In the original Dokidoki Majo Shinpan! game from last year, a lad named Akuji Nishimura was recruited by an angel to ferret out a witch who had hidden herself in the population of Seirei Takagamine Junior High School. Sounds easy right? Just look for the pointy hat, the snaggle-tooth, and the oily boils on her face.
Alas, it wasn't that easy and Akuji had to touch, fondle, and inspect a number of girls to find a "witch's mark" to verify the witch's identity. One interesting dynamic we noticed in the original game was the way breasts behaved when touched with the NDS stylus. In the world of Dokidoki Majo Shinpan, merely touching a girl's bosom would send the twins wobbling as if they had been juggled and jostled by a mysterious force. The game sold well (big surprise) and the sequel lands today.
The limited edition of Doki Doki Majo Shinpan 2 DUO includes the following bonus items:
» Doki Doki Majo Shinpan 2 Special CD
» Seirei Takagamine Junior High School Student Guidebook
» Cell phone strap which is tethered to miniature figures of Kuro and Lulu
» Two fixed-pose figures of Koron (school outfit) and Akari (cheerleader)
» Kureha heat-sensitive trading card (swimsuit underneath)
All preorders will ship today and new orders are welcome.
The original Rhythm (Heaven) Tengoku game for the Gameboy Advance sold over 300,000 copies. We recall having to restock the game many times until there was no more to be had from Japan. Fast forward two years and Nintendo releases a sequel which features more simple rhythm games with singular objectives.
In the original Rhythm Tengoku, the mini-rhythm-games were trifling in scope but challenging in practice. To register hits, the button tapping had to be very precise. Any lag was generally registered as a miss as aptly demonstrated in the introductory beat meter exercise. Rhythm Tengoku Gold features another collection of simple yet challenging mini-games that require exacting stylus tapping and swishing. «NCS Game Notes»
When Satan steals a boatload of treasure, someone's gotta steal it right back from the big galoot. Enter Anis, the "Steal Princess" who's brunette, not-really-royal, and light-fingered. Anise has a dominatrix-pirate vibe about her since she wields a whip and wears an eyepatch.
At the outset of the adventure, Satan's castle is shown with a purple glow emanating from it. Inside, Anis is at work, moving towards the treasure room with jumping action, a bomb, and stealth. A big boulder however forces her onto an underground river which washes her away. Although she didn't steal any treasure, she did gain a pixie companion by the name of Kukuri who appears over her like a purplish orb. Other interlopers into Satan's lair weren't so lucky. «NCS Game Notes»
Better known as Galaxy Fraulein Yuna stateside, Ginga Ojousama Densetsu was a big deal in the 90s but the franchise has since faded from the mainstream. Unlike the everlasting phenomenon known as Evangelion, Yuna is an example of a once popular property that was pervasive at one time but its endurance petered out eventually. Hudson won't have any of that however. They don't care that Yuna is a fading memory. They're going to gather together three Ginga Ojousama Densetsu games from the PC-Engine, stamp them onto a single UMD, and sell it for the budget price of JPY2800. The games included in the collection are:
» Ginga Ojousama Densetsu Yuna (original release: Oct 23, 1992)
» Ginga Ojousama Densetsu Yuna II (original release: Jun 20, 1995)
» Ginga Fukei Densetsu: Sapphire (original release: Nov 24, 1995)
The first two games are interactive adventures which feature Yuna and her coterie of allies and friends. NCS is most interested in the third game, Sapphire, however since it's one of the best vertical shooters from the days of the PC-Engine. If you can find it in Japan, Sapphire can command a price of US$500 per copy but we're guessing that lofty price will take a hit this week now that Sapphire is widely available on the PSP. Each of the three games is a direct PC-Engine port with no enhancements and a special Yuna illustrations gallery is also included on the UMD for fans of colorful artwork and sketches.
Phantasy Star Universe fans get to live/relive the galaxy-spanning adventure on the portable confines of the PSP this summer. Based on information from Sega and Alfa System, the game touts the following notable features:
» New single-player Story Mode and four-player ad-hoc cooperative mode
» Over 1500 items, weapons, shields, and armor to find and use
» Network data import from the PS2 and PC versions of the game - please note that you must have a Japanese PlaySEGA ID to utilize this feature.
» New mission downloads will be released periodically
Upon starting a new game, you'll create a character by choosing a Human, a Newman, a Cast (robot), or a Beast. Once your race is selected, move the cursor down to choose the sex. The option below that is for customizing your character's skin tone, face, eye color, eyebrows, ears, hairstyle, clothing, and other distinguishing features. The next option allows you to name the character and select a job class from Hunter or Ranger Force. The fifth and final option allows you to start the adventure.
Note that the game is in Japanese and is not multi-language. However, if you've played Phantasy Star Universe, the same basic menu structure is used in PS Portable. The actual game itself is also very familiar if you've invested time in the PC or Xbox 360 versions of Phantasy Star Universe.
Return to the wilds of Jipang with Hudson's Tengai Makyou PSP compilation which gathers together four PC-Engine CD2, Super-CD, and Arcade Card games from the legendary Japanese RPG series as follows:
» Tengai Makyou: Ziria (Original release: June 30, 1989)
» Tengai Makyou II: Manji Maru (Original release: March 26, 1992)
» Tengai Makyou: Fuun Kabukiden (Original release: July 10, 1993)
» Tengai Makyou: Kabuki Itouryodan (Original release: February 24, 1995)
The first three titles are RPGs but the fourth title, Kabuki Itouryodan, is a 2D fighting game of no particular consequence. We played it when it was first released over 10 years ago and we weren't impressed. While the game wasn't horrible, it wasn't very good or memorable either. In addition to the four Tengai Makyo games, a bonus illustrations gallery featuring the main cast of characters is also viewable on the UMD.
Since the compilation features the original PC-Engine versions of Tengai Makyou and not remakes, there's no new development cost on behalf of Hudson so they're pricing the collection properly at JPY2800 or US$30.90 from NCS.
Tecmo's Zero (Fatal Frame) franchise returns with a new adventure that takes place on the spooky and misty island of Rougetsu. On that island sits an equally spooky mansion which has its own multi-table dining room and a museum dedicated to Kunihiko Aso who invented the Camera Obscura. A few years ago, five girls were brought to the island against their will but a detective named Choushiro Kirishima tracked them down and brought them all home. In the years since the ordeal, two of the girls died of mysterious circumstances. Years later, the three remaining survivors return to Rougetsu island to determine what exactly happened and come to terms with their traumatic ordeal.
The Camera Obscura remains the weapon of choice in the new Zero game which is controlled by the Wii Remote. The nunchuk is used to maneuver the heroines in the game as they explore dank areas haunted by vengeful spooks. Early in the game, players will learn how to perform a quick swivel move by swishing the Wii Remote in a jerky motion. To look up and down, the remote is tilted in the direction you wish to view for an intuitive control scheme that allows for fluid movements, sightings, and ghost busting with the Camera Obscura. «NCS Game Notes & Spoilers»
A somewhat enjoyable baseball action game from Sega that's known as World Series Baseball in the USA. This is the 1998 season version with Japanese teams. We have a laughable quantity of this game in stock. Laughable because there's so many copies in storage that we can probably build a little comedy stage with the plastic jewel cases. The discs can be used as coasters or glittering frisbees that catch the sun.
Sale Offer: NCS' remaining inventory of Greatest Nine '98 is new, factory sealed, and in mint condition. Price: US$8.90 per copy which includes "free shipping" within the United States by USPS Media Mail Service. If you wish to order 5 copies, we'll drop the price to $5 each with free shipping.
