Friday, May 23, 2008

Custom Beat Battle: Draglade 2 - Import Preorder

The four heroes of the original CBB: Draglade game return for another 2D fighting tournament where conventional attacks are mixed with mighty elemental blows to dole out the hurt. The wrinkle in Draglade lies in the Custom Beat System where players create a combo routine on a track and then execute the steps involved to ignite rapid-fire attacks against an opponent. The routine's steps are displayed on a gauge located on the lower-right corner of the screen. As the beats are executed, your fighter performs a staccato of attacks, slashes, and perhaps a finishing blow to cap the routine. Over 100 types of attacks are available to the characters for a wide range of grappling moves, smackdowns, and projectile blasts.

In addition to the original cast of Hibito, Kairu, Daichi, and Guy, six new warriors enter the Draglade tournament including an elderly bald-headed miscreant who can spit his false teeth out for a projectile attack. Similar to the first game, every character in the game may be customized with different color schemes for a unique look. All preorders for Draglade 2 will include a bonus pair of headphones in 1:1 ratio. Reservations are welcome to ship on July 10, 2008 at JPY4800 or US$48.90 from NCS.

Gegege no Kitarou: Youkai Daigekisen - Import Preorder

The one-eyed goblin named Kitaro returns to the video gaming fold this summer in a remake of an old 8-bit Famicom game. Kitaro traipses around in 2D environs with his left eye named Medama-oyaji and battles fellow goblins, spooks, and end-level bosses of the undead sort. Early preorders will ship with a bonus NDS Lite carrying pouch in 50% ratio. Preorders are welcome to ship on July 10, 2008 at JPY4800 or US$48.90.

Tengai Makyou Collection (PC-Engine Best) - Preorder

Return to the wilds of Jipang with Hudson's Tengai Makyou PSP compilation which gathers together four PC-Engine CD2, Super-CD, and Arcade Card games from the legendary RPG series as follows:

» Tengai Makyou: Ziria (Original release: June 30, 1989)
» Tengai Makyou II: Manji Maru (Original release: March 26, 1992)
» Tengai Makyou: Fuun Kabukiden (Original release: July 10, 1993)
» Tengai Makyou:
Kabuki Itouryodan (Original release: February 24, 1995)

The first three are RPGs but the fourth title, Kabuki Itouryodan, is a 2D fighting game of no particular consequence. While it wasn't horrible, it wasn't very good either. In addition to the four games, a bonus illustrations gallery is also viewable on the UMD.


Since the games are the original versions and not remakes, there's no new development cost on behalf of Hudson so they're pricing the collection properly at JPY2800 or US$30.90 from NCS. Preorders are welcome to ship on July 31, 2008.


Hudson is also re-releasing Tengai Makyou: Daishi no Mokushiroku (PC-Engine Best Version) on July 31 at the price of JPY2800 or US$30.90 and NCS is accepting preorders today.

Ikkitousen Dragon Destiny SMC Kanu Unchou - Preorder

Isn't everyone sick of Kanu Unchou yet? Can't we get someone else from the Ikkitousen series to represent the franchise?

Guess not.

Japanese manufacturer Toys Works has opened preorders for another Kanu Unchou figure where the woman warrior is decked out in more traditional battle garb. Recent toy renditions have turned Kanu into a cat girl, a swimsuit model, and other tangents that strayed far from her original persona. We won't be calling Peak-Kanu yet but we sense buyer exhaustion in the air and a top is rushing towards us. The new Kanu measures 20cm or 7.87" tall and is fixed pose. She lifts her right leg in a sort of crane-style pose and may be armed with a spear that's included in the packaging. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late August 2008 at JPY6980 or US$73.90 from NCS.

Juicy Honey AVC Big & Beauty - Import Preorder

Trading card purveyor Mint has started preorders for a new limited edition Juicy Honey series dubbed "Big & Beauty" which focuses on idols who are blessed with pendulous attributes. The debut collection features only two idols as follows:

»
Mai Nadasaka 灘坂舞 (Measurements: B103cm W62cm H87cm)
» Nana Aoyama 青山菜々(Measurements: B99cm W58cm H87cm)

The preorder sheet from Mint makes a point of declaring that between the two women, there's a total amount of 202cm worth of bosom. Only 2000 boxes will be produced and preorders are welcome today to ship in late July 2008 at JPY6300 or US$60.90 per factory box of 84 cards.

General Updates

Toy Shipments Arrive
All remaining preorders for the Star Wars Kubrick Series 8 will ship today. Two additional toys also arrived and will be shipping to all preorders this afternoon as follows:
» Revoltech Series No. 50 Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann

»
SR-DXD Princess Crown Gradriel ver 1.5 PVC Figure
The shipments arrived too late in the morning to do our usual photography but we'll update the toys on Tuesday of next week.
Memorial Day
Next Monday is a national holiday in the United States and NCS will be honoring the fallen soldiers who have fought and died for our country. We'll resume normal trading on May 30 and all orders placed over the coming weekend will ship on Tuesday afternoon. Thanks.

Grand Theft Auto - Clearance

The game that started it all, from all the way back on August 27, 1998 when Syscom licensed the game from Take Two for distribution within Japan. We don't expect anyone to actually open and play the game upon purchase. It's more for inclusion in collections to be treasured by collectors.

Sale Offering: NCS' remaining inventory of Grand Theft Auto
is new, factory sealed, and in mint condition. The games were stored in our private collection since 1998 but we have over 50 copies in our cache which is more than we'll ever need for any reason. That is, unless we start up video game museums across the world. Pricing is set at US$39.90 per copy which includes free shipping by USPS Media Mail within the U.S. Larger Photos