PS3: Fever Pitch

«©NCSX» Another batch of 20GB and 60GB Japanese PS3 consoles arrived today and all backorders received before November 15 at 2:00PM EST are shipping today. If you submitted your order after that time, your order will ship tomorrow.

With the USA launch imminent and lines forming at Best Buy and other "big box" stores around the country, we're received unconfirmed reports of beatings and violence on line from customers writing in around the country. In the immortal words of Rodney, "Can't we all just get along?"

USA Links of interest
Mercury Sun Article
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/merc...s/16022213.htm
No stabbings here...
http://business.bostonherald.com/retailReport/view.bg?articleid=167553
Ebay limits sales, Prices hitting US$2300
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?
USA Today chimes in
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/edwardbaig/2006-11-15-ps3_x.htm
Four people shot with BB guns
http://www.wkyt.com/news/headlines/4661551.html

Akumajou Dracula: Gallery of Labyrinth

«©NCSX» The year is 1944 and a wracked Europe suffers under the drumbeat of war. Against the backdrop of widespread carnage, two red-eyed sisters in Victorian cocktail dresses conspire to revive the Lord of Vampires. To confront the dark undertaking afoot, a new hunter named Jonathan Morris takes up the whip and embarks on a mission deep into vampire territory. Joining him for the ride is the willowy Charlotte Orlean (in the Japanese game, her name is spelled out as Charotte Aulin) who battles with a book. No typo. When attacking, Charlotte pushes a hardcover tome in front of her with conviction while grunting out three different battle cries. Movement is controlled through the d-pad and the face buttons perform actions although the stylus is used to select menu items. «NCS G-Notes»

3D Mahjong + Janpai Tori

«©NCSX» Virtual mahjong isn't much fun with two people... unless the other person is an idol of some stripe and stripping is involved. To make mahjong somewhat fun and avoid the skin trade at the same time, Magnolia unleashes a 4-player MJ game where gamers challenge three CPU controlled players. On paper, the game sounds like a barrel of laughs but given that this is a budget title being released near the end of the PS2 life cycle, things aren't as fun once the action begins..

First impressions of the mahjong game: Public domain software released by a high school student with 2 years of programming school under his belt. The presentation isn't bad but the execution is amateurish and there's a strange camera feature included in the game: You can look at every other player's MJ tiles with the camera rotation function. Press the trigger buttons and the camera pans around the table and all of your opponent's tiles are revealed.
Janpai Tori is better known as Shanghai in the States and players are prompted to click on matching tiles to remove them from the screen. Again, the game doesn't look bad but the execution is poor with a hand pointer that moves as slow as molasses... «NCS Game Notes»

Shin Sengoku Musou 2 Empires

«©NCSX» A war-wracked Japan goads ambitious generals to marshal their armies for all-out conflict. Compelled to unite Japan under a single crest, the daimyo form political alliances, conspire to topple neighbors, and go to war against each other. By way of the sword, the scythe, the gun, and the spear, twenty eight leaders all seek total control of the country and absolute power.

The main game mode combines resource management and tactical maneuvering with the hack 'n slash action of the conventional Sangoku Musou games. During the planning and development stage, leaders may invest in technology, armies, and infrastructure. When neighboring allies are attacked by invading forces, players may opt to hunker down and bolster one's own defenses or go out and help the ally. Leaders who turn within during times of strife may find their chances of survival are diminished after a friendly neighbor is taken over by an enemy. After playing a trial game this morning, NCS finds that the enemy AI is improved over earlier Sangoku games. Instead of hanging back now, enemy soldiers now attack in concert with more initiative and thirst. «NCS Game Notes»

Shin Sengoku Musou 2 Empires Treasure Box

«©NCSX» The Treasure Box edition of SSM2 Empires includes the following items which are packaged in an decorative cardboard box:

» Shin Sengoku Musou 2 Empires game DVD
» Sengoku Musou Premium Disc which contains cinemas and previews
» Sengoku Musou tactical primer book
» A set of 8 daimyo artwork cards

The main game mode combines resource management and tactical maneuvering with the hack 'n slash action of the conventional Sangoku Musou games. During the planning and development stage, leaders may invest in technology, armies, and infrastructure. When neighboring allies are attacked by invading forces, players may opt to hunker down and bolster one's own defenses or go out and help the ally. After playing a trial game this morning, NCS finds that the enemy AI is improved over earlier Sangoku games. Instead of hanging back now, enemy soldiers now attack in concert with more initiative and thirst. «NCS Game Notes»

Plus Plumb 2 Again

«©NCSX» An ancient artifact which holds untold power is discovered in a small burg but no one knows how to unlock its mysteries. The mayor of the town announces a competition for the prize with the stipulation that the winner spends a month trying to decipher the artifact's secrets. When news of the contest spreads, champions from around the world descend on the town to get a chance at ferreting out the artifact's power. Twelve adventurers in particular have plans for the mysterious artifact...

Enter Plus Plum 2 Again, a competition puzzle game which features three types of falling objects that must be color-matched in groups of three. The wrinkle in PP2A is that once a color-match is performed, the disappearing objects change the colors of every contiguous object. For example, a red sphere shifts to blue if a color-match is triggered next to it. By careful planning and color stacking, one may create multi-chain color combos by taking into account the color change factor as objects are faded from the screen. The other wrinkle in Plus Plus 2 Again is the concept of weight in the game. The platform that holds each player's crop of falling objects is a scale which rises and falls based on how many blocks are sitting on it.

A new feature in the PSP conversion of the game is the "Cheer Point" element where the audience's applause and cheer is turned into a powerful attack against an opponent. «NCS Game Notes»