Wii Freeloader - Available Soon

From the Publisher
This is the one you’ve all been waiting for! Wii FreeLoader lets you play ANY region of Wii or GameCube game on your Nintendo Wii! At last, you can import games from other territories and play them on your Wii…

Videogamers the world over get really frustrated when games are released in other territories long before they reach the shops in their home country, if they ever get released at all. Or maybe you bought an imported Wii because you wanted to get it early, and you now want to play games from your own region without buying a second machine. Well, now you can. With Wii FreeLoader, you can play ANY region of game on your Wii!

Wii FreeLoader is really easy to use. Simply insert your FreeLoader disc and load it in the usual way. When the drive stops, eject the Wii FreeLoader disc and insert the game, which then loads and plays just like it would on its own region of Wii. It’s as simple as that!

Wii FreeLoader is 100% unofficial, and requires no modifications to your console. As well as letting you play Wii games from all regions, Wii FreeLoader also works with imported GameCube games when played on your Wii.

13-sai no Hallo Work DS - Preorder

In Ryu Murakami's book titled 13-sai no Hallo Work (Job guidance for 13 year-olds) which was originally published in November 2003, the author introduced children to the concept of work and the immense possibilities that sprawled before them. In an interview, Ryu opined, "One must decide its own fate. People get connected to the world through their work. That's why I want to say that one should achieve freedom through becoming economically independent through a job that one enjoys."

Publisher Digital Works has adapted Murakami's book to a Nintendo DS game which features a 13 year-old time traveler from the year 2023. She looks like a normal girl but she's really a robot (MIBO) who's capable of handling a wide variety of menial tasks, jobs, and professions. As the story in the game goes, the robot has been sent back from the future to experience various jobs and bring that specialized knowledge back to the future to benefit the world at large.

The 13-sai no Hallo Work game features 30 occupations and 90 types of mini-games that are related to the jobs that people do. By using the stylus, players will get to cook, groom dogs, build machines, and cure little tykes of their ails. The soulless melodic voice of MIKU Hatsune (Vocaloid2) is featured in the game for the musician profession. Preorders are welcome to ship on May 22, 2008 at JPY3800 or US$40.90 from NCS.

Battle Fantasia - Preorder

When Arc System Works released Battle Fantasia to Japanese arcades in the Spring of 2007, NCS didn't buy a kit because we were certain that a PS2 port would be released by the autumn of 2007. As Spring 2008 rolls around, our estimate was off by six months and the game is shipping on the PS3 instead of its older sibling.

Battle Fantasia plies the 2D fighting game trade where twelve warriors duke it out with weapons and magic across 24 stages. There's a warrior named Urs who's an unevenly armored bruiser armed with a gun-sword and a maiden named Coyori who carries a serving dish and jumps around like the dickens. Her look is reminiscent of Chun-Li. Although the game is 2D, the fighters are polygon models which allow for somewhat more fluid animation when they walk, jump, and throw down.

The PS3 conversion of Battle Fantasia includes the original Arcade Mode along with a Story Mode and an online VS Mode. Preorders are welcome to ship on May 29. An X360 version is also up for preorder today.

English of the Dead - Preorder

French was the language of diplomacy until it was replaced by English. As we've learned during our travels, English is a useful language thanks to the broad spectrum of fellow travelers who either speak and/or understand it. In Japan and many other Asian countries, English is a popular scholastic pursuit and there is a sizable demand for teachers. For eager learners in Nihon who can't quite make it to an English class, there is another way.

English of the Dead

You read that right. Instead of whacking out the undead with a gun, players translate Japanese words into English and watch as zombies are obliterated. Similar to Sega's Typing of Dead, the English of the Dead uses the House of the Dead 2 game engine for all of its language teaching stages. For players who need help with their English comprehension skills, a hint button may be tapped for clues and additional cues. Preorders are welcome to ship on May 29, 2008.

Ohimesama Debut - Preorder

The theme of two people who are polar opposites swapping positions, identities, and/or bodies is a popular Hollywood plot dynamic. In the movie Trading Places, Eddie Murphy went from street hustler to distinguished gentleman and Dan Akroyd plummeted the other way.

Cave is known for their shooting games but maybe the trade in shmups isn't what it used to be. Perhaps that's why the company is branching out and developing a game dubbed Ohimesama Debut where an average schoolgirl switches bodies with a princess from another dimension. By becoming a tiara-wearing royal, the schoolgirl becomes the belle of the ball and interacts with six members of the Prince Charming brigade who are all vying for her hand. Before anything matrimonial happens however, there's dancing to be done. Lots of dancing (waltz, rumba, samba, ballroom, etc) which is performed by tracing the NDS stylus on curved lines known as dance lines. By performing well with your control of the stylus, the princess will pirouette, sway, and swish like a seasoned dancer. The game features a collection of recognizable classical music to accompany the ballroom dramatics. Preorders are welcome to ship on May 29, 2008.

General Updates - Preorder

Two PSP Delays Announced Overnight The PSP conversion of Umihara Kawase has been postponed from March 19 to an indefinite date in the Spring. Similarly, the PSP version of World Neverland 2-in-1 Portable has been pushed back from April 3 to the summer. Based on information from Japanese vendors, a lack of preorder interest appears to be the impetus for the delays. Apparently, PSP games don't sell which might explain why the release schedule for next week's NDS imports is larger than the PSP release schedule for the span from March 20 to May 29.

Silver Dual Shock 3 Due to late release in Japan last week, our shipments of the Silver DS3 controllers will arrive tomorrow and preorders will ship on Wednesday. Pricing is set at US$58.90 and new orders are welcome.

Final Fantasy VIII Mook - Clearance Sale

When Final Fantasy VIII was released on February 11, 1999, it was basically the harbinger of a merchandise barrage that would soon sweep across Japan. NCS sold necklaces, postcards, keychains, lighters, and more. We also sold a few mooks (magazine + book = mook) including today's sale offer which was published by Enterbrain nearly a decade ago. The mook contains interviews with key people behind the game, artwork of the main characters, world maps, Guardian Force vehicles, game system info, and an interview between Tetsuya Nomura and Takayuki Takeya.

NCS Sale Offering
Pricing per Final Fantasy VIII Mook is set at US$15.90 which includes free shipping by USPS Media Mail within the United States. All copies are in mint condition and have been bagged and stored in a 50° F temperature controlled environment for the past 9 years. [View larger photos]

Product SKU: N/A / Jan Code: 4902370509717