Monday, September 22, 2008

Shooting Game Historica 2 Synchronized Phenomenon

Yujin's Shooting Game Historica 2 SP boxes arrived last Friday and preorders have shipped already. As mentioned earlier, we are SOLD OUT of the boxes but we still have the Gashapon version of the toys in stock and available to ship today. The "SP" in the product title now means "Synchronized Phenomenon" as opposed to "Second Product" for the first Shooting Game Historica volume.

Photos of the Shooting Game Historica 2 SP's product packaging have been uploaded today. NCS' galleries of the toy ships may be viewed on our original update which was uploaded on August 14.

Dragon Ball DS - New Import, In Stock

Bandai inducts super saiyan with spiky hair into an RPG which features 3D movement along with action-packed battles and event triggers. The story takes players back to the origins of the first Dragon Ball series where a young Son Goku meets a girl name Bulma and begins his journey for the retrieval of the Dragon Balls.

The polygon models used in the game recreate the likeness of the characters faithfully although Bulma looks a little off. Goku is controlled with the stylus - to move, simply tap the stylus on the screen and he'll ramble over obediently. When an enemy appears, swish the stylus towards it to attack. Goku can also perform a special moves including a spin attack which is triggered by swirling the stylus in a circular motion. «NCS Game Notes»

Katekyoo Hitman Reborn! Battle Arena - New, Restock Soon

In episode #74 of the Hitman Reborn animated serial, both Reborn and Tsuna are shot by Lambo's "Ten Year Bazooka" and are sent one decade into the future. The incident kicked off the "Future Arc" where the two unlikely gangland heroes dealt with their unusual predicament, handled assorted drama, and contended with the Millefiore Family. The PSP Hitman Reborn Battle Arena game features a brand new story set within the Future Arc where Tsuna and other characters from the series battle each other in 2D fighting action.

The cast of Hitman Reborn! fight with conventional attacks as well as their individual special skills. The game runs quick and smooth with fighters who move with slick animation. Tsunayoshi "Tsuna" Sawada is the hero of the animated series but the game features a cast of the major players in the "Future Arc". We found it interesting that Tsuna has a heels-over-head backflip-kick move that's similar to what Sarah Bryant does in Virtua Fighter. The other fighters in the game can perform forward-running punches, fireball throws, and a dragon-esque punch.

In addition to the usual cast, a unique fighter may be created from over 1000 parts from the default characters such as Tsuna, Kyoya Hibari, Hayato Gokudera,
Xanxus, Chrome Dokuro, and more. The ad hoc mode allows two players to fight against each other in a Versus Mode in case the COM-controlled combatants aren't up to your level of competency.

Samurai Dou Portable - New Import, In Stock

Playstation 2 players got first crack at Samurai Michi aka Way of the Samurai back in 2002. In the game, a ronin named Kenji finds himself embroiled in a war between the Kurou Clan, the Akadama Clan, and the Japanese authorities. The three factions are all trying to control a sliver of real estate known as Rokkotsu Pass for their own respective reasons.

Amidst the tensions, Kenji may lend his sword hand and samurai talents to any of the sides involved in the conflict. By choosing to fight for one side or another, Kenji basically decides his own destiny and creates unique drama all by his lonesome. Upon starting the game, players may opt to attack the leader of a bunch of bandits who has abducted a woman. He places her over his shoulder and is about to walk off when Kenji encounters him. If you elect to attack, only the leader will fight while his minions just circle around and do nothing.

The Playstation Portable conversion of Samurai Michi is pretty much a direct port of the PS2 game but an ad hoc fighting mode for 2 players has been added to the game options. A 1P vs. CPU fighting game which features 23 characters is also playable but only 9 fighters are available at the outset. Another 14 fighters may be unlocked by meeting certain objectives. On the stage that the fighters battle upon, two cats may be seen near a table. A movie preview of Samurai Michi 3 (PS3) is also included on the UMD for fans to check out. The preview features cut scenes along with blazing in-game fighting action that looks pretty good.

Trusty Bell: Chopin no Yume Reprise - New, In Stock

In the wee hours of October 17, 1849, renowned Polish composer Frédéric François Chopin passed away from the effects of pulmonary tuberculosis. Merely 39 years of age at the time of his death in the Place Vendôme, Chopin left behind an influential musical legacy that still shows up in today's popular culture.

As the story in Trusty Bell goes, a few hours before Chopin died, he dreamt of a land where inhabitants suffering from a fatal disease wielded magical powers as a side effect. Chopin appears in the strange dream world where he first meets an infected girl named Polka. Together with Polka's friend Allegretto and a lad named Beat, the party ventures forth into the world to find a cure and stop the machinations of an evil Count.

The world of Trusty Bell is a sumptuous visual feast with vibrant green landscapes and detailed towns that are populated with country folk. The flora and trees aren't static. If you stand around and observe, you can see that they slowly waver and rustle to the gentle wind and rhythm of nature.

Kingdom Hearts Formation Arts Vol. 3 - New Import, Restock Soon

The popular Kingdom Hearts Formation Arts series of toys from Square Enix reaches its third volume with another colorful assemblage of characters as follows:

Minnie Mouse - Princess incarnation with Chip and Dale on both sides
Ursula - Wields a gold trident and is accompanied by Flotsam and Jetsam
Axel - Mounts a twisty building and appears ready to strike with chakram
Pete - Stands aloof in his blue outfit with an assortment of tools
Jack Sparrow - Lounges with a blue bottle and a cutlass
Sora - Self-satisfied hero holds the Keyblade above his head

Preorders will ship today and new orders are welcome to ship in roughly 5 days when our restock shipment arrives.
«View larger photos»

General Updates

Capcom Classic Fighters
Preorders for the PS2
Hyper Street Fighter II + Vampire Darkstalkers Value Pack and Capcom vs SNK 2 + Street Fighter III 3rd Value Pack will ship today. Every copy includes a bonus "Street Fighter II & Vampire Arcade Ending Gallery" DVD which contains footage of every fighter's ending sequence from both games.
UPS Travails Continue
As evidenced by our update today, most of the delayed import shipments from last week arrived earlier this morning but some are still in limbo. The only new release affected however is NDS Yajuu Keiji: Tokyo Douji Tahatsu Tero o Chinatsu Seyo! from Success which should arrive tomorrow.
Otomedius G Update
When Konami sent buyers of the Otomedius G Joystick Bundle a delay notification two weeks ago, we neglected to also mention that the delay also affected the release of the Otomedius G game itself. No new ship date has been announced yet but all preorders are on file and will be processed once the game reaches market.

Japanese Import Outlook - Arrivals on Thurs

NDS Knights in the Nightmare Sting

Knights in the Nightmare DHE Series Special Pack

Sting

Simple DS Series Vol. 44: The Gal Mahjong

D3
World Destruction: Michibi Kareshi Ishi Sega
PS2 Hakugin no Soreiyu: Contract to Future Russel
Hakugin no Soreiyu: Contract to Future LE Russel
Kinnikuman Muscle Grand Prix Max 2 Tokumori Bandai
Super Robot Wars Z Bandai
True Fortune Enterbrain
PS3 Aquanaut's Holiday: Insareta Kiroku Artdink

X Edge

Compile

PSP PC Engine Best: Soldier Collection Hudson
Princess Maker 5 Portable CyberFront
Princess Maker 5 Portable Limited Edition CyberFront

Wii

Bomberman Hudson

Disaster: Day of Crisis

Nintendo

USA Release Outlook - Arrivals on Mon-Wed

NDS Disgaea DS NISA
Dinosaur King Sega
Kirby Super Star Ultra Nintendo
Rhapsody DS: A Musical Adventure NISA
Sim City Creator EA
Time Hollow Konami
PS2 Warriors Orochi 2 Koei
PS3 Baja: Edge of Control THQ
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway Ubisoft
X360 Baja: Edge of Control THQ
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway Ubisoft
Warriors Orochi 2 Koei
Wii Brothers in Arms: Double Time Ubisoft
de Blob THQ
Lost in Blue: Shipwrecked Konami
Samba de Amigo Sega
Sim City Creator EA
Wario Land Shake It! Nintendo

Tales of Vesperia Limited Edition Items - Clearance

When Tales of Vesperia was released in Japan in early August 2008, Namco Bandai also released a special Xbox 360 bundle which included special packaging, an inner tray featuring artwork of the cast of characters, an attractive and highly collectible Vesperia faceplate, and a 280-page soft cover book which contains the entire main scenario script of the game. Please note however that the book is only in Japanese.

Sale Offering
NCS' remaining inventory of Tales of Vesperia limited edition items is new, factory boxed, and in mint condition. We're keeping a few bundles for our private collection and selling off the rest. Pricing is set at US$98.90 which includes "free" shipping by UPS Ground within the U.S.