Friday, September 07, 2007

Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Potion

Ten years ago, Final Fantasy VII was released on the original Playstation and the game set hearts afire. Back then, we figured it was another RPG that would fade into relative obscurity by the time Final Fantasy VIII rolled around. Didn't turn out that way. FFVII featured a special mix of drama, characters, and events that crept into the deep, dark recesses of gamers the world over and resonated with a million souls. Or something to that effect.

The 10th Anniversary of Final Fantasy VII required a special toast and to make that toast, a unique drink had to be created. A carbonated drink. Preferably from Suntory, who also worked on the Final Fantasy XII potion from 2006 which gave the term "sickly sweet" its true meaning.

Based on the ingredient list for the new potion, we're guessing it'll be a sweet caffeinated drink with the added thrill of bubbles that'll fizz and pop underneath a drinker's eager nostrils. We prefer the new packaging for the potions - durable aluminum cans decorated with the images of characters instead of the breakable bottles used for the FFXII potion. A total of 16 character cans weighing in at 350ml each are featured in the release and we're guessing rabid FFVII fans will try to collect them all. The preorder solicitation from our Japanese suppliers notes that the beverage will be sold in cases of 24 cans and we're free to import them by the container-load like we did for the FFXII Potions. Nearly 5 million cans of the potion are scheduled for production so it won't be a limited run product by a long shot. Preorders are welcome today to ship in early November. Pricing is set at US$7.50/can - much of that cost is the express shipping from overseas.

FFVII 10th Anniversary Potion w/ Trading Arts

One month after the regular canned FFVII Potions are released in Japan, Square Enix will release another version of the FFVII Potion which is bundled with a trading figure. This move puts Square Enix under the banner of "Absolute Masters At Milking a Franchise. Bar None."

Eight varieties are featured in the release with special cans and exclusive figures which won't be released in any other form. For a bit of added flair, the can and figure are packaged in a sleek transparent case which probably adds to its collectible potential. According to the preorder numbers, only 1 million units of the FFVII Potion with Trading Arts Mini will be produced at a price of JPY934 each. Due to the express shipping costs for the heavy cans, NCS is pricing each Potion at US$17.50. Preorders are welcome to ship in early December 2007.

General Updates [Redux]

Friday Hiatus Update
Due to a scheduled inventory management system upgrade and stock removal that's ongoing this week, please note that NCS is on a half-day schedule today. Orders submitted on Thursday evening after 6PM through Friday 11:08AM EST will ship today. Orders placed after 11:09AM today will not ship until Monday of next week.
Apologies for the inconvenience that this will cause but our operations will return to normal by next Monday. The phones will be off-hook starting at 11:08AM today but email support will be available through the coming weekend.
Tingle Unleashed (Soon)
The European release of NDS Freshly Picked: Tingle's Rosey Rupeeland is scheduled to ship from our UK-based supplier on Tuesday of next week. Barring any import delays, the game should arrive on Sept. 13.