Chrome Xbox 360 Shell

Skeleton Playstation shells were the rage about a decade ago and NCS sold a few thousand units to customers around the world. We still have stock on hand...which is sad. We skipped the PS2 shells but Xbox 360 replacement shells are hot. Banish the vanilla casing of the Xbox 360 and replace it with a shiny chrome case with a mirror-like finish. Installation is relatively simple but full instructions have been linked below:

» Opening the Xbox 360 and removing the shell
» Installing the Chrome Xbox 360 shell

Diamond Xbox 360 Shell

Plain vanilla is okay on top of a waffle cone but it shouldn't be the default color for a mighty next generation console. To distinguish your Xbox 360 from everyone else's, replace the shell with a transparent XCM Diamond case which allows for easy inspection of the console's innards. In addition to the replacement Xbox 360 shell, a matching replacement joypad case is also included so you can view the internals of your controller.

» Opening the Xbox 360 and removing the shell
» Installing the Diamond Xbox 360 shell

Black Knight Xbox 360 Shell

Unlike Nintendo, Microsoft hasn't been snappy with releasing color variants of their gaming machines. Take things into your own hands by replacing the Xbox 360 shell with a beautiful glossy Black Knight case.

» Opening the Xbox 360 and removing the shell
» Installing the Black Knight Xbox 360 shell

DC Karous Preorder

Prior to Milestone's announcement of "Karous" for the coin-op market, the word "Karous" did not exist in Japan. Mutter "Karous" in Shijuku and no one will respond. In the USA, there's a word "Carouse" which means a drunken stupor but that's about it. Karous is a bastardization of the word "Karasu" which means a type of "Crow."

The crow reference may refer to the heroines in the game who are all decked out in black outfits that make them look like crows. Sort of. Maybe crow references the feather motif in the game as well where a heroine may ring her ship with a barrier that blows outwards into a radiating circle of feathers. Or maybe, just maybe, the main heroine who is named "Karasu" got lucky and got a game named after her.

The result of the union between a mortal man and a female angel, Karasu is a 13 year-old girl who lost her parents to war. Her best friend is named Shigi who's a techno-whiz with a pair of square-shaped glasses.

First Impressions
When NCS checked out Karous last year, we figured that Milestone had a Rajirugi Contruction Kit somewhere on the premises. Visually, the game is similar to that earlier effort but the game has enough wrinkles to distinguish itself somewhat. The control scheme looks like this:

Joystick: Movement
A-Button: Shoot
B-Button: Slash sword
C-Button: Special Attack

Press "A" and bullets will burst forward. Stop shooting and a shield appears which blocks oncoming fire. To attack with a swishing sword, press the "B" button to smack anything that meanders too close for comfort. Each weapon system and the shield has an experience level as indicated by three numbers on the upper left corner of the screen. Furthermore, a cumulative level of the ship's systems is tracked by a number on the upper right corner which acts as a score multiplier. We think the soundtrack for Karous is a keeper and we'll throw up some more details and a full review of the DC version of the game when it is released. Preorders are welcome today.

Updated Preorder Schedule

Nintendo DS
3/01	Bakegyamon: Ayakashi Fighting	Takara
	Super Robot Taisen W	Banpresto
3/15	Survival Kids Lost in Blue 2	Konami
	Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side 1st Love	Konami
3/22	Front Mission The First	SquarEnix
	Seiken Densetsu: Heroes of Mana	SquarEnix
	Shakugan no Shana DS	MWorks
Playstation 2
3/08	GuitarFreaks & DrumMania Masterpiece Gold	Konami
	Sega Ages 2500 Vol. 29: Monster World Complete	Sega
3/29	Rogue Galaxy Director's Cut	Sony
	Garouden Break Blow: Fist or Twist	D3
	Hokuto no Ken [Fist of the Northstar]	Sega
	Seaman 2: Peking Genjin Ikusei Kit	Sega
	Seaman 2: Peking Genjin Ikusei Kit + Microphone	Sega
	Shining Wind	Sega
4/05	Naruto Shippuuden Narutimett Accel	Namco

Naruto Shippuden Ningyoshu Collection

Bandai has started preorders for a collection of Naruto Shippuden Ningyoshu Collection candy toys which are scheduled to ship in mid-late February 2007. Each factory sealed case of 10 randomly packaged figures is priced at US$30. Eight characters are featured in the set as follows:

Top Row from left to right
Naruto Uzumaki
Sakura Haruno
Kakashi Hatake

Middle Row from left to right
Neji Hyuga
Rock Lee
Gaara

Bottom Row from left to right
Itachi Uchiha
Kisame Hoshigaki

Japanese Import Outlook

Please note that PS2 Ibara [Best] which was originally scheduled to ship this week has been canceled. Good bye. Seems there weren't enough preorders to merit the production. Ibara was one of our best selling games last year and we received a healthy amount of preorders for the [Best] version so this development is disappointing.
NDS	Kaitou Wario the Seven	Nintendo
	Ochaken no Heya DS 2	MTO
	Sekaiju no Meikyuu	Atlus
PS2	.hack//G.U. Vol. 3: Aruku Youna Hayasa de	Bandai
	.hack//G.U. Vol. 3 8M Memory Card	Hori
	Detective Evangelion	Broccoli
	Detective Evangelion Premium Box	Broccoli
	Dragon Shadow Spell	Flight-Plan
	Shining Force EXA	Sega
PSP	Initial D: Street Stage BEST	Sega
	Talkman Shiki Shabe Lingual Eikaiwa	SCEI
	Talkman Shiki Shabe Lingual Eikaiwa with Mic	SCEI
Wii	Excite Truck	Nintendo

USA Release Outlook

The sequel to Phoenix Wright leads preorders for the week.
NDS	Fossil League	D3P
	Phoenix Wright: Justice for All	Capcom
PS2	NCAA 07 March Madness	EA
X360	NCAA 07 March Madness	EA
Wii	Wario Ware: Smooth Moves	Nintendo