Space Invaders Game Bank - New Import, In Stock

«©NCSX» Back in 2003, Taito celebrated the 25th Anniversary of Space Invaders by releasing a replica of the Space Invaders tabletop game which was really a controller container which held a Dual Shock 2. It was highly collectible and NCS eventually sold out after keeping original inventory for 6 years. Taito shipped a boatload of Space Invaders products last year to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the franchise. This year, the 31st Anniversary of Space Invaders doesn't have the same cachet but that's not stopping Taito from keeping the Invaders merchandising train rolling.

Most piggy banks don't reward savers with entertainment. The Space Invaders Game Bank rewards coin-droppers with a thrilling (sorta) shoot 'em up. Players who insert a 100-yen coin in the coin slot will get to play a round of Space Invaders that's fairly faithful to the original from the sounds to the shields to the included color cellophane overlay. The game bank measures W200 x H105 x D95mm (7.87 x 4.13 x 3.74") in area and is listed as 1/6 scale on Takara's product sheet.

A 100-yen coin measures 2.26cm in diameter so the closest approximation that we have here in the USA is a nickel which spans 2.12cm. The nickel is slightly thicker at 1.95mm versus 1.75mm for the 100-yen coin but it's perfectly sized for the coin slot. Note that a quarter is too large but dimes and pennies may also be inserted into the slot for your personal savings. A little red trigger in the coin slot is activated whenever a nickel passes through. All preorders have shipped as of yesterday; new orders welcome.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Sacrifice - Expected on Monday

From the Publisher
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Sacrifice combines third-person and first-person gameplay to create an experience like nothing else on Nintendo DS. The stakes are high for players as they take on the role of Buffy to seal the re-opened Hellmouth in an original story penned by Rob Deshotel, a writer from the TV series.

This action-packed 3D survival horror game sees Buffy using a range of special weapons, powerful spells and martial arts to take out vicious vampires and demons. In addition to these enemies, players also come across recognisable characters from the show, including Spike, Angel, the Master, the First Evil, Caleb and, of course, the Scooby Gang.

Weekly Famitsu Vol. 1060 - New Import, Subscriptions

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

» Preview for Final Fantasy XIII which includes new screenshots and details on the battle system. Pages 25 and 27 show off some nice screen caps. The preview also includes a look at the FFVII Advent Children Complete Blu-Ray that's expected next month.
» The Famitsu Review Crew rank PS3 Winning Post World (8/8/7/7), NDS Pro Yakyuu Famista DS 2009 (9/7/8/8), and Wii Doala de Wii (6/4/5/4).
» A feature on video game t-shirts including one for Galaxian that looks great, a Bomberman tee, a nifty Pac-Man shirt which features an entire screen cap of the entire game maze and contents, and an 8-bit Rockman t-shirt which we'll be buying for our own collection.
» Feature on Mobile Suit Gundam: Senjou no Kizuna which checks out the arcade original as well as this week's PSP conversion.
» This week's "Pick Up Food" article focuses on new ice cream snacks that are available in Japan along with pastries that are currently in demand.
» Project Witch preview which is shipping for the PSP on July 23, 2009.

Zettai Zetsumei Grip - Import Preorder

«©NCSX» When Zettai Zetsumei 3 ships for the Playstation Portable next month, you might need a special accessory to hold the handheld lest it slip out of your hands when the excitement level ramps up and sweaty palms are the order of the day.
The Zettai Zetsumei Grip holds the PSP in its confines and is designed with a special "cracked asphalt" appearance which mimics the broken city that the game takes place in. The ZZ Grip may also be used as a stand since it has a support on the back which may be used to support the accessory and PSP upright on a tabletop.
Preorders are welcome to ship on April 23, 2009 at JPY1800 or US$22.90 from NCS.

Idolmaster Live Points - Import Preorder

«©NCSX» The Japanese Xbox Live Marketplace is a vibrant repository of downloadable content such as demos, trailers, and game data. The currency of the XBL Marketplace is known as Microsoft Points which are sold in card format through retailers in Japan. NCS has sold plain cards for a couple of years now but the upcoming Idolmaster versions are a little more special since they feature idol artwork and pretty colors.
The upcoming IdolMaster MS Points cards have a face value of 3500 and two versions are up for preorder - the IdolMaster "C" version which features a full-bodied cast of characters and a "D" version which shows off 10 character portraits. Preorders are welcome to ship on April 23, 2009 at JPY5000 or US$58.90 from NCS.

General Updates

PSP Utawareru Mono - Delayed Aqua Plus has delayed the release of the regular and limited editions of Utawareru Mono for the PSP from April 29 to May 28, 2009. To update the contents of the limited edition of the game, purchasers will receive a PSP carrying pouch (shown to the left), a puffy sticker strap, and a black Utawareru Mono accessory bag. Early preorders will also ship with a bonus deck of playing cards in 50% ratio.

PS3 Demon's Souls - Asian Version Update Another shipment of PS3 Demon's Souls will be shipping from Hong Kong on Monday or Tuesday of next week and all new orders received after 10:22AM EST (as of yesterday) will ship on Wednesday or Thursday of next week. If we are able to stock the new batch of restock any sooner, we'll post an update on Monday morning since there may be some inventory available for us tonight in Hong Kong.

ETC Sales Next Week - New Old Stock Offerings We'll resume new weekly sales on old inventory items starting next week. We found a bunch of new Saturn joypad and joystick controllers, a bunch of Megadrive accessories, some PC-Engine stuff, and an assortment of Famicom game classics. The inventory is new but some of the boxes have slight wear due to nearly 2 decades in storage.