Nintendo Prize Collection Sofubi Figure 3 - New Import

«©NCSX» The Nintendo Prize Collection versions of the Mario Sofubi Figures are smaller versions of their DX Sofubi brethren. The latest set features five figures which have posable arms (when applicable) as follows:

» Mario - Same old design from the very first Sofubi set
» Green Yoshi - Wears brown boots as if to mimic Mario's footwear
» Yellow Yoshi - Green boots on a yellow beast don't really match
» Wario - The width of Wario is thrice that of Mario
» Goomba - Identical to the Goomba in the second Mario Sofubi set

Note that the Mario, Green Yoshi, and Goomba figures are the same exact figures from previous NPC Sofubi Figure sets but the Yellow Yoshi and Wario are brand new. Preorders have shipped as of yesterday and new orders are welcome to ship this afternoon. «NCS Photo Gallery»

Super Mario DX Sofubi Figure 7 - New Import

«©NCSX» Bandai has been pushing the same old Mario Sofubi figure for years now. They've never changed the design or detailing of the toy and they're not about to start now. The seventh Mario Sofubi series gives us another bout of deja vu with an identical Mario figure but at least Toad is different. Mario is dressed in his regulation-issue red and blue attire and measures 22cm (8.66") tall while Toad is 18cm or 7.08" in height.

Both Sofubi figures feature posable arms and their heads may be twisted from side to side for limited posturing. Preorders have shipped as of yesterday and new orders are welcome. «NCS Photo Gallery»

Weekly Famitsu Vol. 1048 - New Import, Subscriptions

«©NCSX» The final 2008 newsstand issue of Weekly Famitsu features print coverage of the following new games and news releases:

» Special Scoop! on Monster Hunter G and Monster Hunter 3-tri for the Nintendo Wii - A look at the characters, villages, and of course, the monsters that populate both games is featured in a 13-page spread.
» 2009 New Year Special Interview with the movers and shakers of the Japanese gaming industry on their projects and outlook for the coming year. Hideo Kojima wears a black-star-on-white shirt for his photo.
» White Knight Chronicles miniature game play guide.
» Nifty Riz-Zoawd feature which is supplemented by clever advertising from D3 Publisher that depicts the Scarecrow, Tinman, and Lion.
» Special 20-page Squaresoft article which checks out FFXIII, FFVII Adventure Children Complete, Kingdom Hearts 358/3 Days, and KH Coded.
» Famitsu's annual 2008-2009 Yearbook which looks back at significant events from each of the past 12 months of the year. A cow is the motif.
» The Pick Up Food pages checks out the latest in prepackaged ramen.

Famitsu Wave DVD Feb 2008 - New Import, In Stock

«©NCSX» The February 2008 issue of Famitsu Wave DVD includes print and video coverage of the following games and events:

» Shirokishi Monogatari (White Knight Chronicles) [Playstation 3]
» Let's Tap and Let's Catch [Nintendo Wii]
» Mirror's Edge [Playstation 3 and Xbox 360]
» Way of the Samurai 3 [Playstation 3]
» Tatsunoko vs Capcom [Nintendo Wii]
» Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion [Arcade]
» Devil Survivor [Nintendo DS]
» Argos no Senshi: Muscle Impact promotional event with cosplay
» Awards 2008 special feature on the top games of the past year
» Famitsu's very own rolling Uchizawa sits down with a number of developers including Suda 51 and Masahiro Sakurai.
» Left for Dead and Idolmaster [Xbox 360]
» The next issue will feature Street Fighter IV

New Year 2009

NCS wishes all of our visitors a Happy New Year. We'll be closed for business tomorrow but we'll return to normal operations on Friday. Please note that UPS is on an abbreviated pickup and delivery schedule today - Ground packages won't be delivered or picked up but will resume on Jan 2.

Looking back at 2008, it wasn't too bad a year for the company despite the global slowdown but some things stood out as follows:

1) ThePlanet data center explosion in early June which knocked our main shop offline along with numerous other sites for about 4 days.
2) The Japanese yen rallied like gangbusters against the U.S. dollar but it's probably not done yet... unless the BOJ intervenes like it did in the previous decade. The yen rose 19% against the dollar in 2008.
3) We bet correctly on the direction of a few bubble markets including oil. One clue was Goldman pumping calling for $200/bbl. Another was contango during the summer months. Yet another was retail piling into the crude trade. Three strikes. There's nothing but blue skies at the top and glaring "certainty" that TEOTWAWKI is nigh at the bottom. For 2009, gold looks toppy - similar signals that clued us to crude's demise are present.

Fate Stay Nendroid Saber Lion - New Import, In Stock

«©NCSX» In the Fate/Tiger Colosseum game, the cast of Fate/Stay Night is shrunken, deformed, and shifted into toddler-like versions of themselves. Archer is lanky in his full-size form but he's a chubby little punk in the Colosseum. Similarly, Saber's normally lean and mean but in her Coloseum turn, she does "Lion Cosplay" and whacks her enemies with a bone-in meat chop.

Good Smile Company takes hold of Saber's Coloseum persona and sculpts her into a 10cm or 3.93" Nendroid figure which is a near perfect rendition of Saber video game persona. Her eyes are fierce, the lion costume is about right, and the meat chop looks menacing.

Upon opening up the packaging, Saber is encased in a plastic blister pack with some accessories arrayed around her. There's the big meat chop, a little bowl, an extra pair of arms, an extra pair of legs, a little meat chop, and two extra Saber faces to change her expression. The default expression that Saber comes from the factory in is fierce but the extra faces allow her to also be sad or dizzy. Preorders will ship today and new orders are welcome at JPY2800 or US$35.90 from NCS.

Patapon Ultra Detail Figure - New Import, In Stock

«©NCSX» Members of the Patapon Tribe are small of stature but they're also hardy, resilient, and when the occasion calls, relentless. Medicom has much respect for the Patapon. They have so much respect that they've created five Ultra Detail Figures based on the Yaripon and Tatepon warriors of the PSP action game.

Each Patapon soldier is sculpted from PVC and measures 4cm (1.57") in height and roughly that much in width. A strap is also attached to the top of each Patapon for tethering to a cellphone, a belt, or any other device that can accept a loop. Unfortunately, Medicom neglected to include spears or swords with the straps so the Patapon figures are weaponless. The Patapon are packaged in bubble blister packs. Pricing is set at US$9.90 which includes free Media Mail shipping within the United States. Preorders have shipped as of yesterday and new orders are welcome.

OdinSphere Gwendolyn 1/8 Scale Figure - New Import

«©NCSX» In Odin Sphere, a Valkyrie named Gwendolyn kicks off the game where she uses a weapon known as the Psypher Spear to battle foes. Gwendolyn also has a swooping dive move where she glides across the screen with predator-like grace. From the air, Gwendolyn strikes downwards with her spear to basically put the fear of Odin in hapless foes and woodland animals alike.

Japanese toy manufacturer Alter gives appreciation to Gwendolyn with a statuesque 1/8 scale PVC figure where the Valkyrie perches on one leg atop a snarled tree stump. Gwen raises her arms to heaven with Psypher Spear in hand and Valkyrie wings on full display. The sculpture measures 35cm or 13.77" in height which means the packaging will be large and unwieldy. A circular disc is included inside the package which serves as a display base for the figure.

Preorders will ship today but please note we are sold out of the first batch. NCS expects restock within the next 1-2 weeks when our Japanese suppliers return from their winter holiday. Due to the size of the item, NCS recommends only shipping by UPS Ground within the United States and USPS First Class Airmail for our international customers.

Tales of Destiny 1&2 One Coin Grande Figures - New Import, In Stock

«©NCSX» The heroes of Tales of Destiny and its sequel are immortalized (did you know plastic is forever?) in Kotobukiya's collection of One Coin Grande figures which feature seven characters as follows:

» Stahn Aileron - Blonde warrior who wields the fire sword Dymlos.
» Rutee Kartret - Sister of Leon armed with the Atwight sword
» Leon Magnus - Youthful adventurer who carries the Chaltier Swordian
» Lilith Aileron - Sister of Stahn and a homebody with a fierce soup ladle
» Kyle Dunamis -Main character of TOS2 and spike-haired son of Stahn
» Reala - A mysterious girl who serves as the impetus for Kyle's adventure
» A secret cape-wearing figure shown in silhouette

The first six figures are standard but the secret figure is meant to be a surprise. We'll leave it at that. The figures measure approximately 4" in height and are sculpted by Oya Hideaki and Tsukuru Shirahige. Preorders have shipped as of yesterday and new orders are welcome to ship today at JPY8400 (US$92.90) per box of 10 figures. Each factory box contains all six standard figures and the secret figure. The remaining three figures are duplicates of the six standard figures which are packed in random fashion.

Biohazard - New Import, Restock Soon

«©NCSX» In the early minutes of Biohazard, it is July 24, 1998 and Alpha Team is on a mission to locate Bravo Team which was investigating a series of strange murders. While flying over Raccoon Forest, they spot a derelict helicopter and descend for a closer look. Shortly after landing however, things take a turn for the worse when Alpha Team is attacked by a pack of voracious mutts. Chris Redfield is about to get whacked out by a rampaging mongrel when Wesker blasts it out of the air. The remaining members of the team proceed to race towards a mansion situated in the forest with dogs in hot pursuit. Once inside, three S.T.A.R.S. operatives remain and they're not really sure where Barry is.

The original Biohazard was released on the Playstation back in 1996 and the game engendered an entire industry of horror games. Who knew rotting zombies would be so popular? The enduring franchise has also branched off into movies and the fifth sequel ships in a few months. Until then however, Capcom trots Biohazard out once again with a Wii remake. The game is based on the Gamecube version but with Nunchuk and Wii Remote functionality added to the game engine. Everything else is the same including the CG cinematic introductory sequence.

General Updates

Mario Sofubi Toys In Stock Our shipments of the new Mario Soft Vinyl toys arrived today but too late in the morning to update the photos and such. We'll post photos tomorrow but all preorders will ship this afternoon. New orders are welcome for the Mario Sofubi Figure 3 and the Super Mario DX Sofubi Figure 7 to ship today.

Japanese Yen Ascendant Prices for all Japanese goods have ratcheted up over the past few weeks due to the strength of the yen against the US dollar. There's no solace when we purchase from Hong Kong either since the HK$ is pegged to the US dollar and prices from Asian vendors have risen even more than our Japanese suppliers. As an example of the recent price increases, our average cost for PS3 Shirokishi Monogatari went to US$66 per copy as of Monday. That's before import shipping costs.

DJ Max Portable Black Square - New Import, In Stock

«©NCSX» A few weeks ago, Pentavision released DJ Max Clazziquai Edition which featured the musical stylings of Korean music group Clazziquai which is made up of DJ Clazzi, Alex Chu, and Horan Choi. Whereas the Clazziquai Edition was designed for amateurs and average players, the Black Square Edition is targeted at "professionals" capable of tackling cues by smashing out inputs like a rhythm maniac. To this end, an 8-button mode is featured in the aptly named Professional Mode which Pentavision describes as "Crazy mix by using 8 buttons." In the OPTION menu, players may customize the buttons for 4B, 5B, 6B, 4BFX, and 6BFX to suit your preference. Once the game boots up, you'll be able to choose the language from Korean, English, or Chinese. True to form, the game is challenging with a smattering of cues that rain down with nonstop force and frequency.

Songs in the game include "I want you" by Lin G, "Sweet Shining Shooting Star" from Croove, "Heart of Witch" by ReX, and "Landscape" from Tsukasa. The game modes are as follows: Club Tour, Arcade Black Square, Network Battle, Collection, Link Disc, and Album. The Link Disc function allows gamers to use tracks from the earlier DJ Max Portable games and the Album contains 16 tracks at the outset that may be played along with their respective videos. The Collection section collates assorted unlocked data such as Club Tour Emblems, Images, Movies, and the Internet Ranking Service.

Juicy Honey Premium Edition 2008 - New Import, Sold Out

«©NCSX» At the tail end of 2007, Mint released Juicy Honey Premium Edition 2007 which featured Maria Ozawa, Tina Yuzuki, and Kotono Higashi. The limited edition set sold well to collectors and enthusiasts alike to close out the year. With 2008 coming to an end, Mint ships Juicy Honey Premium Edition 2008 which features another three JAV idols as follows (from the top of the photo and going down):

» Aino Kishi
» Yuma Asami
» Miyu Hoshino

The new Juicy Honey 2008 set is limited to only 2,300 boxes and 189 types of cards are scattered in those boxes. There's standard cards along with special Jersey cards, Autograph cards, and the highly desired DNA cards. Something new are the "Chin" SPOT Cards which are similar to the Nipple Stamp cards but each model uses her chin instead of a boob to make an ink imprint on a piece of cardboard.
Mint is packaging three inner cartons into 1 box and selling them for JPY12600 per set or US$149 from NCS. Please note that pricing reflects the recent strength of the Japanese yen against the US dollar.

Biohazard 5 - Import Preorder

From the Publisher
Chris Redfield returns and heads to Africa where the latest bioterrorism threat is transforming the people into mindless creatures.

The biohazard threat has not ended: Just when it seemed that the menace of Biohazard had been destroyed, along comes a new terror to send shivers down player's spines. Chris Redfield, returning Biohazard hero, has followed the path of the evil literally around the globe. After joining a new organization, Chris heads to Africa where the latest bioterrorism threat is literally transforming the people and animals of the city into mindless, maddened creatures. Chris must take on the challenge of discovering the truth behind this evil plot. In Biohazard 5, Capcom will teach players to fear the daylight as much as they have feared shadow in previous games. Schwag: The first printing of the game includes a "Making Of Biohazard 5" bonus disc. Preorders will ship on March 5, 2008.

General Updates

Zero New Releases No new Japanese imports or USA releases are scheduled for this week. Yesterday was the last day of trading for most of our Japanese suppliers until the second week of January.

New Year Holiday Please note that Thursday is New Year's and NCS will be on hiatus. We'll be back on Friday for a full day. Please note that UPS will not be picking up or delivering Ground packages on December 31 but January 2 will be a normal pickup and delivery day for all packages.

New Big PSP on Houston Street (Lower Manhattan) The previous PSP screen had a lot of dead pixels. The new one's fine but the programming is limited to the USA flag, fireworks, and Daktronics.

RIZ-ZOAWD - New Import, In Stock

«©NCSX» The Wizard of Oz gets a remix and a revision in Media Vision's Riz-Zoawd which is a not-so-clever anagram of the original film title. We would have went with War-Dizzo but that's just us. In the game, Dorothy and her dog Toto are transported to Oz where they encounter all manner of oddities including a Lion who's an utter coward, a Scarecrow in search of a brain, and a Tin Man who needs a heart. Yes, it sounds crazy but it worked once in the movies and it might work again in a game format.

Riz-Zoawd features an interesting control scheme where a green trac-ball is represented on the touch screen of the NDS. To move, roll the stylus on the trac-ball and Dorothy and crew will wander across the world of Oz in flowing motion.

Shirokishi Monogatari - New Import, Restock Soon

«©NCSX» When the waif-like Princess Cisna's ceremony is interrupted by the Wizard Corps, destiny unites a boy named Lenard with a mech suit known as the White Knight. By "bonding" with the suit, Lenard becomes a warrior capable of tackling the Wizards and their minions. Despite Lenard's fateful encounter with the Princess as well as the means to save her, the Wizards kidnap her anyway. Bound by a sense of duty to finish what he started, Lenard vows to go after the Wizards and rescue the Princess.

Shirokishi Monogatari aka White Knight Chronicles is a 3D action-RPG where Lenard and supporters travel the land and face off against conventional soldiers as well as towering behemoths who are much more durable, dangerous, and difficult to kill. Normal grunts can be attacked by Lenard and party with normal weapons and slashing action. However, when formidable opponents enter the fray, it's time for Lenard to transform into the White Knight and meet them head-on. The game is the first Playstation 3 offering from Japanese developer Level-5. Early preorders will ship with a bonus WKC soundtrack in 30% ratio.

Royds Stick EX - New Import, In Stock

«©NCSX» NCS has been using the Royds Stick EX for a few years now on the Playstation 2. The manufacturer Try Electronics adapts the joystick for the PS3 by adding a USB connector but the basic functionality is the same as the original Royds Stick EX that we've been using for a while.
The design of the stick uses a modular panel which slots into the base and two different button panels may be inserted into the base as follows:

Standard 8-Button Panel
All right face buttons and trigger buttons (○, X, O, Δ, L1, L2, R1, R2) are located on the panel in a 4 x 2 configuration. The weight of this particular panel is 500g or 1.10lbs.

EX-System 4+1 Button Panel
The four face buttons and a trigger (○, X, O, Δ, L1) are spaced across the panel in a truncated arc pattern. The weight of the panel is 400g (0.88lbs).

Dimensions: Width 290 × height 105 × depth 230 (11.41 x 4.13 x 9.05)
USB Cable Length: 2.0m (6.56 feet long)
Product Weight: 1600g (3.52 lbs)

Pikmin Wii de Asobu - New Import, In Stock

«©NCSX» The adventures of Captain Olimar and the Pikmin are revisited in the Wii rendition of Pikmin which is a complete overhaul of the original Gamecube game. It was all the way back in October 2001 when Pikmin was released for the Japanese Gamecube and proceeded to charm the world with a portly protagonist and whimsical plant-like creatures. Pikmin has enjoyed enduring popularity over the past few years as evidenced by our continued sales of cellphone straps and plushes. The Wii conversion features Nunchuk and Wii Remote control which allows Olimar to marshal the Pikmin and direct them across the world. The game is somewhat awkward at first because camera options are not available at the outset - you're afforded only a tight shot of the playfield that's very claustrophobic but once things get going, three camera viewpoints of the world may be toggled by pushing left, up, or right on the D-Pad.

When the adventure begins, Captain Olimar is zooming along in his Dolphin spaceship when a tumbling space rock crashes into him. Quickly losing control as well as altitude, the Captain makes a fiery descent into the planet below. Although Olimar survives the crash landing in one piece, his ship isn't so lucky. Parts and pieces have been strewn across the planet and Olimar must retrieve them in order to go spaceward again.

General Updates

Mario Sofubi Figures The Super Mario Sofubi Prize Collection 3 and the Mario Sofubi DX 7 were both shipped from Japan today but our supplier mistakenly shipped them with the fastest UPS Worldwide Express service. This means we'll be paying more for the shipping cost than the entire shipment is worth since the boxes are huge. What a way to end the year, huh? The toys are expected to arrive on Monday or Tuesday of next week.

Next Week Most of our Japanese suppliers will be starting their winter holiday on Tuesday of next week. As such, we don't expect any new Japanese imports between December 30, 2008 through January 14, 2009. One new Korean PSP release is expected on January 29 - DJ Max Portable Black Square.

European Imports Backorders for the European version of Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe should be filled in the first full week of January 2009.

Phantasy Star Zero - New Import, Partial Shipment

«©NCSX» Sega's fabled Phantasy Star franchise finally makes the trip to the Nintendo DS after conquering the Dreamcast, Gamecube, PSP, PC, and PS2. Phantasy Star Zero features a new single-player story mode as well as a four player Wi-Fi mode where multiple heroes team up and venture out into the wilderness and deep into randomly generated dungeons. In the outset of the Story Mode, players choose a character from three races and customize him/her with new hair, skin color, costume, and more.

A partial shipment of PSZ actually arrived yesterday afternoon and early preorders have shipped out already as of Tuesday evening. Please note that the second batch that we expected to arrive today didn't make it in and is now scheduled to arrive on Friday. «NCS Screenshot Collection»

Pineapple Express - In Stock, Ships in 24 Hours

From the Publisher
A new comedy from the creative genius of Judd Apatow ("40 Year Old Virgin", "Knocked Up", "Talladega Nights") follows a pair of druggie losers as they reach the top of the hit-list when one witnesses a mob murder and drags his buddy into a crazy flight from mobsters bent on silencing both of them permanently. The film stars new sensation Seth Rogen ("Knocked Up", "Superbad", "40 Year Old Virgin") and James Franco ("Spider-Man 1-3") and it co-stars Rosie Perez ("Do The Right Thing") and Gary Cole ("The Brady Bunch Movie").

Blu-Ray Special Features
Additional audio: Portuguese (Brazil) 5.1, Thai 5.1; "Ride The Express Game"; "Action Explained"; "Line-O-Rama"; "Direct-O-Rama"; "Item 9"; "Raw Footgate"; "Begley's Best"; "Red and Stormy's Guide to Marriage"; "Injury Report"; "Stuntmaster Ken Jeong"; "Rehearsal Footage"; "First Table Read"; "Jonah Hill on Set"; "Joe Lo Truglio's Art of the Social Butterfly", Actor Commentary, Behind The Scenes Featurette, Deleted Scenes, Director Commentary, Extended Scenes, Featurette, Gag Reel.

Swing Vote - In Stock, Ships in 24 Hours

From the Publisher
Kevin Costner stars in "Swing Vote", a clever, feel-good "landslide comedy winner. So funny and inspiring, you'll stand up and cheer!" (Pete Hammond, Hollywood.com). Bud Johnson's an ordinary dad drifting through life, caring about nothing except his overachieving daughter Molly. Trying to encourage him to get involved, Molly accidentally sets off a chain of events on Election Day that ends with the presidential race coming down to one vote - Bud's. Comedic chaos ensues as Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper, Nathan Lane, Stanley Tucci and George Lopez give all-star support in a witty and uplifting film that's "charming, funny, smart, touching and profound!" (Scott Mantz, Access Hollywood).

Blu-Ray Special Features
"Inside The Campaign: The Politics Of Production", Audio Commentary, Deleted Scenes, Extended Scenes, Featurette. Audio commentary with director and writer Joshua Michael Stern and writer Jason Richman, Deleted & Extended Scenes (with optional commentary by the director)

General Updates

Xenosaga KOS-MOS Ver. 4 and Aya Orchid Seed Preorders for the reproduction of KOS-MOS Ver. 4 from Alter have shipped out as of yesterday along with the Orchid Seed rendition of Aya from the Oneechanbara games. New orders are welcome.

Christmas Holiday Tomorrow is Christmas and NCS will be on hiatus. Normal business will resume on Friday (December 26) but please note that UPS will only pick up air packages today and on Friday per their holiday schedule.

Hori Real Arcade Pro.3SA All preorders for the PS3 HRAP3.SA have shipped as of yesterday. We may be able to stock another batch after the holidays and we'll update accordingly once we have confirmation from our Japanese agent.

Hyperstick Otomedius Gorgeous Some of our customers were not able to keep their preorders for the X360 Hyperstick Otomedius Gorgeous bundle. New orders are welcome.

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Yoko 1/5 Scale - Preorder

«©NCSX» Japanese manufacturer Gift joins the parade of toy purveyors who take a crack at immortalizing the heroine Yoko Ritona of Gurren Lagann game. In the upcoming Yoko rendition by sculptor Takayuki Kondou of G-Dome, the redheaded sniper looks somewhat cherubic with pudgy cheeks and big round eyes. Her outfit is less angelic and perhaps devilish with a bikini that sports a flame pattern. The black leather short shorts and studded belt are also questionable garb for an angel. Yoko is in a kneeling position and her hands indicate that she's sticking hairpins into her impressive mass of red hair.

Gift's Yoko Ritona figure is made of PVC and is set to 1/5 scale and measures 21cm or 8.26" in height. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late April 2009 at JPY9240 or US$108.90 from NCS.

DemonBane Metatron 1/8 Scale Figure - Preorder

«©NCSX» In the DemonBane storyline, Metatron is a powerful woman-warrior who battles a secretive organization of sorcerers known as The Black Lodge. Metatron's special abilities allow her to fire off laser blasts from her arms and manifest energy-bladed-weapons for serious slashing action. Metatron has been inspired a number of toy sculptors through the years and it's about that time for Alter to throw their hat into the ring.

Alter's Metatron is sculpted in skintight body armor and both of her arms feature weaponry. Her left leg is normal and covered with a stocking but her right leg features a mechanical hoof. Metatron's blue hair whips around almost as wildly as Kanu Unchou's wavy tresses. If we didn't know any better, we'd link her to KOS-MOS of Xenosaga fame since they could be mistaken for sisters. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late April 2009 at JPY8120 or US$98.90 from NCS.

Ikkitousen Kanu Unchou Shitagi Version - Preorder

«©NCSX» Kanu of Ikkitousen has suffered a number of indignities through the years. She has been shackled, beaten, and worst of all, she was once even sculpted as a Race Queen. Taki Corporation puts Kanu through another ordeal in the upcoming Ikkitousen Kanu Unchou Shitagi Version where she's dressed in her underwear and a pair of matching black stockings. Kanu's in a compromising position where she leans forward against a mirror prop which reflects her image and perhaps allows her to make sure an attacker isn't coming up from behind. A portion of PVC that's been sculpted to look like a brick road serves as the figure's platform.

The preorder solicitation from Taki makes a point of making sure that buyers are aware that the figure's clothing is removable without any impediment. The correct trade term is "full cast-off" capability so Kanu may be laid bare for all to ogle. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late February 2009 at JPY8120 or US$98.90 from NCS.

Smile Slime Pull-Back Mascot - Import Preorder

«©NCSX» A few years ago, Dragon Quest Slime plushes were produced with routine regularity for the Japanese toy market. Nowadays, the occasional plush is released only once in a while since Square Enix has expanded the use and licensing of Slime's image to other products including game accessories and plastic toys.

The latest product to feature Slime is Square's Smile Slime Pull-Back Mascot which is a Slime with wheels on. Plant it on the floor, pull back, and release to send it rolling forward like hell on wheels. Each Slime measures 5.5cm or 2.16" tall. Two varieties are on offer - a standard blue Smile Slime and a silvery metal Smile Slime which reflects the light. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late March 2009 at JPY1638 or US$22.90 per unit.

Pikachu Kizamimi Accessory - Import Preorder

«©NCSX» We've witnessed some outlandish Pikachu cosplay in our travels where the "actors" wore full body costumes and hammed it up pretty good. When it comes to Pikachu however, we think an understated costume trumps in-your-face Pokemon which is why NCS prefers Takara's Pikachu Kizamimi over a yellow bodysuit with hoodie and a wicked tail.

To transform from normal human to Pikachu-enhanced human, all one has to do is wrap the Kizamimi accessory around one's head. Done. Instant Pikachu with the irregular yellow and black ears. You'll still have to make a zig-zag tail however to complete the look. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late April 2009 at JPY1000 or US$16.90 from NCS.

General Updates

PSP Idolmaster Delayed The three versions of the Idolmaster SP game for PSP have been delayed from January 22, 2009 to February 19, 2009. PS2 Trigger Heart Exelica Enhanced has also been pushed from January 2009 to an unspecified date sometime next year. All preorders for both games are on file and will be processed once they're released.

Japanese Holiday Yesterday was the Tenno no Tanjobi national holiday in Japan which celebrates the birthday of Emperor Akihito. Our Japanese suppliers will be working normal business hours for the rest of the week since Christmas is not a national holiday in Japan and shipments will be going out as usual.

Shanghai Mini for Neo Geo Pocket - Clearance

NCS Sale Synopsis - Original Update: July 29, 1999
«©NCSX» Match mahjong tiles two at a time on a crowded playboard to remove them from the screen. As the clock ticks down, find the proper tile-matches to ensure that the last few pieces are available for matching to clear the level. Today's sale offer is for the Japanese version of the game which is packaged in the plastic NGP clamshell container.

Sale Offering
NCS' remaining inventory of Shanghai Mini for the Japanese Neo Geo Pocket is new, factory boxed, and in excellent condition. Pricing is set at US$23.90 per copy which includes "free" shipping by USPS Media Mail within the continental United States.

Space Invaders Headphones - New Import, In Stock

«©NCSX» Taito loves Space Invaders. The game debuted in 1978 and the company has been minting ducats off the back of the franchise for thirty years. The latest product in Taito's ongoing Space Invaders 30th Anniversary celebration is a pair of old school headphones. Nothing clever or revolutionary. Just standard headphones. The kind you plop on top of your head to listen to Bowie, Broadus, or Black.

Two styles are on offer - black circumaural headphones with a single white-pixel Invader and the original logo imprinted on each phone or a pair of pink headphones decorated with the Space Invaders logo and two miniature Invaders on the top and bottom of the text. We're partial to the black headphones but that's just us. The design of the headphones is one of easy adjustability so that the phones swivel freely just like the Koss UR 20 headphones that we use from time to time. An adjustable headband allows users to lengthen the distance between the phones and the band.
The sound quality that the phones deliver is acceptable but we're keeping our pairs of headphones solely as curiosity items for future generations to ponder. Maybe in 2108, they'll look at NCS' archive of products and marvel at the interesting times we lived in. Preorders have mostly shipped as of last Friday and new orders are welcome to ship today. Photo Gallery.

Tales of Hearts CG Movie Edition - New Import, In Stock

«©NCSX» Hisui Hearts and his sister Kohak are running along in the rain with urgency when they fall down an embankment. The two watch the lightning in the distance when they're approached by a shrouded female stranger with a deep voice. The shrouded figure proceeds to launch a ball of energy at the siblings which sends them over a cliff and into the rapids below. From this inauspicious beginning, the latest Tales game kicks off.

Players adopt the role of a feathery-haired hero named Shing Meteoryte who befriends the Hearts siblings when he finds them washed ashore on a beach near his home. When Shing first spots them, he comments that Kohak is attractive and proceeds to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. His heroic effort is met with a punch in the face when Kohak revives herself and finds Shing's actions (maybe it was his pursed lips) disagreeable.