We're admittedly leery when opening up preorders for Konamistyle exclusive items. One reason is the extraordinary cost of procurement. Then there's the reluctance of our Japanese vendors to buy the items for us in the first place. Over the years, we've learned that distributors who are accustomed to wholesale pricing are absolutely loathe to pay retail for anything. Note that these are the same distributors who hiked the price of the PS3 console to lofty levels at the Japanese launch without any remorse. None.
With this in mind, NCS opens up reservations for the Xbox 360 Hyper Stick Pro Otomedius Gorgeous Version which is a Konamistyle exclusive. We can't get it anywhere else which means we're forced to pay the retail price + tax, our vendor's handling fee, and the considerable shipping charges from Japan to New York City. The following items are included in the joystick bundle:
» Heavy-duty arcade style joystick made of authentic Sanwa parts
» A copy of Otomedius Gorgeous for the Japanese Xbox 360
» Set of six Otomedius Gorgeous badges featuring game heroes
Pricing for the bundle on Konamistyle is JPY27,069 which is substantial in the first place but tack on our vendor's handling charge and shipping from overseas and we have a travesty on our hands. Preorders are welcome today at US$359.90 each. That's one bundle. Sorry about that.
The Kinnikuman manga first appeared in 1979 where it poked fun at the super-serious yet ΓΌber-campy adventures of Ultraman. The title hero is named... Kinnikuman, who sort of looks like Ultraman. The two share the same blank stare, a muscular physique, and the self-imposed mission to save the world from malcontents. Next year is when the Kinnikuman fireworks really start since that'll be the 30th anniversary of the franchise but until then, Bandai celebrates the 29th anniversary with a new PS2 game.
A total of 39 muscle-bound meatheads of all stripes gather together in Kinnikuman Muscle Grand Prix Max 2 Tokumori which is best described as a 3D wrestling game. The Story Mode takes its framework from the "Survivor Match for the Kinniku Throne" story arc where Kinnikuman and friends battled five "destined" champions to establish his right to the throne. As a bonus for fans, Bandai will include the Famicom Disk System game Kinnikuman: Muscle Tag Match (1985) so players can see how they wrestled back in the day. A second bonus on the game disc is a Gallery which contains 450 illustrations. Preorders are welcome to ship on September 25, 2008 at JPY6800 or US$63.90 from NCS.
Megahouse has started preorders for the second set of the smaller Portrait of Pirates figures. The cast of characters in CB-2:
» Nami in an off-white smock
» Nojiko (Nami's adopted sister)
» Roronoah Zoro with clenched teeth
Each figure measures 13cm or 5.11" tall and an extra head and accessory accoutrements are included in the packaging. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late October 2008.
Playstation 2 players got first crack at Samurai Michi aka Way of the Samurai back in 2002. In the game, a ronin named Kenji finds himself embroiled in a war between the Kurou Clan, the Akadama Clan, and the Japanese authorities. The three factions are all trying to control a sliver of real estate known as Rokkotsu Pass for their own respective reasons. Amidst the tensions, Kenji may lend his sword hand and samurai talents to any of the sides involved in the conflict. By choosing to fight for one side or another, Kenji basically decided his own destiny and creates unique drama all by his lonesome.
The Playstation Portable conversion of Samurai Michi slated to ship later this year is pretty much a direct port of the game but an ad hoc fighting mode has been added to the game options. The publisher also mentions "additional game elements" but it's unclear what those new elements would be at this point. A movie preview of Samurai Michi 3 (PS3) will also be included for fans to check out. Preorders are welcome to ship on September 18, 2008 at JPY3800 or US$38.90 from NCS.
Summer is all about the sun, the surf, and in the case of To Love Ru Trouble, a pink-haired princess in a two-piece bikini. Sure, there's other girl characters in bikinis but Princess Lala is the main attraction in Marvelous' upcoming game based on the To Love Ru animated series. As the story goes, a princess named Lala invades the home of a lad named Yuuki Rito and decides to marry him. Lala is destined for marriage with suitors from her home world of Deviluke but she ain't going out like that. Lala would rather settle for a scrawny stranger who's still in high school. When Lala's father finds out about her plans, he decides to test Rito's worthiness by pitting him against Lala's other suitors.
To Love Ru Trouble is an interactive romance-adventure game which features a lot of conversations to read, oodles of still images to look at, and the occasional animated sequence. Players make simple decisions that affect the course of the story which in turn lead to different endings where love blossoms with Lala (or another girl) or it simply doesn't.
The publisher will give away a set of four bonus trading cards featuring the characters from the game in 50% ratio. This means that if we preorder 100 copies of the game, we'll receive 50 sets of trading cards which will be given away to the first 50 preorders. In addition to the regular edition of the game, NCS is also accepting reservations for the limited edition. today.
Sony's slimmer and lighter PSP handheld was released a while ago but the original Playgear Pocket isn't compatible with it. That means no protective polycarbonate armor to protect your precious portable from shattering on the sidewalk when Murphy's Law makes a visit.
Logicool remedies the situation later this year with the Playgear Pocket Slim which is tailor-made for the new PSP and fits the handheld like a glove. Similar in design to the original Playgear Pocket, the new Slim model houses the Slim PSP safely within its confines and is fitted with a fliptop-lid that pops open when it's time to play. Preorders are welcome to ship on Sept 11, 2008 at JPY1886 or US$19.90 from NCS.
- Product SKU: LPRC-21000 | Jan Code: 4943765033370
