Thursday, June 26, 2008

Daigassou! Band Brothers DX - New Import, In Stock

The original Daigassou Band Bros was one of those games that sold and sold and sold for months on end which eventually turned into years. Every time NCS restocked the game, we thought, "Okay, that's going to be the last shipment and we won't ever need to restock it again."

Weeks later, the game would sell out and we'd scramble for restock from vendors in Japan and Hong Kong. The game was that good and its only other equal in terms of sales volume was the original Jump Superstars which coincidentally was also published by Nintendo. We've been waiting for an encore since 2005 and our patience is rewarded this week with a proper sequel titled Daigassou! Band Bros DX. «Full Game Synopsis»

Bleach: The 3rd Phantom - New Import, In Stock

Fighting games based on the BLEACH franchise have peppered the Japanese retail landscape for a few years now. There's only so much Shinigami slashing action that a player can take before apathy sets in. To alleviate the tedium, Sega tries a different tack with their upcoming Bleach The 3rd Phantom release on the Nintendo DS. Instead of outright fighting, the cast of Bleach find themselves immersed in a tactical strategy game where the movement is on grids and the attacks are selected from a menu. Original characters and a large assortment of names from Bleach provide drama and intrigue.
As a preorder bonus, Sega will give away a set of 16 Bleach postcards and 1 sticker sheet in a 50% ratio.

Bokura no Telebi Game Kentei - New Import, In Stock

The Namco software library is a storied one with notable names such as Dragon Spirit, Galaga, Mappy, and Xevious serving to entertain gamers since the 80s. You may not know this but video games help people with hand-eye coordination where a player sees something on screen and twitches his hand accordingly to either avoid it, capture it, or destroy it.

Since Namco's archive of gaming is so storied, the company has decided to help people with their hand-eye coordination. Bokura no Telebi contains a total of 36 micro-games featuring some of Namco's classics and not-so-classic releases. Each micro game requires about 10 seconds of your time before you're headed to the next exercise of jumping, shooting, dodging, or rolling. A number of new and original games are also included.

Disgaea Hour of Darkness - New Import, In Stock

Laharl faces his demons once again in the Nintendo DS re-release of the original Disgaea game. The setting takes place two years after the death of the Devil King who was Laharl's father. Instead of counting on his birthright and an easy ascension to the throne, Laharl has to battle and connive against pretenders before taking his place as ruler of the Netherworld. The NDS conversion is based on the PSP remake from 2006 which included new dungeons and new characters who joined the original cast of Etna, Flonne, etc.

All preorders will ship with a bonus Prinny touch pen which is being given away by the publisher in 1:1 ratio.

Jigsaw World: Daigekitou! - New Import, In Stock

Jigsaw puzzles are as old as the hills but jigsaw-battles are a relatively recent development in the world of gaming. Nippon Ichi's upcoming Jigsaw World for the Nintendo DS pits gamers against COM-controlled characters in rounds of competitive jigsaw puzzle solving action. Eight heroes and heroines designed by Teruhiko Imaizumi are featured in the game and Etna of Disgaea fame is a marquee player. A wireless mode allows two players to jigsaw-battle against each other.

All preorders will ship with a bonus Jig-Battle songbook CD which is being given away by the publisher in 1:1 ratio.

King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match - New Import, Restock Mon

A decade has passed since the original KOF '98 graced the gaming world with its presence. We still play it every once in a while to test fighting strategies and admire its perfect balance before shuttling it back into storage. KOF '98 is one of those rare fighting games where any fighter featured in the character roster can become a tournament level champion if the player is good enough.

The Taito Type-X coin-op version of KOF '98 Ultimate Match was released earlier this year in Japan but SNK quickly transitions the game for the home with a Playstation 2 conversion this week. The new game features updated 3D backgrounds, new moves for the characters, 13 additional fighters, a revised Extra Mode, and an entirely new mode dubbed Ultimate Mode. An online mode is also available so gamers can link up online and bout it out against each other.

SNK Playmore is giving away a bonus KOF '98 cell phone strap in 50% ratio for early preorders and we'll send them out accordingly. Photos of the bonus may be viewed on NCS' detailed product page.

Sengoku Basara X - New Import, In Stock

Capcom was once the king of 2D fighting games but the torch has been passed to young(ish) turks such as Arc System Works and Type Moon of Melty-Blood fame. Last year, Capcom hired Arc System to develop a new 2D fighting game based on the characters of Sengoku Basara and the location tests were for the most part positive. Since the game was originally built on Namco's 246/256 arcade hardware, Sengoku Basara X (Cross) makes a smooth and more importantly, faithful transition to the Playstation 2 this week.

Date Masamune and Sanada Yukimura lead a cast of 10 characters (Chousokabe Motochika, Honda Tadakatsu, Maeda Keiji, Mouri Motonari, Uesugi Kenshin, Oichi , Oda Nobunaga, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi) who use weapons and special attacks in a 2D brawler that's evocative of Arc System's other works. The control scheme uses four buttons to lash out a weak attack, a medium attack, a strong attack, and Engun which calls upon a supporter or striker to rush into the battlefield and provide offensive assistance. The longer you hold off on calling for support, the stronger that support becomes when it is eventually summoned.

Sengoku Basara X Limited Edition - New Import, In Stock

Capcom was once the king of 2D fighting games but the torch has been passed to young(ish) turks such as Arc System Works and Type Moon of Melty-Blood fame. Last year, Capcom hired Arc System to develop a new 2D fighting game based on the characters of Sengoku Basara and the location tests were for the most part positive.

Date Masamune and Sanada Yukimura lead a cast of 10 characters (Chousokabe Motochika, Honda Tadakatsu, Maeda Keiji, Mouri Motonari, Uesugi Kenshin, Oichi , Oda Nobunaga, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi) who use weapons and special attacks in a 2D brawler that's evocative of Arc System's other works. The control scheme uses four buttons to lash out a weak attack, a medium attack, a strong attack, and Engun which calls upon a supporter or striker to rush into the battlefield and provide offensive assistance. The longer you hold off on calling for support, the stronger that support becomes when it is eventually summoned.

The limited edition which includes a Character Voice CD which contains 31 minutes of speech and a set of 47 Theme/Character Trading Cards.

Sunsoft Collection - New Import, In Stock

SNK pretty much produced all of the software for the Neo-Geo gaming hardware from way back when. There were some third-party publishers who supported the platform but it was up to SNK to keep the games rolling consistently on both the MVS and AES Neo-Geo formats. One of Neo-Geo's supporters was Sunsoft which produced a bevy of games for the Famicom, Mega-Drive, and Super Famicom back in the day but the company also gave the Neo-Geo a shot with two fighting games:

» Galaxy Fight - Eight motley fighters (emphasis intended on the word motley) fight with punches, lasers, and kicks on different planets.

» Waku Waku Seven - An enjoyable fighting game which features a cast of seven likable combatants such as the floppy Mauru.

SNK digs both games out of Sunsoft's archives and re-releases them on the PS2. Per usual Neo-Geo Online Collection convention, both games have been updated with an online fighting mode (BB Multi-Matching), a character color-edit facility, and the ability to view a fighter's complete list of moves at any time by pausing the game.

Tales of Symphonia: Knight of Ratotask - New, In Stock

Two years after Lloyd Irving and company regenerated the world of Sylvarant and planted a new tree to tether the world together, there's trouble anew brewing. The animus of the old Kharlan tree is raising a ruckus and the people of the two lands of Tethe-alla and Sylvarant are waging war against each other. In one attack, the Sylvarant city of Palmacosta is razed and many innocents perish.

Amidst the firestorm, a newly orphaned hero named Emil Castagnier teams up with a girl named Marta Lualdi and the two resolve to seek vengeance against the man who's actions killed their parents - Lloyd Irving. Emil is a typical unsteady hero in the beginning but he soon locates his inner strength and grows into a leader of men. In the introduction to the game, Lloyd may be seen leaping with weapons drawn and slashing down on a pair of innocents. Emil and Marta encounter compatriots who join their party and work towards a common goal.

All preorders will include a bonus DVD that is being given away by the publisher in 1:1 ratio.

Paca Paca Passion - Clearance

Prove your rhythm skills in this button slapping music game where quick reflexes and inner rhythm are requisite. As a video game musician, your job is to slap the corresponding colored buttons to colored discs that fall downwards in sequence. Perfect timing will grant "Perfect" ranks while less timely button taps result in "Good" or "Nice." Miss many times, and the colored discs stack up underneath your onscreen hero until he/she reaches the ceiling...and loses the game. View larger photos.

Sale Offering - NCS' remaining inventory of
Paca Paca Passion is new, factory sealed, and in excellent condition. Pricing is set at US$17.90 per pair which includes USPS Media Mail shipping within the U.S.