Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Michael Jackson "Thriller" M-Icon Figure - Preorder

NCS Preorder Synopsis
«©NCSX» In the Thriller video from nearly 30 years ago, Michael Jackson played the part of a bright-eyed popcorn-chomping teenager, a furry werewolf, and a dancing zombie who scared the bejesus out of a hapless girl.

Hot Toys of Hong Kong has decided to pay tribute to the Thriller video and they've celebrating Michael the teenager and Michael the zombie. The werewolf wasn't iconic enough. Michael's red-jacketed rendition measures 30cm or 11.81" tall and includes multiple pairs of hands, two heads (normal and zombie) and two changes of red clothing (normal and soiled) so owners of the figure may dress Michael up accordingly. Preorders are welcome to ship in December 2009 at JPY22858 or US$258.90 from NCS.

Pro Yakyuu Spirits 6 - New Import, Restock Soon

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» Konami's got a great soccer franchise in Winning Eleven which enjoys worldwide renown but they also have an top notch baseball franchise in the Pro Yakyuu Spirits game series for the PS2 and PS3. Well known in Japan but less so elsewhere, the latest edition of PYS shipped last week in Japan and features two new modes:
1) Manager Play Mode : Take a seat and tackle the part of team manager who calls the plays and gives instructions to the players via action cards. Perfect for passive gamers who prefer not to swing a bat or pitch a ball. By using sound judgment and baseball tactics, players get the manage a team from the start of the season to the pennant.
2) World Baseball Classic : Baseball is beloved around the world so 16 countries participate in the WBC including the United States, Mexico, South Korea, Canada, Japan, Italy, and more. The annual tournament is only in its second year in 2009 and in case you're wondering, Japan won the top honors earlier this year by beating South Korea 5-3.
Pro Yakyu Spirits 6 features fresh 2009 team data for all players, updated uniforms, and since the Hiroshima Carp have a new stadium this year, the game includes the spanking new Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium. Konami also tapped former Chiba Lotte Marines pitcher Tomohiro "Johnny" Kuroki to provide commentary in the game.

Hello Kitty 35th Anniv. Design Chronicle Clock - Preorder

NCS Preorder Synopsis
«©NCSX» Kitty's been making her way into the heart and soul of humanity for over three decades. To celebrate Kitty's pervasiveness and endurance, Eikoh has announced preorders for a Hello Kitty Design Chronicle Clock that's square-shaped and features placeholders for 12 little Kitty illustrations which are printed on square wafers. Two clock styles are available for preorder which differ in the face and the types of illustrations that are printed on the wafers. Preorders ship in late November 2009.

Hello Kitty Kitchen Hand Mixer - Import Preorder

NCS Preorder Synopsis
«©NCSX» Making waffles and/or pastries generally involves mixing flour and other ingredients in a bowl before dropping the mixture into a griddle or baking pan of some sort. That's what we hear since the closest we've been to the act of baking is walking past a cupcake bakery in Manhattan. The one that sells red velvet cupcakes for $3 a shot. Eikoh helps the cause of bakers around the world with a Hello Kitty Kitchen Hand Mixer which is cranked to churn various concoctions into a fine and fluid mixture that is free of flour chunks.
Preorders for the Hello Kitty Hand Mixer are welcome to ship in November 2009 at US$18.90 each. Two styles are available for preorder - one Kitty in a red dress and another in a blue dress. The mixer part is made of metal and is removable for easy cleaning.

Macross Ace Frontier (PSP the Best) - Import Preorder

NCS Preorder Synopsis
«©NCSX» In Macross Ace Frontier, players take control of a Valkyrie which is capable of transforming into three forms - battroid, jet fighter, and robot. In developing Macross Ace Frontier, Bandai used the game engine from the PSP Gundam Battle titles and adapted it for the Macross universe. Ace Frontier features four primary Macross chapters which are broken up into missions. Before each stage, a short primer introduces mission objectives and sets up the parameters. The Macross franchises featured in Macross Ace Frontier are as follows:

» SDF Macross
» Macross Plus
» Macross 7
» Macross Zero
» Macross Frontier

Over 40 Valkyries may be piloted in the game including the YF-19, VF-1S Strike Valkyrie, VF-19, YF-21, and the VF-1J. The Valkyries may be upgraded and customized during the course of the missions. Roughly 30 characters from the Macross universe also appear for dramatic foil. To enhance the atmosphere of the game world, Bandai also throws in speech snippets and a number of classic songs from the various Macross series. In addition to Single Play, up to four gamers may link up wirelessly in the Network Mode for a cooperative game where four Valkyries tackle mission objectives or battle each other for primacy. Preorders ship on September 17, 2009.

General Updates

PS3 Demon's Souls update
The Asian version of Demon's Soul has sold out again but the Korean-English version of the game is currently in stock. The language selection allows gamers to play the entire entirely in Korean or entirely in English.
PS3 King of Fighters XII update
The North American version of KOF XII should start shipping to distributors today for delivery tomorrow. We'll update again once the game is in stock and ready to ship. Reservations are also welcome for the Xbox 360 version which should arrive in the next day or so.
TOYS Boba Fett Kubrick update
NCS expects to restock the Boba Fett Kubricks on Thursday.
X360 Real Arcade Twinstick EX update
Hori's preorder process for the Real Arcade Twinstick in June was a "trial run" to gauge interest. They canceled all preorders and has asked everyone to submit their preorders again. This time, the preorders apparently are for real. We have until July 30 to re-submit our preorders again but they're asking for upfront payment which we'll wire next week. NCS has sent email notifications to everyone who submitted a preorder to re-confirm their reservations. Please note that we will only preorder enough Twinsticks to cover our reservations. We're also requesting that customers who re-confirm to make a deposit of US$100.00 towards the final price of the Twinstick which may be paid by credit card.