Thursday, December 17, 2009

PS3 Final Fantasy XIII - New Import, Restock 12/21

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» The release of each and every Final Fantasy game in the past decade has been a major event in Japan with exhaustive media coverage, sales that are uncompromisingly strong, and legions of players who either love or hate the game.
Final Fantasy XIII follows the adventures of a soldier named "Lightning," who's been described by designer Tetsuya Nomura as the girl version of Cloud Strife (feathered hair, delicate features, androgynous) and "Sazh Katzroy" who sort of looks like Denzel Washington (if Denzel had a massive afro) who's accompanied by a pet baby Chocobo. A baby Chocobo who makes its nest in Sazh's accommodating and presumably comfy afro. Another key character is Snow Villiers who might show up on an Abercrombie ad if he cut his hair; he'd also fit right in on a Prada ad if he lost the skull cap.
We've been asked to write up a spoiler-free synopsis. The first few minutes of the game are stunning. Beautiful, even. The anticipation for FFXIII has been running strong for the past few weeks and to finally see the game in action this morning is a muscle-unclenching release. Sort of.

PS3 Final Fantasy XIII Lightning - New Import, Restock 12/21

NCS Product 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.

PSP Queen's Blade Spiral Chaos - New Import, In Stock

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» A bevy of lovelies from the Queens Blade works gather together not to pose and preen but to engage in an action-adventure of epic proportions. Literally. Queens Blade is built on the Super Robot Wars game engine where the player's party goes from mission to mission and battles opposing forces on tactical grids. When an attack is ignited, the attacker is shown in a fluid animated sequence where she swings a sword and damages her enemy. Visions of undulating bosoms are a common theme throughout the tactical sequences where the girls' "girls" move with compelling bouncing energy. During the attack sequences between warriors, split-second glimpses of exposed thighs and legs are also displayed.

The characters featured in Queen's Blade Spiral Chaos include:

» Leina - A wandering blonde warrior maiden (
CV: Ayako Kawasumi)
» Tomoe - Shinto shrine maiden who resembles Koyori (
CV: Mamiko Noto)
» Risty - Ginger-haired bandit inspired by Red Sonja (
CV: Yuko Kaida)
» Nanael - Angelic blue-haired girl with a pair of wings (
CV: Aya Hirano)
» Melona - Pink-haired changeling who spits acid from an unusual place
» Irma - Lithe and athletic assassin with a healthy tan (
CV: Yui Kano)
» Nowa - Wild-eyed protector of nature (
CV: Mikako Takahashi)

... and many more for a total of 19 characters. The protagonist is a girl named "Cute" who travels with a manservant named Jan. Similar to the SRW games, the story diverges into different routes depending on choices made during the game and the outcome of battles that are fought.

PSP Queen's Blade: Spiral Chaos Gekitou Pack - New Import

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» A bevy of lovelies from the Queens Blade works gather together not to pose and preen but to engage in an action-adventure of epic proportions. Literally. Queens Blade is built on the Super Robot Wars game engine where the player's party goes from mission to mission and battles opposing forces on tactical grids. When an attack is ignited, the attacker is shown in a fluid animated sequence where she swings a sword and damages her enemy. Visions of undulating bosoms are a common theme throughout the tactical sequences where the girls' "girls" move with compelling bouncing energy. The "Gekitou Pack" edition of the game includes the following bonus items:

» Queen's Blade: Spiral Chaos Official Visual Book
» figma "Cute" toy figure with accessories and extra parts
» Queen's Blade Voice Out CD

NCS will honor all preorders submitted at the original price of US$106.90 but we're forced to raise the price for new orders to US$113.90 due to the rise of the Japanese yen against the U.S. dollar.

TOYS Portrait of Pirates Monkey D. Luffy "Strong Edition" - New

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» The One Piece Film: Strong World movie bowed across Japan on December 12 and weekend box office receipts came in at a billion yen or roughly US$12 million dollars. That's an impressive showing for only 188 screens and Megahouse ties into the movie with a new Luffy figure.
Monkey D.
Luffy leads the "Straw Hat Pirates" with a managerial style that's carefree and generally full of frivolity. Despite Luffy's clownish appearance and demeanor however, he's a young man that's full of determination and the means to reach his goals. The previous One Piece Portrait of Pirates Luffy figure was sort of clownish. Megahouse's new Luffy figure is a little more serious. Gone is the goofy smile from the original POP Luffy which has been replaced by Luffy looking gritty. He's also dressed in purple and black colored garb which is reminiscent of the somber Dracule Mihawk's ensemble. Luffy's also wearing a cape like Dracule and a massive firearm is included to ensure that everyone knows that this is the "Strong Edition" of Luffy. Not the weak edition of yesteryear.

TOYS Nendoroid Drossel - New Import, In Stock

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» Drossel's figma rendition was a sales winner over the past summer and her Nendoroid incarnation has been pre-selling at a lively clip. Whereas the figma was a standard 1/8 scale recreation of Drossel's lanky form, the Nendoroid is a squat super-deformed version of the Disney heroine which measures 10cm or 3.93" tall. Drossel's Nendoroid also features big blue "eyes" which light up by way of built-in battery power. Similar to the figma, Nendoroid Drossel is posable and includes accessories galore to recreate scenes from the Fireball CG series of short films. A circular stand is included with the toy for display purposes. The parts bundled inside the packaging with the figure include her Obruchev headgear which allows Drossel to lift off in the animation, a little helmet with round side attachments, three extra arms, one extra hand, and a pair of extra legs.
All preorders are shipping today and new orders are welcome. Pricing is set at JPY4000 or US$46.90 from NCS.