Ikuze! Gen-San: Yuuyake Daiku Monogatari - Preorder

When a corrupt construction company (fueled by corporate greed) overbuilds and disrupts the natural harmony of the great outdoors, a carpenter rises up to put an end of the construction boom. Armed with a hammer and gifted with agility and moxie, the hero named Carpenter trudges through different stages and dismantles robots, construction equipment, enemy workers, and other agents of the company. When the occasion calls, Carpenter can adopt the skills of eight other professionals such as a baseball player, a sushi chef, lumberjack, deep sea diver, and more. Preorders ship on May 15, 2008.

Dungeon of Windaria - Preorder

Isou is a spiky-haired farmer from the town of Saki where he lives with his wife Marin. When Isou gets caught up in political intrigue, he leaves the simple life behind and gets caught up in a fractious war between two countries.

Windaria was an animated movie that was released in Japan 22 years ago. It's unlikely to have much "brand" recognition or street cred amongst the jaded youth of today but Compile Heart has licensed the property for a dungeon exploration game on the NDS. Inomata Mutsumi designed the characters and the hero Isou appears to have influenced the look of a certain somber hero with blonde locks and a big sword.

The promotional material for the game touts randomly generated dungeons, real time action, and an involving storyline that stays true to the movie. Preorders welcome.

Mana Khemia 2: Ochita Gakuen to Renkinjutsushi - Preorder

Vain Aureolus, Philomel Hartung, Gunnar Damm, and the other heroes from the original Mana Khemia have moved on and a new cast of characters star in the upcoming sequel. Players join Roseluxe Meitzen (blue-haired lad) or Ulrika Myberg (blonde lass) in a new adventure where the two heroes are incoming student at a school of alchemy. Roseluxe and Ulrika view alchemy differently and take divergent paths to reach their goals. The new students spend their time in class and out in the wilds hunting for ingredients, reagents, and monsters.

NCS is currently accepting preorders for the regular edition of the game and a limited edition which is packaged with a figure diorama. Both versions of Mana Khemia 2 will ship to preorders on May 29, 2008.

Togainu no Chi: True Blood - Preorder

Boys Love games aren't screaming up the sales charts but they have their loyal audiences. Togainu no Chi was originally released for the Japanese PC in 2005 and has garnered a devoted fan base. The PS2 version features a new character named Yukihito, a new opening movie, exclusive events, and updated music in the game. All preorders will ship with a bonus dogtag.

Cyber Gun Attachment with Vibration Function - Preorder

When the Wii and its wireless controller were first announced, NCS assumed that the Wiimote would stay the same shape forever and ever. The market has other ideas however as the Wii Cooking Mama kit, Zelda's sword, the upcoming Wii racing wheel, and other bolt-into accessories have proven. Cyber adds a gun to the Wiimote's arsenal.

The Cyber Gun Attachment isn't the first pistol accessory to reach the Wii - Nintendo's Wii Zapper takes that honor but it's the first one that looks like an actual gun. A berth on top of the accessory accepts the Wiimote and a lift-over latch secures it with down. Once fitted properly, grab the firearm by the handle, slide your finger over the trigger, and get ready to blast away zombies and other malcontents on the Wii. Preorders are welcome to ship on or around April 30, 2008 at JPY1505 or US$22.90 from NCS. Jan Code: 4544859008016

Jack Skellington Mosquito Killer - Preorder

We're going to be accused of stating the obvious in about 1 second but here goes: "Jack Skellington of Nightmare Before Christmas fame has the look of death upon him." Maybe it's the sunken eye sockets, the bone-colored patina, or just that he looks like a skull.

Skeeters will know the deathly power of Jack Skellington this summer when Sega goes into the bug repellant business. Jack's head is used as a holder for an herbal-based mosquito repellent coil which is lit to produce a pleasant odor which skeeters steer away from. A total of 10 coils are included with the Jack Skellington Mosquito Killer and each coil lasts about 6 hours. Preorders are welcome to ship in late July 2008 at US$18.90 each. Two styles are on offer - a congenial Jack (A) and an ominous Jack (B).

Caltoy UJ Dolphin Plush - Preorder

Sega forges ahead with another Caltoy UJ plush when the summer of 2008 rolls around. One other creature of the sea has already received the Caltoy treatment - the round whales from 2006 - and Orca is scheduled to ship in May 2008. The third sea creature swims to us in the form of a Caltoy Dolphin which will be available in seven different colors. The rainbow assortment is a departure from the usual 3-4 color variants of the previous Caltoy animals and we welcome the additional variety. Each dolphin plush measures 70cm or 27.55" in length.
Preorders are welcome to ship in late July 2008 at US$49.90 per plush.

Mickey & Minnie Senpuki - Preorder

Summer is on the way. That means steamy days and sultry nights where the only comfort to be found is in front of a fan. Make that a Mickey Mouse fan that's shaped like a palm tree. Each fan measures 20cm tall and operates on two AA batteries to provide about 10 hours of relief from the summer heat. Two variants are on offer:

» Mickey version with light green palm fronds
» Minnie variant with dark green palm fronds

The Japanese word "senpuki" translates to "electric fan" and if you're curious, the Japanese word for air conditioner is "reibou" or "冷房." Preorders are welcome to ship in late July 2008 at US$15.90 each.

Votoms Scopedog Turbo Custom Version-1 - Preorder

The Armored Trooper Votoms franchise is big in Japan and the Scopedog robots have appeared in a little under 20 video games over the years. The PS2 title Soukou Kihei Votoms was the most recent release which sold reasonably well. The Scopedog has been made into action figures and model kits over the years but Yamato's upcoming remote-control robot may be a first.

The RC Scopedog is set at 1/24 scale and measures 17cm (6.69") tall with sculpting by Kenichi Nomoto. A one-handed infrared controller included with each toy features a miniature thumbstick which is pushed and prodded to send the Scopedog rolling around on the wheels beneath its feet. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late June 2008 at JPY15000 or US$155 from NCS.

General Updates

Japanese Release Delays NDS Let's Brass!! has been delayed once again from March 27 to April 24. The Wii conversion of Karous has also been delayed from March 27 to TBA 2008. Preorder numbers for Karous which includes three games (Karous, Rajirugi, and Chaos Field) were apparently... insubstantial.

KORG DS-10 Synthesizer Last week's announcement of the Korg DS-10 Synthesizer for the Nintendo DS caused a stir in the market amongst musicians and others. Publisher AQ Interactive hasn't started preorders yet - the SKU and the Jan Code hasn't been assigned but reservations should open up in the next week. We'll post an update once Japanese distributors start preorders.

PSP Biohazard UMD-Video - Clearance Sale

Sometimes when it's rainy outside, we play a game in the office where we break down the theme of a movie into a single sentence and everyone guesses the movie title. For example:

"Somewhere in Europe, someone is killing man-whores."

Easy breezy right? If goaded into breaking down the original Biohazard movie into a single sentence, we might have to go with:

"Alice in Umbrella Land."

We're clever like that. For collector's who need to own everything related to the Biohazard franchise, here's your chance to pick up a copy of the Japanese PSP UMD-Video at a nearly 50% discount. The cover features a gun-toting Milla who's ready to blast with both barrels.

NCS Sale Offering
Pricing per PSP Biohazard UMD-Video is set at US$15.90 which includes free shipping by USPS Media Mail within the United States. All stock is new and factory sealed. Please note that Japanese UMD-Videos will ONLY play on Japanese PSP systems. [View Larger photos] Jan 4976219652933