Thursday, December 20, 2007

Final Fantasy IV - New Import, In Stock

The original release of Final Fantasy IV was on July 19, 1991 and our records show that we sold the game for US$155. For a single cartridge. Before crying bloody murder, please recall that back in the day, Super Famicom cartridges were routinely priced at JPY9800 and JPY12800. Import gaming was an expensive hobby back then.

Sixteen years after Final Fantasy regaled gamers with its tale of tragic heroes and woe, Square reinvents and remakes the adventure with bold orchestral music, beautifully rendered cut scenes, and the "Active Time Battle" system. The game is eye candy from the get-go where a rendered sequence shows Cecil Harvey and a contingent of Red Wings aboard an airship and headed home. They've just stolen a crystal...

Final Fantasy IV Accessory Pack - New, Restock Soon

The release of Final Fantasy IV on the Nintendo DS is a special occasion which has attracted a good amount of interest and preorder activity. While we expected more product tie-ins aside from the FFIV Trading Arts Mini figures and Hori's FFIV Accessory Pack, we suppose that two tie-ins are better than none.

The contents of the FFIV Accessory Pack are as follows:

» A pliable plastic case for the Nintendo DS Lite which wraps the handheld in a protective sleeve. The updated Final Fantasy IV logo and artwork are silkscreened on the top of the case.

» Retractable stylus which may be mounted inside the NDS Lite's built-in stylus slot on the underside of the unit. The words, "Final Fantasy IV" are imprinted on the side of the stylus.

» Cellphone strap bearing the image of Rydia in SD form. Her green hair practically takes up 50% of the space of the puffy sticker she's printed on.

Dokodemo Pilates - New Import, In Stock

Joseph H. Pilates developed his exercise regimen known as Pilates during World War I with the goal of rehabilitating wounded soldiers. Pilates emphasizes muscle training for improved coordination and flexibility - beginners can use his/her own weight to provide resistance but more advanced practitioners can use simple resistance equipment to hone and tone muscles. Konami's Dokodemo Pilates software features an assortment of beginner's exercises where animated models perform various exercises and repetitive movements which you follow like an obedient puppy. The animations are slow and measured so that practitioners can observe and follow them to a tee.

Dorabase Dramatic Stadium - New Import, In Stock

Mangy cats play baseball in Dorabase: Dramatic Stadium where the touchscreen is used to pitch and bat. For example, when a feline batter is up, the touch screen is used to swing the bat by swishing the stylus in an upward motion to hit the pitch as it sails towards home plate. Similarly, when on the mound and pitching to batters, the touch screen is also used to throw a fastball, a curve, or a slider by moving the stylus in a downward motion from the top of the touchscreen towards the bottom. To help the felines with their baseball antics, the rascal known as Doraemon makes cameos during the game to gift players with special gadgets and tools which enhance their hitting and pitching performance.

DS Puzzler: Numpla Fan & Oekaki Logic Wi-Fi Taiou - New

If you're the type of gamer who enjoys a game of Sudoku every once in a while, you're in luck. TDK releases a a collection of 500 Numpla puzzles and Oekaki Logic games. Numpla is another name for Sudoku with the same rules and game play strategies. Oekaki Logic refers to picture creation puzzles where a grid is filled in with colors by following the numbered clues at the side and top margins.

Beginners may start working on the level 1 puzzles while experts can test their mettle with the level 10 puzzles. For players who want to see how they match up against other players, there's a Wi-Fi Ranking feature which allows gamers to upload their clear times to a national registry (in Japan). A training mode is also available to learn play techniques.

Pinky Street: Kira Kira Music Night - New Import, In Stock

The female hipsters of Pinky Street: Kira Kira Music Hour which was released last year return for another round of dancing and rhythm action. The gist is this: the stylus is used to poke at three sections of the touch screen as they light up. For example, if the top section is lit, tap it as quickly as possible to register a groovy rank of 「RAINBOW」 but if the middle section glows and you're a micro-second too slow, you might get a 「 KIRA2 」or a 「GOOD!」ranking. It's all about quick and nimble tapping as the three sections light up in various patterns. New directional cues, new characters, updated scenarios, and a revamped music list all conspire to make Kira Kira Music Night a fresh and riveting gaming experience.

Pinky Street: Kira Kira Rainbow Pack - New, In Stock

The Rainbow Pack version of Pinky Street: Kira Kira Music Night includes the following items which are all packaged in a compact box:

» Pinky Street: Kira Kira Music Hour
» Pinky Street: Kira Kira Music Night

The Kira Kira Music games fit neatly into the rhythm genre where the touch screen serves as the input channel for hitting the cues. The screen is divided into three sections which light up and your job is to hit each cue with the touch pen as soon as it's lit.

Sunrise Anime Duke - Sunrise no Joushiki Vol. 1 - New Import

For three decades, Sunrise Animation has thrilled fans of robots and the heroes that command them with animation series on broadcast television. Sunrise gathers together a library of historical data and burns it onto a game card for posterity. A total of nine works are featured in volume 1 including Gundam, Armored Trooper Votoms, Mai-Hime, Cowboy Bebop, Overman King Gainer, Muteki Chojin Zanbotto 3, and Yuusha Exkaizer. The data includes character profiles, background information, opening cinemas, music selections, and 1800 questions in a quiz game which tests your knowledge of Sunrise Animation series.
Since this is only Sunrise Anime Duke volume 1, expect volume 2 shortly.

Survival Kids: Chiisana Shima no Ookina Himitsu! - New

The kids are back this winter in a new island-bound adventure where survival skills and virtual endurance are put to the test. The subtitle of the game translates to an approximation of, "Big Secret on a Small Island" but we could tell you that it's "The Lost Tribe of Salisbury Steak" and 80% of you wouldn't be the wiser. Upon washing ashore, the hero meets up with a heroine and the two team up to help each other survive.

The game features four characters and the ultimate goal is to use wits and puzzle solving skills to survive the tribulations of hunger and thirst while searching for a way off the desert island and back to civilization. New to the game is an animal communication system where beasts such as dolphins may be interacted with.

Tennis no Ojousama: Driving Smash! Side Genius - New

Step into the world of Tennis no Ojousama aka Prince of Tennis and take on the role of a high school tennis team manager who recruits four players, puts them on a practice schedule, and goes on tourneys against other teams. Rival high schools compete against each other for both renown and reputation on the varsity tennis circuit so your job is to make sure your players are at the top of their game.

The training sessions make use of the touch screen and microphone for an additional level of interaction over the PS2 Prince of Tennis team simulations. Along with the interactive scenarios in the game, full blown action-packed tennis may be played where singles or doubles race and swing across the court.

Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 14 Ketteiban - New, In Stock

The 2007 Japanese professional baseball season concluded a couple of months ago and Konami has been working diligently since then to collect all of the year-end data for the "Ketteiban" (translation: "Definitive" or "Final") edition of Powerful Pro Yakyu 14. Player stats, team winnings, and player rosters have all been updated to reflect real world numbers and names at the end of the 2007 season.

Checking out the game this morning, there's not a lot of discernible differences between Ketteiban and the original Powerful Pro Yakyuu 14 that we tested a few months ago. There's a new scenario mode dubbed "Dream Japan" where players guide a Japanese baseball club to the top of the world rankings. The other modes hearken from previous games in the series including the "Success Mode" and a helpful "Practice Mode." Fans of the Pro Yakyu series will find the game familiar with a play-by-play announcer, a password feature, updated team uniforms, and improved player AI for fielding. The Pro Yakyuu games utilize a comical visual style but the action is solid and the controls are top notch. They're our preferred vehicle of choice whenever we get a yen for some video baseball.

Naruto Shippuuden Narutimate Accel 2 - New, In Stock

Naruto continues his training under Jiraiya and the two embark on a new adventure in Narutimett Accel 2. Similar to the first Accel game which was released earlier this year, the "Master Mode" features an original story where Naruto and Jiraiya travel to a new village and bump into Sakura soon after entering the town. Naruto then goes on to explore the area and beats up a few urns and shoots stars with a nifty "Sniper" mode which is toggled by pressing L1.

The "Master Mode" is a fine diversion but the "Versus Mode" is the meat and potatoes of the game where two fighters bout it out in frenzied 2D fighting action. After choosing a fighter, you'll be able to select a support character that's similar to a Striker as seen in the King of Fighters games. The controls and the execution of the game engine are superb - players can chain a stream of combos together or smack out a staccato of attacks and the game just reels it all in with nary a hiccup. The character roster has expanded to a total of 62 fighters but a good number of them require unlocking before they can be used. The other modes that return are the Training Mode, the Shopping Mode, and the Gallery Mode which features character profiles, cinema selections, and music tracks.

Time Crisis 4 + Guncon 3 - New Import, Restock Soon

From the Publisher
The most advanced game in the stellar Time Crisis series arrives on the PlayStation3, delivering totally immersive, intense gameplay. Time Crisis 4 is reborn, and includes a full FPS game mode, stunning HD quality graphics and a newly designed Guncon to enhance every aspect of the game. Superior to its arcade counterpart, Time Crisis 4 brings a fresh new look to launch the series into the next generation. Note: The Japanese version of Time Crisis 4 is bundled with a black Guncon 3 controller.

Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting Portable - New Restock Soon

Makunouchi Ippo aspires to become the greatest pugilist in the world by knocking out all contenders. It's a tall order because Ippo starts life as a scrawny weakling who suffers brutal bullying from the boys at school. However by ways big and small, Ippo trains and practices to rise above his station and transforms himself into a powerhouse of a fighter.

Hajime no Ippo for the PSP is a fast and fluid boxing game that's viewed from the side. All four face buttons are used to deliver punches and hooks while the L-Trigger performs a dodge maneuver. Movement is handled entirely through the D-pad and the thumbstick does nothing. To move forward, push up on the pad and retreat by pushing down. Lateral motion is performed by pushing left or right on the D-pad.

The game modes that are selectable on the title screen include a Story Mode that follows Ippo's evolution, a Training Mode which starts with some punching bag action, and a Versus Mode where the opponent can be the computer or a second player. At the outset of the game, only 6 boxers are selectable but there's a total of 41 fighters in all - the rest are blocked by question marks and must be unlocked before they're usable. The other options selectable on the title screen are File Load Replay which allows you to watch matches stored on memory stick and a Character Profile section which shows every boxer's stats and fight record.

Sora no Kiseki FC & SC Kanzenban - New Import, In Stock

Falcom originally shipped Eiyuu Densetsu VI: Sora no Kiseki First Chapter on the Japanese PC in 2004 and followed up with Eiyuu Densetsu VI: Sora no Kiseki Second Chapter in 2006. Sales for the original games were reasonably good and Falcom went on to release both titles on the PSP in 2006 and 2007 respectively.

Fans who missed out on the original releases now have a chance to purchase both games in a single bundle and obtain a nifty storage case to boot. As an added bonus, the special Sora no Kiseki Material Collection Portable is also included.

The Eiyuu Densetsu VI games follow the story of the Bright family which is made up of Cassius and his children Estelle and Joshua. The three are members of a guild of hired hands known as "Bracers" who take on odd jobs and assignments for dosh.

One day, Cassius receives a letter and heads out to a nearby town to do some work. While he's gone, Estelle and Joshua resolve to handle any of Cassius' Bracer assignments and their first mission is a trek to Perzel Farm which is to the southwest of their town, Rolent. Once the business at the farm is taken care of, more missions are handed out by Scherazard at the guild which eventually lead the pair to a land spanning adventure steeped in intrigue and a pernicious conspiracy.

Sora no Kiseki Material Collection Portable - New, In Stock

If you've ever described yourself as "The World's Biggest Sora no Kiseki Fanboy," then Falcom is your God this week. The company ships a special Playstation Portable UMD which is jam-packed with the following data collections:

» The entire contents of four Sora no Kiseki soundtrack CDs for a total of 147 selections of music from the two games. Put it on REPEAT>ALL, slap on the headphones, and you're basically in Sora no Kiseki music nirvana. The four OSTs featured in the virtual jukebox are:

Sora no Kiseki FC Original Soundtrack,
Sora no Kiseki SC Original Soundtrack,
Looking Up at the Sky ~ Sora no Kiseki Vocal Version
Sora no Kiseki Super Arrangement Version

» Five user themes to populate your PSP menu screen with Sora no Kiseki backgrounds, icons, and color schemes.

» A total of 76 pieces of wallpaper and character illustrations. A 2008-2009 calendar with widescreen artwork is also viewable.

» Movie collection with cinemas from the PSP and PC Sora no Kiseki games.

Pia Carrot e Youkoso!! G.O. Summer Fair - New, In Stock

Originally released on the Japanese PC in February of 2006, Piacci designates the PS2 as the next recipient of their latest waitress interaction adventure. For the uninitiated, the Pia Carrot series began on the PC and PC-FX console in 1997 where gamers played the part of a worker at poppy's Pia Carrot restaurant and interacted with the female wait staff. It usually isn't a good idea to date someone you work with but there are no such restrictions in the wild world of gaming.

Similar to previous games in the Pia Carrot series, players associate with 15 waitresses who work in the Pia Carrot establishment under the auspices of the Summer Fair season. Interaction is handled through simple menu-based commands where an action or conversation snippet is chosen and the results are played out on screen. In order to glean information about the girls, a lot of reading is required to gather together clues about the girl's likes, dislikes, and pet peeves. The PS2 version of the game features a new scenario written especially for the console conversion and updated CG scenes to view. A special fan disc will also be included as an added bonus for first production buyers.

Pia Carrot e Youkoso!! G.O. Summer Fair L.E. - New, In Stk

Originally released on the Japanese PC in February of 2006, Piacci designates the PS2 as the next recipient of their latest waitress interaction adventure. For the uninitiated, the Pia Carrot series began on the PC and PC-FX console in 1997 where gamers played the part of a worker at poppy's Pia Carrot restaurant and interacted with the female wait staff. It usually isn't a good idea to date someone you work with but there are no such restrictions in the wild world of gaming.

Similar to previous games in the Pia Carrot series, players associate with 15 waitresses who work in the Pia Carrot establishment under the auspices of the Summer Fair season. Interaction is handled through simple menu-based commands where an action or conversation snippet is chosen and the results are played out on screen. In order to glean information about the girls, a lot of reading is required to gather together clues about the girl's likes, dislikes, and pet peeves. The PS2 version of the game features a new scenario written especially for the console conversion and updated CG scenes to view. A special fan disc will also be included as an added bonus for first production buyers.

Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu Wii Ketteiban - New, In Stock

The 2007 Japanese professional baseball season concluded a couple of months ago and Konami has been working diligently since then to collect all of the year-end data for the "Ketteiban" (translation: "Definitive" or "Final") edition of Powerful Pro Yakyu 14. Player stats, team winnings, and player rosters have all been updated to reflect real world numbers and names at the end of the 2007 season.

Checking out the game this morning, there's not a lot of discernible differences between Ketteiban and the original Powerful Pro Yakyuu 14 that we tested a few months ago. There's a new scenario mode dubbed "Dream Japan" where players guide a Japanese baseball club to the top of the world rankings. The other modes hearken from previous games in the series including the "Success Mode" and a helpful "Practice Mode." Fans of the Pro Yakyu series will find the game familiar with a play-by-play announcer, a password feature, updated team uniforms, and improved player AI for fielding. The Pro Yakyuu games utilize a comical visual style but the action is solid and the controls are top notch. They're our preferred vehicle of choice whenever we get a yen for some video baseball.

Yukinko Daisenpuu - New Import, In Stock

A snow maiden (aka Yuki Musume) teams up with a bunny-like familiar and her sister to beat back an onslaught of spirits, snowmen, mummies, and their overlords. Why is a mummy shuffling across the snow with both arms raised? No one knows but there are sights even stranger than the wrapped undead in Yukinko Daisenpuu including huge grubs that fall from trees and purplish imps that pop out of nowhere.

The snow maiden uses the power of winter to meet her goals where oversized snowflakes and pointy icicles are shot at enemies to dispatch them. Power-ups may be picked up to enhance firepower or gain speed. The nunchuk is used for maneuvering and the Wiimote serves as the launching mechanism for snow projectiles. The enemy generally attacks in waves where they'll approach Yuki like a mob. During certain points in the game, the action stops and a warning indicator appears on the screen. That's your cue to take cover or start firing shots because a powerful wave of enemy attackers are on the way where they sweep through the screen with destructive force. In addition to a single player game, up to two players may collaborate for a concerted attack.