Monday, March 02, 2009

Japanese Import Outlook - Arrivals on Thursday-Friday

NDS Kimokawae! 5pb

Kimokawae! Limited Edition 5pb

Seventh Dragon

Sega

PS2

Super Robot Taisen Z Special Disc

Bandai

PS3 Biohazard 5 Capcom

Biohazard 5 Premium Limited Box Capcom
360 Biohazard 5 Capcom

Wii

Relakkuma: Minna de Goyururi Seikatsu

MTO

Weekly Famitsu Vol. 1056 - New Import, Subscriptions

«©NCSX» The latest issue of Weekly Famitsu features coverage on the following games and/or events:

» Scoop on Final Fantasy XIII and FFVII Advent Children Complete.
» Preview for Lost Planet 2 which looks amazing.
» The Famitsu Reviewers rank NDS Seventh Dragon (9/8/8/8), PS3 Biohazard 5 (10/10/9/9), and Wii
Relakkuma (7/6/6/4).
» Wii Kizuna preview which introduces the characters and storyline.
» On pages 111 to 126, Famitsu includes a "mock magazine" titled Kiwame that's styled similarly to Sega's Kamutai magazine giveaway for Ryu Ga Gotoku 3. The model that Famitsu uses for the cover of Kiwame doesn't show her snaggle-tooth.
» Big Biohazard 5 preview which breaks down the cast and game play details. A Biohazard series glossary follows the preview.
» Flip to page 164 to check out the Pop'n Music The Movie coin-op.
» Preview for the new Minna de Spelunker game that will be released on the Japanese Playstation Network this month.

Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 Rise Dragon Bundle - New Import, GONE

«©NCSX» The release of the special Yakuza 3 bundle was delayed by a day to our distributors in Japan last week but they have arrived and preorders are shipping today. We don't have any surplus sets at this time and aftermarket vendors have raised the price by about JPY12,000 so we're holding off on ordering any more until we see a return to sanity. The Rise Dragon Bundle is limited to 10,000 units and based on what we see in our vendor database, there's at least 5 suppliers in Tokyo who are hoarding 20+ bundles at higher than normal prices. Update: The five hoarders are down to the following quantities as of 11:33AM EST: 11-15-13-15-18.

Pricing for the Rise Dragon Bundle is set at US$535.00 but please note that if we import any new quantities, the price will be US$649 due to the aforementioned hoarding and recent price increases in Japan. We'll update accordingly if prices drop over the next few days but if supplies dwindle to single digits, it's unlikely that prices will drop at all.

Made in Ore - Import Preorder

«©NCSX» If you're a creative type who wants to design games but refuse to invest the time required to build an RPG, you might fare better with micro games. Nintendo's Made in Ore allows designers to create 5-second games that are primitive, simple, and potentially likable. The software includes a music editor, a simple graphics program, and the engine to bind all the components together to create an interactive challenge.

Sample micro games will be included in the game card to show players and designers how the professionals at Ninty do it.

Preorders for Made in Ore (JPN-NDS) are welcome to ship on April 29, 2009 at JPY4800 or US$52.90 from NCS.

General Updates

Snow in New York City
There's about 8" on the ground already and the snow's still coming down. Due to the inclement weather, please note that we may not be able to ship any postal packages this afternoon since we won't have access to vehicles. The parking lot is a mess and our mobility will be restricted this afternoon. UPS shipments should however go out normally today.
The heavy snow also delayed some of our import shipments today and they rest are rescheduled for tomorrow. Any remaining preorders for Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 Rise Dragon bundle will ship on Tuesday.
Demon's Souls - Japan Version
Preorders for the Japanese version of Demon's Souls will ship today. Please wait for further updates on restock of the Asian version.

USA Release Outlook - Arrivals on Mon-Wed

PS2 King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match SNK
PS3 Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard D3P

Kill Zone 2 [Edit: Arrived last Thursday] Sony

Major League Baseball 2K9 2K Sports

MLB '09 The Show Sony
PSP Phantasy Star Portable Sega
Wii Sonic and the Black Knight Sega
360 Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard D3P

Halo Wars Microsoft

Tom Clancy's HAWX Ubisoft