KOF Mai Shiranui Queen's Gate Figure - New Import

«©NCSX» In volume 4 of the Queen's Gate art book series, artist Mahiru Izumi depicted Mai Shiranui in a number of illustrations which may be described as ribald. Another word might be lecherous but that's what Queen's Gate is all about - ribald themes and lechery featuring heroines from Japanese pop culture. In one of Mahiru's illustrations, Mai wears a beautiful and brightly colored kimono which is halfway off and her voluptuous bosom is somewhat covered by her crossed arms. That illustration serves as the inspiration for the Mai Queen's Gate figure from Japanese toy manufacturer Volks.

A couple of months ago, Japanese mail-order outfit HobbyJapan started preorders for an exclusive toy figure from Volks which recreates Mai's kimono illustration in PVC form. The kimono is decorated with assorted flowers and the garment drapes loosely around her waist. Mai is barefoot and a little bit of leg may be spotted when viewing the figure from the front. A red/white hand fan gripped in Mai's right hand adds a bit of flair. Mai measures 16.50cm or roughly 6.50" in height and is fully painted, assembled, and ready for display. NCS received our shipment of the figures yesterday and all preorders have shipped out already. New orders are welcome to ship today at US$109.90 per figure.

Doki Majo Plus - Import Preorder

«©NCSX» Hunting for witches ain't easy but someone's got to do it. To that end, the setting of the latest Doki Doki Majo Shinpan game takes players to a tropical island where bikini-clad maidens must be touched, searched, and prodded like cattle. The protagonist is looking for a secret witch's mark which is basically what witches are branded with by the Devil. By using the touch pen or just an index finger, players act the part of an anatomy investigator who searches the bodies of suspects who really don't want to be touched. When a girl is being checked out in an overly thorough fashion, she'll react by blushing or appear ashamed, which is a natural when being violated. A new character in the game named Kanan Kiara looks sorta like Ororo (Storm) from the X-Men comics when Dave Cockrum and then John Byrne did the penciling. Preorders are welcome to ship on July 30, 2009.

Suzumiya Haruhi Cosplay Wig - Import Preorder

«©NCSX» The heroine of the Suzumiya Haruhi franchise is named Suzumiya Haruhi and she sports a fairly unique hairdo. There's bangs aplenty and a lot of hair all around which is shaped like a helmet. If you've ever stared at Suzumiya and wanted her hair, Cospa is going to make your dreams come true this summer. The Suzumiya Haruhi Cosplay Wig is a "free size" accessory which is accompanied by a stylish goldenrod bow that may be plopped on top of anyone's head. However, we'd think it's designed more for females than grungy males. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late August 2009 at US$30.90 each.

Slip-on DSi Crocodile Leather Case - Import Preorder

«©NCSX» We saw a pimp once. Just once. This was way before New York cleaned up Times Square and made it the tourist haven that it is today. Back then, Times Square was seedy, dirty, and surly. If you weren't careful, you were liable to catch a glimpse of a bona fide pimp. Maybe even two of them. It was probably a Friday when the sighting happened but there he was. Natty suit, a brown but stylish hat, sunglasses at night, and the shoes. Crocodile shoes. Shoes that glittered like shoes never glittered before.

Crocodile leather is generally an expensive proposition which is why it's normally only found in special circumstances. Imagine our awe when Takara Tomy started preorders for their Slip-on DSi Crocodile Leather case for the measly fee of JPY1047 each. NCS thought back to the pimp sighting and knew that our Nintendo DSi would soon be encased in something glittery and shiny... like an NDSi never glittered or shined before. Preorders are welcome to ship on July 11, 2009 at US$13.90 from NCS.

Pro Yakyuu Spirits 6 - Import Preorder

«©NCSX» Konami's got a great soccer franchise in Winning Eleven which enjoys worldwide renown but they also have an top notch baseball franchise in the Pro Yakyuu Spirits game series for the PS2 and PS3. Well known in Japan but less so elsewhere, the latest edition of PYS ships this summer and features two new modes:

1) Manager Play Mode : Take a seat and tackle the part of team manager who calls the plays and gives instructions to the players via action cards. Perfect for passive gamers who prefer not to swing a bat or pitch a ball. By using sound judgment and baseball tactics, players get the manage a team from the start of the season to the pennant.

2) World Baseball Classic : Baseball is beloved around the world so 16 countries participate in the WBC including the United States, Mexico, South Korea, Canada, Japan, Italy, and more. The annual tournament is only in its second year in 2009 and in case you're wondering, Japan won the top honors earlier this year by beating South Korea 5-3.

Pro Yakyu Spirits 6 features fresh 2009 team data for all players, updated uniforms, and since the Hiroshima Carp have a new stadium this year, the game includes the spanking new Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium. Konami also tapped former Chiba Lotte Marines pitcher Tomohiro "Johnny" Kuroki to provide commentary in the game. Preorders for the Japanese PS3 version of PYS6 are welcome to ship on July 16, 2009 at JPY7800 or US$80.90 from NCS. Reservations are also being accepted for the Playstation 2 version.

DC DUX and Last Hope Re-issue - Import Preorder Update

«©NCSX» After a couple of delays, the developer of Dreamcast DUX has completed the game and its long-awaited release is imminent. We can finally knock all those preorders out and get them fulfilled within the next 1-2 weeks. All preorders will ship once we receive the shipment.

In related news, a new version of Last Hope is being released on the Dreamcast in July. The notification from the developer follows below:

Last Hope: Pink Bullets
Given the high demand of Last Hope for Dreamcast, there's going to be a
self-published reprint very soon. This reprint however is not just a
plain reprint, its rather going to be an improved version of the game.

With this edition the games on screen visibility is much higher then
before on Dreamcast, comparable to Last Hopes in game visibility for
NEO·GEO CD. That's mainly thanks to pink bullets that make it easier to
differ between explosions and shrapnels while shooting up enemies. Also
the color scheme of the stages are now altered to improve both
visibility and giving the game a different look. Additionally, Last Hope
Pink Bullets features instant restart spawn during one credit. However
using a credit takes you to the latest checkpoint of the stage. You have
a total of 6 credits. The player is now equipped with both permanent
speedup and protection pod. We are sure, this makes the game a less hard and more accessible gaming experience.

The game comes with DVD casing and enhanced 12 page manual. We are also considering a stand alone soundtrack of this game. Release of this game edition is July 2009.

NCS is accepting preorders to ship in late July 2009 at US$45.90.

Project Natal - "Is it like Eyetoy?"

«©NCSX» The following IM exchange took place yesterday. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

User-x: microsoft just announced project natal. You hear?
x66x: Not yet. Busy. What is it?
User-x: wii killer. nintendo is done.
x66x: What is it?
User-x: motion sensing control system that uses a video camera and mic
x66x: Is it like Eyetoy?
User-x: in the ballpark but much better. ms could win the video game wars. linky here http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/projectnatal
x66x: Hm. It's a stretch to tell me that "nintendo is done" when Natal is still in development
User-x: it's revolutionary though
x66x: true but adoption rates for new accessories are notoriously low no matter how revolutionary something is. People just don't buy them.
User-x: mehhh you always put a damper on s**t
x66x: just being practical about what really happens after the news
User-x: konami should make a new para para paradise game for this
x66xx: we still sell para controllers to Russians
User-x: russians in Russia?
x66x: yep - they're getting the Japanese fads after the Japanese
User-x: brb pizzas here
x66x: How are you going to play a game like Otomedius with this?