Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Taito Game T-Shirt Bubble Bobble - Import Preorder

«©NCSX» Bubblun is a green dragon who blows bubbles in the game Bubble Bobble. One of Bubblun's adversaries in the game is a hooded goblin named Drunk who doesn't even appear until stage 50. The first few enemies that Bubblun encounters are the chomping Zen-Chan, Maita, and Monsta. None of those early-level enemies appear in Taito's upcoming Bubble Bobble T-shirts but Drunk makes the cut to join Bubblun in their respective t-shirts which are available in small, medium, or large sizes. Preorders are welcome to ship in late April 2009.

Taito Game T-Shirt Darius Gaiden - Import Preorder

«©NCSX» Taito debuted Darius Gaiden in 1994 and we remember looking at the introductory sequence and having zero success in making sense of the "Engrish" text. There was a blurb about Proco and Tiat going on a journey, something about a planet called "Vadis" and a "Demon's Hand" causing some trouble there. We recognized the "Silver Hawks" in the intro but little else made much contextual sense. Taito couldn't do English but at least they could churn out a good shooter.

The first boss in Darius Gaiden was a monstrous fish known as Golden Ogre which shot out waves of metallic scales and fired a blistering laser blast. Forget him. While you're at it, forget about Ancient Dozer, Deadly Crescent, and even the mega-mighty Crusty Hammer. There could only be one monster with enough stature, good looks, and pimp-handedness to appear in Taito's official Darius Gaiden tee - King Fossil. The King has appeared in all but two Darius games so he's the natural monster model of choice. Preorders are welcome to ship in late April 2009.

Gyakuten Kenji Teacup e-Capcom Exclusive - Import Preorder

«©NCSX» When it's time for Afternoon tea at NCS (4:00PM on the dot, in case you're wondering), we have savories, scones, and shortbread laid out in a small unobtrusive spread. Occasionally, there'll be petit fours and sorbet served but we've never had beer and chips at low tea. Maybe we'll try that one of these days and completely taint the tradition.

Afternoon tea requires teacups made of china. The type with gilded rims and frou-frou accents. A saucer is also mandatory since sipping tea is so strenuous that you're bound to spill some. NCS is always on the lookout for new teacups so we were delighted when e-Capcom announced the Gyakuten Kenji Teacup. Repeat: Delighted. The Kenji teacup features a fluted design that's understated, elegant, and attractive. A small imprint of Kenji may be found on the bottom of the cup which isn't elegant but he'll be covered most of the time by savory tea anyway. Preorders are welcome to ship on or around June 24, 2009 at US$35.90 per teacup from NCS.

To Heart 2 Tamaki Kousaka Seifuku Ver. Pink Color - Preorder

«©NCSX» The redhead known as Tamaki Kousaka of To Heart 2 fame finds herself sculpted once again in an upcoming toy figure, this time from Griffon. Hiromitsu Morikawa handles the production where Tamaki is set at 1/7 scale and measures 15cm or 5.90" tall in her seated position. Tamaki knocks her knees together and shucks her pink school uniform so she can face the world in her pink swim uniform. Kousaka's legs are covered by white stockings which she'll probably have to remove before going into the pool. Pricing is JPY7600 or US$78.90 from NCS. Preorders are welcome to ship in May 2009.

Spiderman Fine Art Statue - Import Preorder

From the Distributor
A KOTOBUKIYA Japanese import! In 1962 Stan Lee created the character of SPIDER-MAN, the teen-aged Peter Parker granted extraordinary powers by the bite of a radioactive spider. With great power comes great responsibility, and Spider-Man would use that power to save lives and protect the innocent. The innovative superhero would go on to become one of the most popular and famous characters of all time, appearing in hundreds of comic books, television shows, and the biggest comic book blockbuster film of all time!

The Amazing Spider-Man is captured like never before, carrying girlfriend Mary Jane Watson while swinging over a miniature New York City. Spidey wears his classic red and blue costume, recreated here with painstaking sculpted detail down to the fabric's texture. Swinging from a strand of webbing, the superhero's riggid action pose and rippling musculature juxtaposes the relaxed and feminine Mary Jane. Dressed in her iconic black shirt and white pants, MJ calmly holds onto Spider-Man's neck, her green eyes and smiling face locked onto her hero's. Preorders ship in Oct 2009.

Star Wars Episode 4 C-3PO & R2-D2 Sofubi - Import Preorder

«©NCSX» Kotobukiya originally released the Star Wars Episode 4 C-3PO & R2-D2 Sofubi in Japan on September 21, 2006 and the soft vinyl kit sold out soon afterwards. When August rolls around, Kotobukiya will re-release the same toy at the same price of JPY14,490. The renditions of C-3PO and R2-D2 are constructed of painted soft vinyl (sofubi) which means they're fixed-pose but somewhat flexible if you bend their respective appendages.

Please note that the toy will ship in kit form but the pieces are easy to plug together to make the scene shown on the photo to the right. The base that the droids stands upon is included in the package. Preorders are welcome to ship in Aug 2009 at JPY13800 or US$149.90 from NCS.

General Updates

NDS Tactics Layer Ritelina Guard Senki Delayed
The ship date for NDS Tactics Layer Ritelina Guard Senki has been delayed from April 30, 2009 to May 28, 2009. Please mark your calendars.
PS3 Cloud Black Bundles on the way
Japanese distributors have shipped our PS3 Cloud Bundles last night along with the FFVII AC Limited Edition Blu-Rays. Both shipments are scheduled to arrive tomorrow and preorders are shipping out on Thursday. Please note however that some Cloud bundle shipments were sent from different vendors which have not pre-cleared through customs as of 11:23AM EST today. If they don't clear on time, there is a chance that some bundles may not arrive until Friday. Just a heads up to alert everyone of the split incoming shipments.
PS3 Demon's Souls (Asian Version) Pending
Hong Kong has returned from the Spring holiday and the ship date for the next batch of Demon's Souls from Sony Hong Kong appears to be April 27-28 according to our distributors. If it is released any earlier, we'll update again.

Street Fighter II Storage Case - Clearance

NCS Sale Offering: April 15, 2009
Original Release in Japan: July 1992

«©NCSX»
No, it's not a Street Fighter II themed lunchbox nor is it a real big bento box. It's actually a Super Famicom cartridge storage case which holds up to 16 SFC carts in its open space interior. There are no cartridge slots inside so you could theoretically use it as a lunchbox, a bento box, or even a secret place to store your special stash of whatever. The cases were manufactured by Mori Toys and are officially licensed, made in Japan, and are sort of collectible if you're a Street Fighter fanatic. The storage cases are brand new and factory sealed in shrink wrap. «Photo Gallery»