at Forbes

Game Designer, @Forbes contributor, @mechadamashii founder and self-sufficient introvert. "Japanese Mecha Expert".

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Articles

Sunrise Spirits Will Bring Classic Mecha Toys To Western Fans

4 days ago | forbes.com | Ollie Barder

Sunrise Spirits is a new toy brand for classic mecha anime. ©Sotsu・Sunrise ©SunriseSunrise is responsible for most of the major mecha anime ever made, and Bandai Spirits is now looking to honor this legacy with a new toy brand. Heading up this new Sunrise Spirits initiative is Yoshinari Kimura, Assistant Manager on the Robot Product Planning Team at Bandai Spirits.
‘Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake’ Will Be Released This October

1 week ago | forbes.com | Ollie Barder

The upcoming Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake has finally been given a release date for this October, and it will also include a Switch 2 version. Following the amazing Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake from the end of last year, the other two parts of the Erdrick Trilogy are being combined into one game. There is a logic to this, because not only was Dragon Quest III the narrative starting point of the trilogy, it was also a much bigger game than the preceding two.
‘Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion’ Shows Off Its Customization Setup

1 week ago | forbes.com | Ollie Barder

Following the reveal of Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion coming to Switch 2 this September, we have a breakdown on the game’s customization setup. Now, back in April, when I covered the Switch 2 news, a bunch of videos were released alongside explaining how the game worked. These videos were in Japanese, but it was pretty clear how the game operated.
‘One-Punch Man’ Season 3 Will Come Westward Via VIZ Media

1 week ago | forbes.com | Ollie Barder

The third season of the wildly popular One-Punch Man anime adaptation will be released in the West this October courtesy of VIZ Media. One-Punch Man started out as a webcomic and later a manga about Saitama, the titular protagonist who just wanted to be a hero for fun but can defeat any opponent with just “one punch”. When the manga was adapted into an anime, the first season was animated by Madhouse.
‘Front Mission 3: Remake’ Finally Comes To Switch This Summer

1 week ago | forbes.com | Ollie Barder

Followed by the already excellent remakes for Front Mission 1 and 2, the third game in the series will be getting the same treatment on Switch this June. Front Mission 3 is the last of the original PlayStation games. I had hoped we’d see a remake of Front Mission Alternative, but it’s still great that the mainline releases have been remade in the first place. Personally, I’ve really enjoyed the remakes of the first two Front Mission games on Switch.
Missing Link Optimus Prime Toy Review: Right In The Feels

1 week ago | forbes.com | Ollie Barder

What if a classic toy were to be remade with modern articulation and detailing? That’s where the new Missing Link toys for Transformers come in, and they are amazing. The first of these was the classic Optimus Prime, with the iconic trailer, quickly followed by an anime-accurate version (minus the trailer). The version here is the initial “C-01” release with the trailer, and an awful lot else.
‘Gundam Seed Battle Destiny Remastered’ Switch Review: A Clear Upgrade

1 week ago | forbes.com | Ollie Barder

Way back in 2012, Gundam Seed Battle Destiny was released on the PlayStation Vita. It was a solid little game, and this Remastered version stays true to its heritage. The Gundam Battle games were originally developed for the PlayStation Portable by Artdink, starting with Gundam Battle Tactics in 2005. It was a good little mecha action game too, where you took down enemy mobile suits with a tethered orbit lock-on setup and various long and close-range weapons.
‘Gundam GQuuuuuuX’ Gets A Fun Little Exhibition In Tokyo

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Ollie Barder

What with Gundam GQuuuuuuX well under way, the anime has now been given a nice little exhibition in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Housed within the Anime Tokyo Station, the exhibition is fairly small but also quite comprehensive. Covering the initial movie Beginning, as well as the subsequent TV series (as the movie is built from those elements), the exhibition breaks down its focus across the characters and mecha quite nicely. There are also multi-lingual notes placed around the exhibition as well.
Alex Davis On Why FiGGYZ Could Be The Future Of Affordable Collectibles

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Ollie Barder

With a few weeks away until the FiGGYZ launch, I spoke with the company’s CEO Alex Davis to understand why these are an interesting and different type of collectible. Alex is also the CEO of First 4 Figures, which has made a worthy name for themselves with excellent statues of famous pop-culture characters. To get an idea of their output, feel free to check out my recent review of their Gravity Suit Samus statue from Metroid Prime.
‘Gundam GQuuuuuuX’ Believes In The Sign Of Zeta And Gets Interesting

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Ollie Barder

It took a while, but the confluence of events over the past few episodes of Gundam GQuuuuuuX has finally borne fruit, and the story is getting interesting. In the prior build-up episode, which wasn’t all that interesting, we were introduced to this timeline’s version of Bask Om. Who, in this instance, is trying to kill Kycilia Zabi on her upcoming visit to the colony. Naturally, the Federation under new corporate guises smuggles in a new mobile armor and mobile suit.