Koyori 1/4 Scale Complete Figure

Voluptuous to a fault and yet athletic and taut, Koyori races around the battlefields of Sengoku Ace with guns blazing. Metonymic pun intended. When not conquering legions of Sengoku-era soldiers with blistering streams of ofuda, the affable Miko lounges at home with her instruments of destruction peppered strategically over parts of her body. Koyori's other weapon of choice, the haraegushi, is held above her head with both hands.

Koyori wears aviator goggles atop her head while perfectly arranged strands of blue tresses stray downwards. The interpretation of Koyori's face in this particular sculpt is robust with our favorite Sengoku-era maiden looking slightly chubbier and perhaps healthier than her Sengoku Cannon turn. Her familiar teardrop-shaped necklace finds a comfortable resting place as it dangles below her chin. Koyori's clothing consists of a pair of tabi socks and a kimono which appears ready to be shucked entirely. Her red hakama is gone with the wind for this particular sculpture. Measurements of the figure are 210mm × 230 × 250mm or 8.25 x 9.05 x 9.84" LWH.

KOS-MOS 1/8 Scale Completed Figure

When KOS-MOS isn't destroying Gnosis or protecting Shion Uzuki from danger, she poses like a covergirl for toy sculptors. First, there was the Mon-sieur Bome variation and now Alter's version as sculpted by Takahashi Tsuyoshi reaches market. After inspecting this new variant carefully, we can safely declare that Namco should have hired Alter to produce the KOS-MOS figure that was bundled inside the limited edition of Xenosaga Ep. II. If they had made that decision, the aftermarket price for the limited edition of the game would be outrageously higher than where it is now.

Succinctly then, Alter's rendition of KOS-MOS is exquisite. Measuring 21cm or 8.26" tall, the translucent blue-haired android features soft lines, the right curves, and a risqué pose that allows for viewing parts of KOS-MOS' front and back at the same time. The paint is applied cleanly and free of chips or cracks. We also observed KOS-MOS' garter to make sure it was free of imperfections as well as her fingers... which are individually sculpted and discernible from each other. As an added bonus, KOS-MOS' neatly painted fingernails are colored the same hue as her flailing hair.

Wii Japanese Console Update

With the Wii launching in Japan this coming Saturday, NCS queried a number of our distributors this past weekend for updates. Although there doesn't appear to be any shortage of the Japanese Wii based on the numbers of units we're being offered (about 350 consoles will be available to NCS as of this coming Friday), prices are nevertheless going up.

Wii Price $395
NCS originally started preorders for the Wii at US$295 but that won't cover the current price of the unit that is being offered. Then there's the overnight shipping costs from Japan which is roughly $50 each. Based on these two variables, NCS is adjusting pricing for the Japanese Wii to US$395. We'll contact customers on our preorder list today to reconfirm.

NCS Calls for Restraint
We consider the price too high and NCS encourages our customers to wait about 2 weeks for the prices to drop to "normal" levels. There isn't any shortage of Wii stock in the Japanese distribution channel and the higher pricing is the usual launch hysteria and histrionics that has become part and parcel of the business we're in.

Wii Reiterations
There is no shortage of Wii consoles in Japan. The current offer price of US$395 is a temporary gouge from suppliers. NCS advises customers to wait it out for ~2 weeks upon which time prices should drop lower.

Bomberman Bakudan Strap

Bomberman has long toiled under Hudson's yoke, appearing in numerous maze-bombing games and other video gaming adjuncts of the original franchise. It all started in 1985 when Hudson introduced gamers to a bomb laying warrior who planted explosives to derail maze-roaming creatures in hot pursuit. From those humble beginnings, Hudson built an enduring franchise which has since branched off into Bomberman racing, mini-game collections, tactical strategy, and adventuring.

When April 2007 rolls around, the exploitation of Bomberman is complete with the Bomberman Bakudan straps. Four varieties are on offer:

Red Bomber | Blue Bomber | Black Bomber | White Bomber

Each Bomber is trailed by a quartet of bombs with lit fuses. The tops of the bombers' heads are also linked to a cellphone strap. Pricing is set at US$4.25 each and preorders are scheduled to ship in mid-late April 2007.

Import Release Outlook

PS2 Tales of Destiny leads preorders for the week followed by PS2 Summon Night 4 and PSP Makai Senki Disgaea Portable. X360 Super Robot Wars XO isn't doing as well as we originally expected.
GBA	Final Fantasy VI Advance	Square
NDS	Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash Star	Bandai
	Kokoro ni Shimiru	Ertain
	Tank Beat	Milestone
	Yu-Gi-Oh GX Spirit Summoner	Konami
	Zoids Battle Colosseum	Tomy
PS2	Digimon Savers: Another Mission	Namco
	Homura BEST	Taito
	Kamen Rider Kabuto	Namco
	Summon Night 4	Banpresto
	Tales of Destiny	Namco
PSP	Bleach Heat the Soul 2 BEST	SCE
	Makai Senki Disgaea Portable	Nippon Ichi
	Makai Senki Disgaea Portable Limited Edition	Nippon Ichi
	Power Stone Portable	Capcom
X360	Super Robot Wars XO	Banpresto

Domestic Release Outlook

When publishers try to appeal to a preteen demographic, it's important that a word be pluralized with a "z" instead of an "s" to be cool. With that in mind, "Catz," "Hamsterz," and "Horsez" ship to market this week.
GBA	Rayman Raving Rabbids	Ubisoft
NDS	Catz	Ubisoft
	Hamsterz Life	Ubisoft
	Xiaolin Showdown	Konami
PS2	Brave: Search for Spirit Dancer	Southpeak
	Horsez	Ubisoft
	Mercury Meltdown Remix	Ignition
PSP	Metal Slug Anthology	SNK
	Online Chess Kingdoms	Konami
	Sims 2 Pets	EA
Wii	Metal Slug Anthology	SNK
	Open Season	Ubisoft
	Rapala Tournament Fishing	Activision
	Splinter Cell Double Agent	Ubisoft