• There are two new OctoCamo patterns available for download on Metal Gear Solid 4. Laughing Camo raises your enemies' laugh emotion when they spot you; Raging Camo boosts enemies' rage emotion when they spot you. They're out as of now, reports Gaming Bits.

• The new Rainbow Six Vegas 2 patch is out and available for download. We tipped you to it last week. This download gives you a map-pack and a game patch with lots of tweaks to gameplay and achievements. It is entirely free also. Enjoy.

• Reader Max W. writes to say that the demo for Mobile Suit Gundam: Operation: Troy is out on the Japanese Xbox Live Marketplace. "And it's awesome." I'm not in touch with Bash right now to verify, but there's another freebie to play if you're on that network. Gundam did wonders for 360's June sales, as we wrote earlier.

New OctoCamo Patterns Now Available [Gaming Bits]

In Japan there are many "Gundam-Otaku's," and their adoration of Gundam is intense. Therefore, I did not want to change their image of Gundam. By changing Gundam's "mobile suit" to tattoos, I altered his body, and made him even more customized. I emphasized the very concept of the "mobile suit," and by setting Gundam against a background of gold leaf from traditional Japanese painting, I emphasized Gundam's samurai origins.

Hit the jump for another Hisashi work — this one inspired by a fighting game.

According to the artist:

In my mind, the distinctions between combat video games, manga, and ukiyo-e have become blurred. This is a painting that combines on a single screen the features of moving images, manga frames, and single prints.

Great stuff.

Gun-Slinging Robot [Bloomberg via Sankaku Complex]

Aluminum alloy (honeycomb) $79,000,000
(+ Metal manufacturing/processing) $240,000,000
Main computer (IBM) $1,550,000
Gas turbine engines (GE) $364,000,000
Superconductive motors (IHI) $7,800,000
Motor drivers $7,800,000
Reducers $22,800,000
Sensors $910,000
Cockpit $450,000
TOTAL: $724,310,000

30 Million Yen Gundam [TV in Japan]

• "Let's test the reaction time of your brand-new mobile suits."
• "Gundam is ready!"
• "Fighting with Gundam isn't always the best solution."

...and the truly delicious:

• "That's twice! Even my dad never hit me!"

Words to live by. Though, I do disagree with one thing: Fighting with Gundam is the best solution. Always.
Learn English with Gundam [Q-TARO]

RX78 Attraction [Danny Choo]

If you're waiting for this week's PlayStation Store update to hit, you might want to make other plans. It doesn't look like we'll be treated to much in the way of updates to the PLAYSTATION 3's download service this week. No word from PR, nothing added to the store. Of course, there's still hope. We could get a trailer or two before bedtime, but it seems that Sony is going to coast between last week's solid update and whatever the team has planned for the week of E3 2007. I'm guessing it's something big. In the meantime, those of you who didn't download the Dynasty Warriors: Gundam demo can busy yourself with that. Just kidding. It sucks.

Instead, you can watch this trailer for Nucleus which was added to the European version of the PlayStation Store earlier today.

There are even a handful of Hollywood movie trailers, including Superbad, I Know Who Killed Me, The Invasion and License to Wed, just for shits and giggles. The only thing missing from this week's updates are the complaints. Michael McWhertor

To promote upcoming SD Gundam G Generation: Cross Drive, the game is being packaged with a limited-edition RX-93 v Gundam DS Lite. The set is out August 9th for ¥21,840 (US $176). With all these limited-edition DS bundles coming out, it's getting hard to keep up — and care. Brian Ashcraft

DS Gundam [Kimama ni Gamena Hibi via Siliconera]

How popular is anime The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya? Popular enough to get a porno based on it, that's how. That's pretty popular! Today, it was announced that the anime will also be getting a PSP game from Bandai Namco. (From Gundam to THE iDOLM@STER, Bandai Namco sure have a stranglehold on nerd properties!) The anime's a smash hit, and the ending dance sequence has been memorized by dorks everywhere. Heck, I've watched that dance sequence into the ground, and I'm still not sick of it. Kinda hope that the PSP version is just a bunch of mini-games based on that dance. Sadly, I know that's not gonna happen. The title's official page launches July 10th, and the game's slated for sometime this year.

And yes, hit the jump for the Haruhi dance and note-worthy parodies. Brian Ashcraft

This latest batch of screenshots focuses on giant robots fighting each other, as did their Gundam video game screenshot ancestors before them. Michael Fahey

Bandai Namco recently announced that it's plugging the plug on Gundam MMO Gundam Online. The game, which launched in September 2005, will go offline on December 15th at 10am Japan Time. Good news! Gameplay will be free, free, free from October 1st to the bitter end, but no new accounts will be created in that period. I haven't played Gundam Online so I don't know if it was good or not. But, you'd think a MMO based on Gundam would be a big money-maker in Japan — just like you'd think a MMO based on the Star Wars universe would be in the West. Brian Ashcraft

Gundam Game Going Offline [Gunota Headlines via AnimeNewsNetwork]

Wearing those highly immobile Gundam suits and singing their hearts out are a trio of famous Japanese comedians: Motohiro Takewaka, Satoshi Inoue from Jicho Kacho and Kendo Kobayashi. Their performance is Heroic, truly. Watching this makes me feel somehow better — as a person even. Brian Ashcraft

Gundam Sings [Japan Probe]

Here's Japan journo Patrick Macias talking about robots and Gundam on NHK's English language Tokyo Eye. The first six minutes or so focuses on robot otaku, but the last four take viewers into a Japanese arcade to play the vomit cabinet Gundam: Senjo no Kizuna (Gundam: The Bonds of War). I got woozy just watching the clip! So skip ahead six minutes in if you hate robots. But really, who hates robots? Brian Ashcraft

See this photo? It's internet famous in Japan — Like on the same level that the Blastoise-kid or the Nintendo 64-kid is in the West. (Of course, people outside Japan have seen this Gundam box-dude before, too!) In a testament to the pic's popularity, here the Gundam cardboard box-kid is immortalized outside an Akihabara retailer. Don't know this kid, but if you're reading, congrats! You've made your mark. Brian Ashcraft

Gundam Guy Poster In Akihabara [Akiba Blog]

Blogger Danny Choo is on the ground taking pics at the Shizuoka Hobby Show. There are the usual suspects like Gundam and Evangelion. These Armored Core models are fabulous, though! Do check the rest of his coverage of nerd stuff to clutter up your bookshelves and desks. Brian Ashcraft

Armored Core [Danny Choo]

Starting this summer, a permanent 1/1 scale 18 meter Gundam RX78 will be erected at Fujikyu Highland park. Actually, it won't be erect, but supine. The attraction charges ¥700 (US $5.81) and will be a "walk through type attraction." Expect to hear insights like "Wow, that's big" from fellow park visitors. Brian Ashcraft

Gundam Crisis [Danny Choo]

There it is. The platinum Gundam with a diamond brain. Earlier, we posted that the 125mm statue is made up of 89 parts and is valued at US $250,000. Word has it that it will be on display at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan on August 18th and 19th. Expect security guards on hand. You know, so you don't accidently inhale that little booger. Brian Ashcraft

Platinum Gundam In Japan [Zak Zak]

That pink-helmeted warrior is today's nerd hero. His name is Naoto Fujimura, and he recently appeared on TV Tokyo's TV Champion 2. Vitals: Fujimura is 19 years old and actually owns an Xbox 360. No, really. His favorite game? THE iDOLM@STER. Pretty much the entire show is after the jump, complete with Aya Ueto and Yu Yamada ads. It's almost an hour and all in Japanese, but you should be able to follow. Grab a chilled beverage, settle in and cheer Fujimura on as he battles his way to the top! Brian Ashcraft

Human Mario. Contestants must jump on a trampoline, grab the giant coin and answer doozies like "Besides 'Developer System,' what does "DS" stand for?" or "What happens when you touch Stufy's sister Stapy?" or the nerd riot inducing "When choosing a file, how do you make Luigi appear in-game?"

The nerds have gotten better at jumping on the trampoline and get dished questions like "How many different types of dogs are in Nintendogs?" or "What happens when you say umeboshi twice to Dr. Kawashima?" Stage 2 includes having contestants name all 64 enemies appearing in New Super Mario Bros. from memory without repeats!

Note: "Kurokki—" does not appear in NSMB. Contestant Wada in the business suit owns this round! The loser does not advance, which is an insane Puyo Puyo giant fan battle.

Onto the Championship Stage! We get a tour of 19 year-old Naoto Fujimura's THE iDOLM@STER room. He's up against wanna-be game programmer Yoshihiro Nakajima, the ten-hour gamer! He's a gentle soul and *hearts* Pokémon Pearl. There's a quiz, and the winner gets an Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, DS and PSP. The first question involves naming Gundams in Gundam Musou, while the second one asks how to switch to the blue hard court in Wii Tennis. The third question involves the Xbox 360! And iDOLM@STER!! Can Fujimura pull it off?! The suspense is killing me!!!

And you were worried? Just look at the 10-hour gamer's reaction. But, there are two more questions, questions that don't involve the Xbox 360 or THE iDOLM@STER. But involve Nintendo stuff and Sony stuff.

And like that, it's over. Fujimura is no match for the soft hearted 10-hour gamer. But, watch out virtual idols!

Makes sense! Yesterday, we posted that DoCoMo was releasing Wii-like motion sensor cell phones. And today, we've got word that the first game for it will be *surprise* a Gundam game. Wow, just wow.

For ¥105 a month (US 88¢), players are, well, Gundam as they battle their way through various scenarios. When they encounter enemies, players must slash their phone "vigorously" like a weapon. The phone's camera works out real world angles and velocities, deciding whether or not the in-game robot has been killed. And the title of this wonder? You are Gundam. Go figure. Brian Ashcraft

Gundam Game [Digital World Tokyo]

Consider this an introduction. A How-To, if you will. Bandai's goodwill ambassador Masked Bakuc. The vids provide a good walk through for constructing a Gundam plastic model while wearing a Lucha Libre mask and a cape. Basic and advanced techniques are covered. Hit the jump for the exciting sequel as well as footage of Bakuc surfing. In costume, too! Brian Ashcraft

Bandai Instructional Vids [Patrick]

It really shouldn't come as a surprise, as the lack of Wii hardware most likely had plenty to do with it, but Wii software is uncommonly scarce in this week's charts, with only Wii Play and Wii Sports cracking the top thirty.

Here are the top ten for the week of April 2nd to the 8th.

01. Naruto: Shippuuden Narutimett Accel (PS2) - 75,453 / NEW
02. Mobile Suit Gundam Seed: Rengou vs. Z.A.F.T. Portable (PSP) - 58,751 / NEW
03. Yoshi's Island DS (DS) - 47,566 / 629,459
04. Pro Baseball Spirits 4 (PS2) - 40,891 / 82,052
05. Musou Orochi (PS2) - 36,168 / 515,803
06. More English Training (DS) - 34,933 / 84,645
07. Wii Sports (Wii) - 30,807 / 1,315,931
08. Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball Portable 2 (PSP) - 29,944 / NEW
09. Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+ (PS2) - 29,638 / 202,850
10. Professor Layton and the Mysterious Village (DS) - 27,833 / 392,135

Now let's play a game of Spot the Lonely PLAYSTATION 3 Game!

11. Detective Conan: Tantei Ryoku Trainer (DS)
12. Kotoba no Puzzle: Mojipittan DS (DS)
13. Pro Baseball Netsu Stadium 2007 (PS2)
14. New Super Mario Bros. (DS)
15. Wii Play (Wii)
16. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd (PSP)
17. Rakushou! Pachislo Sengen 5: Rio Paradise (PS2)
18. Tamagotchi no Appare! Niji-Venture (DS)
19. Mario Kart DS (DS)
20. Digimon Story: Sunburst (DS)
21. More Brain Age (DS)
22. Animal Crossing Wild World (DS)
23. Pro Baseball Spirits 4 (PS3)
24. Dragon Quest Monsters Joker (DS)
25. SimCity DS (DS)
26. Kageyama Method - Dennou Hanpuku: Tadashii Kanji Kaki to Rikun (DS)
27. Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Goku Legend (DS)
28. English Training (DS)
29. Common Knowledge Training (DS)
30. Super Robot Wars W (DS)

Did you find it kids? Tomorrow, hardware! Michael McWhertor

Media Create Sales Figures

That's Natsuki Kato. I used to have a secret crush on her when she appeared on variety program Miracle Type — Not so much because she's attractive, but because she was funny, cool and attractive. What's more, she's a HUGE Gundam otaku and has openly declared that her dream is to marry Heero Yuy from Gundam Wing. She's really into cosplay and does things like this.

Recently, she swung by Famitsu's offices dressed as a character from game HOSHIGAMI: Remix, which is a DS remake of the strategy RPG original PlayStation title. Boomerang in hand, Natsuki battled some dude in a Greco-Roman wrestling outfit. She also played a coin game with one of the mag's editors, beating him and winning his Xbox 360. She actually looks happy! See? Told you Natsuki was cool. Brian Ashcraft

Natsuki Cosplays [Famitsu]

Platinum or hoss-sized, Gundam is not cheap. Take the figurine above. It's made from wood. WOOD. Still, like we said, not cheap! This July, a design firm within the Bandai Namco group is churning out limited edition, hand carved from high-grade fir 1/60 Gundams at ¥50,400 (US $420) a pop. Gundam, AKA rich otaku heroin. Brian Ashcraft

Wood Gundam [Ami Ami via Anime News Network]

Plastic? That's for wussies! Gold? Ha, whatever! Gundam is best in platinum. Measuring in at 125mm in length and weighing 1,400g, this platinum Gundam is made up of 89 parts has a .15 carat diamond buried in its noggin. A collaboration between Bandai and jeweler Ginza Tanaka, the statue is valued at US $250,000 and will be on display at the Basel World 2007 watch and jewelry trade fair in Basel, Switzerland. More bling than bang or boom! Brian Ashcraft

Platinum Gundam [Bandai via Gizmodo Japan]

YouTube user plamoo has posted a handful of clips that integrate Gundam figurines, the audio tracks from Japanese TV ads and stop motion photograph. He photographs the toys at 24 frames-per-second, and each clip usually takes him about a day to make. Above is a Segata Sanshiro ad for House of the Dead.

Hit the jump for the amazing diaper and Fanta spots. Brian Ashcraft

Using Google Trends, blogger Danny Choo did comparisons of Gundam vs. Star Wars in Japanese and English. The results are surprising! As Danny points out, interest in Star Wars comes and goes, depending things like new video games or DVD collector's edition. But regardless of crappy PS3 games like Target in Sight, interest in Gundam is eternal.

Okay. Poll time. Haven't done one in a while, so here goes! Brian Ashcraft

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

Gundam Dukes It Out With Star Wars [Danny Choo]

Plastic robot expert Matt Alt and one of my favorite Japan writers Patrick Macias build the world's largest Gundam model at Bandai HQ in Tokyo. There's a dude in a Mexican wrestling mask, too. As there should be. Brian Ashcraft

Gun-DAMN [Alt Japan]

This week's movers and shakers for the week of March 5 to March 11th. After Gundam Musou took the top spot last week, it finds itself out of the top five. But did it make it into the top ten? Hit the jump to find out. Brian Ashcraft

• 1). Yoshi's Island DS 303114 (This Week) 303114 (Total)
• 2). Monster Hunter Portable 2nd 93099 (This Week) 936231 (Total)
• 3). Professor Layton and the Mysterious Village 45344 (This Week) 266017 (Total)
• 4). Kenka Banchou 2: Full Throttle 42131 (This Week) 42131 (Total)
• 5). Super Robot Taisen W 36310 (This Week) 175620 (Total)

• 6). Wii Sports 35298 (This Week) 1165674 (Total)
• 7). Gundam Musou 31145 (This Week) 201869 (Total)
• 8). Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 26452 (This Week) 1228264 (Total)
• 9). Wii-Play 26340 (This Week) 1002628 (Total)
• 10). More DS Brain Training 20716 (This Week) 4060566 (Total)

Soft Sales Ranking [eg]

Just replace "Gundam" with "Condom" and you have yourself a clever pun. Blogger Danny Choo dug this up a while back. We'd never seen it, so thought it was worth a post! According to Danny, these robo rubbers are even available via Amazon Japan. Each set is given a pun-based Gundam name: For example, "Guncannon" becomes "Love Cannon," "Dom" becomes "Gum" and "Zak" becomes... Yup, hit the jump. Brian Ashcraft

Gundam Sex Rubbers [Danny Choo via Dark Diamond]

And here we go! For the week of February 26th to March 3rd, here are the big sellers:

• 1). Gundam Musou 170,725 units (This week) 170,725 units (Total)
• 2). Super Robot Taisen W 137, 851 (This week) 137, 851 (Total)
• 3). Monster Hunter Portable 2nd 137,851 (This week) 843,132 (Total)
• 4). Wii Sports 39, 639 (This week) 1,130,376 (Total)
• 5). Professor Layton and the Mysterious Village 33,957 (This Week) 220,673 (Total)

Hit the jump for the rest. Brian Ashcraft

• 6). Wii-play 31,702 (This week) 976, 288 (Total)
• 7). Unou no Tatsujin Soukai Machigai Museum 2 27,236 (This week) 1, 201,812 (Total)
• 8). Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 27,236 (This week) 1,201,812 (Total)
• 9). New Super Mario Bros. 24,545 (This week) 4,193,532 (Total)
• 10). More Brain Training 22,854 (This week) 4,039,850 (Total)

Sales Ranking [eg]