TOYS Final Fantasy XIII Play Arts Kai Figure - Import Preorder

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» Three characters from Square's upcoming Final Fantasy XIII game are being sculpted and molded into premium Play Arts Kai figures which are clothed in what appears to be ragtag garb. Each figure is articulated for posing purposes and can stand on its own without being propped up. The characters in the Play Arts set are as follows (left to right):

» Snow Villiers - Hot-blooded leader of a rebel group called Team Nora
» Lightning - Somewhat morose and distant pink-haired soldier girl
» Oerba Dia Vanille - Attractive ginger with a bubbly personality

The figures measure between 225-261mm (8.85-10.27) tall and are made of PVC and ABS. Lightning and Vanille are armed with their respective weapons while Snow lets his fists do the talking. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid December 2009 at JPY4000 or US$46.90 each from NCS.

PS3 World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010 - Import Preorder

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» Konami continues to tweak and refine their acclaimed Winning Eleven property and another edition is making its way to the Japanese market in November. The focus in WE 2010 is on "The ultimate individual skills" and "The ultimate team player" where players are endowed with 300 new moves, seven feints, and skills which help the entire team. To add to the realism of the player movements on the field, Konami used motion-capture techniques to render new animations for the soccer players as they motor down the field. The control scheme has also be upgraded to a 360° control scheme which replaces the 8-way controls of the earlier Winning Eleven games.

Preorders for the Playstation 3 release of Winning Eleven 2010 are welcome to ship on November 5, 2009 at JPY7600 or US$80.90 from NCS. Reservations are also welcome for the Xbox 360 version of the game which also ships on November 5 at JPY7600 (US$80.90).

TOYS Monster Hunter Super DX Ohirune Pugi - Import Preorder

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» The Pugi of Monster Hunter fame have been making the rounds in the Japanese toy market and they've become desirable in the past few months. The latest needful entry in the world of Pugi is Banpresto's Super DX Ohirune Pugi which is a pillow in the likeness of a piglet. Each Pugi pillow measures 30cm or 11.81" in length and is made of soft plushy material that'll serve as a comfortable cushion to rest your weary head.
Two styles are on offer: A "Memories Stripe" Pugi which wears a blue and white striped jacket and a Pink Pugi who wears a pink bandana around its blubbery neck. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late January 2010 at US$25.90 per pillow. Please note this item will incur dimensional weight and NCS recommends only shipping by UPS Ground within the United States.

TOYS One Piece Chopperman Tebukuro - Import Preorder

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» In the One Piece animated serial, Tony Tony Chopper is the mascot of the Straw Hat Pirates who was a reindeer that ate the Human-Human Fruit to become human-like. Chopper also gained wisdom by eating the fruit and serves as the physician of the Jolly Roger. Chopper can transform into a number of forms including his native reindeer and a monster-man incarnation that's as big and brawny Bigfoot. Make that Bigfoot with a girl's voice.
There is yet one more form that Chopper can take - the mighty cape wearing Chopperman who appeared in episode 336. Chopperman enjoys potato chips, television, and can soar through the air like one of Santa's reindeer. One of his distinguishing features are a pair of hooves (for hands) that look like mocha chocolate creampuffs. They can be yours with Plex's free-size Chopperman Tebukuto product which fits over human hands like a pair of kitchen mitts. Preorders are welcome to ship in January 2010.

NEWS General Updates

HORI Real Arcade Pro Special Editions A new production of the PS3 Hori Real Arcade Pro 3 SA (Sanwa) priced at US$125.90 and the X360 Hori Real Arcade Pro EX SE (Seimetsu) at US$135.90 has shipped from Hori and NCS expects to receive our allocation in a few days. Preorders are welcome.

NEWS Server Upgrade The server that houses our preorder shop at www.shopncsx.com is being upgraded on Friday of this week and the store will be offline from 11PM EST to 5AM EST the next morning. The shop will be online again on Saturday morning. Our main shop at www.ncsxshop.com will be operational during the upgrade period. Thanks.

PS3 Okami Restock A new production of the USA version of Okami for the Wii has been restocked and all backorders will be shipping today. The Greatest Hits version of Okami for the USA Playstation 2 is currently in stock. Sales for both versions of Okami have been uncommonly strong and we're not sure why. Maybe we need more wolves in video games.

PS3 Agarest Generations of War Collector's Edition - Preorder

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» Preorders for the regular edition of PS3 Agarest Generations of War started a couple of months ago but we've finally been able to confirm that the Collectors' Edition of Agarest will also be available for import.

The special Collectors' Edition includes the following bonus items:
» Collectors’ Edition slipcase
» Collectors’ Edition inlay
» Limited edition 48 page hardcover book featuring the unique art from the game which focuses on the Princesses.
» Six collectable art cards featuring images from the game
» A3 size limited edition poster

Preorders are welcome to ship on October 30, 2009 at £44.99 or US$79.90 from NCS. Customers who have already pre-ordered the regular edition of the game are welcome to upgrade to the limited edition.

TOYS Ichigeki Sacchu!! HoiHoi-san ID-3 Model Kit - In Stock

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» When Konami released Ichigeki Sacchuu! HoiHoi-San on the PS2 back in 2003, they also shipped a limited edition bundle which included a HoiHoi-san toy figure. She's the blonde robotic moppet in the maid's uniform with an unusual job. HoiHoi is an insect killer. She was designed by Maazu Pharmaceuticals to exterminate bugs with a variety of weaponry including guns, swords, and super-strength bug spray. Kotobukiya celebrates HoiHoi-san with a new action figure model kit which includes a sword, a spray-gun, a broom, and an extra pair of hands. The figure when assembled measures 11cm or 4.33" tall which is 1:1 scale.

Upon lifting up the top of the cardboard box that houses the HoiHoi-san kit, a total of four plastic bags which hold HoiHoi's parts may be inspected. The model kit is a snap-lock-assembly affair that'll take about 2-3 hours of your time. Once constructed, HoiHoi is an action figure that may be posed, manipulated, and played with. The instructions that are included detail the entire process from start to finish with numbered diagrams. Please note that some parts require paint but the back of the instruction pamphlet list the colors that are recommended to give HoiHoi her intended hues.

MAG Weekly Famitsu Vol. 1086 - Annual Subscriptions Only

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» The October 8, 2009 issue of Weekly Famitsu includes coverage of the following video games and/or events in the Japanese marketplace:

» Famitsu takes a look at Microsoft's Project Natal which "has the support of all the major software publishers."
» Preview for PSP Last Ranker which is an action-adventure from Capcom.
» Games reviewed in this week's issue include NDS Inazuma Eleven 2: Blizzard/Fair (8/8/8/8), PS3 Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 (9/9/9/8), PS3 SSM Multi Raid Special (8/8/8/8), X360 Halo 3 ODST (8/8/8/9), PSP Macross Ultimate Frontier (8/9/8/9), and Tales of Vesperia (9/9/9/8).
» The Tokyo Game Show just happened last week and Famitsu maps out the venue with a floor plan that shows where the exhibitors are located. A listing of games shown at the TGS is also displayed.
» 16-page preview for PS3 Ryu Ga Gotoku 4 which is slated for 2010.
» PSP Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker preview.
» Pocky is featured in this week's PICK UP FOOD section.

PS3 Final Fantasy XIII Lightning Edition PS3 Bundle - Preorder

NCS Preorder Synopsis
«©NCSX» Male leads have dominated the rosters of RPGs since the olden days of gaming when titles such as Wizardry and Ultima captured the imagination of players. Back then, there was nary a lass to be found except maybe as a scullery maid in Lord British's castle. Or something like that.

Square diverges from convention by making a girl named Lightning the lead heroine in the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII. Lightning is a reasonably attractive strawberry blonde and we think she likes the color pink. How else to explain the design of the FFXIII Lightning Edition bundle which features a pink etching of Lightning on the top of the ceramic white console? The lettering for "Final Fantasy XIII" located on the lower-left corner is also pink but the engraved "PS3" is grey which balances out the pinkish hues. Lightning looks to the left while hefting up a crooked sword that might be mistaken for an oversized fountain pen.

The FFXIII PS3 includes a 250GB hard drive, a ceramic white Dual Shock 3, and standard cabling to hook everything up. Pricing for the FFXIII bundle is set at JPY41,600 but vendors are charging a premium over the retail price due to potential shortages. To add to the pricing pressure, the US dollar's been traveling on a downward slope against the Japanese yen over the past few weeks which has been painful to watch. Due to the weakness of the dollar and our inability to peer into the future, pricing for the FFXIII Lightning Bundle is tentative and may change in the event the dollar's value continues to erode precipitously against the yen. Preorders are welcome to ship on December 17, 2009.

BARWARE Miku Hatsune Project Diva Glass Cup - New Import

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» NCS imported the Gyakuten Kenji Teacup earlier this year and we add two more game-related cups to our collection this week. The Miku Hatsune Project Diva Glass Cup measures 12cm (4.72") tall and 6.5cm (2.55") in diameter and holds roughly 8 ounces of liquid. Two styles are on offer as follows:
» Clear glass with white/green Miku Hatsune Waveform imprint
Jan Code: 4531894360445 [初音ミク ―Project DIVA― ミク波形グラス]
» Clear glass with black/white Miku Hatsune Speaker imprint
Jan Code: 4531894360438 [初音ミク-Project DIVA-ミクスピーカーグラス]

X360 Mushihimesama Futari v1.50 - Region Free

«©NCSX» The good news was posted on Kotaku on Sunday morning and spread around the gaming internets like brushfire. Cave's making the upcoming Mushihimesama Futari v1.5 region-free and playable on U.S. Xbox 360 consoles. Shooters sell well for us but we also understand they're a niche product. Not everyone loves a shooter and that's okay. While a top-notch shmup like Mushihimesama may be positioned as a premium product in Japan that commands full price at retail, there's no way it'll sell at full price stateside because the "mass consumer" audience (read: Big-Box-Superstore traffic) isn't dedicated enough to support a shooter at US$60. Shoppers might consider a purchase if the price is at the magic level of $19.99 like Raiden Fighters Aces for X360. The operative word in that last sentence is "consider" since shooters are a tough sell in Shop-Mart-Land.

One of our own examples we can throw out is Ikaruga on the Dreamcast. That was our best selling import game ever and NCS probably sold 35% of the entire production. It took us three days to process, pack, and ship all of our preorders. However, when Ikaruga was ported over to the US Gamecube in 2003, the overall sales numbers weren't great. We still had copies as of last Christmas although we did eventually sell out at US$80 per copy. We got more than full price... but we had to wait 5 years.

NEWS Japanese Import Outlook - Arrivals on Thursday-Friday

NDS	Blue Dragon: Ikai no Kyoujuu	Bandai
	Chara-Chinko	Interchannel
	Inazuma Eleven 2: Blizzard	Level 5
	Inazuma Eleven 2: Fair	Level 5
PS2	Osouji Sentai	Compile
	Osouji Sentai Clean Keeper H Limited Edition	Compile
PS3	Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2	Tecmo
	Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Premium Box	Tecmo
	Shin Sangoku Musou MultiRaid Special	Koei
	Trinity Universe	Nippon Ichi
	Trinity Universe Limited Edition	Nippon Ichi
PSP	Gran Turismo	SCEI
	Macross Ultimate Frontier	Bandai
	Macross Ultimate Frontier Limited Edition	Bandai
	Mana Khemia 2 Portable+	Gust
	Mana Khemia 2 Portable+ Premium Box	Gust
	Shadow of Memories	Konami
360	Shin Sangoku Musou MultiRaid Special	Koei
Wii	Dead Space Extraction	EA
	Hula Wii: Motto Jouzu no Fura o Odorou!!	MileStone

NEWS USA Release Outlook - Arrivals on Monday-Wednesday

NDS	Battle of Giants: Dragons	UbiSoft
	Family Feud	Ubisoft
	Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days	Square
	The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road	Xseed
PS3	Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2	Tecmo
	Tornado Outbreak	Konami
PSP	Beaterator	Take 2
	Undead Knights	Tecmo
	Gran Turismo	Sony
Wii	Deca Sports 2	Konami
	Family Feud	Ubisoft
	Hidden Mysteries Titanic	Activision
	MySims Agents	EA
	Tornado Outbreak	Konami
	Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga	Xseed
360	BCFX: The Doug Williams Edition	Aspyr
	Tornado Outbreak	Konami

SOTW L-Dis for PC-Engine - Sale

NCS Sale of the Week Offering: September 28, 2009
Original Release in Japan: April 5, 1991
«©NCSX» New and factory sealed copy of L-Dis for the PC-Engine CD-Rom which was released nearly 2 decades ago. L-Dis is a horizontal shooter with a comical bent where players pilot a chunky red ship with big eyes. The game was released for the Japanese Virtual Console earlier this year for the fee of 800 Wii Points (playable with the Wii Remote rotated counterclockwise by 90°) but if you're the type who prefers a hardcopy with instruction booklet and jewel case, here's your chance.

Product Condition
NCS' remaining inventory is brand new and factory sealed from our original warehouse inventory from the Spring of '91.

Sale Offering
Pricing per copy of L-Dis is set at US$28.90 each. If you reside within the continental US, NCS recommends shipping by USPS Media Mail for the most economical domestic carriage cost. International customers can select USPS First Class Airmail International which delivers within 6-12 days.

Product SKU: NSCD-0005
JAN Code: 4988616002051
Japanese Product Name: エルディス (CD-ROM)
Compatibility: PC-Engine
Manufacturer: Masaya

DRINK Final Fantasy XIII Elixir Version 1 - Preorder

NCS Preorder Synopsis
«©NCSX» NCS could blow smoke up your chimney and describe the previous Final Fantasy potions and elixirs from Suntory as quaffable or enjoyable. But we'd be lying. They're barely sippable and the word "enjoy" isn't normally paired with the Final Fantasy potions. Like other Square schwag, the potables are designed to be stored in personal Final Fantasy shrines where proud owners can look upon them with fondness and a little bit of love.

Suntory and Square are teaming up again to produce another brew which dovetails with the release of Final Fantasy XIII and two versions of the elixir are scheduled to ship in December. The FFXIII Elixir Version 1 features a lemony flavored drink and a total of 8 character cans will be released at JPY191 each. Similar to the FFVII portions, royal jelly and caffeine are two ingredients which will give drinker a boost of energy. Vitamin B1 (thiamin) and B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride) are also mentioned as ingredients and each can holds 350ml of liquid. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late December 2009 at US$7.60 per can. Blame the ¥ and shipping charges.

DRINK Final Fantasy XIII Elixir Version 2 - Preorder

NCS Preorder Synopsis
«©NCSX» NCS could blow smoke up your chimney and describe the previous Final Fantasy potions and elixirs from Suntory as quaffable or enjoyable. But we'd be lying. They're barely sippable and the word "enjoy" isn't normally paired with the Final Fantasy potions. Like other Square schwag, the potables are designed to be stored in personal Final Fantasy shrines where proud owners can look upon them with fondness and a little bit of love.

Suntory and Square are teaming up again to produce another brew which dovetails with the release of Final Fantasy XIII and two versions of the elixir are scheduled to ship in December. The FFXIII Elixir Version 2 features an aloe flavored drink and a total of 8 character cans will be released at JPY191 each. Similar to the FFVII portions, royal jelly and caffeine are two ingredients which will give drinker a boost of energy. Vitamin B1 (thiamin) and B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride) are also mentioned as ingredients and each can holds 350ml of liquid. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late December 2009 at US$7.60 per can. Blame the ¥ and shipping charges.