DokoDemo Asoberu - The Shooting Action - New, In Stock

When describing a "Simple" series release from D3 Publisher, it's helpful to narrow the overall theme of the game to five words or less. The brevity is to get the point across quickly. In the case of The Shooting Action, our five words would be, "Poor Man's Senko no Ronde."

Similar to G.Rev's earlier action-packed effort, Dokodemo Asoberu is a one-vs-one shooting game which takes place in cramped quarters. The analog controller on the Nunchuk is used for movement while the Wiimote is the weapon of choice. Fire by pressing the "A" button and aim that firepower by waving the Wiimote around so that the blue onscreen cursor targets the general direction of your opponent. A dash move is activated by pressing the "C" button on the Nunchuk to speed away from ordnance.

Three game modes are playable including a Time Attack and a Nonstop Mode but it's all one-on-one shooting hysterics. Later levels add wrinkles to the game play including independent gunners that shoot indiscriminately, bumpers that knock a ship away, and black holes that suck ships into their centers and hold them immobile for a spell. Along with the earlier Simple Wii games, Dokodemo Asoberu marks the fourth release in a row that's playable, fun, and somewhat addictive.

Transformers Encore Vol. 5 and Vol. 6 - New, In Stock

The Generation 1 toy assault continues with the release of Transformers Encore #5 and #6 a few days ago in Japan. In vehicle form, both Transformers take on the appearance of a van from the era of the early 80s with a single racing stripe on the side. We were expecting fake wood paneling in the interiors but no dice on that front.

Transformers Encore 5 - Ironhide
In the G1 cartoons, Ironhide was a boxy robot who served as Optimus' bodyguard and served as security detail for the Autobots HQ on Earth. He looked like a normal robot so why does Ironhide's "robot" form in Encore 5 appear to be an abomination of disheveled plastic that got mashed together? Ironhide doesn't even have a helm and a flat screen serves as a sort of head to peer into. In vehicle mode, Ironhide shifts into a Nissan Onebox Cherry Vanette.

Transformers Encore 6 - Ratchet
While the rest of the Autobots went to war, Ratchet stayed behind to tend to the wounded and/or wrecked returning warriors. Ratchet was able to mend damaged metal and reactivate robots like a champ. His skills were so renowned that his services were sought by Megatron, leader of the Decepticons to revive busted up member of his contingent. Similar to Ironhide, Ratchet in robot mode is a mishmash of plastic with a windshield but he's an ambulance in vehicle mode.

Both toys are made of ABS plastic but the fender and bits on each robot's chest are made of diecast metal. Each package also includes with a card, instructions, three silvery missiles and a silvery cannon accessory.

Transformers Music Label [Blaster Black] New, In Stock

In the Transformers animation series, the robot known as Soundwave was a high-level Decepticon who specialized in communications. To bolster his abilities, Soundwave was able to transform from a boxy robot to a cassette deck. That's right, a cassette deck which was the music player of choice about 30 years ago.

In the Transformers Music Label Soundwave product, the Decepticon skips the CD-Rom generation and leaps right into SD Memory. Pop a 1GB (or lower) miniSD card filled with MP3s into the center slot and Soundwave will play them in either robot mode of cassette mode. The MP3 player will play for approximately 6 hours on a single AAA battery.

Edo Bunka Rekishi Kentei DS - Preorder, Ships on Mar 13

Learn about old Edo, the original name of the capital of Japan which is now known as Tokyo. Take virtual tours, learn about the culture, and view important landmarks. Once you've absorbed enough information, test your proficiency by answering questions in a quiz format exercise. In addition to the scholastic appeal, there's a few mini-games to whittle away the time whilst learning about olden Tokyo.

Petit Four - Preorder, Ships on Feb 28, 2007

When the hero's gramps falls ill and unwillingly abandons his restaurant, it's up to a lad named Kanzaki to take up the slack. By using management skills and cooking savvy, Kanzaki marshalls a crew of workers to save the eatery from bankruptcy. All preorders will ship with a bonus voice drama CD in 100% ratio.

Sega Ages 2500 Vol. 32 Phantasy Star Complete - Preorder

Return to the Algol Star System and revisit world spanning adventures with characters such as Alis, Lutz, Nei, Rolf, and others. It's been over two decades since Phantasy Star first appeared so join Sega in celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Phantasy franchise. The game was originally released for the SG-1000 Mark III on December 20, 1987 and for the Sega Master System one year later. Phantasy Star Complete Collection includes the following games on a single Playstation 2 CD:

Phantasy Star
Phantasy Star II
Phantasy Star III
Phantasy Star IV
Phantasy Star II Text Adventures (8 episodes)

Similar to other Sega Ages 2500 releases, a Gallery section on the CD includes scans of instruction manuals, artwork, and other presentations from the Phantasy Star historical record. A leaflet which contains information on the game will also be inserted inside every copy of the game. Preorders are welcome to ship on or around March 27, 2008 at US$28.90 per copy.

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus (Append Edition) - Preorder

When Arc System released GGXX Accent Core for the PS2 earlier this year, there was a flaw that wasn't debugged before the code went to production. Reports of the glitch appeared on Japanese gaming message boards soon after the game hit retailers. There was disappointment but no one grabbed a torch and threatened to storm the company's headquarters. Arc System didn't issue a recall (those things cost $$$) though they did post up an apology on their website to assuage the hurt feelings.

Months after the hiccup, Arc System finally "fixes" the problem with an append disc which includes new content to make it a worthwhile purchase. First off, two new characters rejoin the original roster - Kliff Undersn and Justice with their own unique storylines in the new story mode. Arc System touts that the spanking new Story Mode will feature voice acting and multiple scenarios which relay the unique tale of each GGXX fighter. A new Mission Mode has been added and the Gallery features one new cinema.

Please note that the GGXX Accent Core Plus Append Disc requires the original Guilty Gear XX AC game since it's only a data disc without the game engine. NCS is also accepting preorders for the full edition of GGXX AC Plus at a price of US$55. Both versions are scheduled to ship on Mar. 27, 2008.

Zenkoku Dekotora Matsuri - Preorder, Ships Feb 28, 2007

Hit the highways of Japan with a prettily painted truck and haul cargo from launching pad to destination. Healthy earnings allow a trucker to add even more elaborate designs to the trailer. Preorders will ship with a bonus "Art Circle" miniature toy truck with wheels in 100% ratio.

Raiden Fighters Aces - Preorder, Ships on March 27, 2008

Taito snubs the Playstation 2 and readies Raiden Fighters Aces for the Xbox 360 instead. The compilation features three vertical coin-op shooters as follows:

» Raiden Fighters
» Raiden Fighters 2: Operation Hell Dive
» Raiden Fighters Jet

For the uninitiated, Raiden Fighters is the natural progression of the Raiden series with new ships, powerful upgradeable weaponry, and the ability to use the mighty Judge Spear from the Viper Phase 1 game. The first printing of Raiden Fighters Aces will include a bonus "The Onslaught: Raiden Fighters Special Edition" Master Play DVD which captures the deft skills of a gamer who blows through the Raiden Fighters games with perfect precision and expert maneuvers.

Preorders are welcome to ship on March 27, 2007.

General Updates

One New Release Only one new import is expected this week - NDS Rune Factory 2 which is scheduled to arrive on Wednesday or Thursday. No new USA software releases are on tap for this week. Some Japanese toy shipments may also make it in over the next few days including the long-awaited Starwars R2D2 Speakers and the Starwars Room Light and we'll update accordingly once they arrive.

New Year 2008 Another year's in the bag as of tonight. Looking ahead to 2008, soothsayers appear to foresee an increase in water-based calamity. As long as NYC isn't submerged under a tidal event, we should be okay. We'll post a yearly outlook on February 7 when the Lunar New Year hits. NCS wishes everyone a Happy New Year - we'll be on hiatus tomorrow but normal trading will resume on Wednesday.

Holiday in Japan Most of our suppliers and distributors in Japan started their New Year's holiday over the weekend and they'll be closed for business until January 6, 2008. We'll rely on a few hustlers in Japan and Hong Kong who work through all holidays and will be able to ship Rune Factory 2 to us on time and without delay.

Starwars Droid Soy Sauce Bottles - New Import, In Stock

Poor R2. Once a champion on the silver screen who saved Jedi and Rebel hides alike from certain death, the droid has fallen from grace. Instead of traversing the galaxy on woolly adventure after adventure, R2 now serves as kitchenware. To be precise, a soy sauce bottle. A few months ago, R2 was a laundry basket. What's next? A toilet roll? A donut holder? Will the madness never end and is anyone listening?

Despite our protestations, the R2-D2 exploitation will probably never end so if we can't beat 'em, we join 'em. NCS shamelessly engages in the peddling of R2-D2 products and we're selling the soy sauce bottles today. Each droid holds about 4 oz of liquid. We tried water, milk, vodka, and soy sauce and everything poured out with ease. That is, until we tried olive oil which was too viscous to make it through the droid's pour-hole. «Photos»

Clamp in 3D Land Vol. 5 - New Import, In Stock

Movic ships the fifth collection of chibi-sized figures based on popular Clamp properties. The characters in the set are:

» Chun Hyang from Legend of Chun Hyang
» Miyuki from Miyuki-Chan in Wonderland
» Utako Okawa of 20 Mensho ni Onegai! fame
» Takeshi Shukaido from Duklyon: Clamp School Defenders
» Fay D. Flourite from Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle.

Oneechan Bara Vortex Aya Figure - New Import, In Stock

In the Oneechan Bara VorteX game from December 2006, sisters Aya and Saki teamed up with a policewoman named Anna to rid the metropolis of a rising zombie threat. When plunging into masses of undead with the goal of chopping them up, most sensible warriors would put on some armor, chain mail, or at least armlet.

Aya scoffs at those pansies.

She goes to war wearing a two-piece bikini, a hat, and a pair of thigh high boots. Occasionally she'll throw on a feather boa to accessorize. In the case of the Oneechan Bara VorteX Aya figure, our idol also wears a beaded necklace and hefts two swords for that special dual slicing action.

The Aya figure is set to 1/8 scale and measures 20cm or 7.87" tall. Two color variants are on offer - a red bikini figure as shown in the product photo to the left and a black bikini version. Other than the color of the bikini and the shade of the tassels on her gloves, the two figures are identical. Aya also wears a hat which may be removed to reveal her hat-flattened hair. New orders are welcome to ship today. «Photos»

Project Dynamite Kanu Unchou 1/5 Scale - New, In Stock

Kanu Unchou of Ikkitousen fame finds herself in a disagreeable position in the just-released Project Dynamite #001 Ikki Tousen Kanu Unchou 1/5 Scale Cold Cast from Yamato. Kanu is a powerful warrior who normally wields the Blue Dragon Crescent Blade to dispatch her foes but in the manga/anime, there's a point where she allows herself to be imprisoned, beaten, and stripped of her garb. Yamato's new toy celebrates Kanu's imprisonment as well as her humiliation and shows her in a rare moment of vulnerability.

The Kanu Unchou figure measures 17cm (6.69) tall and sprawls approximately 9" from the tips of her manacled hands to the toe of her left foot. An extra hand attached to a flared sleeve and a staff are included inside the packaging which belong to Choukou, Kanu's oppressor in the Ikki Tousen storyline. The Kanu figure and is fully painted, assembled, and ready for display.

Please note the windowed box that holds the cold cast measures 16.5 x 12 x 9.5" and will incur dimensional shipping charges for UPS Ground as well as UPS Air. Preorders will ship today and new orders are welcome.

Xyanide Resurrection - New Import, Restock Soon

From the Publisher
Xyanide Resurrection is a classic 3D shoot'em up game, where the player takes the role of Drake, a government executioner from the planet Mardar. Drake's mission is to capture the escaped evil witch Aguira and bring her back to the Judge.

Aguira uses the mythical power of Xyanide to transform worlds and create creatures and obstacles to keep Drake from capturing her. This game uses a technology never seen before on the PS2 - high quality interactive video backdrops, seamlessly integrated with the real-time game scenery to deliver breathtaking graphics and effects.

Game Features
» 3 different 1P modes: Story Mode, Score Attack and Instant Action.
» 15 challenging levels spanning across 4 worlds.
» Over 20 enemy types and over 15 bosses, with adaptive behavior and individual fighting tactics.
» Innovative technology with fully interactive 3D levels in cinematic quality.
» Earn credits to upgrade your fighter with a wide range of weapons and ship improvements.
» Various special weapons and power-ups, from devastating rockets to even a black hole!
» Competitive Multiplayer Mode.

Ason de Wakaru - The Party Kanji - New Import, In Stock

Instead of heading for Vegas or Macau for some high stakes casino action, why don't you sit yourself in your living room and pop in a Wiimote-waving casino game? That way, you'll save yourself about $5000 in lost ducats and avoid a long flight where the movie as well as the food are insufferable.

Ason de Wakaru from D3 Publisher features "realistic" casino action where the Wiimote is used to simulate the throwing of chips, placing bets on the roulette wheel, and other manual gambling actions. The games of chance featured in Ason de Wakaru are as follows:

Roulette / Pick red, black, even, or odd in a bid for winnings
Baccarat / The well-heeled casino game with the lowest house edge
Blackjack / Two cards are dealt; more may be secured for a total of 21
Poker / Create winning hands from a lot of five cards

... and derivations thereof. In addition to the normal game modes, variations are also playable for up to four players. A Wi-Fi opposition mode is also available so an online group of cardsharks may engage each other.

Super Robot Wars OG Gaiden - New Import, In Stock

The Super Robot Wars universe is vast and two Original Generations games just weren't enough to contain the drama, battles, and space faring theatrics of it all. That's why SRW OG Gaiden wings its way to market this week with a new collection of side stories, tactical battles, and attack animations that'll set hearts afire.

Booting up the game this morning, we checked out the "Special Menu" section first which contains an interesting Shuffle Battler card game where players pit trading cards against other trading cards in turn-based strategic battles. Despite the generally static nature of the trading card game, we had a blast with it nonetheless. The other sections in the Special Menu include an artwork gallery, short animation sequences, character profiles, and even data snippets from the Original Generations games.

Players who are familiar with the SRW game engine will find the format similar where simple commands for movement, attack, and specials are selected from a menu. The main SRW OG Gaiden game uses the Twin Battle System where two mechs can link up for a powerful cooperative attack on a single target.

All orders will ship with a bonus SRW OG Official Perfect File.

Super Robot Wars OG Gaiden L.E - New Import, In Stock

The limited edition of Super Robot Wars OG includes a bonus toy figure dubbed the Art-1 Advanced Real Personal Trooper Test Type-1. The fully assembled toy measures 8.7cm or 3.42" tall, features 20 moving parts, and is constructed from a mixture of PVC/ABS plastic. The color scheme is dark blue with hints of yellow highlights on parts of the armor. A bevy of weapon accessories are included such as a number of firearms, a couple of blades, and a chainsaw.

According to one of our Japanese distributors, Banpresto had a production problem when manufacturing the toy which led to a shortage of the product. The shortage led to higher prices from suppliers which in turn forced NCS' hand in raising the price from US$95 to the current price of US$118.50. We've sent out emails to customers who preordered the game to obtain their re-confirmations at the higher price. There were a few customers with Hotmail and Yahoo accounts who didn't reconfirm yet and we'll hold those orders for a couple of days until we hear back from them. We have a small surplus of the LE bundle and new orders are welcome.

All orders will ship with a bonus SRW OG Official Perfect File.

Star Ocean First Departure - New Import, In Stock

Enix originally released Star Ocean on the Super Famicom in July 1996 and the space opera of an RPG was a big seller and garnered favorable press from the likes of Famitsu and Famimaga. The game stood at 48 megabits which was massive back in the day and featured voice samples, vibrant music, and the graphics pushed the envelope of what was capable on the SFC. Fast forward over a decade later and Square Enix remakes the game with crisp animation sequences from Production I.G. and uses the Star Ocean: Second Story engine to power the adventure. The PSP remake also features new characters, spoken dialogue to accompany the conversations, and in-game cinemas to help relay the tale as important events transpire.

Star Ocean follows the story of a lad named Ratix Farrence who hails from Clatos Village. Along with Milly Kiliet and Dorn Matro, the trio protects their village from invading pirates. At the outset of the game, Ratix is speaking to his friend Dorn when Milly makes a grand entrance. From there, Ratix and friends can patrol Clatos and then return home to trigger the next event where groups of sword-wielding pirates threaten the peace. Face them and engage in action-packed fighting sequences where players take control of Ratix and run and chop at enemies. While Ratix and Dorn do the attacking, Milly provides healing services in the background to make sure the two warriors don't succumb from their wounds.

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yakusoku - New Import, In Stock

In the second Suzumiya Haruhi novel, "Suzumiya Haruhi no Tameiki" which translates to "The Sighs of Suzumiya Haruhi," the irrepressible heroine of the series takes on the role of film director and chastises the SOS-Brigade into producing a film for the impending School Cultural Festival. Mikuru Asahina (brunette on the game cover) is cast as the heroine of the film while Yuki Nagato (the witch) serves up a meaty role as anti-heroine. Rounding out the actors in the student film is an esper named Itsuki Koizumi who's the love interest for the two girls.

The PSP game is an interactive novel with spot animations and voice acting that's provided by the actors from the animated series. Players take on the role of Kyon and engage in various interactions with the main cast members and read the conversations that ensue. Although the story in Suzumiya Haruhi no Yakusoku is based on the "The Sighs of Suzumiya Haruhi," the scenarios and overall material are new and written exclusively for the game. Multiple endings are also possible depending on the actions that one takes over the course of the game. In addition to the interactive experience, a number of mini-games are also playable at certain junctures including a simple beach volleyball diversion. Bandai touts a new "Motion Portrait" technology that's used in the game where lifelike facial expressions are imbued on the characters so that they appear to be "living" renditions of the heroines we've grown to adore.

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yakusoku Super Premium - Partial

One of our shipments of the Suzumiya Haruhi no Yakusoku Super Premium Box arrived today and the first half of our preorders will ship this afternoon. The rest should be shipping out of Japan by tonight or tomorrow but it seems some suppliers are treating this entire week as a holiday with their lackadaisical attitude and work ethic. We can't control the affairs of men overseas so we'll wait for them to get back into gear.

The bonus items that are included in the Premium Box are:

» PSP carrying strap featuring a ginger named Mikuru Asahina
» Aqua-colored carrying pouch for PSP or Slim PSP
» SOS Brigade UMD carrying case
» Visual archive booklet featuring character artwork
» Stand for mounting your PSP in a vertical aspect
» Metallic-colored headphones inscribed with an "H"
» Set of taller-than-they-are-long character mini-posters with sticky backs

We also received a 50% allocation of the bonus Suzumiya Haruhi swimsuit figure so we'll give those out with early preorders today. We're unsure if we'll receive any figures with the upcoming Premium Box shipment but if we are allocated another batch, we'll give them away to customers in the order that your reservation was received. We'll also cover the additional shipping cost to send the figures as well.

Please note the Super Premium Box is sold out. If we're able to locate any additional stock, we'll open up orders again on both of our shops.

Excellent Model Core Tsukasa Bullet 02 Holstein Hanako

A "Holstein" generally refers to a dairy cow with a black and white color scheme. A "Holstein Hanako" refers to an attractive cat girl with a healthy bosom who wears white and black cow decorated apparel.

MegaHouse's 1/8 scale Excellent Model Core figure features a sculpt by Jun Tsukasa where the "cow" girl in question is on bended knees and lifts her left hand. She's not waving to anyone but is rather providing a perch for a butterfly that alights upon her hand. Her face beams with childlike marvel as she looks at the insect and perhaps reminds us that there is wonderment in the smallest things. The Holstein Hanako figure is set at 1/8 scale and measures 14cm or 5.51"" in height. The figure is fully assembled, painted, and ready for display.

Pricing is set at JPY5250 or US$60 from NCS and preorders have shipped as of yesterday. New orders are welcome to ship today.

Milky Angel Evolution Vol. 2 - New Import, In Stock

Three Japanese JAV idols are invited and welcomed into service once more in volume 2 of the Milky Angel Evolution series. The new models featured in the upcoming card set are:

* Miyu Hoshino - DOB: 5/5/87
Measurements: T155cm B84cm W57cm H84cm

* Nana Konishi - DOB: 7/7/87
Measurements: T160cm B88cm W58cm H86cm

* Tsubomi - DOB: 12/5/87
Measurements: T160cm B84cm W58cm H85cm

There's a total of 72 regular cards in MAE Vol. 2 but it's the limited and exclusive cards that seem to get the most attention in the aftermarket. From the manufacturer's preorder solicitation, we see that there's also the following special cards randomly inserted in each pack:
9 kinds of SP cards, 9 handwriting cards, 6 costume cards, 6 lingerie cards, 6 kiss cards, and 3 cards which include a strand of the idol's hair, and more. The product description also mentions a "nipple stamp" card where the gal dips her boobie into pink ink and then pushes it onto a piece of paper. This leaves an imprint which looks like the CBS logo. Compelling.

Pricing is set at US$60/box which contains 12 packs of 8 cards each for a total of 96 cards/box. Preorders have shipped yesterday, new orders are welcome to ship today. View 12 "safe for work" card samples.

Juicy Honey Premium Edition - New Import, Sold Out

The JAV idols featured in the Juicy Honey Premium Edition are:

» Kotono Higashi | Tina Yuzuki (Rio) | Maria Ozawa

We expected Anna Ohura instead of Kotono since Ann's of mixed parentage (French and Japanese) just like Tina and Maria but maybe Mint wanted a pureblood in there. The Premium Edition is limited to only 2000 boxes only which implies a rampant and healthy resale aftermarket. View 24 SFW card samples from the set (8 photos of each idol).

General Updates

Star Wars Pepper Mills - Maybe Available We began processing preorders for the Star Wars Pepper Mills yesterday and an impressive number of transactions were declined. 'Tis the season. We'll give our customers 3 business days to make other payment arrangements before releasing the pepper mills for general sale. The Star Wars R2-D2 Soy Sauce dispensers arrived today but we'll post them up tomorrow. They're the same size as the pepper shakers and are identical in terms of exterior construction but the innards are designed to hold liquids instead of rough and tumble peppercorns.

UPS Holiday Schedule Big Brown is apparently on some sort of holiday schedule this week because a driver arrived early to pick up yesterday's shipments at 3PM. Our normal pickup time is 5PM to 6PM. So, we're not sure if today will be a rerun of yesterday with an early pickup but we'll endeavor to get everything packed up and ready to go by 3PM. Looking forward to next week, please be advised that UPS will not make any Ground deliveries or pickups on Monday. Other than the New Year's holiday on Tuesday, the rest of next week should be back to normal.

Space Invaders Extreme - Preorder

It doesn't seem like nearly 5 years have passed since we sold products from the Space Invaders 25th Anniversary celebration in 2003. There was the PS2 game, the special 25th Anniversary bundle, and a bunch of other products that have sold out over the years. Time flies and we find ourselves near the beginning of the Space Invaders 30th Anniversary event where Taito will release another batch of games and products to mark the occasion.

Space Invaders Extreme on the PSP is a fusion of genres. It mixes rhythm design sensibilities with classic Space Invaders convention to create something that's new but honors the old. Original music from club scene artists are used to energize the levels and the Space Invaders not only march in regimented lines as they always have but some levels have them flying in like.... Galaxians. Extra kinetic visual flair comes from the background movies that play while the shooting action takes place in the foreground. Preorders are welcome to ship on Feb. 21.

Space Invaders Water Bottle - Preorder

When 2008 rolls around, Taito will celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Space Invaders. Yep, it's been three decades since a lone cannon fended off an assault mounted by pixel-perfect aliens. Since Space Invaders is a pretty big deal, NCS expects a motley assortment of products which will commemorate the franchise over the course of next year. Taito's first preorder is a trio of aluminum water bottles with a carabiner on top. Each bottle is extruded from a single sheet of aluminum and we're told they're durable and resistant to major denting. Three varieties are on offer but we've got dibs on the "C" version which features pink invaders against a black backdrop. Preorders are welcome to ship in late April 2008.

Space Invaders Keychain - Preorder

We know a guy who used to listen to Art Bell and frequents websites where "aliens" from outer space are a common subject. He scoffs at Taito's Space Invaders because in his words, "They don't look like that!" and "The real aliens are only one part of a big galactic conspiracy!"

Gee, thanks. Next time we see one, we'll know. In any case, we prefer the aliens in Space Invaders because they're colorful. They're also keychain friendly fodder as seen in Taito's new collection of crystal clear acrylic cube keychains which hold a pixel alien within its confines. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late April 2008. Price: US$8.50 for a set of three.

General Updates

Star Wars Pepper Mills - Sold Out A shipment has arrived for the R2-D2 and R2-Q5 pepper mills and we'll be processing and shipping preorders today. The mills are packaged in cylindrical plastic containers which are aesthetically pleasing. Each mill stores about 3 ounces of standard peppercorns. To grind them into pepper particles, twist the droid's dome to churn out the dustings onto your food, on an unsuspecting friend, or any other flat surface. Please note that we're sold out but restock should be available for us in mid-late January 2008.

Milky Angel Evolution Vol. 2 - In Stock All preorders for the Milky Angel Evolution Vol. 2 trading cards will ship today. The shipment arrived too late this morning for us to take card samples for posting but we'll update the product listing tomorrowg. Based on a cursory glance of each factory box this morning, a special foil-based trading card is packaged in each box.

Juicy Honey Premium Edition - Sold Out Mint wasn't able to fill our entire request for the Juicy Honey Premium Edition cards which arrived today but we'll process and ship preorders this afternoon. Each retail box is shiny and shrinkwrapped and holds three inner boxes of cards. The release was limited to only 2,000 boxes but we'll try to find some stock since there's bound to be a supplier somewhere who's holding some inventory. The three JAV idols featured in the collection are Kotono, Maria Ozawa, and Rio.

Kinu Nishimura Mai Shiranui - In Stock All remaining backorders for the Max Factory Mai Shiranui figure will ship today and new orders are welcome. We were able to import a good batch of the figures and the inventory should last a couple of months.

Final Fantasy 4 Trading Arts Mini - Sold Out Another batch of the FF4 figures arrived and we'll begin processing backorders today. Please note that we may receive another shipment of the figures in late January to fill orders that were placed after we closed preorders but some of our toy suppliers are now on their holiday. They will return to normal operations in mid January 2008.

Simple DS Vol. 29: The Sports Daishuugou - New, In Stock

Five popular sports are captured in D3P's Sports Daishuugou so that virtual athletes can get their game on. The sports are:

Baseball | Golf | Soccer | Tennis | Volleyball

Each sport is a full featured event with regulation rules and various play modes. In addition to the main game modes, mini-games are also playable including the "Home Run Contest" in Baseball and "Penalty Kick" in Soccer. Sports Daishuugou also supports multiplayer gaming with the wireless communications function so that up to four players can participate.

Japanese Import Outlook - Arrivals on Wed-Thurs

PS2	Super Robot Taisen Original Generation Gaiden	Banpresto
	Super Robot Taisen Original Generation Gaiden LE	Banpresto	X
PSP	Star Ocean The First Departure	SquarEnix
	Star Ocean The First Departure PSP Bundle	SquarEnix
	Suzumiya Haruhi no Yakusoku	Namco
	Suzumiya Haruhi no Yakusoku Limited Edition	Namco	X
Wii	Metal Slug Complete	SNK
	Nodame Cantabile: Dream Orchestra	Bandai
	Ason de Wakaru - The Party Kanji	D3
	The DokoDemo Asoberu - The Shooting Action	D3

General Updates - From December 24, 2007

Christmas Holiday Instead of working, NCS will join the throngs of Santa Claus impersonators tomorrow in Time Square and perhaps drink some watered down eggnog. We'll resume normal trading on Wednesday. Please note that UPS is only picking up Air packages today and no Ground packages.

USA Holiday Week No USA releases are on tap for this week but new domestic game shipments will resume on January 8, 2008 with the release of the highly anticipated Jackass: The Game for Nintendo DS, DDR: Disney Channel for the PS2, and Harvey Birdman for the Playstation Portable.

Toy Shipments on Thursday A large shipment of toys from Japan didn't make it in today but it's now scheduled to arrive on Thursday. We'll process and ship all backorders for the Kinu Nishimura Mai Shiranui figure and the Star Wars Pepper Mills on Thursday. Our supplier also shipped a bunch of Star Wars Soy Sauce Bottles and we'll throw those up for sale once we get a look at them and take some snapshots.

PSN Tickets The tickets are sold out again in record time but another batch will arrive on Wednesday or Thursday of this week. We will receive both JPY3000 tickets as well as JPY5000 tickets, the latter of which is perfect for purchasing the Gran Turismo 5 Prologue download which is priced at JPY4500. Backorders placed now will be processed on Wednesday or Thursday at noon or thereabouts.

Face Cover Portable 2 - New Import, In Stock

Bolt Hori's Face Cover Portable 2 to the two screw holes on top of the PSP or Slim PSP and it is automatically protected by a smooth-plastic flip-top. Once the face of the PSP is entirely covered, it is protected from bird droppings, flies, rain, and other things that whiz through the air.

When the Face Cover Portable is attached, note that the PSP will no longer fit inside the standard PSP carrying case or other slim cases. We're still able to fit the PSP inside an Aero Case without squeeze issues. Pricing is set at US$12.00 and three colors are available - Black, Silver, and Blue.

Hori Pad 3 Turbo [White] - New Import, In Stock

The official SixAxis controllers are priced at about US$50 in Japan and the USA. Still costly. To give gamers a price break, Hori releases a standard PS3 controller which sports the same design sensibilities as the Dual Shock with a turbo-fire enhancement that may prove invaluable to certain gamers.

The cord that's attached to the Hori Pad 3 Turbo measures 3m and the turbo-fire can be toggled for all buttons on the pad with three gradations of speed - 5, 12, or 20 shots per second.

Crazy Climber - New Import, In Stock

Back in the early 80s, Nichibutsu's Crazy Climber took place on a flat 2D surface where a scrawny guy used only his hands to scale the height of an entire building. The new generation Wii update of the game features a similarly scrawny climber named Jet who scales buildings both mundane and exotic which offer window ledges that are conducive to upward mobility and rapid wall ascension.

Whereas the original coin-op version of Crazy Climber used two joysticks to manipulate the climber's hands, the Wii game uses a less precise Nunchuk and Wiimote control scheme where wagging them in opposing directions is enough to climb upwards. Joining Jet are three other characters - a girl named Fox, an old urbane dude who goes by Nichi, and a robot dubbed Murphy. Murphy is the most resilient when a pot hits him from above. He'll lose his grip but only slide down about 3 windows before grabbing onto a ledge again. As a comparison, Jet loses about 8 windows worth of progress when he's hit by a falling object.

The Wii update also features 3D representations of buildings and a four-player mode allows for exciting climbing challenges where everyone's trying to trump the other with their scaling skills.

Chocobo no Fushigi na Dungeon: Toki Wasure No Meikyuu

An adventurer named Shido and a big 'ol Chocobo are speeding across a sandy expanse in their buggy when they screech to a stop. The two disembark and stand before a tower which reaches into the sky. Once inside, a little taste of dungeon crawling is served up where Shido leads and Chocobo follows.

Gamers who are well schooled in the ways of the Fushigi no Dungeon games from Enix will find the format of the latest Chocobo Dungeon familiar. When spelunking within dank labyrinths, each move is metered by the game engine so that monsters on the same screen will take a matching step for every step that Chocobo takes. Every attack is met with a consequent attack so while the game looks like a free roaming dungeon crawl, it's actually a turn-based adventure like the old school RPGs of yore.

As the story goes, Shido and Chocobo explore the tower and encounter two another adventurer and her own Chocobo inside. Before a battle can begin, a maelstrom sweeps into the tower and scatters everyone. In the case of Shido and Chocobo, they're swept into a town where everyone suffers from memory loss. It's so bad that they can't even remember their names. Can Chocobo help them piece together their memories?