NCS vends games and toys to customers around the world.
Interchannel has started preorders for remakes of the original Ys and Ys II for the Nintendo DS. The new games feature stylus-based control, chain combo attacks, new maps, and new enemy characters. A 4-player wireless battle mode is also available for multiplayer warfare.
The US and Asian territory versions of Time Crisis 4 were released a couple of weeks ago with bright orange Guncon 3 controllers (look to the right). When the Japanese version of the game ships on December 20, it'll include a black Guncon (photo on the left), similar to previous Guncons in the series. Preorders are welcome at US$129 for the Japanese bundle.
Spin Master's Aqua Dots toys have been recalled in the USA and Canada due to potential toxicity in young children when ingested. The colorful beads that make up the Aqua Dots toys were coated with 1,4-butanediol which metabolizes into Gamma-Hydroxybutyric Acid (GHB). Although GHB is a naturally occurring substance in the human body, high doses can cause deleterious effects including vomiting and convulsions.
Back in 2003, Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel had a Hawaiian wedding where the unrelenting sun on the Big Island tanned the newlyweds to a burnished bronze hue. Fast forward a few years later and the bronzing has faded to give way to the lily white patina of the Kitties. They're apparently renewing their vows in 2008 and Sanrio celebrates the occasion with a new pair of wedding plushes which feature wind-up music and measure 18cm or 7.08" in height. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late March 2008 at US$39 for the pair.
Yujin and its competitors have created a number of miniature toys based on kitchenware, donuts, shop displays, and other everyday objects over the years. The latest victim of Yujin's creative team are the human internal organs. We have a good number of doctors in our customer base who might appreciate the Naizô Gashapon but it's unlikely that anyone else will show the toys any love. The internal organs featured in the set include a heart, a bladder, a liver, and even the long intestines. We wanted a toy kidney but alas, that didn't make it into the set. Maybe they'll be crafted for the Naizo sequel that's probably inevitable. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late March 2008 at US$20 for the complete set.
Toys don't just have to be about cartoon characters with squeaky voices or superheroes in skintight skivvies. Toys can be about the works of influential artists who weren't successful during their lifetimes. In the case of Van Gogh, he only sold one painting before he died and his work was recognized as masterpieces post-mortem.
A wave of nostalgia may wash across the over-30 crowd when the words, "propeller gun" are uttered. Popular amongst children in the 1950s through the 1970s, propeller guns are made of plastic and use a wind-up mechanism to launch lightweight plastic propellers which fly 10-30 feet in distance. Yujin's product flyer threatens a range of 10m or nearly 11 yards.
The Japanese word "Seikatsu" translates to "life" or "living" and the word "Oshiri" refers to "butt" or "posterior." Put those two words together and you have "Living Butt Strap," the latest masterwork from the Epoch crew. Six toys are featured in the set which consist of sports balls such as a basketball or a soccer ball with human appendages sprouting from it. In addition to the arms and legs, there's also a pair of butt cheeks squeezing out of the rear of each sphere.
