Nintendo 3DS cut from $249 to $169

Nintendo debuted the Nintendo 3DS in North America on March 27, 2011 to much fanfare but a mere four months later, the price of the 3D-capable handheld is being slashed from US$249 to US$169. If you're one of the 830,000 early adopters who bought a 3DS on launch day and in the past few months, don't feel  too bad. Nintendo is consoling owners of the 3DS with a choice of 20 free games that may be downloaded from the Nintendo eShop. The generous move is called the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Program and the company's statement reads as follows:

Starting Sept. 1, Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors will be able to download 10 NES Virtual Console games at no charge and before they are available in the Nintendo eShop to the general public. These games, including Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong Jr., Balloon Fight, Ice Climber and The Legend of Zelda, are slated to become paid downloadable games, but Ambassadors get them early for free. Once the paid versions of the games are posted to the Nintendo eShop later in the year, the updated versions will be available to Ambassadors for download at no cost.

By the end of 2011, Nintendo will provide Ambassadors with 10 Game Boy Advance Virtual Console games. These include games like Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Metroid Fusion, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$ and Mario vs. Donkey Kong. These games will be available exclusively to Ambassadors, and Nintendo currently has no plans to make these 10 games available to the general public on the Nintendo 3DS in the future. 

The new price of US$169 for the Nintendo 3DS takes effect on August 12, 2011. Nintendo recently reported a 25.5 billion yen (US$328 million) net loss and 37.70 billion yen ($485 million) pre-tax operating loss in its quarterly report for the April to June 2011 period. The company also slashed its annual profit forecast from 175 billion yen (US$2.25 billion) to 35 billion yen (US$450 million). Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told reporters, "we feel the price change and several prominent software releases by the end of the year will definitely change the situation."  Nintendo expects to meet its  target of selling 16 million 3DS systems by March 31, 2012 which is the end of its fiscal year.

PSP Queen's Gate Spiral Chaos Gekisen Pack - New Import

NCS Product Synopsis

«©NCSX» The opening cinema for Queen's Gate Spiral Chaos showcases the heroines that have been called upon to do battle in the game. Mai Shiranui of King of Fighters fame shows a lot of presence whle Dizzy from Guilty Gear appears happy just to be somewhere. An assemblage of cast members standing upon a rock formation closes out the cinema.

   Spiral Chaos is an action-RPG where the cast of woman warriors from Queens Blade and Queens Gate mingle with the likes of Mai Shiranui, Dizzy, Mina Majikina, Cham-Cham and Iroha from Samurai Spirits, Kasumi from Dead or Alive, Lili from Tekken 5, Pastel-Ink from Moetan, Wonder Momo from the game of the same name, an original character named Maron Makaron who wears a Pooka (Dig Dug) hat, and more. When an attack is ignited on screen, the attacker performs a short but visually entertaining display of offensive power that knocks the attacked for a loop. The short combat animations are reminiscent of the attack sequences found in the Super Robot Wars games and are accompanied by yelping voices and general histrionics. Since the warrior maidens in the game are unusually well endowed, their animations are also accompanied by undulating bosoms that bounce up and down as if compelled by an invisible power. To add to the active bosom-play, critical attacks may splinter an opponent's armor for additional revelations.

   The limited edition of Queen's Gate Spiral Chaos includes a Maron Makaron Figma figure, a Card Carrying Case, and a Reversible Carrying Bag.

PSP Code 18 - New Import

NCS Product Synopsis

«©NCSX» The latest interactive adventure in the "Infinity" series of games is titled "code_18" which follows the format of earlier adventures such as "Never7," "Ever17," and "Remember11." The setting in code_18 is high school where the protagonist Hayato contends with a time paradox and an experiment while interacting with fellow students and teachers. Illustrator Yutaka Akatsu who worked on After War Gundam X provides the character designs and visuals for code_18.
   Preorders for the Xbox 360 and PSP versions of Code 18 are welcome to ship on September 29, 2011. 

NEWS General Updates

Queens Gate Spiral Chaos Gekisen Pack    Due to a split shipment from Tokyo, the regular edition of PSP Queens Gate Spiral Chaos and the remainder of the Gekisen Packs are scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

Girl Gamer Survey (Not ours)    Concerning the psychographics that determine game purchases for girls.

Final Fantasy Type-0    Preliminary reservations for PSP Final Fantasy Type-0 are being accepted. A formal preorder offer with product synopsis will be updated soon. The game ships on October 13, 2011 at JPY7700 or US$95.90.

PS3 Gekijouban Macross F Sayonara no Tsubasa Hybrid Pack

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» Reservations are welcome for the Gekijouban Macross F Sayonara no Tsubasa Hybrid Pack which includes the following:

» Blu-Hybrid disc which contains the Blu-Ray video "Macross F Sayonara no Tsubasa" (120 minutes + 70 minutes of bonus footage) and the PS3 game "Macross Last Frontier"
» Macross F booklet in full color which spans 48 pages
» Collectible card which contains five actual film frames from the Macross F Sayonara no Tsubasa movie pasted on the inner flap.

   Preorders are welcome to ship on October 20, 2011.

NEWS General Updates

Macross Hybrid Pack Limited Edition    Preorders for the limited edition of the Gekijouban Macross F Sayonara no Tsubasa Hybrid Pack should open up later this week. There might be an allocation ratio and we're waiting for confirmation from distributors before accepting preorders.

PSN Tickets    Playstation Network tickets haven't been restocked yet but they should arrive soon. Hong Kong PSN tickets are currently available for fulfillment.

TOYS Mario Plush Toys - Import Preorder

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» Japanese toy manufacturer Sanei has started preorders for a new collection of Mario plushes which feature the fabled plumber, his brother Luigi, Yoshi, and a host of other characters from the Mario games. The largest plushes in the new set are a Mario which measures 350(W) x 400(D) x 600(H) and a Yoshi which measures 350(W) x 450(D) x 600(H). The largest plushes are priced at JPY15,750 or US$209 from NCS. The Medium size Luigi plushes are more reasonable at JPY2000 or US$35.90. Please refer to the product photo on our shop for plush sizes. Preorders are welcome to ship in late October 2011.

MAG Weekly Famitsu Vol. 1181 - New Import

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» The August 04, 2011 issue of Weekly Famitsu includes coverage of the following games and events in the Japanese marketplace:
» Preview for Lollipop Chainsaw (X360/PS3) which stars a blonde cheerleader who wears a top labeled with "San Romero Knights" and wields a pink chainsaw which she uses to chop up zombies.
» Idolmaster 2 is shipping on October 27, 2011 for the PS3 and features another bout of idol singing and dancing action. 
» Famitsu takes a peek at Macross Last Frontier Hybrid Pack and shows off the limited edition which includes a bunch of goodies.  
» Reviews for NDS Devil Survivor 2 (8/9/8/8), PSP Queen's Gate Spiral Chaos (9/8/8/7), 3DS Super Pokemon Scramble (8/8/8/8).
» Continuing coverage of the Playstation Vita.
» Game guide for Sengoku Basara Chronicle Heroes.  
» The centerfold of the magazine holds a 48-page Ryu Ga Gotoku Of the End game guide which looks at the story, characters, and game play.  
» Cool drinks and creamy snacks are the highlights in this week's PICK UP FOOD section. A big meaty sandwich is also shown on page 223.